Well the last 2 weeks have been pretty hectic both within my social life and work. Turns out I won't be returning to Australia in January - I have to be back at work the day after my friend gets married and I can't get flights let alone get back in time! So boo hoo, I will catch up with all those who were thinking about seeing me another time.
Koyasun (spelling is not correct - sorry everyone). Well this place was spectacular with all the leaves changing colour and a little on the chilly side. This is a very well known old Buddist area and seriously I found it very peaceful. I want to go back and stay in a monastry (or what ever you call it) for a couple of days. My most magical moment there was walking in a temple with my shoes off, walking over the tatami mats and looking at the statues when all of a sudden chanting starts revirburating around the temple. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was happening initially and it was the MOST amazing sound. It turned out monks were standing and chanting just outside the temple and it was echoing. Awesome experience. The temperature dropped to a lovely warm 3.5 degrees (it was at high altitude) and I felt decidedly ill travelling up the windy roads to get there. It was worth it though.
Who did I go with. Well 8 others. A whole heap of GEOS teachers (and no I'm not working for GEOS, I work for AEON and I would recommend them to anyone - they really look after you!) however I met them all through a friend I met at Japanese language school - Flick.
I spent my birthday in Kyoto where we (Flick, her husband, and a fellow Aeon teacher - Log) all went and saw the Gold pavilion and the silver Pavilion. The leaves were spectacular and so were the crowds! Log and I went up the Kyoto tour and saw the most amazing 'sandpit'. The top of a building had several bulldozers and shovellers on top of it making it look like a sand pit - amazing is all I can say!
