And what’s an active month it’s been.
This week
Just back from Basingstoke this morning after dinner and late night drinking/hookah smoking last night with Vineet and Rhadikha. Absolutely gracious hosts! Thanks very much. The food and company were amazing.
Spent the workweek trying to stay awake past 6 p.m. and not wake up at 4 a.m. Inconvenient sleeping patterns and 2 weeks of work catch-up had me feeling exhausted by Friday.
May Week 3-4
Spent two amazing weeks traipsing around Japan (Tokyo-Kinoski-Kyoto-Himji-Osaka-Fukuoka-Tokyo). Taking in the sights. Eating everything in sight. Drinking an awful lot.
Ed and I have finally finished sorting through the 1678 pictures we took on our trip. They can be accessed via the Travel Page on Smallzone.
Brain is too fried to give a decent play-by-play and I am ashamedly resorting to highlighting my “Mosts”:
Most unique experience – 3 days of onsen bathing (naked!) in Kinosaki. This includes 3 whole days with nothing but a robe on in between baths and eating the most amazing and endless meals served by our gracious chambermaid.
Most surprising insight into locals – They are party animals!. Every city had one or more nightlife districts packed with eating and drinking establishments catering to hordes of locals out any (and seemingly every) night of week until sun rise.
Most envious of –
1. Super toilets (seat warmers, odour free, wash and bidet modes, with adjustable water pressure and oscillation settings, etc)
2. Amazing train service, especially bullet trains. Made traipsing around the country an easy task
Most can’t get enough of food item – Fukuoka ramen with its distinctive white, rich pork-based broth, ramen noodles and sesame seeds. Were almost certain we couldn’t get it back in London so we ate a bowl or 2 at every opportunity
Most heart-attack inducing food item – by far Kobe beef, absolutely rippled with “burst in your mouth as you chew” fat although the fatty tuna isn’t far behind.
Most surreal experiences –
1. Getting jiggy with it in Roppongi with sumo wrestlers
2. Stumbling onto a tiny 2nd floor Piss Alley (Golden Gai, Tokyo) bar with flaming belly dancers
Most self-insight inducing experiences -
1. Sushi at 6 in the morning is a struggle. Love sushi. Just not at 6 am
2. Bathing in the nude with random strangers is not as bad as it sounds, and can even be a relaxing and liberating experience
Most admiration inducing experience – each perfect Starbucks cup of coffee caringly and meticulously made. The Japanese are perfectionists, or at a minimum very serious in delivering only the best service and experience possible. Whether it be the perfect Starbucks cappuccino, or the room service breakfast with orange glasses in specially made coolers, and a toaster and bread (rather than cold toast), or the specialised tools for every possible thing, or the cleanliness of all public places. Aside from being perfectionists, the Japanese are also very respectful, friendly and industrious people, eager to please. This made travelling around Japan an absolute pleasure.
Most wtf?!% moment – Seeing light out of window after an all-nighter capped by copious amounts of whiskey, cigar smoking and iberico ham at a cigar bar. Could have kept on drinking, smoking, eating if the bar did not close at 5 (NB. This was Day 1 (or should I say 2?) of the trip. Certainly set the tone for the trip!).
Most stealthy consumable - Sake. Went down much to easily
Only regret – amount of dieting I now need to do
Some pics from the trip (L-R): Beautiful gardens at Ginkaku-ji (Kyoto), Geisha sightings (Kyoto), Pagoda at Kiyomizu-dera (Kyoto), Decked in robes (Kinosaki), , Shinjuku lights (Tokyo), Himeji Castle (Himeji), Sumo-sandwich (Tokyo)
May Week 2
Spent the weekend in Paris with work folks. There was much drinking to be had. Nothing much else to report on this except to callout to my good friends Ian and Steve H who insist on being mentioned on my blog. To Ian – hope we stay firm friends. Else I’ll just have to add a link on my blog to your very special website. To Steve H (2nd) – hope we stay firm friends, as I’d like to avoid having my own very special website put together by your very capable self. Pics on Facebook.
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