Gion District - Photo of the Week

This week's photo comes from the Gion District of Kyoto, Japan.

I never had the desire to visit Japan.  It was never one of those countries on my list, or radar for that matter, that I needed to see.  While living in Korea, I wanted to take a trip during Chuesok - Korean Thanksgiving - as I had heard that Korea basically shuts down for Chuesok...I didn't want to spend the long weekend cooped up in my apartment, so I started researching countries to visit.  The Philippines were my top choice, with Singapore coming in second due to receiving an invite to stay with a friend from my university days in England.  However, both of those options proved to be far too expensive for my budget, therefore due in part to proximity, price, The Karate Kid Part II, and the video to The Killers Read My Mind, I decided to visit Kyoto, Japan.  (Yes, the Karate Kid absolutely influenced my decision to visit a country...I loved that movie as a kid, and still watch it faithfully when it's on TV).

Japan blew my mind.  I fell completely in love with Kyoto.  What a fantastic little city!  My friend and I spent one day exploring Kyoto on rented bicycles.  The Gion District came heavily recommended as an area of Kyoto that everyone must see.  It's a long, quiet street full of tea shops and restaurants that Geisha frequent at night.  Unfortunately, we didn't happen upon any Geisha, but at the end of the the Gion District stands a beautiful traditional temple that we explored.

Throughout the temples that we visited, I kept seeing these large stone basins filled with water, with bamboo fountains...they peaked my curiosity, wondering what they were for.  While my friend and I took a seat to rest our feet, a group of school kids unknowingly demonstrated to me what those water-filled stone basins were for.  They stood giggling while they poured the water over their hands with bamboo cups, cooling off from the heat of the autumn afternoon.  As they approached my friend and I, they asked us if we would be willing to answer some questions for them as part of a school project.  Both being teachers, my friend and I happily talked with them for a few minutes and took pictures with them.  They continued on their school trip as I reflected on how being an English teacher in Asia has changed me and given me a much higher appreciation for life and this beautiful world in which we are all fortunate enough to live in.

Gion school girls

There was so much more to Japan than I thought...beautiful architecture, delicious food, and kind locals.  I spent four days in Kyoto and Osaka and decided that short visit wasn't nearly enough time to truly discover Japan.  I could easily spend a year there, adventuring and eating real ramen noodles.  There are so many places in this world I need to explore, but Japan is definitely high on the list to rediscover!

Happy Trails!

Why did I want to visit Japan because of The Killers?  Because this video is awesome..c'mon, Japanese Elvis and the gorgeous Brandon Flowers dressing in traditional kimono? Yes, please!

Chiang Mai Buddha - Photo of the Week

Ok...here is another attempt at getting Photo of the Week started up again.  Let's see how long I can keep it going this time!  Care to make a wager? Anyone?

This week's photo has always been one of my favorites.  Not just because I (biased-ly) think it's beautiful, but also because it brings back fond memories of Chiang Mai.

My first weekend in Chiang Mai, I strolled through the Sunday Walking Street market.  The Sunday Walking Street begins (or ends) at Tha Pae Gate and runs along Rachadamnoen Road until it reaches the temple of Wat Phra Singh, breaking off on little side Soi's (streets).  Thai craftsmen, artists, masseurs, and food stalls line up in the masses to sell their fare to tourists and Thai's alike.  That first stroll I took through the Sunday Walking Street during the warm evening, stopping to barter and negotiate with sellers, snacking on delicious Thai street food, drinking ice cold cha yen (Thai iced tea), stopping to listen to the musicians playing music I had previously only seen and heard in movies...it was all magical to me!  My millions of senses were in stimulation overload...I immediately fell in love with the Thai culture, and knew I made the right decision of leaving home to experience the world, once again.

Rachadamnoen Road is quite long...especially while fighting hoards of tourists stopping to shop.  I kept finding myself wandering along the side Soi's and exploring the beautiful temples of Chiang Mai (there are over 200 Buddhist temples in Chiang Mai, alone!).  I found myself standing in what became my favorite temple in Chiang Mai: Wat Pan Tao.  Wat Pan Tao is one of the few remaining teak wood temples left in Thailand...authentic and ancient, it transported me back in time.  As I stood in awe of this beautiful, simply plain temple, I found this golden Buddha sitting among a field of tulips, surrounded by a koi-filled moat.  I found this temple and Buddha at the perfect time of day: sunset.  The colors of the setting sun reflecting off of the Buddha, I found myself in love with that moment and I am forever grateful I was lucky enough to experience it.  Every time thereafter I went back to visit Wat Pan Tao in the 15 months I lived in Chiang Mai, those tulips were gone.  The Buddha was just sitting in a lonely field of dirt.

Wat Pan Tao Buddha and tulips

The Sunday Walking Street Market, I soon found out, is a major tourist trap.  Not nearly as bad as the nightly Night Bazaar on Chang Klan Road, however.  My favorite market in Chiang Mai proved to be the Saturday Walking Street...which conveniently was right down the road from my apartment.  The Saturday Walking Street has the same stuff, with more authentic fare, as both the Sunday Walking Street and Night Bazaar, but it's cheaper as it's more for the Thai people.  I still enjoyed the Sunday Walking Street, but I always made sure to get there around 4 or 5pm, when it opened, to avoid the larger crowds that show up later at night.

I always look back with fond memories to my first Sunday Walking Street experience.  It was my first real introduction to a new, beautiful and colorful culture.  I learned a lot about myself living in Thailand...I became a better and more confident person - even including the hard times I had while living there.

I hope you enjoy this photograph as much as I do.  It's available for purchase through Art for Conservation and my Etsy shop.

Happy Trails!