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| Other countries sue_and_nathan visited in yearaway |
| Australia (4) |
| Cambodia (2) |
| Czech Republic (1) |
| India (6) |
| Indonesia (2) |
| Japan (1) |
| Malaysia (6) |
| New Zealand (2) |
| Singapore (1) |
| Thailand (7) |
| United Kingdom (2) |
| Vietnam (4) |
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| We're back in KL again and there is a decision to be made. Should we go back up to Penang and sit on a beach for a week or do we pay a visit to the historical town of Malacca? Mmm.. what a decision! I suppose we should start by letting you know why we are in KL again. Well, we have just spent the last six days on a little detour to Japan and it was the cheapest place to fly from. On our way to Japan we went through the usual familiar (and very nerveracking for Sue!)procedure of boarding, but this time we attracted the attention of the customs officer because we were attempting to board with a headhunters blowpipe complete darts bought as a present for Mitsu from Borneo. For some strange reason they didn't seem very happy with us keeping it on our person and so, after answering a few questions ('do you normally carry a blowpipe,sir?') and filling out some forms, they carried it away and we finally got on the plane to Fukuoka, Japan. We'd made sure that all of the cabincrew knew that we were on our honeymoon, but the hoped for up-grade didn't materialise. Instead, they bought us a whole chocolate cake and champagne which made a rather pleasant feast at 3 in the morning! Upon landing, much to our surprise, the blowpipe was waiting for us. Luckily, the stringent Japanese customs official was more interested in the contents of our washbag, and so we didn't meet Mitsu emptyhanded. The next morning Mitsu drove us to Kumamoto Castle in the North of Kyushu island. The castle has the usual moat and stone perimeter wall which we are used to in English castles, but the difference is that the main building is made of wood. It has been totally restored due to fire (not surprising really, as it was made of highly flammable material!) and is extremely impressive. We climbed to the top of the main building, learning about the history on the way. The views from the top were amazing, there was also a welcome breeze which was a real respite from the 36 degree heat below. On our drives from place to place we were surprised to see how green and picturesque the Japanese countryside is. Everywhere were small farming villages full of traditional wooden houses with multiple layered roofs. Shattered was our image of a Japan covered in skyscrapers and industrial plants! Mitsu also took us to our first volcano, Mount Aso. At the summit we peered down into the luminous green bubbling liquid in the heart of the largest crater. The steam was pouring out serving as a reminder that this volcano is still very active (or, as the Japanese English sign said, 'In a state of volcanism') You can really get a feeling for the power and the uncontrollability when standing so close. There are even concrete shelters should Mount Aso get very angry! Around the crater were a few stalls selling bags of sulphur which made you wonder whether perhaps they really climbed down into the bubbling crater to collect it! On 2 August 2001, 4 days before the 56th commemoration of the dropping of the first atomic bomb, we visited Hiroshima. Most school children throughout the world learn of the events in this small city - the destruction, the human suffering - and if you didn't, then you should have. But visiting the place where it actually happened makes this tragic, learned-of event a reality. When you drive into Hiroshima it seems like any other Japanese city - full of skyscrapers, people taking their lunch breaks by the riverside and generally a thriving and bustling place. It isn't until you look closer and you realise that just behind the guy eating his sandwiches is the A-Bomb Dome - famous throughout the world as the symbol of Hiroshima and mans inhumanity to man - one of the only buildings left standing after 8:15am on August 6 1945. Next to the memorial park is an amazing museum which not only catalogues indepth what happened on that day, but also takes you through all nuclear developments to the present day. It is impossible to capture in words our feelings when we visited Hiroshima, but we think that everyone, especially those from countries with nuclear weapons, should visit and learn. Have a look at their site http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/peacesite/indexE.html (The personal testimonies are worth reading - especially 'Shinichi's Tricycle'). August 6 wasn't a date I used to remember, but now it's a date I don't think I'll ever forget. We also spent a night in a traditional Japanese hotel, a 'ryokan' - in fact, not just any old ryokan, but one where the Prince of Japan has stayed! Our suite consisted of a couple of very large rooms, separated by sliding doors made of handmade paper. A popular Japanese past-time is relaxing in a communal bath (or jacuzzi) of hot spa water and it so happened that this ryokan has a famous spa. So, we had to waddle in our kimono and slippers to the second floor for men and the first floor for women. This alternates daily, so we were a little worried about getting it wrong! Sue wasn't that keen on the idea of a communal bath and kept having flashbacks of school showers I think! On entering the spa there is a rigorous set of procedures you must follow - first you must remove your slippers at the door and then you must have a shower before entering the spa. If you don't remember these procedures a little lady will come scuttling up to you and in a hushed voice tell you off (at least that's what I thought was going on, although we can't be sure as the telling-off was conducted in Japanese!) After a long relax in the spa we went back to our room to be served dinner. Our maid arrived on the dot of seven with huge quantities of food which she meticulously set out on a low table while we sat on the floor in our kimonos. Luckily, we had eaten a traditional meal the night before with Mitsu and his family, when he had explained a few things about the intricacies of Japanese dining to us. But, this time, we were clearly out of our depth. Our maid couldn't speak a word of English and our Japanese stretched to about 4 words and a tarzan-style 'Can I have 2 beers please?' so it was all very interesting. Especially when she appeared with a plate of raw fish, said something, gestured some more and then left the room. Mmmm..shashimi we thought. So we tucked in, and half way through she returned with a very horrified look on her face and a burner on which to cook the fish!!! Up till now we had been with Mitsu, his wife Yoko and their two children, Saki and Yuki. This meant we had been pretty sheltered as they had sorted out everything for us, even ordering our dinner in restaurants. Our few days with them had been a real insight into Japan and Japanese hospitality and there were a few tears shed on our part when we had to say goodbye to them. Our last couple of days were spent by ourselves which was a real adventure as nothing in this part of Japan is written in English and hardly anyone speaks a word either. We took the bullet train from Ogori to Fukuoka which went smoothly enough, booked into a hotel which was fine too, but then came the problem of dinner. We walked into a restaurant, ordered two beers and then found out that the menu was all in Japanese script and we couldn't even guess at what these dishes were! We noticed a number of the waiters crowded around a piece of paper writing something. Then the most senior waiter appeared, gave us the paper and smiled. It said on it, 'You want to try something good?' and then listed a few things to choose from. This just summed up the Japanese people we met - always willing to go out of their way to help you and always doing it with a smile. After dinner we went to a nearby amusement arcade, where they had a number of pick and grab games (you know, the ones where you control a metal claw and try and get at the booty). In the UK the booty is usually something like a teddybear or a 5 pound note, here in Fukuoka it was a large, living, moving, breathing lobster which we weren't quite sure what to do with if we had won it! Mitsu and his family were real stars, showing us all the wonderful sights in their home prefecture of Yamaguchi and around about. They also introduced us to a wonderful and interesting culture which made it extremely hard to leave them and Japan. We'd like to thank him and his family for making our trip there so memorable and 'campi!' | ||||||||||||
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| 27 Jul 2001 : Sabah - Malaysia | 19 Aug 2001 : Melaka - Malaysia | |||||||||||
| Happy Holiday! | And so Melaka it is? | |||||||||||