One day out of the blue, my mate asked: why are we going to Ginzan? (ok, she meant, why, out of so many onsens, did I choose this one?) I gave her the only answer that came to my mind then: because there’s a ryokan there that looked like the […]
Always expect the unexpected? It looked like we hit the jackpot when the sakura forcasts started rolling in: full bloom expected on 30 Mar to 1 Apr. Wasn’t that perfect timing? We’d be in town 26 Mar to 1 Apr. So I was expecting something like this. And […]
My dad has a new moniker: ex-chairman. (Forced to retire by one of his daughters but that’s another story.) So, the ex-chairman and I were reminiscing about Shima Onsen 四万温泉 (lit. 40,000 onsen). We remembered because it was Hinamatsuri when we arrived (Girl Festival, celebrated on 3 March […]
A Journey Good for the Eyes Leaving Hanoi with eyes wide shut (read earlier blog here), we were happy to see padi fields adorning the landscape, as we traversed one mountain after another. In the distance, peaks of green stood, like they came straight out from a chinese […]
Let me get the other things out of the way first. After the dismal trek up Fansipan (read about it here), we downgraded our expectations. Drastically. The trek took up 5 days (2 days travelling/acclimatising, 3 days trekking) and then we were left with 4: Day 1: arrived […]
