Thankfully, the rain is falling in Delhi, cleansing the air around us. I’m going to attempt to share the last 48 hours with you all as we sit on our coach bus heading for Agra and the Taj Mahal.

The dense fog and pollution of the area has slowed and sometimes canceled air travel. And to get to Varanasi, air travel is a must.

Two days ago we gathered as a group at the Leela Palace Hotel with our remarkable tour guide Tina. We were told by Mona from the Leela Palace that Tina was the best guide and we agree! She is our logistics manager, trip mother, shopping guide, sister and overall everything. We feel that whatever we need, whatever problem arises, she can handle it with aplomb. Her caring, energy and humor has been wonderful. She started us off with some introductory ice breakers and then we headed out for our first tour around Delhi. We really have no idea how the bus driver was able to maneuver us through all the traffic. But he did it smoothly and expertly.

Over the last 48 hours Tina has coordinated luggage on two flights, 2 buses, hotel rooms, food, multiple flight delays, changes in plans and our expert guides. The result: we experience zero stress unless we think about what Tina is doing!

On our first tour day, we met our first guide, Samidha, who led us through the bus tour of the New Delhi and our first stop at Gandhi’s Smriti (where Gandhi spent the last four months of his life before he was martyred by a gunman during a public prayer meeting on January 30, 1948). The academy award winning film “Ghandi” was partly filmed at this site. If you haven’t watched it recently, you should. There is a reason he was called “Mahatma” Gandhi. As Albert Einstein wrote: “Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon the earth.”

Aside: we just dropped off our airport guide, luggage and logistics leader in Delhi, Amrinder. We stopped in traffic near the Leela, he literally jumped out of our bus near a traffic circle in the crazy Delhi traffic, hailed a tuk-tuk to go back to the hotel, where he’s going to grab his car and drive 40 Kilometers home after a very full day. As Captain Kirk said about Spock in Star Trek IV (the humpback whale movie), Tina said, “it’s his way.” And, she said, “it’s India. He does it every trip.”

Ok, back to Ghandi. The museum and memorial site is quite moving and interesting. Combined with our knowledgeable guide, Ghandi’s life and last days come alive, including his final footsteps as he walked to his final prayer meeting. Ghandi was assassinated as he walked to the outdoor gathering, but he achieved in his violent, unnecessary death, what he couldn’t achieve in his life during the violent division of India into India & Pakistan, the end of the massive, nationwide, Hindu-Muslim violence throughout the country that had already killed over 1,000,000 people.

As the award winning book “Freedom at Midnight” described it: “For six terrible weeks, like the ravages of a medieval plague, a mania for murder would sweep across the face of northern India . . . Communities which had lived side by side for generations fell upon each other in an orgy of hate.” You can feel the trauma of the emotions resulting from the this violence just 75 years ago.

That night we headed back to the Leela, Jim and I swam in the beautiful rooftop pool, and then enjoyed a lovely group dinner together.

The next day we explored some of the amazing Muslim sites in Delhi, including the Tomb of Humayun (one of the early Mughal Emperors). It is the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. It was commissioned by Humayan’s wife.

The huge Qutb Minar (tower) that was erected on top of a Hindu Temple to commemorate the first Muslim conquest of Northern India and Delhi over 800 years ago, in the year 1191. It’s an extensive archaeological site. I must say our Hindu guide, Samidha, did her best, but as a Hindu, her heart was saddened by the 700 year years of Muslim rule that followed, before the British Empire replaced the Moghul Empire in 1857.

It was a full day and with the traffic we were running late. We had a lovely lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant and then headed back to the Leela for a last swim. Now it was time to pack for our 24 hour excursion to Varanasi (the holiest site in the Hindu religion). Most of our clothes went into our main suitcases to stay on the bus but we packed one small overnight bag for our flight and overnight at the Holy City.

We were up early for our last yummy Leela Palace breakfast and magic Chai Tea so that we could be on the bus by 7:30 to get to the airport. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed for several hours while we waiting for the thick Delhi smog to lift.

We finally arrived in Varanasi and were met there by a new bus and a new team of local guides Atanu and Devesh and the amazing bus drivers. We then headed immediately to Saranat, the birthplace of Buddhism (the Varanasi area is also one of the holiest places in Buddhism). On our way to Saranat our guide gave us a lecture about the 3 most important Hindu gods (Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu). Brahma is the Creator, Shiva is the Destroyer, and Vishnu is the Preserver who works to sustain the world by maintaining a sustainable balance between Creation and Destruction. Buddhists believe that Buddha was the first man to escape the endless Hindu cycle of birth, death and rebirth, achieving perfect enlightenment (“Nirvana”). Buddha was born into a royal family in India, near Nepal. However, when he became a young man, he was dissatisfied with his material wealth, and gave up his royal birthright to explore the world of the common people. There he learned about the suffering of all people, including growing older, getting sick and dying. He then meditated and prayed on his experiences over six years, before giving his first sermon, near Varanasi, around 2,500 years ago.

We walked around the Buddhist archeological site with its extensive ruins and large Stupa along with other tourists and some religious pilgrims.

Because of our earlier flight delays we were running late so we did not get to spend as much time with the Buddhists as we would have liked. But we needed to get back to our hotel so we could get ready for our Ganges river boat tour. At the hotel we threw our stuff into our rooms, had a quick buffet dinner, grabbed layers of clothes for the expected cold evening on the river. We then got back on our bus and went to the Ghats (riverside) area of Varanasi to witness the Cremation Ceremonies on the Mother Gonga River (known to English speakers as the Ganges River).

Darkness, the smells of wood burning, pilgrims, the river, the boats, the music, the prayers, the lights, the celebration of life and transition, smoke, burning the eyes, exhaustion, sights and sounds of wild weddings ceremonies briefly energized us again . . . It’s impossible to properly describe the experience, but here’s my attempt. It was otherworldly to witness the mass cremation of recently passed loved ones of devout Hindus. Their hope is that by cremating their beloved family members in this way, in Varanasi, that the departed souls will escape the otherwise eternal cycle of birth-death-rebirth and instead transition to a heavenly state of “nirvana.”

Back at our hotel, there were three consecutive weddings: all loud, colorful and beautiful. We showered and collapsed into bed. Jim was really affected by the relentless air pollution of northern India, and especially the smoke from the multiple cremations. I put in my earplugs to dim the wedding party sounds and fell soundly asleep until 4:45 AM when I was going to go back to the river to experience with some of our group the daily ceremony of “waking up” Mother Gonga for another day of religious experiences.

Again, we were enveloped in thick fog and air pollution. We walked past a different group of prayer leaders and people washing in the Ganges for purification and prayer. We stopped and watched the ceremony by the priests to “wake up” the river and welcome the sunrise. It involved four parts each: incense, conch shell blowing, wiping away the incense, and honoring the flame with frankincense and myrrh and the cobra, each time pointing at the four points of the compass.

Then we were back on a smaller boat, also decorated with marigolds (a holy flower in India) to head in the other direction on the river. There were fewer cremation ceremonies at this time of day but some people were immersing themselves in the river for a spiritual cleansing . Although the river is cleaner than it once was at the hight of its pollution, it is by no means clean. Yet, people still gather at the water’s edge and some actually go into it. On the boat we saw a yogi floating in the river, doing a yoga pose while floating on his back. We all thought he was dead. None of us got a picture, but all agreed it was remarkable. On the way back to the bus I spoke with Devesh about a charity he works that helps women caught up in sex slavery and prostitution usually from an early age. His charity is called Ganga Learning Center and it’s on facebook. Jim and I will make a donation on his behalf. The book I am currently reading is “Kaleidoscope City” which describes the history of Varanasi and also covers this scourge.

It began to rain hard as after we entered the bus to head out for our long drive. Our bus driver, Surinder, is truly superhuman. I don’t know how he does it! Because we arrived so late we hit big time traffic, add the rain and it took more than 90 minutes to get from the airport to a place where there was less traffic. The rain let up a bit, and quite honestly we were hopeful it would be an air-cleansing rain. But it made for an extra long bus ride to Agra and our Oberoi Hotel notoriously magical hotel near the Taj Mahal. I’m going to go on the early 6AM tour tomorrow morning because Tina said it was the best time for photos. Jim will join me for the main tour of the Taj Mahal later that morning.

We have two nights in Agra.

Today, we met our new tour guides and history teachers Duber and Rishi and checked in to our hotel where we threw down our bags and ordered room service. I stripped out of my dirty clothes ran a bath and meditated. After a remarkable dinner we collapsed and slept hard! Next bog our magical Taj Mahal and Massive Red Fort experience, hopefully on the Friday’s bus trip from Agra to Jaipur.

We had a little drama at the Bangkok airport before our 4.5 hour flight to Delhi. We arrived early to avoid the late afternoon/evening commute traffic and found the lounge to relax before our flight. Our plane had not been assigned a gate so we waited for our gate to appear on the video departures list. Unfortunately, it never did. Jim got up to look and didn’t think to ask the women at the counter. It’s an extension of the “never ask directions” guy thing. I felt uneasy because our flight was an hour away from leaving, so I went up to talk with her. She looked at the list and exclaimed: “Oh! Your gate has changed and you must head there immediately.” I scooped up Jim and our stuff. The gate was quite a distance away including an elevator and a tram. However, we ran into a nice Indian man and his Mom who were on our flight and he guided us on the way. We arrived at our gate about 10 minutes before boarding began.

We left Bangkok after 8 PM and it was fun watching the plane icon on the map of the world heading to places and over oceans and seas that were new to us.

Navigating customs in India was easy. In fact, because we are seniors, we didn’t even have to have our pictures taken or give our fingerprints (as we had to in Thailand). Once in the main terminal we easily connected with our Tauck Tours guide, who presented us with a Lai of daisies. We were so glad to see him because even at midnight the Delhi Airport chaos swirled around us as we were guided to where our car was waiting.

Delhi is the world’s second largest city, with over 29 million inhabitants. Only Tokyo is larger. Even in the middle of the night, the sounds of honking are constant. Our guide told us Indians navigating the roads of Delhi need 4 things: good horn, good brakes, good driver and good luck. Jim’s strong backseat driver tendencies made the journey from the airport to our hotel challenging, and he eventually just closed his eyes and meditated.

Our hotel (The Leela Palace) is in New Delhi, the federal administrative district on the south side of Delhi. New Delhi has less than 500,000 people and is much quieter. We entered the hotel gates and first had to stop to have our trunk checked for security. Security was higher than usual because later that morning in New Delhi was the big 75th Celebration of India’s Republic Day, marking the day India’s post-colonial Constitution took effect. The celebration mixes prayer and a parade focusing on military power, cultural traditions and India’s leading citizens.

By the time we were in our room and in bed it was 2:30 AM and we were very tired.

We woke up on our own the next morning and had a fantastic breakfast and watched some of the parade on TV. I immediately experimented with local foods. The Chefs loved that I was so willing to try the unusual things and wanted to bring me more. The intricate taste of the homemade Chai Tea that was served made having coffee totally unnecessary for me. Clearly breakfast was going to be our daily super meal.

The hotel staff is abundant, friendly, and very attentive. Everyone wants to converse and help us with anything we need.

After breakfast we explored the beautiful building, the art and the grounds. We found the spa, and the roof-top swimming pool (it’s delightfully warm!) and then decided to go for a swim.

Even though Delhi is the world’s second largest city, you can’t see it because the air pollution is so consistently poor, especially in the winter. We were warned about it, but it’s impossible to imagine until you’re in it. This really should be a top focus of the government here. We were told by an Austrian factory manager visiting the hotel for a weekend respite that people who live their whole lives in Delhi lose 15 years of life expectancy because of the air pollution. For a country as large and resource rich as India that is unacceptable. India is a very young country, with a very old, diverse mix of cultures, that is still recovering from centuries of colonial rule by the Mughals beginning in 1526 and then by the British (who formally took over the country from the East India Company in 1857) and then ended its colonial government in 1947.

Our first day had the worst air pollution of our visit. Visibility was less than 1 mile. After swimming 20 laps, I definitely noticed that I had difficulty breathing. Yesterday was much better because a breeze kicked up, we could see the sky and probably about 3 miles around the hotel and I could swim 30 laps without any difficulty. Today it appears that the winds have stilled again and the bad pollution is back although not as bad as the first day.

We only did one short walk outside the hotel grounds (to a nearby shopping mall), and we just aren’t moved to do much exploring on our own. Instead, we are pampering ourselves and eating wonderful food at the hotel’s three restaurants. Our first night we ate at the Japanese restaurant, last night we ate at the European restaurant and tonight our 20-person tour group will eat together at the Indian restaurant. We’ve met a few people from our tour group already and we are looking forward to meeting the rest this afternoon.

Our tour group gathers at 1:30 today and then we head out for our first group tour of Delhi, including Gandhi’s Smriti (assassination site).

We are both finishing the book, “Freedom at Midnight”, recommended to us by our dear friend Richard Wortley. The book was the used to create the script for the Oscar winning movie “Gandhi”, but has so much more information and is beautifully written. We both love reading books about the areas we are visiting while we are here; as I read I can feel the energy of the book come alive.

Well rested and well fed, today we begin our 18 day trip of India!

The flight from Osaka to Bangkok was easy. The Osaka airport is relatively new but not very spacious. But no matter, we made it to our gate easily after walking through the very popular tax-free shopping area. It was our first time flying Thai Airways and the service was quite good. Flight attendants wear traditional, colorful clothing. They were very concerned about a bumpy flight and worked super hard to serve everyone’s meal quickly. It turned out the flight was extremely smooth. After our 10 hour flight to Osaka, the 5.5 hours to Bangkok seemed like nothing. Going through customs was easy. Jim had to carry his walking sticks because security made him use them in the airport so we could carry them on. So we were escorted a faster line after arrival to make our transit easier. We decided to preorder a driver to our hotel from the airport for this part of the journey instead of mass transit because we were arriving so late. The cost was very reasonable and it’s hot here, so It was a good choice.

Leaving the airport you are greeted by many of biggest billboards we have ever seen, easily four times larger than typical billboards.

We chose the So/Bangkok Hotel because of the location next to a Lumphini Park (a medium sized park surrounded by 30-40 story residential and office buildings), and it’s easy access to transit. It was a good choice. Bangkok is a huge city with a population over 11,000,000. Traffic is terrible most of the time, construction is happening everywhere and the trains and subways are packed. In short, it’s a very busy place! On the flight from Osaka we listened to a well-timed Econ/Talk podcast that talked about many things including the next 100 years of growth of the world economy which guest economist believes will be centered in India and S.E. Asia. You definitely sense that dynamic here.

Because we arrived late, they didn’t have the room we booked and ended up in a room with 2 twin beds, but they assured us we would be upgraded the next day. We were pretty exhausted so it didn’t make much difference. The hotel is a bit noisy here, because there is a very busy road between it and the park, but I came prepared with silicone ear plugs for both of us. They make all the difference to mask out the traffic noises when you’re trying to sleep.

On our first day, after a breakfast fit for a Queen and King (complete with Thai soups, omelettes, breads, fruit smoothies and too much to even try) we decided to explore the park and the local “skytrain” elevated transit to visit Raja’s Fashions. Robert Scales, our new friend we met in Osaka, suggested we go there to get clothes made. We needed to get Jim a light weight sports coat for India and we thought we would do that in India, but the timing seemed better here in Bangkok. Raja’s is a multi-generation family-owned business and just lovely. They measured Jim and we picked out our fabric and while we were there we met two other couples from Seattle who were very familiar with Dick’s. We exchanged cards and will meet again in Seattle! The farther away we get from home the world seems smaller!

After our shopping we went to one of the many nearby malls and explored the food court. There were so many choices of local delectable Thai foods. It was amazing and overwhelming! And the prices are extremely reasonable. With our mouths a bit on fire, we decided we “needed” some ice cream to finish up and fortunately there was a a sit down Swenson’s Ice Cream Parlor in the food court. Yum!

There is the usual collection of American brands: McDonald’s, Burger King, Dominos, Crispy Cream (donuts are good here!). And the prices are cheap. $5.85 for a Big Mac combo meal.

Returning to the hotel after lunch we moved to our upgraded room. What an upgrade! It’s a huge corner room with amazing views in two directions. Then it was time to head to the pool. Bangkok hotels are famous for their rooftop pools. Ours was on the 10th floor, not on the rooftop, but because it faced the park it still had great views of the city.

Another must do in Bangkok is enjoying the spas and getting a Thai massage. We did ours at the hotel. It was quite reasonable and really nicely done. To end our first day we grabbed a snack at another must-do in Bangkok: the roof top bar. We were early and I’m guessing this place really hits its peak about midnight and has a very young vibe. Every tall hotel has one of these. I think we have passed our roof top bar phase, but it was a nice experience with a good view and it gave us time to use Google and learn more about the economic history of Thailand. The internet can be so amazing. Here we were sitting at a roof top bar, sipping a gin and tonic and learning so much about Bangkok and Thailand. The modern world is such an amazing place. So much is possible if humanity can just avoid war. Thailand has done a good job of that. They aren’t invaders and haven’t been invaded since the 1800’s and in general Thailand’s leaders have chosen collaboration and trade instead of plunder. So today Thailand is prospering and growing. However, there is definitely a dark side to Thailand that focus on sex and prostitution in parts of the country. Definitely a Yin/yang.

We’ve signed up for a couple of tours and the second day we did a “Temples, Palace and Canal” Tour. Our guide, Angelo, met us at the hotel and guided us through a full day of spiritual sharing, history, conversation and shared growth and experiences. We definitely could not have navigated all the visits in one day without a guide like Angelo. He coordinated the driver and our favorite part (the “James Bond Boat” (featured in “The Man With the Golden Gun”) through the canal and water way system that is like the one in Venice but much larger.

We visited the three large temples in Bangkok throughout the day. Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Arun, and Wat Pho. They are each unique and Angelo shared his Buddhist knowledge as we learned about each. We “talked story” as they say in Hawaii about traditional Buddhist beliefs and prayers. Along our journey Angelo made sure we were well hydrated, sprayed our hands with disinfectant, gave us treats (I especially like the Thai taco) and made sure we had got great photographs at all the key locations.

Our favorite part was getting onto the water and going through some of the locks of the canal system. We had to wait outside each lock to enter the canals because there was a large tidal surge coming from the Gulf of Thailand (the river tides in Bangkok can vary up to 14 feet because Bangkok is not far from the ocean).

Our final Temple visit was the giant golden Buddha laying on its side. It’s quite spectacular.

Back at the hotel we rested a bit before heading out for Jim’s fitting. This time we took the Metro (suggested by Angelo) instead of walking through the park to the elevated train. The trains and Metro were packed because it was peak commuting time. But we arrived at our appointment on time and they made the fitting improvements so that they could finish the sport coat by Thursday.

We hoped to grab a quick dinner in the Siam district before heading back. Unfortunately the recommended restaurant was closed. At this point it was 7:30, we were hungry, this area is definitely seedier, so we took the train back to our district and grabbed a quick bite at a local restaurant near the train station before heading to the metro and back to our hotel.

So, an extremely full day two came to an end.

Bike tour of the farm island: Our second full day in Bangkok was quite a contrast from our first. A driver took us by car from our hotel to the beginning of our “jungle bike tour” on a small island near the port of Bangkok. It’s mostly a manmade island that used to be an isthmus. It’s now built up and sea walls protect it from flooding. We met our guide “Vee” and 8 other bike tourists, then walked to a small boat dock on the Chaophraya River through a poorer part of Bangkok and took a short water taxi ride to the “jungle” Island. I’m just OK at bike riding, but as “admiral of atmosphere” I thought this would be something Jim would appreciate and our friends Kaysi and Stephen said it was a good excursion. But, meandering through narrow paths sharp turns of the paths was challenging for me. The bike through the nice park, and quiet roads, was much easier. It was quite a different experience, but well worth it.

We saw several large monitor lizards and learned about the “suicide/murder” tree that produces a poison seed that looks like a small coconut and has no antidote. It grows wild throughout SE Asia. For a completely different culinary experience, we stopped briefly at a roadside table for the best mango and sticky rice we’ve ever had! These guided tours are great at finding the local food gems.

Other tidbits:

There are only 3 seasons in Bangkok: Winter/Summer/Rainy. Winter is the coolest season, with highs in the high 80’s and low 90’s, but it didn’t feel as hot as we thought it would. We rarely saw the sun much and never saw any stars. We didn’t get rain, because this is the dry season

The people are delightful. Thai people smile a lot, and are very friendly. Bangkok is modern but still growing quickly with lots of construction sites all around the city. There are at least 6 tall buildings going up in the immediate vicinity of our hotel. What appeared to be a hot tub was no warmer than the pool, which was not warm. It was cold.

No bugs they are definitely spraying here.

As a marketing person, I’m always interested in the ads. No financial ads. The big billboard near our hotel is really pushing Dior red lipstick (definitely making me want to use my red lipstick) Samsung phones, cars and IKEA with a smattering of other things.

Thursday is our last day and it’s a transition day. We will pack, pick up Jim’s sport coat and do a little final exploring before heading to the airport for a 10pm departure on our 4-hour flight to Delhi. The next blog will be from India!

Arrived in India:

We arrived in India last night for the main course of our travels. Our Tauck pick up was super smooth and boy did we need the help navigating the airport chaos. The past week has been wonderful but we are excited for our India Adventure.

We are writing the blog the morning we leave Osaka. It’s our last day here in Osaka and it’s very rainy. A perfect day to for watching the football games this morning. It took a while, but we’ve figured out how to stream them. Go 49ers!

Yesterday, after a day of rest and relaxation we woke up to sunnyish weather that was perfect for exploring. So we headed out to 400-year old Osaka Castle by subway. We found the subway next to our building pretty quickly, but after arriving at the ticket booth, we discovered we could only pay with cash. After some local advice (everyone here has been so helpful and nice) we headed back up to the surface and the 7 Eleven near the exit to use the closest cash machine. The Osaka subways are very modern except that there aren’t many escalators and elevators are hard to find.

So began Jim’s adventure with climbing and descending multiple flights of stairs around Osaka. By the end of the day Jim’s Apple Watch clocked 20 flights of stairs and over 20,000 steps. Amazing!

With cash in hand we found the correct train and after a successful transfer and climbing some long stairs to get above ground we arrived near Osaka Castle Park. We enjoyed a long walk through the park (which must be very beautiful in Spring or Fall) and then had to climb more stairs to get to the Castle, which of course was located at the top of a hill and surrounded by moats. The impressive structure was originally built in the late 1500’s, but then destroyed during the Japanese civil war that ultimately unified the country in 1615. The Castle was rebuilt in the 1620’s, but the central tower was struck by lightning and burnt down in 1665, and not completely rebuilt until 1931. Surprisingly, it was not damaged in WW2.

The Castle has an elevator that takes you to the 5th floor but from there you need to climb stairs to reach the top on the 8th floor. It’s worth it to enjoy the magnificent 360° view from the top and then it’s relatively easy to take the stairs down and wind through the lower floors to learn the history of the Shoguns during the Japanese civil war and the huge battles that were fought at and near the Castle in the early 1600’s.

After a quick break for a snack and a bit of rest we walked to the Shinto shrine outside the castle grounds and discovered an extremely rare blooming winter cherry tree. It was a good sign that Spring is on its way!

Then we headed back through the park in search of the JR line commuter rail station so we could head north to Kyoto (Japan’s ancient Imperial Capitol that governed most of Japan for over 1,000 years, before the Capitol was moved to Tokyo). We followed the signs but we had some trouble with communication and ended up going up and down a long staircase two times causing Jim to say “Are you kidding me” and me to laugh. After climbing the stairs the first time, we spoke with an English speaking person on street level and unfortunately he told us to go back down the subway stairs to the information desk. When we got there, a lovely English speaking local translated for us with the train employee there who told us that we had to head back up the same long stairs and then walk about 300 yards to find the station for the the JR Loop Railroad, which would take us to the Osaka Central station, where we could transfer to the train that went to Kyoto. One more stair case and a brief walk and we finally made it! We needed a little help buying a ticket again and were very thankful that Osaka Central has a lot of escalators. And that is how we made it from Osaka Castle to the correct train to get to Kyoto (a 30 minute trip).

I wanted to head back to the “Sou Sou” brand store I had discovered in Kyoto 8 years ago. We thought we could walk there but weren’t exactly sure of the route from our paper map, so we reluctantly turned off “airplane mode” on our phone and paid for local cell service so we could use Apple map. On the way out of the train station two local high school students asked us to take a survey they had written about tourists’ impressions of Japan’s work-centered culture. By this time it was about 2:30 PM and we began a 1.5 mile walk to Kyoto’s shopping district, passing several impressive Buddhist Temples and taking the more pedestrian friendly back streets.

We found the Sou Sou store after stopping at a very modern and popular donut restaurant (although the donuts were dry and nothing like a freshly baked American donut). After some careful shopping I bought a beautiful jacket. Our plan was to hang around Kyoto’s shopping district, have dinner and then head back by cab to the train station. The salesperson suggested a nearby restaurant called Onikai. It took a while, but we found it and then stopped for a beer at a nearby establishment while we waited for it to open.

Forty-five minutes later we walked in to what we thought was the restaurant, it wasn’t. But it was super local and authentic. The food wan’t great, but it was interesting and on the way out we found Onikai but it was completely booked so it all worked out just fine.

Now it was time to find a cab. Jim found a wide spot on the street that appeared perfect for hailing cabs. And it was! The cab took us to the main Kyoto train station and we used escalators to find our train. Success, sort of. Turns out we boarded the express train and we only paid for the regular train. No problem, seated and underway we paid the conductor the extra $10 we owed for our quick trip back to Osaka.

When we arrived back at the Osaka Central train station, we decided that since we had no luggage, we wouldn’t use a taxi but would instead find the “Y” Subway Line that goes directly to our hotel. We had been warned that this was easier said than done because, OMG, Osaka Central Station is a gigantic labyrinth. I didn’t take a video of the mass of humanity crisscrossing hither and thither, but eventually we maneuvered our way through it, keeping our eyes out for the occasional signs showing us the way to the Y line, and although we had to reverse course a couple of times, we finally reached the correct platform, boarded the subway train in the correct direction and finally made it to the hotel. We were proud of ourselves, but next time we’ll just take the taxi, especially if we have any luggage.

We high-fived when we entered the hotel after a long day of walking, exploring a Castle, and maneuvering through crowded train stations. It was 8 PM but we’re finally back in our hotel room. Before bed we had to do some laundry and hang the clothes up to dry, but after that I ran a bath and we both collapsed in bed after a very successful day.

The Art Museum

The next day we had a much more mellow day and after the delicious buffet breakfast walked the 10 minutes to the nearby Osaka Art Museum. It’s a large museum (similar to the Museum of Modern Art in NYC) but with very few exhibits. The museum did have a remarked collection of early Osaka Women Artists. Japan is a very patriarchal society and it wasn’t easy being a women artist in the early 20th Century. Unfortunately, there was no English guide and no English translations, but we used google translate and enjoyed the exhibit. So much of the art reminded me of my Grandmother’s beautiful artwork. The exhibit featured Shima Seien and 4 other women artists who were allowed to exhibit at the 1916 National Japanese Art Exhibition.

The museum really needs a better leader. This could be a much better exhibit with more creative and informative curation. The descriptions read like they were cut and pasted from a 100 year old book. There is almost no discussion about technique or color. No real narrative. A local woman started whispering to us, because she was also clearly disappointed by the descriptions and wanted us to have better context for the various paintings.

It would have been great to build a bridge to more modern woman Japanese artists like Yayoi Kusama and others. But we still enjoyed the art and the experience. We couldn’t photograph most of the art. But these photos give you some idea of the exhibit and includes some of the museum’s funky sculptures.

Back at the hotel we did some yoga and swimming and soaking before going to a fantastic dinner at the hotel’s “Kora” restaurant. This was a pricey but very special dinner. We ate early at the Chef’s table and had a marvelous time talking with the Chef. The chef’s technique, service and the high quality of the fish, couldn’t have been better.

Back in the room we collapsed into a deep sleep.

Earlier in the gym we met Robert Scales, he asked us where we were from and he had been to Seattle many times, which led to a discussion about Dick’s of course. He lives in DC but works with T-Mobile. He’s traveling here with a friend, Gnoc, who also works for T-Mobile and lives in Renton. We met for breakfast and had a great visit. Robert is a world traveler who had been to Bangkok many times and he shared some of his Bangkok recommendations.

At the moment we are streaming the 49ers game, I’m working on the blog and immediately after the game we will head to the KIX international airport for our journey to Bangkok.

Overall, we’ve loved Osaka, it was a perfect stop for overcoming jet lag and experiencing a different side of Japan. It’s not crowded, it’s extremely authentic and not touristy. There are great restaurants and many interesting places to visit and excellent train and subway service (although more escalators would be appreciated!).

Fun fact about Japan: when someone asks you were you are from and you say Seattle, everyone smiles and says, “Ichiro!” Go Mariners!

Day 1: Plane, Train & Automobile

We begin our adventure flying from Oahu to Osaka. The flight was delayed an hour, but relatively uneventful. We were expecting our first stoic challenge would come after we landed in Osaka as we tried to find the JR express to Osaka with our luggage, but that all went remarkably smoothly.

The challenge came on the way to the airport when we realized Jim (the man who always double checks everything) left his wallet behind in the dresser in our condo. At first we thought we would have to drive back to get it. After starting our drive back to Waianae, we puzzled it out and realized we had our passports and I had all the credit cards we needed. The cash was unnecessary and although Jim felt “naked” without his wallet it was best to leave it behind. Cutting it so close was not a good idea. Our dear friends Ken and Maria went above and beyond to try to Fed Ex the wallet to Osaka. But it will take 5 or 6 days. Nothing is fast in HI. So we will make do with what we have.

As I said before going through customs was a breeze, we learned where to buy our tickets for the JR Express to Osaka by watching a YouTube before we left and we made it to the train with 10 mutes to spare. Trains in Japan are so efficient and so clean and Jim loves trains.

It’s a bit of a circuitous route out of the enormous Osaka Central Station to the taxis, but not a problem. We forgot about the lovely, clean Japanese taxis, complete with lace.

Our choice of the Conrad Hotel in Osaka to work through jet lag seems perfect so far. We slept relatively well, the service is excellent and the pool and spa lovely.

Today’s weather is pretty “Seattle”, 50 degrees and raining. So we’ve decided to enjoy the pool and spa. Dryer weather is in the forecast for tomorrow and we plan to explore.

Sayanora for now!

Fawn & Jim