Caribbean diaries (1) - The islands of Haiti, Trinidad and Martinique

This summer I spent two and a half months in the Caribbean, most of which was on the island of Jamaica but I also got a chance to visit a few other places around the region - the islands of Haiti, Martinique and Trinidad, Panama and El Salvador and frequent trips to Miami for connecting flights. As I was there on work, I did not get as much time to explore all these places as I would have liked to. But the time I spent there was enough to get a sense of what the Caribbean life is all about.

Somewhere in Martinique

I spent a few weekends in Jamaica visiting its beach resorts, one weekend in the island of Martinique, and a few days in Haiti and Trinidad. In addition I also stayed a couple of days in El Salvador, Panama and Miami during the same trip. So even though they are not Caribbean islands, they all feel part of the same region to me. Overall, the islands are quite similar to each other. Most of them are very small, have a mix of African and European descent population, a very specific Caribbean culture in terms of music, food, dance and feel, lots of pristine blue green beaches, warm weather and an overall air of fun and enjoyment. The Central American countries of course were a bit different.

An island from the sky

During my travels there, I saw a lot of the islands from the plane. And they were all looked so enchanting from the top. Small dots of land coming out in the sea out of nowhere. With the light blue sparkling waters around them, they looked as pretty from the top as they would have been when on the ground. Some of the images I still vividly remember are of the Bahamas which have many small islands all along a curve, all with shallow seas and light green waters around. Another of course is Cuba which though larger than the other islands seemed to have huge stretches of long beaches and shallow seas all around.

Being in the region, I also realised there are some 30-40 main islands and countries in the region. There were names which I hadn’t even heard before, so my geography definitely improved once there. There were islands still owned by the French - Martinique, Guadalupe etc, by the British - Montserrat, BVI etc., the Dutch - Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao; and so on. And there were small islands which I had not even heard of before. For example, there is a very small island called Antigua which has 365 beaches - one beach for every day of the year. And another small island called Montserrat which had a volcanic eruption and its population went from 12k to 5k suddenly. There are many such surprising things you find everyday about this lesser known part of the world, making it very interesting always.

I realised when there that the region has very bad air connectivity. Its not easy to get from one island to another directly. Some of the larger islands are connected better but it turns out that most places you can reach only via connecting from Miami or a similar farther hub. In fact, the island of Martinique has better connectivity and frequency of flights to France than the Caribbean itself! It also highlights the fact how the Caribbean which could have been a more united entity is quite fragmented and independent across the islands.



Haiti

I spent only two days in Haiti which were mostly in the office or the hotel. Most of my impressions are from what I saw from the car, the window or heard in conversations. So it is limited. But I think I still got a good sense of some aspects of the country.

My first view of the island when landing was captivating. When the plane was landing, we passed by parts of the island which were full of green dense forests and mountains everywhere. And I could see beaches on the coast as well as the Caribbean sun making everything bright. And then the capital city of Port-au-Prince came into view, extending till wherever the eye could see.

Most of the Haitian population was of African descent, on the roads, markets and all. But you see mostly whites in the hotels, offices and restaurants. The culture of the island felt more French than Caribbean, and Haitians speak French and Creole, rather than English. Also, its residents are crazy about football. The whole country apparently shuts down during the world cup and other such events.

After the first view from the plane, once I landed and was being driven to our office, I realised that Haiti was actually a poor and developing country. It is one of the larger of the Caribbean islands, half of which is the Dominican Republic. Haiti got independence about 100 years ago but its history has mostly been full of coups and spoilt by politics. So it is in a much worse state than the Dominican republic which is almost like a developed country, even though they started out together. And Haiti is the second poorest country in the world. It was telling that when I told the immigration officer while transiting from US that I would be going to Haiti, he asked me if I was a social worker...

View from the hotel

For the two days I was in Port-au-Prince, I mostly spent my time in the hotel and office. Haiti is a very unsafe country, and so we had been instructed not to venture out on our own at all. From the hotel, I got a view of the seas beyond and the place felt like paradise - clear blue skies dotted with some white clouds, blue waters and the greenery of palm trees everywhere. It felt like it was a paradise spoilt, spoilt by men, and their politics. When I read more about Haiti, I realised that even though Haiti has beautiful Caribbean beaches, very few tourists visit them because of safety issues. You cannot just walk anywhere, you have to drive around in armoured cars always. And that can't be fun.

The pool in the hotel

Another thing that struck me was that the hotel that I stayed in was outstanding, it could match any 5 star hotel from anywhere in the world. And that was when I realised that the rich across the world experience the same amazing life. Its only the poor whose life in the emerging and developed world differs. And so even in Haiti, there would be all these pockets which were luxurious where you would not feel you are in the second poorest country in the world.

Other than the hotel and office, one afternoon I did get to go out a bit and see the market and a few shops in Port-Au-Prince. Of course, I went in an armoured car and we had 2 bodyguards with us. We were also instructed to remove any jewellery, watch or phone when leaving the car. This level of unsafe feeling is something very few of us can imagine now. And it was almost a new experience for me.

During the drive, we drove through a lot of the local roads, saw all the houses on the hills but we did not pass by any rich areas. It felt like all of it was very downtrodden and shabby. I saw some small restaurants somewhere but not much else to do or see. Some of the shops we went to had the shopkeeper sitting behind bars for self-protection and to handle cash. And credit card system really didn’t exist in the country. It all felt so unreal, its very difficult to explain.

The main market we went to seemed like any other emerging market local market. People selling their wares, small shops and stalls and so on. However, the presence of the bodyguard was the only difference. When I asked my colleagues what could happen if we didn't have them, they said expats can very easily be kidnapped! So definitely not something we wanted.

The city looked beautiful at night though from up in the hotel, with the twinkling lights across the hills and the calmness of the sea beyond. At night, when the ugliness of real life was not visible. So even such places have their inherent beauty which no one can take away from them. But two days there felt a bit tough to me, and I was happy to leave when I did. It had felt a bit like a prison being there, being unable to do anything, walk around and so on.

My biggest surprise on the visit: Haiti is a very very poor country, with lot of crime and lack of safety. It came as a big surprise for me as I assumed all of Caribbean is happy and fun!


Trinidad and Tobago

I spent a couple of days in Trinidad, in the capital city of Port of Spain. Again I spent all my time between the hotel and the office, with barely any visit outside. So all I got to see was from the car. But it was enough to know that Trinidad was completely the opposite of what Haiti was. Trinidad is one of the well to do nations in the Caribbean because of its oil. And it was very visible everywhere.

Trinidad from the top

The houses were much better, the buildings bigger (and colourful) and the people seemed well off and more relaxed. I think money has a lot to do with that always. The infrastructure was much more developed than the other islands we visited. Overall the roads and all felt a lot better. The route from the airport to the capital almost felt picturesque, driving through agricultural lands, palm trees and views of small mountains far away.

It felt like Trinidad had its very own culture, maybe because it is one of the larger Caribbean islands and had a large population. They had more mixed people from different races. There was lot of random paintings and graffiti on the roads and walls. It has an annual carnival which is very popular to visit. The temperatures were amazing, clear skies above and palm trees lining most of the roads - totally Caribbean. There was also a very warm and relaxed feel in the air which I had missed in Haiti.

And the island has about 40-50% of its population of Indian origin, which was very visible everywhere. There were Indian people, Indian Hindu school billboards and people driving around with Hindu symbols on their cars. And I felt closer to home because of that. Its very difficult to explain how seeing something of my country somehow made me feel very comfortable in such a faraway land.

View from the hotel

As I said earlier, my view of the city is limited only to the hotel and the office. The hotel was a top notch 5 star property, located on the seafront and had a beautiful view outside of the sea and port. It also had amazing food especially the sushi restaurant which had a lot of vegetarian options.

As far as tourism is concerned, Port Au Spain felt more like an industrial city and apparently doesn't have many beaches around. If you go far off from the capital, you might encounter some pretty tourist places, beaches or turtle hatching sites. Also safety in Trinidad is again questionable, so tourism is low. The neighbouring island of Tobago is supposed to have much better beaches and is safer. Some of my colleagues went there and enjoyed it but I didn’t get a chance to go there. Maybe for the next time.

For me, the story of how so many Indians turned up in Trinidad is interesting, and moreover surprising that we were never taught that in our history. In the 1800s, thousands of Indians were brought almost as slaves to provide labour to the Caribbean when the African people became free. As would be expected, they were exploited and ill-treated. And very few of them made it back to their homeland even though they were promised safe passage back.

Its these Indians who stayed back who make up the Indian population in so many of the islands, like Barbados, Jamaica etc. but maximum in Trinidad. And I don't know if that is the reason or not, but the accent in Trinidad is different from the rest of the islands. It has a particular sing song tinge to it which is very unique. It is so sweet to listen to, I must say it is one of the best accents I have ever heard.

My biggest surprise on the visit: Trinidad has a 40% Indian population who came there as indentured labour with the British and decided to settle there. Also the Trinidadian accent has a very typical quality to to, like a singsong. You have to hear it yourself to understand it.


Martinique

Fort-de-France from the air

The next island I visited was Martinique, part of the French West Indies. It is technically France, uses Euros as currency and the Schengen visa works there. That was a surprise for me. Also, I got to spend about 6 days there including a weekend, so I felt a lot better that I was at least able to explore the Caribbean finally. Martinique is a medium sized Caribbean island, whose capital is Fort-de-France. It is the biggest town, with a few other villages in the north and south side.

In addition, given it is French, the island is quite popular with the rich French who like to have a holiday home here for the winter months. And so there are loads of those French Riviera kind of establishments with rich luxury houses along the coast. And there were a lot more white and French people around here than the other islands. So this experience definitely felt very different from all the islands I had visited in the Caribbean, most of it because it was "French".

Waterfront and the fort

As I was there on work, I was staying in Fort-de-France. And surprisingly, there were no chain hotels in town! So we stayed at the Simon Hotel which was quite nice, with a view of the sea, the main Fort, the waterfront, a small beach and lot of sailing boats in the water. The food there was quite French, so it got tough for me to find vegetarian food sometimes. But the views and the weather was lovely.

Streets of Fort-de-france

The capital felt quite average though. The buildings were colourful, but felt a bit run-down. The roads inside town were quite narrow. The fort was picturesque and there were loads of people enjoying on the waterfront next to it. I think it would have been a nice place to go, but we didn’t get much time. We also noticed some festivals happening there on the weekend we were there. So it did have an active feel to it. One of the days I visited some of the locals malls around which looked like any other French mall with all its french brands.

Within the town, we didn’t do much except one of our great finds, which was an amazing small restaurant called Lillies beach, for Friday dinner. It is located next to a not so great hotel called La Battaliere. You have to figure out your way somehow, and walk down a couple of stairs behind the hotel to reach this hidden gem. But it was paradise - a small little restaurant located right on the beach sand, hidden from all the world.

The atmosphere was very relaxed, the crowd quite mixed and upscale and the ambience one of the best I’ve ever seen. It felt more like a local haunt than a tourist spot, which made it even better. I loved it there. Imagine sitting in a cove next to the beach and eating food with the wind blowing in your hair and the waves providing the background sounds. The experience was priceless! And this was a great start to my first weekend in the Caribbean!

The island felt a lot prettier outside of Fort-de-France though. During the weekend, we spent most of our time outside, driving to the beaches towards the south side. The whole island felt a lot more greener than the other islands I had visited. There were small hills everywhere, the grass was very bright green, and there were loads of banana and sugarcane fields. With cows in the fields and lot of birds chirping everywhere. Martinique also clearly had a better infrastructure than all the other islands we had visited. The roads and cars were better, the people felt well-off and the air had a different feel to it.

Anse Noir

On Saturday, we first drove towards a small black sand beach called Anse Noir. The drive there was amazing, up and down on narrow single lane roads through Caribbean rainforests which were very fresh, green and dense. It is among one of the best and freshest drives I’ve experienced. I totally loved it. We lost data at many places on the road but always continued on. It helps that there weren’t too many roads on the island, so getting lost was not really an option 😁.

Sunset at Anse DuFour

The beach though was a bit of a disappointment. It looked dirty even though it wasn't, and somehow wasn't as appealing as it should have been. There weren’t any facilities there either, so it wasn’t very convenient. Right next to it though was a small white sand beach - Anse DuFour - which definitely felt like an upgrade. It was lined with palm trees and as we were there long, I got some amazing sunset shots too. The water at both the beaches was perfect - warm, green and clear, just what you would expect from the Caribbean. Both the beaches also had a lot more white people than black, clearly marking it as a tourist spot. They had a lot more shops on this beach, which definitely made it more tourist friendly. We also sat at a cafe there which seemed a bit dodgy but provided great views of the sunset across the water.

While driving back, we first stopped at a village on the way and randomly explored the village and the local church. We then walked to the waterfront. And then we drove back to the tourist town of Les-Trois Ilets. It was an area next to the sea which was full of hotels and places to eat. We first walked into an open air area with loads of restaurants and stopped at one called le Bistrot D'en Face (I think). We sat outside for some time and had a hearty tasty meal there. It also started raining but thankfully it was the typical equatorial rain which stopped soon.

Then we walked a bit and reached a small bar on the waterfront called Kano. It felt like a hidden gem we had found and we sat there for some time just admiring the views of the sea and beyond. But when we were driving back, we realised that it was actually a main street restaurant which we had earlier crossed, so not really a hidden gem 😁. And then we were back to the capital later that night. Most of the island had felt quite safe, but while coming back, we stopped at a petrol station which felt dodgy. And that made us realise that we had to be more careful here than we were being till then.

Drive to Salines beach

The second day, I drove to a much longer and popular beach called Grande Anse des Salines, which was on the South most tip of the island. Google map there wasn’t helpful, so I ended up taking the longer route, and turns out that I drove through the posher parts of the island. On the way, I crossed some small towns - Vaughlin and Francois - which felt like the French Riviera, really. With beautiful palm tree lined avenues, orange roofed posh houses along the cliffs, and blue green clear water beyond. Isn't this what paradise would look like? 

Salines beach

On the way I also drove through the village of Sainte Anne, which had a lot of beaches too. I would really have liked to live in one of such places rather than the capital. These felt more fun and Caribbean. The Salines beach as expected was a huge white sand beach, extending for kms, with palm trees on the bank and people chilling in the water. There were loads of shops and facilities around, like any tourist place. And the water was warm, a lot of fun. And the drive back was through a different road, again very picturesque, with empty roads through green lands till wherever the eyes can see. I loved the drive totally.

In addition to the places I visited, there are more beaches in the north part of island which are worth going too, like Anse Turin and Anse Couleuvre (a black beach). And the volcano, Montaigne Pierre near the town of Saint Pierre too. All for the next time.

Overall Martinique felt like an interesting mix of European and Caribbean culture. In terms of quality of life, it was definitely French. As was the traffic, much more than other islands. The roads were top notch level, to European standards. Also service in most restaurants was quite bad, keeping the French-ness alive 😜. But when it came to the vibe, it was clearly Caribbean. Relaxed and fun. All in all, a fun place to stay on a weekend. I can now see why the French have kept the island still...

My biggest surprise on the visit: I realised Martinique was such a weird mixture of the French and Caribbean. With French rules and infrastructure, and Caribbean feel and air. But the locals don’t like to consider themselves Caribbean, they think of themselves as French 😊.


Caribbean diaries (2) - Panama City, El Salvador

Caribbean diaries (3) - Ocho Rios, Port Antonio (Jamaica)

Caribbean diaries (4) - Negril and Kingston (Jamaica)

An evening in Berlin

This has to be the fastest time to blog on travelfrreak ever 😀. I came back from Berlin on Friday and here is the blog on the following Wednesday. I had to go to Berlin on a work trip for two days and at one point was planning to stay back given I have never been there before as well as have heard great reviews about the city. But looking at the cold winter temperatures (ranging between 2 and -2 degrees!), I decided not to stay back the weekend, and only spend a couple of hours on Friday evening to explore the city. And I think it was a great great decision in hindsight.

Bridge on river Stree

I was staying at the Nhow hotel on the river Stree for the two days. And the hotel was a revelation, not what I would expect in the serious Germany we always imagine. It was the most colourfully decorated hotel I have ever stayed in. There was graffiti on the walls and pink paintings everywhere - on the corridor walls, near the elevators, around the bar seating areas, the reception and so on. The rooms had a pink theme too, on the floor, the bedsheets, the cupboards and so on. I was shocked by it all totally, it was quite loud for anyone's taste, at least anyone I know. But I guess, it was in keeping with the hippy image Berlin has.

The weather the whole weekend was very very cold. It was cloudy and foggy the whole time. Definitely not the best time to explore a new place. Over the two days, I saw a bit of the city and formed a perception based on the little I saw. There were loads of old buildings around, some from the Soviet era too. They all had quite a monotonous feel to them.

The roads everywhere were very wide and lined with trees on both sides. And the city felt very open. Also there were a lot of green areas and parks around. Right now some of them had fall colours, but a lot of the trees were already leafless. There was lot of graffiti across town, everywhere. On walls, buildings and anywhere else it was possible. This was definitely something different from usual cities. I also noticed a lot more non Germans around than most other German cities have been to. The whole city overall felt deep and peaceful, I liked that.

I had a couple of hours on Friday and visited the Berlin Wall, Alexanderplatz and the Brandenburg gate as well as walked around a bit. And I was only moderately impressed with the touristy side of the city, though it had more to do with the weather.

Wall paintings

The first place I walked along was the East side of the Berlin wall. It has now been made open to street artists to paint and is a sight to behold. All along the long wall you can see paintings ranging from the modern to abstract to simple to graffiti to social messaging. I walked an hour or so along the road and loved it, even without being an art lover. Can only imagine what someone who understands art would feel looking at it.

Wall paintings

I also noticed an important aspect of the wall. When I was walking along it from the other end, a lot of the paintings seemed completely new to me! It was almost as if looking at it from the other side sent a completely different message and was completely different. Also all along the way, there were loads of Arabic men playing games - under which of the three matchstick boxes is the paper ball. And so many people were playing it, losing and winning all the time. It was fun to watch.

The wall today is what it is, a remnant of a difficult past. And its been shown in a positive light. But I don't think people like us can even imagine what it signifies... Imagine a wall drawn in the middle of a city, ONE city. Imagine having to live like this, after having lived your entire life like one. It is so cruel, I can't even envisage living like this. I think over the past century, our world has really changed towards a peaceful tomorrow and I think we should be more grateful for it than we are.

Wall paintings

Wall paintings

Wall paintings

Wall paintings

Our second spot in Berlin was Alexanderplatz. When I had done a Google search for top things to do in Berlin, Mitte walk and Alexanderplatz had come on top. So we went there anyways. And I was surprised why this place turned up, as it felt like just a market square with lots of shops. And a Christmas market which was closed at that time. There was one of the popular towers of Berlin right there but it was hidden in the fog, so I don't think going up would have helped in any way. So given there wasn't much to do there, we started walking towards the Brandenburg Gate. However, we had put the wrong location on Google maps and ended up walking 30 minutes to reach the Kulture Brauerei!

Winter streets

The walk was great though. I think we walked through a very nice part of town, with its huge stone houses with some sculptures but charming in its simplicity and a bit of colour, roads lined with treeless trees, small parks, some shops and cafes, views of small historical monuments and so on. It was also our chance to experience the cold European winter in a way that I noticed the hidden beauty winter can have. I liked the vibe I got of Berlin. Of a very open and widely spaced city. A city which has an underlying beauty and character about it which defines it...

We next took a cab to Brandenburg gate and on the way, passed the official Berlin Wall memorial. It had a lot more photos on display which talked about the history of the wall. The wall had been 70 kms long. And 136 people had been shot trying to cross it, over the years. I think I want to go there once later for sure to learn more about it.

Brandenburg gate

Our last stop of the day was the Brandenburg gate, which looked nice in night lights. However, I think we had had enough of the cold by then, and after a quick coffee, I was ready to head back. When one of my most bizarre experience of Berlin happened! I tried calling Uber thrice and every time the driver would go to some wrong address. And calling and talking to them did not help as they did not know English either!

Anyways in half an hour, we managed to get a cab which finally took me to the airport. The driver was from Iraq and quite talkative. He was also a lover of Bollywood and sang a few songs he remembered - 'Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy, aaja aaja aaja' and 'yeh dosti hum nahi chodenge'. I was surprised by it and the chats with him were quite entertaining, all the way to the airport.

The airport was another different experience altogether. It is still an old one, and was supposed to have been replaced with a new one in 2012 which isn't ready yet. So the current airport is continuing in its broken down state till that happens. Each of the airport gates have their own security and immigration which creates long queues. There was no fast tack. The lounges were before security and passport control, so you had to leave early for the gates. And turns out that the lounges also did not have any toilets. All in all, a terrible experience.

But I enjoyed what little I experienced of Berlin. I would definitely like to back here, during warmer temperatures...

Japan, the land of the traditional and the modern - Kyoto and Koyasan (2/3)

Part 1 - Tokyo and Nagano

Day 6 - Shinkansen from Nagano to Kyoto; stay at Westinn; explore Kyoto - Ginkakuji temple; Philosophers path; lunch at Arasch; Heian Jingu shrine and gardens; Kiyomizudera temples; Gion street and Pontocho alley

The next day, we again took the train, first to Nagoya and then to Kyoto. It was a beautiful sunny day and the views outside felt even more scenic than before. The train to Nagoya was a slower scenic one where we passed by lots of small villages, with wooden houses and sloping roofs, people going about their agricultural activities, lot of hills faraway, rice fields extending till the hills, streams and ponds, and some snow covered mountains which apparently are known as the Japanese Alps. And on the way, there were a lot of cherry blossoms everywhere. Lining streets, canals and sometimes out of the blue randomly. We got a short glimpse of Nagoya town while changing trains and it felt very modern.

Cherry blossom in Kyoto

We finally took a bullet train in the day, from Nagoya to Kyoto and noticed how fast it was - touching 300 kmph regularly. It was banking a lot also as it moved. We were in Kyoto by mid-day (thanks to the bullet train) and our first view already gave us a different vibe than Tokyo. Kyoto felt like it was from a different era. It was a lot slower, lot more laid-back and lot more traditional than Tokyo. It had been the capital of Japan for more than 1000 years till 1870s when the capital was shifted to Tokyo. Also, we realised then that, Tokyo was named by inverting the alphabets of Kyoto 😇.

We took a shuttle from the station to our hotel and it took us through a main road right next to a canal, which was lined with cherry blossom trees. Even though the leaves had fallen a bit, the flowers still looked quite fresh and rosy. We also saw lot of women wearing kimonos, walking along the road. Our hotel, the Westinn was quite nearby and we checked in quickly. It had a history of hosting the rich and the famous in Kyoto. There were loads of photos in the lounge attesting to this fact. It had beautiful rooms and a nice hilly area outside. In fact, outside our window, we could see some beautiful gardens.

We left very quickly after checking-in as we had a busy day ahead and quite a few places to cover. Kyoto is full of temples and shrines, and they are the biggest attraction of the city. We however prioritised a lot and decided to skip a few of the spots. The first day we walked to all the close by places, and ran into tons of cherry blossoms lined streets on the way. And later in the day took cabs as we were too tired of walking. The second day, we rented cycles and cycled to the 3 places we had decided to prioritise and visit.

Ginkakuji temple

Today, the first place we went to was Ginkakuji temple which was built by a rich nobleman. The entrance was through a path lined with bamboo trees on both sides. The place felt a bit like a residence rather than a religious place though. It had a Japanese landscaped garden all along a hill and a few wooden shrines in the garden. The garden was very well landscaped with the typical Japanese themes of rocks, water flowing through and a variety of trees and shrubs. The garden looked stunning, with all the plants in differently hued greens, sparkling in the sun that was out that day.

Philosophers path

Our second stop for the day was one of my most favourite parts of Kyoto - the Philosophers Path. It is right outside the Ginkakuji temple and is a long pathway next to a small canal, again lined with cherry blossoms. The falling petals and reflections of the blossoms all along the water made this place seem stunning. There were many trees with weeping willow kind of branches, full of pink flowers and touching the water. And then there were small little bridges crossing the canal. It was picturesque and calm as we strolled along the path with every turn turning out to be a photo spot. It almost felt like a spiritual experience to me, just walking all along the path

After that, we finally stopped for lunch at Arasch which was a mixture of a Persian and Indian restaurant. They served naan, dal and ayran - a great mix and we devoured it all, it tasted so amazing. The food either was actually yummy or we were too tired after a full day of no food and would have liked anything anyways. But this restaurant became a favourite of ours very quickly.

Heian Jingu shrine

Our next stop was the Heian Jingu shrine which was a huge beauty in orange and blue. It was a huge shrine and full of people. There were loads of women in Kimonos who looked like tourists and were photographing themselves, everywhere in Kyoto. Apparently that is a popular thing to do among tourists.

Bridge in the garden

The Heian Jingu shrine also has a beautiful garden behind it with lots of cherry blossoms. We spent a long time exploring it. It had a long path, which ends in a small pond with a wooden structure right on it. The reflections there were beautiful and it was such a calm place, totally relaxing. Someone there was playing the flute and it almost transported the whole place to a different century. Slowly the lights started coming up and the place felt like someplace I could stay for long!

In the garden

Clicking the photo

View of Kyoto from the top

After that our group split and visited two other temples. And then we all converged at Kiyomizudera which is a Buddhist temple in orange on top of a mountain with a nice view of Kyoto below. The approach there passes through the Higashiyama street which is lined with small shops selling Japanese handicrafts. And the Kiyomizudera temple was all lighted up - all three structures shining in orange. And there was a beautiful cherry blossom tree on the top, which provided the perfect photo backdrop. By that time, there had also been some rains, the air felt clear and there was a very serene feeling everywhere.

Kiyomizudera temple

Kiyomizudera temple

After that we walked to our last spot of the day - the Gion area which is known as the Geisha district. We walked along Pontocho alley - the main Geisha street but did not spot any. It felt like a narrow but well lit street with a lot of narrow alleyways, small shops, tea places built of wooden structures and very quaint. I am sure we crossed Geisha houses but did not spot any.

We kept walking around for some time and then finally stopped at a sports bar where we had some American food for dinner. It was the most nondescript food we had in our entire time in Japan. And then walked back to our hotel. There were again lot of canals and cherry blossoms all along the way and it was again enjoyable. It did get a bit cold though by the end of the day. But all in all, it had been a lovely day, quaint and fun. And I had fallen in love with Kyoto by then.


Day 7 - Explore Kyoto: Tori gates at Fushimi Inari; bamboo groves in Arashimaya; Kinkakuji temple; dinner at Mughal; musical concert at Heian shrine

Fields on the cycle path

We kept the second day a lot more relaxed and visited less number of places. We rented cycles for the day and cycled to only 3 places during the day, plus visiting a concert at night. We got our cycles early morning from near the Kyoto train station and started for our first stop - the Tori gates at Fushimi Inari. It was fun to cycle on the roads, especially when we got slightly out of the city.

Tori gates at Fushimi Inari

Fushimi Inari is a shrine located around a hill. And once you walk past the shrine buildings, you come to the orange Tori gates which go all the way up the Inari hill. They create a tunnel of sorts, and when the light plays games, they look ethereal. Each of the gates have the name of the person who donated them written on them. There are thousands of them all along the way, and even though in many photos they appear red, they are actually orange. It is a bit hypnotising too walking through them all the way up.

And on the way up, there were many smaller shrines on the sides. All of them had the same theme, a few stones kept there and foxes sitting protecting them, with a few wooden tori gates put on the sides as donation. And at some of the shrines, there were Buddha statues too. So the whole place felt like a mixture of a shrine and a temple. Its a long way up almost like a trek, and given we had started late, we stopped on the way and came back. And some from our group went up there the next morning to finish the trek. I can imagine it would feel very very spiritual walking up through the gates early morning, something one should definitely do...

Countryside Kyoto on the cycle ride

Our next stop was the Bamboo groves in Arashimaya. It was a very long cycle ride there of about 1.5. It was fun, as we left town and cycled next to a river with rural landscape. It felt amazing, cycling at full speed, with the wind on your face while enjoying the scenes around. We also drove through some residential areas with pretty Japanese houses some of which were rich and some which were not, and then through some small back alleys .

Bamboo groves

As we started approaching the Bamboo groves, we could see the cherry blossoms concentrated along the river at one place. We parked our cycles there and then explored the area. There were again a lot of gardens and temples all around but we skipped most of them and just went to the bamboo groves. It was a nice walk, especially when the sunlight fell at different angles on the trees but honestly, I did not find it anything extraordinary. Also surprisingly, there was a separate and empty route for the rich people to explore the groves, which I found very interesting.

Kinkakuji temple

It felt like one of most touristy places around and was full of people, maybe because it was the end of the Sakura season. There were again loads of women in Kimonos. And the area was full of small shops. We had a quick lunch from a roadside stall as all the places were full of long queues. And then were off to our next stop - the Kinkakuji temple, a Zen Buddhist temple which had initially been built as a residence.

Kinkakuji temple

The Kinkakuji temple was a bit far and a few people told us not to go there, as apparently it was all uphill. We still did. And even though it had a bit of climbing up the mountain, it wasn't as tough as everyone had made it out to be. On the way, we crossed a few more shrines but did not stop as we had limited time. The temple was a golden one and its name means 'the golden pavilion'. It is set in the middle of a pond offering fascinating reflections and photo opportunities. It was nice to walk around and we got an excellent photo of a cherry blossom right on top of the temple.

Musical concert at night

Then we cycled back down to our hotel and were done for the day. It the evening, we visited a light and sound show at the Heian shrine. It was full of people to the point there wasn't enough space to stand or sit. The location of the show was around the pond. And the musicians gave a performance on 2-3 old Japanese instruments, standing in the wooden structure in between. The music was heavenly, and it was very easy to just get lost in the music, with beautiful views of cherry blossoms and the water all around. The garden was also all lit up which made the whole scene a lot more arresting. We spent an hour or so there and then were done for the day.

Another shrine I didnt visit

Our last stop of the day was the Mughal restaurant where we went for dinner. It was an Indian restaurant and had amazing food, though quite heavy. We had a hearty meal and soon called it a day. I loved Kyoto, the cultural depth and slow pace of life is something that I always prefer. We had covered the main spots in the two days but there are a few more places which were on our list but we never made it. They were Nanzenji shrine, Keage incline, Yasaka shrine, Maruyama park, Kodaiji, Haradanien garden, Ninnaji temple, Nijo castle, Tenryuji temple grounds and the Sagano scenic trail. Maybe you would?


Day 8: Train from Kyoto to Koyasan; explore the temples and shrines at Koyasan; stay at Ichijoin temple

The next day we had a relaxed morning in Kyoto and left for the train station in the hotel shuttle. We again went by the main canal of the city which looked charming with the cherry blossoms lining it, and men and women walking along in traditional Japanese attire. And the other side of the canal was full of pretty old wooden houses, right on the river bank. Part of it was also the Pontocho street where we had walked the day before. It all looked very old and ancient.

It was quite a trek to reach our next spot, Koyasan which was a very small village located in the hills and was a Buddhist centre of learning. So we took a bullet train to Shin Osaka and then a subway train to get to Namba. At Namba, you can buy tickets to Koyasan World Heritage which costs about JPY 3k. This provides for the travel to and back from Koyasan as well as entry to the site. Then you need to get to Gokurabashi. You can either take a direct train there or change two lines, both of which have a slight difference in fare.

Narrow stations on the way

We ended up changing the trains, and the second train to Gokurabashi goes through the hills through narrow ledges and narrow alleys in the mountains. It gains height every quickly and you start feeling you are in a different place altogether. Plus we encountered rain and clouds in the mountains soon and it started feeling heavenly, as if we were getting closer to the gods. And the last few train stations were located in a very narrow gap in the mountains, there was barely any place for the platform or for the train to pass. I wonder how (and why?) were all these stations made?

Once at Gokurabashi, you have to take a very steep funicular up to Koyasan. Once up the steep mountain, you can take the local circular buses which can drop you to the village centre and the temples you would be staying in. The same ticket that you buy from Namba in Shin Osaka is valid on all these modes of transport, all the way on the buses till your final location.

Koyasan is located in a valley with eight peaks all around, just like a lotus. The village was setup as a centre of Shingon Buddhist training. And there are many temples in the village where monks stay and pray, and which also offer a place of boarding to stay to tourists. Koyasan had 2000 temples at one time. Now there are only 80 left, of which about 50 take in tourists still. And even though its very remote and traditional, Koyasan still had all the modern amenities of living in a city.

Inside the temple

We got down from the bus at our temple stop - the Ichijoin temple - and then checked in there. It was a nice huge temple all built of wood. And you only wear the slippers from the temple when inside. We all had a very simple room with barely any utilities, but it had everything we needed. They had heated blankets under the table to keep warm. And even wifi, TVs and ACs. All the rooms had wooden floors. And even though basic, the place felt quite modern.

Garden outside the temple

Outside, there were loads of siting rooms for people to sit and meditate and some rooms to sit and have dinner. They were covered in traditional paintings and had a serene feel about them. Most of the rooms also had sliding doors, so you never knew if there was another room or just a wall behind the wooden partition. And they had different slippers for the bathroom too. There were even a vending machine inside the temple, I had never expected that. There was also a small little pond outside with fishes and its own Japanese garden. The whole place felt so disciplined and clean. There were lots of monks also around but we didn't see them much.

After checking-in, we went out for a walk in the village for about two hours and it felt completely like a hill station, with the cold, the trees and the mountains all around. All the houses around were wooden and simple. We also saw the local temple as well as a few pagodas. The first temple we went to was Kongobuji. And then we walked towards a collection of pagodas known as the Danjo Garan. One of the pagodas had a Buddha statue which was the first such big statue I had seen inside a building here in Japan.

By this time, I had started loving being in Koyasan, it gave a very beautiful feeling to be there , also because there were so less touristic crowds around. In the evening, it started raining heavily and started getting cold. So we went back to our temple. We had booked a night tour of the cemetery (which is a popular thing to do here) but it got cancelled given the heavy rain.

Multi-course dinner

So we all had an early dinner at 630 pm in the temple. They served pure vegetarian food there - a multi-course dinner with loads of different kinds of small servings, known as the Shojin Ryori meals. It was very tasty and all vegan. We also all dressed in the traditional attire of the temple for the dinner.

After dinner, some of the people in the group still went out for a walk in the rain to the cemetery! It was apparently fun (and scary and cold) but I chose to stay inside in the warmth of the temple. The doors of the temple are locked at 9 pm and after that, we just played some cards inside. There was also an onsen within the temple which was good to use at night. The whole stay in Koyasan felt like a great way towards the close of our trip, to slow down and enjoy the depths of Japanese culture, and I was totally loving it.


Day 9: Explore Koyasan: morning prayer at temple; visit to cemetery; train to Tokyo; stay at Otani; explore Shibuya and Ebizu; dinner at Priya

Children's resting places

The next morning, we first attended the Buddhist prayers in our temple in the morning, starting at 6 am. The inside of the temple was the most decorated Buddhist place I had seen in Japan as most of the other places were never so colourfully and lavishly decorated. It was within the temple complex and lot of the tourists were sitting on the side, while the priests sat in the prayer area and prayed. We did not understand what they were saying as it was in Japanese but we could feel everyone meditating. There was a lot of chanting during this time and again, I experienced peace. And then we had the simple temple breakfast, again with multiple courses of vegetarian food.

Tombstones in the cemetery

We then split into two groups. The first went back to Tokyo while the other stayed back in Koyasan as we wanted to stay away from the chaos of city life for as long as possible. We then went for a walk to the cemetery which the village was most famous for. Apparently, the version of Buddhism followed here was started by the monk Kukai (Kobo Daishi) who lived and died here and is buried in the cemetery. It is said that one day he will rise from here. And so lords and common people for the last 1000 years have been putting up tombstones along with him in the cemetery. And it is said that when he will rise, the rest will also rise with him.

We walked through the cemetery and it felt like walking through 1000 years of history. All around were huge tall Japanese cedar trees which must be 100s of years old. There were huge stones and monuments to famous people. And then smaller ones which you can see are for normal people. And then there were the small Buddhas with caps and red clothes which are children's tombstones. It was eerie walking through this but also again calming. And that is one of the things about Japan I remember a lot - the calm and peace.

Stone or pure heart

We walked till the end of the road and there were some places of interest on the way. There was a well where if you cannot see your reflection, you will die within two years! And then a stone where you can (apparently) hear the cries from hell underneath if you put your ear to it. And then a structure with a stone inside, a stone which you can lift and move easily only if you have a pure heart and haven't sinned.

Hall of lanterns

At the end of the walk is the huge Buddhist mausoleum where we sat and prayed for sometime. They had a hawan like activity going on there for a long time. Next to it was the hall of lanterns where the lanterns have been burning since eternity. The entire place felt like from a different era and this was also one of the highlights of the trip for me, the visit to Koyasan. While walking back from the cemetery, we walked into some shops which were very small coffee shops. And they also felt different after our whole spiritual experience at the cemetery.

Mt Fuji from afar

Once back from the cemetery, we went back to our temple and started our trek back to Tokyo - along the trains and the subways and the bus and the funicular. I felt sad saying goodbye to a place of such peace, to go back to Tokyo! It took us about 7 hours to get all the way back. We also crossed Mt Fuji on the way and were mesmerised by the view. It felt like Mt Fuji was a standalone huge mountain in the middle of nowhere and still covered with snow. I could also see why its revered so much, it looked so majestic even from the train!

We reached Tokyo by the evening and then went back to Shibuya to walk around before dinner. We saw the busiest intersection again and a couple doing their wedding photography there! We then had another Indian dinner at Priya. The food was as usual amazing - must say the Indian food at Japan did not disappoint us at all.

After that some people wanted to party and we kept looking for an hour for the area called Ebizu. We walked around a bit and once we reached there, it turned out to be quite a downer. The pubs were very small, had no place to stand and allowed smoking inside in the small places. Definitely not my kind of a place. Anyways it was time to say goodbye to Tokyo soon as we had an early morning flight. After a quick stop, we then came back to our hotel for a quick nap before leaving again.


Day 10: Flight back from Tokyo to London

We left quite early for the airport and were off for London, again through Beijing. Sometimes you can see Mt Fuji from the flight too but we sat on a side which didn't have the view 😔. We again had a long stop in Beijing and were subjected to the Chinese lack of politeness which felt quite the opposite of what we had seen in Japan. And they scanned everything again! And we were soon back in London. Surprisingly, we saw (or definitely noticed) a lot more cherry blossoms in London this time after having seen them all around in Japan.

The trip felt so long and deep, it felt like we really had got involved with the country. I loved experiencing the cultural aspect of Japan, a lot more than the lights and the developed side. And I also realised that we had been able to explore only a very small part of what all Japan has to offer. I think another trip back there is definitely going to happen someday.

Part 3: Impressions of Japan