Kyoto

One of Japan’s most popular destinations is Kyoto — a city famous for its geishas, shrines and manicured gardens. I sort of pictured a slow weekend, but with the kangaroo, there’s no such thing as tortoise speed.

We drank hard, slept little, and packed in as many sights as we could. Taking the advice of friends and travel sites, we headed to East Kyoto to be near the Nanzenji area. A friend from Singapore, Ben, tagged along as he had business meetings in Tokyo. He’s an avid cyclist so he suggested we rent bikes to sightsee this languid town. That was the best decision because slow walks tend to make me feel restless. Under the sun and with the wind in our hair, we zipped around Kyoto like demons on wheels.

Zen gardens provided a peaceful stroll after brekkie.

This took us to a forest dotted with altars and offerings.

We spied a bride posing for her wedding pictures after her traditional ceremony in a shrine.

Short fart and the giant.

Somehow the soba outside of Tokyo always seems tastier…

We returned our bikes at dusk and plunked ourselves on the river bank drinking cold beer and chu-hi (fruity fizzy shouchu) while bird watching (sounds dorky but the birds were hunting for fish — it was exciting but gross to see the fish wriggling down their skinny throats).

We tried hard not to look like tourists. I had to hide the thick Lonely Planet in my bag when map man didn’t need to consult the map.

Kyoto has an active nightlife with tourists crawling from bar to bar searching for a different experience. Similar to Tokyo, you can find quirky, tiny watering holes. Needless to say, I feel like doing a detox but we have plans to go to a party. It’s only Wednesday…:o) We’re going to Kyoto when the kangaroo’s mum visits. Something tells me it’ll be a quieter trip…

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