THIS MORNING I WAS STILL GIGGLING ABOUT LAST NIGHT! IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT I HAD HEARD JOSIE TALKING TO ANOTHER BACKPACKER IN OUR ROOM SHE WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT A LOUD SNORER AND THAT SHE COULDNT SLEEP, BOTH OF THEM WHERE ANNOYED AND THE GUY 'NATE WAS TRYING TO TELL THE GUY SLEEPING TO SLEEP ON HIS STOMACH AND IT WOULD HELP WITH THE SNORRING LOL. SO INSTEAD THEY DECIDED TO GO AND BUY EARPLUGS THEY SAID THEY DIDNT WOURK THAT WELL BUT I WAS OUT LIKE A LIGHT AND DIDNT HEAR A THING.!!
WHEN I GOT UP WE DECIED TO HAVE BREAKFEAST DOWN STAIRS IN THE ZEN CAFE IN THE HOSTEL , IT WAS A BUFFET STYLE FOR 680 YEN WHICH IS ABOUT 7$ THE BUFFET HAD CEREAL TOAST SAUSAGES AND EGGS (THAT TASTED LIKE PURE YOLK AND WHERE BRIGHT YELLOW IN COLOUR , WEIRD!) AT BREAKFEST A OLDER GERMAN FELLOW JOINED US HE HAD BEEN BACKPACKING JAPAN FOR 2 WEEKS AND THIS IS THE START OF HIS 1 YEAR JOURNEY, HE WAS SAYING HE IS GOING TO TRY TO COUCH SURF, I GUESS COUCH SURFING IS VERY POPULAR AND YOU JUST SEARCH THE WEB FOR PLACES TO STAY ON PEOPLES COUCHES FOR FREE, LOL NO THAT IS CHEAP BACKPACKING ACCOMADATION!
AFTER BREAKFEST WE RENTED SOME BIKES FROM THE HOSTEL THEY WHERE REALLY CUTE AND HAD A BASKET IN THE FRONT, I KEEP THINKING WOW COCO MY DOG WOULD LOVE TO BE SITTING IN HERE ENJOYING THE RIDE, I THINK I WILL INVEST IN A BIKE LIKE THAT WHEN I GET HOME. ANOTHER FACT ABOUT THE BIKE IS THAT YOU PUT A KEY IN RIGHT ABOVE THE BACK TIRE WHICH ON DOES THE LOCK FROM THE SPOKES, YOU LEAVE YOU KEY IN THERE AS YOU ARE CYCLING AND ONLY TAKE IT WHEN YOU WANT TO LOCK IT AGAIN.
WE DECIEDED TO GO AND SEE SOME MORE TEMPLES, ON OUR WAY THERE WE WHERE PEDDLING THROUGH TINY SIDEWALKS THAT ARE FULL OF PEOPLE BUT IT JUST SEEMS LIKE EVERY ONE MOVES WHEN YOU ARE ON THE BIKE AND YOU JUST GET THROUGH THE BUSY WITH NO PROBLEM. ON OUR WAY UP TO THE TEMPLE THERE WAS A GIANT BUDDHA THAT LOOKED LIKE A GIANT SAND CASTLE IT WAS GREAT TO SEE AS WE WHERE PEDDLING UP HILL AND IT WAS A GOOD SIGHT ! UPON ARRIVING AT THE TEMPLE WE PARKED OUR BIKES AND WALKED THROUGH TINY STREETS WITH LITTLE SHOPS ON THE SIDES UP TO THE PAGONDA AND GARDENS.UPON WALKING THERE WE SAW A TRADITIONAL GEISHA SHE HAD HER FACE PAINTED WHITE AND THE WHOLE WARDROBE ON SHE LOOKED VERY JAPANESSE AND TRADITIONAL.
AFTER SEEING THE TEMPLE WE DECIDED TO GET BACK ON OUR BIKES TO GO TO THE IMPERIAL PALACE OF KYOTO. TO OUR LUCK THE IMNPERIAL PALACE WAS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC THIS WEEK ONLY FOR THE EMPOROERS BIRTHDAY DAY. WE LUCKED OUT ON GOING INSIDE. INSIDE THERE WAS TRADITIONAL TEMPLES AND SHRINES AND BEAUTIFUL GROOMED GARDENS.
AFTER THE IMPERIAL PALACE WE DECIED TO HEAD TO THE HIJAKI CASTLE, I DID NOT GO INSIDE AS ALL THE TEMPLES AND SHRINES ARE ALL STARTING TO LOOK THE SAME TO ME NOW. RIDING THE BIKE DOWN THE STREETS OF KYOTO YOU PASS MANY SHRINES AND TEMPLES AND THE SIGHTS JUST STARTS TO SEEM NORMAL NOW AND NOT BRINGING MUCH EXCITED TO ME ANYMORE, TIME TO GO TO A NEW DESTINATION TOMORROW AND BREAK THE ROUTINE!
