A real laptop:
Here I sit, zooming across Japan at over 200 miles an hour, with a lap top on my lap top. We made the 4:09 Nazomi (bullet train) to Tokyo after an exciting and crazy last 8 hours in Kyoto.
Dad was really sad to leave our 1st class home. He didn’t want to give his key up hoping someday he could get back on, or if he had a ladder to climb up the side. I am afraid if any of you go on a cruise with any of us again, you might have to hear, “Well when we were on the Asia cruise ….this….and that….. “until you are just sick of hearing it. We admitted we may never go on another cruise as nothing could compare to it.
We woke, showered and had breakfast, (making raisin bun, peanut butter and jam sandwiches for our lunches. (and just eating them now you wouldn’t believe how delicious they taste.) Then debarking at 8:00 AM we ordered up two taxi’s, Then with 5 large bags, 6 bags and backpacks and two silk comforters in tow, along with a wheelchair that drops it legs every once in while, we made it to the train station. One on the meter for $11.40 and one by quote for $20.00. As I went to pay them both I demanded the meter price…..and got it.
Next was a 25 minute bullet train to Kyoto. Taxi’s as so expensive here that we are attempting a Bus Day Pass for just $6.00 a person. We really saw the city, the old way. Kyoto was the capital of Japan before Tokyo, with over 1000 temples and shrines. We went to just 3. We began at Sanjusangendo Hall, “originally founded Temple in 1164. One of the most visually stunning sights with 1,001 wooden statues of the thousand-handed Kannon. Row upon row, these life-size figures, carved from Japanese cypress . They don’t really have a thousand hands, just 40 each, idea being that each hand has the power to save 25 worlds. There are additional other 30 statues represent Kannon’s disciples, the hall stretches almost 400 feet long, the longest wooden building in Japan. Sorry, postcards only as no photo are allowed inside.
Then a long long bus ride with us truly stuffed like sardines into a hot canned bus. This I did take a picture of. It was a riot. Once even the bus driver got out of his seat in the front of bus, came to the back door when people got on, and shoved peoples butts until we could fit 4 more people in, and shut the door. It was really quite funny.
Next stop, Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion) Constructed in 1390’s. But a disturbed student monk burned in down in 1955. It was rebuilt and recovered in gold leaf, five times thicker than original coating. Over $5,000,000 worth of gold to cover it. You almost need sunglasses to look at it on a sunny day.
Last and truly the least was Ryoanji Temple. Most famous Zen rock garden!!! But we had to climb stairs to get to it so Dad stayed below. Laid out at the end of the 15th century…15 rocks (about the size of a suitecase)set in waves of raked white pebbles. “sit here and contemplate what the artist was trying to communicate.” Well that would be nice if you were the only one there but there were hundreds of people filing through to enjoy the “meditation” spot. We took a picture then climbed back down, picked up Dad and headed to the bus stop for our 6th bus of the day, then arrived back to catch the bullet train to Toyko. So here I sit.
10:30 PM: Well in the dark and hot underground of Tokyo we wondered around for a long time getting various directions and help from many people. Too us 90 minutes to get to our hotel that is just about 2 miles away. Strange here: Only a few of the big street have names. You just have to look on the map and count blocks. And the buildings all received their addresses by when they were built, not where they are located….so there is no rhyme or reason to finding an address. And Ed and I sware that the Marriott is not where they say it is…but three blocks away., according to names on streets. Even two of the maps have different names for the street it is on. We tried to tell them and tell them their map was wrong but they don’t believe us. But we are both so sure we are right and they are wrong. We’ll see if we can find our way home tomorrow any better.
We were willing to sacrifice and go to a Denny’s just across the street for dinner thinking we could order something familiar. But no….it was all in Japanese and it was the strangest menu with all pictures, and kindof scary pictures at that. You couldn’t even tell what 9/10 of the food was. And even just on the menu, there were definitely floaties swimming in the soups. I thought I could almost see them moving. Dad and I settled for a sandwich, Ed for speghetti, and Kriss ordered a sliced Mango. What will breakfast time bring???? Possibly fast day. I am going to get on lds.org and see who far we are from church. Desk clerk at Marriott didn’t know.
More tomorrow.
Love to you all.
Pam
We had spent the day “cruzzin'” and as soon as we arrived at about 3:00 pm we knew the cruise was at an end. Dad sat on deck to read and enjoy his last few hours on board, as we were to have dinner and sleep on board with an early start in the morning.
Ed, Kriss and I headed out to walk to town just to see where we were to catch train in the morning and get a feel for the place. After about a 25-minute walk in we found a monstrosity of a mall. I don’t know how many stories it was but as we entered the floor at ground level, we were at the top of a slant and could see about two blocks long, and the center aisle about 50 feet wide, a river of dark haired people. It had to be thousands. I was the only blonde in the sea of heads. Note to self: When on a cruise, never leave ship without a camera.
Another note to self: Why do clean clothes pack tighter than dirty clothes? Everything doesn’t fit back in our suitcases. Pack light. Dad did not need 7 pair of pants…two would do. Pam did not need 5 pair of shoes. 3 would do.
As we waited our turn to disembark we had a good long time to sit on our deluxe, veranda sitting on our lounges, and enjoying the American music and the view of the volcano, Mt Sakurajima behind. As Dad asked, now where is this located, and we told him the most southern tip of Japan. He said, “This is the whole area that I bombed…” and after a few moments of silence, Kriss said, “…and they are OK. Kriss and I looked at each Dad and each other and all three of us were crying.
We purchased the day bus ticket so we could get off and on as desired. First stop was Sengan’en Garden, laid out more than 300 years ago by the Shimadzu clan, along with walking through the Iso Residence, a villa built 350 years ago, and then two museums including items almost 700 years old, including family heirlooms and beginning of industrial tools in Japan.
Then stuffed in a “city tour bus” returning to the train station we found an Internet…of which you were the recipients yesterday in Japanese. We were able to read our emails but hit reply, and the keyboard only typed in Japanese, even though it had the regular alphabet letter on it.
Then we took a ride on the huge Ferris wheel, boarding on the 6th floor of the mall. It carries you up in a 15-minute circle to view the city from the sky. We could even see our ship clear out in the port.
We taxied back to the ship just in time for the farewell entertainment group of a Japanese drums show, including costumes and dancing. Again our veranda was just like box seats at the theatre as we watched and listened for the last hour while our ship had to wait for one lost/late woman, as Japan wouldn’t let us have clearance until every soul was on board.
Today brings resting up for next few days along with packing our bags as we disembark the ship tomorrow at 6:30 AM.
We just returned from a “private party” farewell brunch for the occupants of the deluxe veranda suites. There are only 54 of us among the 1500 guests on board, of which only about 40 attended the brunch. It was an amazing spread that Jimae would have loved to see. Kriss took pictures of the display included an ice sculpture. We had a string quartet playing music, and I had my first and my last taste of caviar. Champagne was free flowing, of which we enjoyed our fresh squeezed OJ and Cranberry Juice. Dad just kept asking, “Why are we included on this?... Why are we so lucky? ….Is it because we paid our tithing?....Are we really getting that refund for this cruise but get all this?” When we were finished and ready to leave, he said, “Let’s not go, we won’t ever have something like this again.” Dad had said he didn’t even want to go as he had eaten a cookie a half hour ahead, but when the rest of us were going he said he didn’t want to miss out on anything so he decided to go with us….and he was sure glad he did.
This afternoon we land in Kobe port, near Osaka. Thus ends the cruise portion of our trip. Tomorrow is early bullet train to Kyoto, all our luggage in tow, hoping for lockers or storage room for the 6 hours we will be there, then back to the train for 3 hour bullet train to Tokyo. There we will check into our Marriott hotel, again thanks to Courtney.
Dad/Gpa has been great. He has done almost everything we have done. If he gets tired he will sit in his chair and read his book, while we run to see one last thing close by. He has really loved it all and we are so glad we had the amazing opportunity to share this long awaited dream with him.
Thanks to all of you who have carried on for us and allowed us the time to do this great trip of a lifetime.
|
| Subscribe to Bodell Family |
| Visit this group |
