Experiences in Asia

Finally I get a chance to update my blog!

I can’t believe it has been 3 weeks or so since I went to Kyoto. I have been meaning to update here for some time, but since getting my new job, my life has changed a little. I also think that my body has taken a bit of a kicking, in that my whole schedule has changed and it has taken a little getting used to. If you consider that for the past year I have been getting up at 6am and finishing at 2pm, only to suddenly change it this past month to getting up at 8am and working until around 10.30pm, it kind of messes up your internal clocks. Hopefully I am getting on top of things now….

The new job is great, I am really loving it at the moment. It is something other than teaching, so it is new and refreshing. I must admit I do feel a little bewildered at the moment, there are so many things to do, such as attend meetings, file reports, (many) and so on. But the challenge is there and it is a refreshing one, so I am looking forward to what the future holds…..

And so to Kyoto. Yuki and I met on that Saturday at the Shinjuku bus station, boarded at 11pm for the ride down to Kyoto, which was to take 7 hours. Money was a little bit of an issue, which is why we chose the bus. I had feelings of dread due to my past experiences with long haul bus drivers in Vietnam and Thailand- these guys were usually rude and aggressive, and the buses were not great- think wooden seats! Not so in Japan. As with all consumer service based jobs, politeness was the top factor- the driver was extremely polite when addressing us on the tannoy, and this made for a relaxing trip down. The bus was also very modern, so I had no problems sleeping, even if you consider how tall I am.

We had decided just to spend a crazy 12 hours in the city, getting the following 11pm bus back (indeed crazy!) We touched down Kyoto bus station at 6am, got our bags and ran into the station, out of the rain.

I have to admit, my first impressions of Kyoto were disappointing. I had developed my idea of Kyoto from watching movies such as the last Samurai and Sayuri. I was expecting to see some glimpses of “old style” Kyoto, from narrow streets, low, traditional style thatched roofs and of course, busy Geisha or Maiko running here and there about their business. But not so, I was greeted by a huge intersection, tall buildings, and the biggest Macdonalds restaurant sign ever!

Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, we headed straight to Mac for a bagel and a hot coffee. After the obligatory teeth brush and wash, we headed off to our first destination, in the rain, at 6.45am……

To be continued…..