Ten Things About Athens

It's our last night in Athens. As Holly has pointed out, our blogging is not keeping up with our adventures (that's probably a good sign). But here's a little list of some things we've learned in Athens, in honor of the excellent time we've had here (jet lag and head colds notwithstanding):

1. It's only a pedestrian walkway as long as there are only pedestrians on it. There are several roads in Athens that have been converted (supposedly) into pedestrian-only walkways, around the Acropolis and Syntagma Square. Some motorists, however, appear to have missed the memo, and continue to use these "walkways" quite nonchalantly.
2. Don't store your gunpowder in historically important buildings. Athens has, for much of the last two millennia, been occupied by a succession of foreign powers. The Turks were among this succession, and in 1687, used the Parthenon, among other things, as a place to store gunpowder. Coincidentally enough, the Venetians attacked Athens in 1687, and when they bombarded the Parthenon (which should also be on the list of things not to do), ignited the gunpowder and caused significant irreparable damage to the Parthenon.
3. When something is introduced to you as the best _____ in Athens, season it with a healthy dose of skepticism. Greeks are effusive and expressive, and are sometimes given to hyperbole and mild exaggeration. Case in point, when we were checking in, we were told that our room had "the best balcony in Athens". Turns out the balcony actually looks out at the buildings across the (narrow) street, specifically the neighbors' balconies.
4. Ancient ruins look even better when they're lit up at night. Holly thinks the Acropolis is 2x as cool at night, when it's lit up by floodlights. I'm not sure I agree with the math, but it does look pretty cool. (Hint: For a great date, try dinner at Kuzina - they have tables that look out at the Acropolis. And if you can't get one, just walk around the base of the Acropolis after dinner. The best romantic view in Athens (Point #3 does not apply to this one)).
5. Sidewalks are for parking your motorcycle and mini cars. Pedestrians belong between parked cars and oncoming traffic. The first day and a half we were here, we identified ourselves as tourists by  trying to walk on the sidewalk. Now, we do as the locals do. Shame we forgot our serious reflective gear for running.
6. If you want your creations preserved for future generations to excavate, make them out of clay. We've seen a lifetime's worth of ancient artifacts over the last four days. And the precious metals and jewels always get looted.  But clay? Clay seems like a pretty safe bet. Although, I guess that "plastic" is today's answer.
7. Don't trust the opening hours posted on the website. In three days, we have arrived half an hour after closing, or half an hour before closing, at countless museums and tourist attractions - even after we thought we did due diligence.  At least we've put on a lot of walking miles (make that...kilometers).
8. It is perfectly acceptable to double park your car or taxi on a one lane road, put on the flashers, and run into a nearby shop to buy a coffee/run an errand/chat with a friend/etc. We've also discovered that while it's nice if you can park next to the curb, it's not an absolute rule. Greece also apparently does not have a rule against parking on corners.
9. In museums, bans on cameras and cellphones are advisory, not mandatory. More than once, despite the multitude of signs admonishing visitors that no photography or talking on cellphones was permitted, we witnessed Greek visitors snapping photos or yakking on their phones. Sometimes they'd keep doing it as the guard walked past.
10. Athens is beautiful. Perhaps it's the absence of tourists at this time of the year. Perhaps it's the fact that it's easy to get around, and almost everyone speaks excellent English. There's the good food. The amazing historical sites. The warm and friendly people. We've found ourselves surprised by Athens, and are already talking about the next time we'll be able to return.

And with that, kalinichta for now - tomorrow, onward to Rome!

Reflections: So long. And yet...so short!

Kalimera (good morning) from Athens!


Sorry we've been a bit MIA for the last few days.  We arrived in Athens on Sunday and have been trying to take in the sights. I've also been fighting a few different buggies and have crashed the moment we return to our hotel in the evening (or late afternoon, on occasion...)  Kee-Min has been planning our days (and food stops), making me tea, and working on some posts from Japan.


Not quite sure what you're going to get next, blog-wise - we have a few posts left from Japan, plus a few from Cambodia, and one or two from Singapore.  And right now, we have Athens on our minds.  Thankfully, you are all temporally and geographically flexible (I hope).


But my final kick in the tush to get back to the blog came this morning, in the shower - when I realized that today is Wednesday, Feb. 29.  Apart from a raucous birthday celebration for any of you leap-year babies (just checked my Facebook, don't think any of you qualify - but correct me if I'm wrong), this means something else: We have exactly 5 weeks left on the international leg of Our Big Adventure.  Half of me thinks this is a LONG time: A long time to be living out of my backpack, changing cities every few days, and sleeping in hotel beds.  But the other half of me thinks is this a ridiculously SHORT time: We've already been traveling for 2 months, and they've flown by!  Who needs clean clothes, anyway?


[And don't worry...we'll be returning stateside and kicking off a 5 week road trip across the US.  So if we show up at your door, holding our sleeping bags, sometime in April - don't be surprised!]


For now, though - I am seizing today!  And that means changing from wool to cotton (warmer today than I thought), finding some breakfast pastries, and hitting up Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, the Archaeology Museum, and an afternoon trip to Sounion!

People are people, wherever you go.

After stuffing our brains full at the Angkor National Museum, we were ready for something a bit lighter.  We took a tuk-tuk (I love that phrase) to the Old Market, where we sat down for a quick snack and/or drink.  Still afraid to drink the water or eat any fruit/dairy, I opted for an espresso.  I have to say, it was pretty darn tasty - strong but not bitter, and served up in a perfect tiny mug.  The coffee in Cambodia turned out to be quite a treat, actually - time and again.  A lasting legacy from 100 years of colonization by the French, perhaps?

We briefly wandered through the stalls of the market.  Things were quieting down for the late afternoon/early evening, so there weren't too many people teeming around.  I was immeasurably thankful, since by that time of day, it had grown quite stuffy and warm under the huge common roof.  It was also growing dim (no photos).  

The market was similar to what you would see in many Asian countries, with vendors selling everything from pots and pans to jewelry to fruits and veggies to fabric, clothing, and scarves to handbags and more.  I was most surprised by the beauty salons that had been set up as any other stall in the market - there was no running water in the stalls, but the owners set up chairs and were soaping, trimming, and rinsing hair over a large basin using small scoops of water.  Pretty industrious...

As at any kind of market, it's hard to know what to trust - quality, ethics, and safety are all unknown quantities.  But Su-Lin (Kee-Min's sister) did scope out one vendor selling some pretty awesome wares.  It was a storefront ("stall front"?) for Bloom Bags, a social enterprise founded by Singaporean Diana Saw.  She established the company in 2006 as a mechanism for helping Cambodian women become self-sufficient in a safe, sustainable environment where they learned marketable skills.  The handbags, purses, and wallets are made from recycled rice and fish feed bags (check them out!) by a group of women who are paid fair wages for their work.  The ultimate goal is to "help people", not with donations or hand-outs, but by paying them a fair wage for a service or the production of a product that others want.  I'll confess: I seldom have "non-buyer's remorse", but I do wish I had picked up a few of the bags they had on offer.  If you ever find yourself in Cambodia, I suggest checking them out.

Kee-Min and I took a walk along the Siem Reap River.  

The river runs parallel to a bustling street (bicycles, motorcycles, tuk-tuks, cars, and tour buses), with shops and seating areas on both sides.  

Standing with my back to the river to take this photo.

Stanley and I grabbed a photo-op on one of the river bridges:

There were some tourists out, but mostly we passed (and were passed by, see photo above!) locals.  And you know what? People are the same everywhere.  Our colors may be different, our food may be more or less spicy, and we may worship a different god (or God) - but little kids still run around chasing each other.  Teenagers still cluster in groups, flirting and giggling.  Women still gather at a beauty salon to gossip and chat.  Shopkeepers still banter with each other.  Parents still rush the newly-potty-trained to the toilet.  Groups of adults still sit outside, beer in hand, laughing and watching the world go by.  People...are people, wherever you go.

We repeatedly declined a "Doctor fish" foot massage.  What, exactly, is such a massage?  For a few dollars (for 30-60 minutes), you have the privilege of dunking your feet in a tank of fish that eat dead skin.  Ugh.  I wouldn't even want to subject fish to my feet, and I'm cringing internally at the thought.  Ugh.

We wandered our way to The Red Piano, one of the recommended dinner spots.  We sampled a local dish called fish amok, as well as a few curries, and decided the the Cambodians prefer the flavor of "sweet" over that of "spicy".  The meal was filling, but not terribly remarkable.  [I also forgot to take any photos.]  I remained paranoid about the food, and stuck to the cooked food (avoiding the raw garnishes) and drinking Sprite.  We had a view of the local street food vendors out the window of The Red Piano, and I think my mother-in-law was about 5 seconds away from heading out to try some real local cuisine.  A true Singaporean!

By this time, it was about 9 PM, and we had an early start and full day the next day, so we tuk-tuked back to the hotel and called it a night.

Night view out our window at the Royal Angkor Resort.

Angkor Wat awaited us in the morning!!

Cambodian History: Best Way To Kick Off a Friday Morning

So...let's talk Cambodia.  Officially, that's the Kingdom of Cambodia.  You can see its present-day neighbors below:

Image from the US Dept of State website

The capital is Phnom Penh, but we spent our time in Siem Reap (Siemreab, above). The whole country is about 70,000 square miles in area.


[Incidentally, I just did a Google search to find a US State that is similarly sized, for perspective.  The closest one? North Dakota.  No offense to North Dakota, but since many people probably consider it to be "one of those squares in the middle", this comparison is minimally helpful.  So how about Washington State (~71,000 square miles)?]  The population is ~15 million (for comparison, that's more than Illinois, but less than Florida).

On our first day here, we were on our own, without a tourguide.  Kee-Min and I had been so busy planning, preparing, and reading up on Europe that Cambodia had sort of fallen by the wayside.  So we were glad that a quick visit to the Angkor National Museum was in order. 


[Insert rant about the NJ/HPRHS social studies curriculum: 2 yrs of US history, 1 yr of US government, and 1 yr of World History.  Proportionately, there are so many things wrong with this picture.  This trip is teaching me that my World History knowledge sucks.  On the plus side, I'm working on fixing it!]

Wait a minute. Rewind. Who am I kidding?  A quick museum visit? Ha. "Quick" and "museum visit" are hardly in my vocabulary.  In fact, I think there's something in the marriage vows about tolerating your spouse's tortoise-like museum habits.  But we were with a larger group of family, and so we compromised on 2+ hrs.  Worked for me.

Now, in an attempt to keep things interesting, I will confine my Cambodian history to five eight points.  And all you readers from the US (yep, that's most of you), I know your Asian history is abominable. So read on, I promise this won't hurt (much): 

1.) 200 - 800 AD: The area of Southeast Asia that now includes Cambodia was populated by the Kingdom of Funan and the Chenla Kingdom.  The ethnic background of these peoples remains uncertain, but was probably a mixture of Chinese, Oceanic, and Indian.


2.) 800 - 1400: These people came together to form the Khmer (khu-mie) Empire.  At the time, it was the largest in Southeast Asia, occupying parts of present-day Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, and Malaysia.  The center of the empire became known as Angkor, and may have been as large as 1,000 square miles and inhabited by over 1 million people.  One of the greatest kings of the empire was Suryavarman II, who united much of the region during the 12th century and oversaw the construction of Angkor Wat temple complex during his 37 year rule.  We'll return (literally and figuratively) to Angkor Wat in a day or two.


3.) 1400 - 1863: The Khmer Empire engaged in protracted wars with their neighbors, ultimately surrendering significant amounts of land to the Siamese (now Thailand) and Vietnamese.  Naturally, the economy and infrastructure of the Empire suffered.


4.) 1863 - 1953: In 1863, the King of Cambodia signed a treaty to make Cambodia a protectorate of France.  France "protected" it all right, installing Kings they felt would be easy to control.  They misjudged the last one, however, and Cambodia gained independence again in 1953.

A-ha! I caught you!  You were scrolling down to find the photos.
Just like you did in history class a whole bunch of years ago. *SIGH*
Now, go back up and read Points 1-4.
Gooooood.  Now, please, carry on.

5.) 1965 - 1975: As the Vietnam war raged, the (Cambodian) King Sihanouk maintained an official stance of neutrality, but looked the other way as the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong used Cambodia as their base.  When the King (under US pressure) officially announced the Communists were no longer welcome in the country, the US took the opportunity to launch a massive bombing campaign along the Cambodian/Vietnam border.  Ultimately, the US dropped 2-3 million tons of bombs in Cambodia between 1965 and 1973 in an assault against the Viet Cong and Khmer Rouge (Communist Party of Kampuchea, or Cambodia).  In the meantime, Cambodia dissolved into civil war, as the monarchy was overthrown by the armed forces, and this new government battled both the Khmer Rouge and North Vietnamese/Viet Cong.  2 million Cambodians became war refugees.


6.) 1975 - 1979: In 1975, the Khmer Rouge reached the capital (Phnom Penh) and seized control.  Their attempts at Communist self-sufficiency resulted in failed agricultural ventures and eschewing of anything (including modern medicine) not produced in Cambodia.  Genocide, work camps, illness and starvation ultimately led to a tremendous number of deaths, estimated at 1-3 million (starting population ~7 million).


7.) 1979 - 1990: Border disputes between Vietnam (backed by the Soviet Union) and Cambodia (backed by China) ultimately led to the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia.  Nothing unifies like a common enemy, and both the Khmer Rouge and the King's supporters fought the Vietnamese, who occupied the region for more than 10 years.  Anti-Vietnamese sentiment spread, and in ~1987, the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops began.


8.) With UN intervention, a Peace Settlement was finally negotiated in 1990.  This settlement: provided for withdrawal of remaining Vietnamese troops, prevented the Khmer Rouge from returning to power, and asserted the right of self-determination for the Cambodian people.


Since then, the road has not been easy.  The UN has tried to mediate repatriation and the political transition to a constitutional monarchy.  But wounds don't heal overnight.  Border relations with Thailand remain tense.  After so many years of bitter division and war, the road to recovery is long and slow.  Poor infrastructure, low education, and corruption remain as serious impediments to Cambodia's maturation.  However, progress is being made - in the last 10 years, Cambodia's economy has expanded 8%, driven mostly by the tourism industry.  Where it goes over the next ten...well, that remains to be seen.


*whew*  Congrats.  That was quite a post.  And I'll admit - I learned only Points 1-3 at the museum.  I learned the rest from our tourguide and the internet.  I've taken some liberties to simplify and condense some aspects, but did my best to be as accurate as possible to present Cambodia: Condensed.  Hopefully, this gives you a decent perspective on how, why, and where Cambodia stands today.


[And you thought I only blogged intensively about the Biology-related aspects of our trip.  How wrong you were...]


Now, before I sign off for the night, I'll leave you with a few fun transportation photos.  This is how we got from the museum to our next stop (the market).

This was not the tuk-tuk we rode.  Still pretty awesome, eh?
Nowadays, they're all pulled by motorcycles.

Mom, Stanley, Me, Kee-Min - all squeezed into half a tuk-tuk.
Good thing we're skinny!!

Not too many words, from Cambodia...

I am so, so conflicted about visits to developing countries.  I don't have all my words organized yet, but I'm working on it.  I do know 2 things:


1. I don't need (or want) to be sheltered from the realities of every day lives that are so very different from my own.  


2. I write this from the comfort and relative safety of a 4 star hotel, with clean water and internet access.  I've been aided, assisted, and served by at least 10 people today. My grad student salary would probably pay all of them for a year, with money left to spare.


This morning, our guide told us that, despite being a popular tourist destination with fancy resort hotels everywhere, Siem Reap is still the second poorest province in Cambodia.  I guess the situation would be far worse in the absence of tourists, but only a very small percentage of the incoming money actually ends up in Siem Reap (most of it goes to the government, and the rest to "corruption").


And then, there's this:

Doubtful Sound, New Zealand (6 weeks ago)

Siem Reap (this morning)

What can you say to that?

Touchdown in Cambodia!

So, for the next (very short) portion of this trip, we are on a quick visit to Cambodia - Siem Reap/Angkor Wat - with some family.  Yesterday (Tuesday) morning, we hopped on a Silk Air flight:

In flight magazine, Stanley, Kee-Min

A very short 2 hours later, we touched down in Siem Reap.  Look at the colorful planes!

We easily cleared Immigration & Customs, and collected our luggage. Don't worry, we didn't check Stanley.  Kee-Min kept him safe!!

They even thought it would be fun to dress as twins!

And FINALLY, we are in a place where they drive on the *ahem* RIGHT *ahem* side of the road!

We were in a van at this point.  The tuk-tuk came later in the day!

And now, I'm off to wonder what water, fresh fruit, milk, and ice I can safely eat.  I mean, to explore Angkor Wat!!  Catch ya'll later. :)

Relaxing at the Ryokan

A quick recap of what we've already posted about Japan:


Thurs, Feb. 2: We landed in Kyoto in the morning, and spent the day in Osaka.
Fri, Feb. 3: We visited the Kyoto Imperial Palace, then enjoyed some delicious ramen for lunch.  That night, we journeyed out for the Nara Lantern Festival.
Sat, Feb. 4: We were busy exploring Kyoto shrines, visiting Gion, learning about tea ceremonies, and eating tofu.


Yikes - six posts to cover the activities of just three days.  No wonder we're blogging on such a delay!  We also have posts pending to tell you about Sunday, Feb. 5, when we visited Mt. Miyajima and Hiroshima.  We are planning a "He Said-She Said" post about this day, and it's a work in progress.  


But now, I want to jump to Monday, Feb. 6. Yeah, yeah - I know, we're eschewing chronological order.  But heck, it's our blog, and we can do as we wish.  And right now, I wish to tell you about our ryokan experience.  Don't worry, there's nothing really order-sensitive about this post anyway.  So sit back, relax, and let's head off to a traditional Japanese Inn (aka 'ryokan').


Historically, ryokans were constructed along Japan's highways as places for travelers to stop for the evening.  The rooms were simple, baths were communal, and there was a common room for guests to relax and chat.  Today, ryokans are viewed more like resorts/retreats, and tend to be in more scenic, rural areas.  We had one night booked at a ryokan in Gora, a small town somewhere between Kyoto (where we'd been) and Tokyo (where we were headed):

We again had the chance to explore Japan's extensive train system - we took a superfast train out of Kyoto, then switched to a local train to get to Hakone, and finally got on a special switchback-climbing train to take us up to Gora (~400 meters above sea level).  Riding the train up the switchbacks was AWESOME.  Basically, the train would climb, climb, climb, then pull up next to a platform (where the tracks ended).  The conductor & engineer (driver) would change places, then the train would pull out without turning around, with the last car now in the lead.  We would again climb, climb, climb, stop - and the process would repeat.  I believe we did this three times on the way to Gora.  [*cue my father turning green with envy*]

After about 2 hours of travel, we pulled into the Gora station in the pouring rain.  We didn't have directions to the ryokan, but the town was small, and a local shopkeeper helped us out.  On this cold, wet day halfway through our trip, we were ready to take a "rest afternoon" to see what the ryokan experience was all about....

I wish I had taken a photo of the reception/entrance area - but I didn't.  It was very traditionally Japanese, with painted screens, flowers, and low seats.  There was calm music playing. The staff were dressed in yukata (casual kimonos).  An English-speaking staff member helped us get checked in, and we were shown to our room.  After opening the sliding door from the hallway, we saw this:

"Another door?!?!"

To the right, you can see a shoe rack (shoes are left at the door in Japan), complete with ~8 pairs of wooden Japanese sandals of various sizes.  We wore these when we were out and about the ryokan.


To the left is the toilet:

A cozy little spot.
Note the slippers on the door. These are special "toilet slippers".
There are a lot of slipper-rules in Japan.

A close-up of the back of the toilet. I am in love with this design.
After you flush, water comes out of the faucet like a sink, then "drains" into the tank to refill it.
How smart and re-useful is that?!?!
Only problem = You can't use soap. Hmm...

Opening the second sliding door [by the way, we are also in love with space-saving sliding doors now] brought us into the actual room.  A view from the doorway:

We had a hybrid Western-Japanese room, meaning that instead of sleeping on tatami mats (the woven mats you see on the floor), we had actual mattresses placed on a slightly elevated platform.  See?

At the foot of the bed, you can see a yukata for each of us.
Come back soon for photos of us wearing these casual kimonos.

We appreciate how thoughtful AND clever the Japanese are.  In the photo of our mini kitchen area below, you can see the whisk and bowls that are used to make green tea in the traditional tea ceremony way.  If you're feeling lazy, there was also an electric water heater.  Also, note the bamboo mat covering the sink.  Remove it to wash dishes, then replace it over the sink and stack the dishes on it to dry. So smart!!

Japan: Always making the most of a small space!

All the way in the back left-hand corner of the room was another sliding door.  We opened it, revealing a sink and, to the right (blocked by the door), a shower.  

The shower was actually all glass, with one side looking into the sink area and the other looking directly out onto our small patio.  Speaking of patio...

To the left...

To the right...

Now, one feature of a ryokan that I haven't yet discussed is the onsen, or hot spring bath.  Most ryokans have one, or several. The baths are fed by hot springs, and are usually communal, but segregated by gender.  There is a slightly elaborate process required to prepare for a soak: Go to the bath, wash yourself in the shower (so that the onsen water stays very clean), rinse, then soak (with your towel on your head, if you like).  Don't stay too long - the water is hot like a hot tub, and you'll get light-headed if you soak for more than 10-15 minutes.

Now, the ryokan where we stayed also had 3 private onsens.  Basically, each contained two VERY small tubs fed continuously with hot water.  There were walls on three sides, and the fourth side looked out onto a very densely planted garden.  There was no roof.  

The day we arrived at the ryokan was cold and wet.  The onsens are located in buildings separate from building that contains the guest rooms.  Thus, we had to take our things and walk out to the onsens wearing thin kimonos and our wooden sandals (flip flops, really).  [Incidentally, the wet and slippery rocks we navigated on the path to the onsen while wearing said sandals would have been begging for a lawsuit in the US.]  By the time we arrived at the onsen building, we were FROZEN - and after a quick rinse clean, our next stop was a super-heated tub.  Keep in mind - when you're cold, the water feels that much hotter.  And what's the coldest?  The very first thing that hits the water: Your FEET.

I thought Kee-Min was going to leave the minute his big toe hit the water.  He is NOT a lover of super hot water baths.  Although he soldiered on and into the hot water, the whole thing was a bit too warm for his liking.

Now, me, on the other hand - I LOVE a hot shower, so I rather enjoyed the onsen experience.  I'm not sure what the water temperature was - perhaps about 45 C? [We later determined that a comfortably warm bath is about 40 C.]  But after the initial hot shock, the onsen was ... well, quite comfortable.  As long as I didn't let myself think about the other people that had been in the water before me (I told myself that the water turn over was high enough that "my" water was mostly "mine"), or about the potential for bacterial growth (I told myself the water was too warm for most bugs - probably true) - the experience was rather lovely.  But even for me - it only took about 5-8 minutes until I started to sweat and was ready to get out. I was amazed at how long I stayed warm after my soak, despite the return walk through the cold rain back to our guest room.

All warm and relaxed from a hot soak, I returned to the room and promptly took a pre-dinner nap.

It was pouring outside (even if that's not really clear from this photo).

A nap was quite important - we had a very exciting dinner planned fo that night.  We were going to have our first (and last, for this trip) kaiseki dinner!

[And after we return from Cambodia, I'll tell you ALL about it!  Check back soon, though, for some posts FROM Cambodia!]

Saturday in Kyoto: Temples, Tea, and Tofu

Japan's aesthetics and art have always fascinated me. Our tour of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto was excellent and left us wanting for more. So we spent one of our days in Kyoto (Feb. 4, if anyone's keeping track) touring Daitokuji, a large Zen Buddhist compound in Kyoto that contained a number of different temples and their gardens. The fact that it was the middle of winter meant we had the place largely to ourselves, even on a Saturday morning. This made for a generally tranquil walk through the grounds of the complex (I say generally because our walk was slightly interrupted by the wailing of fire trucks rushing to put out a nearby fire - as we've mentioned before, Japanese architecture and fire seem to mix pretty often, and often not well).

Instead of trying to describe Daitokuji, I'll try and let our photos speak for us:

The entrance to Daitokuji. Note the absence of hordes of tourists.
The temperature was probably around 35 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit (1 to 7 degrees Celsius).
Invigorating, but the peacefulness and absence of tourist swarms was worth it!

This is a representative depiction of what the pathways around the complex looked like.
Again, note the absence of hordes of tourists. Very Zen.

A temple roof. Love the lines, and the simple but beautiful ornamentation.

A closeup of another roof in the same style. Just looking at it makes me feel calm.

A rock garden. This was one of the simpler ones.
There was a much fancier one in one of the temples where photography was not allowed,
that symbolized life, reincarnation, and the journey towards nirvana.
I just thought it looked pretty.

This was the entrance to Ginkaku-ji, one of the sub-temples.
To get to the temple, you walk on a narrow path through a forest.

The pathway through the forest. There was a lot of bamboo.

Bamboo forest. Tall, straight, and beautiful.

We did notice that all of the temples were established by various warlords and nobles during Japan's turbulent history. Which raised an interesting and perhaps universal paradox of human nature; how men of violence could simultaneously practice a religion of peace and tranquility. Today, Japan is purposefully non-aggressive (which I think all its Asian neighbours appreciate). Nonetheless, I think this paradox lies somewhere within all of us...


Eventually, we had our fill of temples and rock gardens. Our next stop was Gion - a neighborhood in eastern Kyoto known for its traditional Japanese architecture, and for its geishas.

The view of Gion as we were about to cross the street and enter the neighborhood.
Note the more traditional Japanese architecture of the buildings.

The view behind us, of a more modern Kyoto.

On our way to Gion, we came across this. Naturally, they served breakfast.

We didn't see any geishas in Gion. We did, however, see a lot of snack shops and restaurants, which made us a little hungry (we may have paused to pick up a snack or two). And we were exposed to Japanese electioneering, in the form of a political candidate driving around in a truck, loudspeakers blaring his name, while his supporters went along the sidewalks handing out pamphlets (initially I thought they were advertising a department store sale - I'm unsure what that says about me, or about their chosen method of campaigning).

Our wandering in Gion was not aimless though; we were looking for a small house where a Kyoto local taught people about the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. We found it, but were a little early for tea, and so we decided to do a little more temple and shrine exploration - the Chion-In Temple and Yasaka Shrine were conveniently close by.

The gate to the Chion-in Temple. Saying it was big is an understatement.
Unfortunately it was also closed by the time we arrived, so this is all we saw of it.

The gate to the Yasaka shrine. Cute girl in the foreground.

The Yasaka shrine at twilight, with Mr. Moon in the background.

A close-up of the Yasaka shrine.

By the time we finished wandering through Yasaka, it was time for our tea ceremony lesson at En. We didn't take any photos during the tea ceremony (it seemed impolite), but it was just three of us: Our teacher, Holly, and me. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants an introduction to the Japanese tea ceremony. We spent just over an hour drinking tea, chatting, and learning about the tea ceremony, which was a great way to relax after having walked around Kyoto all day. Our teacher's English was excellent, and she patiently answered all our questions about the tea ceremony, Kyoto, and Japanese culture. I've concluded that a traditional Japanese tea ceremony is perhaps a little too formal and too long for me (4+ hours!), but the core elements of courtesy, hospitality, and appreciation for beauty in even the little things, are worth holding on to. 


By the time we left the small tea house and were back on the streets of Gion, it was cold and dark, and we were hungry. Kyoto is famous for its yudofu, a form of Japanese tofu, and we'd been recommended a place - Nanzenji Junsei, which wasn't too far from us. When we arrived, the only people there were all Japanese - always a good sign!

Our yudofu meal at Nanzenji Junsei. An array of vegetables, tofu, and a little sashimi.

Our dinner that night was probably the healthiest we'd had in Japan. There was a little fried tempura (all vegetables), a little sashimi, and the rest of it was either steamed or boiled vegetables and tofu. The yudofu itself was cooked in an earthenware bowl over a burner set into our table, and it really helped to warm us up. Unfortunately, neither of us was terribly wowed by the meal that night. To us, it was good, but ultimately too simple and a little uninspiring. Thinking back on it, there wasn't anything wrong with the meal. What our evaluation of the meal really indicated was that while we appreciated Japanese simplicity, as mere acolytes (if that) in Japanese culture and aesthetics, our appreciation only went so deep.

Temples, tea, and tofu. It's a little hard to describe how calm and peaceful that day was, but upon reflection, it really embodied what the Japanese call "wa" (和), which means harmony/peace/balance. Our Saturday in Kyoto was complete.

Popiah Party (and Flat Stanley!)

We're leap-frogging in time again, but hey, whatever. Just hold on to your hat and enjoy the ride (read?)!


Today (Saturday, Feb. 18), my in-laws are hosting a Popiah (POH-pee-ah) Party for some of the Ngiam family.  Popiah is one kind of Chinese-style spring roll that is eaten in Singapore and Malaysia. The preparation is a bit labor intensive, since many items are used in the filling, and each requires cooking, chopping, somtimes peeling, etc.  But it is a food that Singaporeans love eating, although few have the patience/time to prepare on a regular basis.  Although it is available for purchase in some places, it's often not as good as home-made.  Thus, we have started the informal tradition that we host a Popiah gathering when we are back in town.  My mother-in-law works very hard for days leading up to the event to prepare all of the ingredients, and Kee-Min and I help, as permitted.


Today, I'd like to share with you a little bit of the work that goes into the preparation, as well as the final (delicious) product.  As a bonus, you'll have a chance to meet Flat Stanley.


The popiah filling consists most of finely matchsticked (or grated) jicama.  Here, 'jicama' is called radish.  Either way, it's a large, starchy tuber with a crunch, light, and slightly sweet taste.  A LOT of jicama is required for a popiah party.  The Boss around here prefers a slightly courser matchstick than is afforded by grating, so we slice, stack, turn, and slice again to generate long, skinny, fine matchsticks of jicama.

Flat Stanley, posing with some peeled jicama, pre-slicing.  We cut a total of 4-5 large jicama this morning.

This is how the matchsticking process looks: slice, stack, turn, slice.

And that, dear readers, is Flat Stanley.  He is a commonly used teaching tool for elementary schoolers (there is a book and story associated with how he came to be flat, and how that is good for travel), and although there are variations on the theme, all involve Flat Stanley visiting various people/places.  Sometimes students take him home for the weekend, then write about what he does.  Sometimes, he is exchanged as a pen pal between schools in different states or countries.  

My Mom's Kindergarten Classes sent us this Flat Stanley; we'll take him along on the rest of our journey, take photos with him, and write to them about his (and our) experiences.  We, and Flat Stanley, have actually become a bit famous in Kindergarten, as our trip is used to facilitate discussions on geography, language, writing activities, and cultural diversity.  I, for one, am enjoying sharing our experience with some Kindergarten pen pals.  Kee-Min, for one, enjoys posing with Flat Stanley in public.  Or at least, he does so good-naturedly, for the love of Kindergarten.  

So anyway, we were acting as sous chefs in the preparation of popiah.  Flat Stanley was acting as spectator.  

Once it's cut up, the jicama then gets cooked up in the wok with some shrimp, garlic, and brown sauce - a little bit sweet, a little bit salty.  This has to be done in batches when you're making a lot.  

Don't worry - Stanley kept a safe distance!

I believe that The Boss (my mother-in-law) did 4 batches for today's festivities.  She also prepared all the extra toppings, over the last few days.  But we won't detail each preparation here; suffice to say, there was a lot of time and love invested in this meal.  Having watched all the preparations this week, Stanley was quite anxious to get on to the tasting part.  He helped Kee-Min assemble a popiah:

Start with a popiah skin.  This is like a very, very thin crepe.
We don't actually make these ourselves, we buy them.
In true Singaporean fashion, there is always some friendly debate
over which food stalls make the best skins at the lowest prices.

Spread it out on your plate, and add a lettuce leaf.

Top it with some brown Sweet Sauce (yes, that is actually what it is called).

Then, add the jicama/shrimp mixture prepared above.

More shrimp,

Cilantro,

and a few steamed bean sprouts with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts.

Roll that sucker up, just like a burrito!

And then, finally, you can enjoy!

Take all that deliciousness, add some friends & family, and you've got yourself a Popiah Party. At least, that's how it works around here!

Chi fan, friends!
[Bon appetit!]