Monday, April 14, 2003



So how are ya all???
I hope everyone is free of all strange illnesses and attempting not to fall into the propaganda war that has been created on TV. I dont know what is worse, the stupid war or the BS that the news reporters are reporting. Anyway, I had a hassle free few days.
I took a much-needed extra long holiday this weekend. Haven't really had anything since my crazy schedule started at work in Octoberish. Definitely needed a brain removal. So Li and I took off on Monday and Tuesday. Li started his new job at the wedding chapel on Saturday (thank you Jamie girl for that little nudge and insider help. We really appreciate It.). He had to work from 9-5 on Saturday and Sunday and then head off to his second night job starting at 6pm until 1isham. He was a tad tired but it is only that crazy on weekends. It rained like hell on Saturday so I just used it as a sleeping cleaning day. Sunday was the pub BBQ. Very beautiful surrounded by cherry tree blossoms at the river. Tons of people, all happy. Lots of smiles, kids, music, and food. Very enjoyable. Oh and alcohol. Drank way too much and really regretted it. UGH!!! Anyway went home before it got too late and prepared for the next two days. Mostly by crashing in a half drunk stooper disgusted at the BBQ smell that my entire body seemed to be emitting. I quickly had a shower.
Monday around 11ish, I let Li sleep in slightly, we headed off to Kanaiya. Not thrilling. Just this little town about 15 odd minutes away by train. It is surrounded by hills full of tea bushes. While we were waiting for our next train, a little tiny, scary looking old train, we happily enjoyed the sounds of a Buddhist, or Shinto, not sure which, ceremony. We would have walked over there if we had time but we didn't, unfortunately. From what we could see on the hill and what Li could tell it was one of those ceremonies that is done when a new house or building is being built. The skeleton for a very large new building was up. They were doing the blessings for a safe building free of all ghosts and stuff. It sounded like my awesome Buddha CD was on. VERY COOL!! Li has now promised that he will take me to the Buddha temple near his family's house when we go to Shanghai again (hopefully new years) so that I can watch the ceremony. He says that it involves one of those HUGE bells. VERY COOL!!
Anyway, the scary train came and we were off to the end of the line, literally. Called Senzu. It was a very slow train but I enjoyed it a lot. The train ran slowly along the Ooi River and went through some of the smallest tea bush only towns along the way. It stopped at places where there was only factory housing and a tea processing plant, nothing else. There was one stop that had no houses, only forest and hillside, and a whole lot of REALLY weird statues of these raccoons that are all in little hats with shovels and shit. They are also carved with all their anatomy in place and carved to a size that would make any male raccoon very proud. There must have been over 30 of them. No houses or people though. VERY strange. It was also an amazing time to go because the weather was perfect and the cherry blossoms were at their fullest. The towns were full of them and the mountains had them all scattered throughout the green of evergreens and bamboo. These amazing shocks of colour that just seemed to belong.
It actually only took just over an hour to get to Senzu and figure out the next type of transportation to the Spa that we had decided to go to. There is not too much going on in Senzu but it is a nice peaceful place. The people all seemed very friendly and were very willing to give us directional help. Not too much needed though. The bus we needed was sitting there and Li had 20 minutes to smoke a cigarette and I had plenty of time to find a toilet for the 400th time. I am terrified to turn 50, I will be living in the bathroom.
So we hopped on our bus with a lot of retired people heading to the same place as us, and a few school kids on their way home. The bus had the smallest seats in the world. Definitely made for midgets!!! Li complained bitterly as his legs did not fit. We drove about 20 minutes to another tinnier town and picked up some more retired tourists and some more school kids. All of us heading to the Spa town at the end of the river, actually the beginning of the river. The bus ride was a little nerve racking. The bus appeared to be much bigger than the road on many occasions and the road was basically a single lane most of the time. There were busses going in both direction and they were thankfully in radio communication with each other. All the other vehicles on the road were not though. The road ran along mountain cliffs and we seemed to be jumping from valley to valley and going up and down. The area was called a gorge and it was all the same river. A few times the bus would stop and the announcer lady would give us some tourist type info, like how deep the gorge was (not the type of info I required as I looked out my window and could not see the edge only straight down) and would point out this old tiny train that ran along there. Most of the tracks appeared to be in tunnels. A little spooky.
When we got to the Spa town Li and I admitted to being lost. We had not made reservations or anything like that. We had a pamphlet and started walking around. Almost got wiped out by the little kids that had been on the bus as they flew down the mountain on their bikes heading for the community center playground. This town contained nothing. Only hotels with spas and a few VERY small restaurant type places. It was in the middle of nowhere and the only activity it offered was a hot tub. Fine, that was the only reason why I was there.
We finally picked out our hotel whose price included dinner and breakfast. It was newer and very clean looking. We dumped our stuff in our room (a tatami mat area with a balcony, a toilet with a shower and a TV). We had scheduled our dinner for 7ish because we had had a late lunch, so we decided to go for a walk and see what there was to see. So with camera in hand Li and I hiked up this hill with a Shinto temple at the top and a beautiful view of one area of the gorge. We then walked around the town, tiny really, and laughed hysterically at the shack looking Pachinko place that made us really happy. We also admired the way the river had been carved into steps by the people and was quite beautifully done. We also bought a few snacks and Li bought a beer. Hotel food is always more expensive and from past experiences traditional Japanese dinners Never filled us up. I also found a few bring-home gifts for people.
We went back to our hotel and ate a very nicely done dinner that included deer meat and sushi then got ready for our spa time. When we got back to our hotel room to get changed the lady had been there already and laid out our futon beds with giant white quilts. It was very hard not to just curling up into bed right then.
Now I really wanted a private spa but there was nothing offered in the village. The whole idea of being naked with other people was a little hard to deal with. We changed into our robes and I prayed for strength the whole walk to the spa. I got better then that; I got an empty spa. All the retired people visiting the spa had turned in for the night and the whole place was ours. Li had the men’s empty and I had the women’s empty. Very cool! So I happily got changed had my shower and soaked in the spa. I had to continuously go in and out or I would have lasted all of 3 minutes but it felt great. The thing was so full that with one person in it the water spilt over. Heaven.
After a long soak and another shower I headed back. Li was waiting for me. Now every once and a while the blond streaks that used to exist way back when come through in me. Li goes, did you go outside? No. There was no outside. On the other side of the glass doors!!! That is the real spa he said. It is all rocks and fountains and stuff. Now I did see the doors and considered opening them but I had this underlying fear that there were clothed people on the other side and I was oooooohhhh soooo naked. So I didn’t open the doors and comfortably stayed inside. Li of course found this ridiculous and decided that I wasted good spa time because I only went in the bath and not in the real spa. I of course told him to piss off cause I was very comfortable and very relaxed. Hummp!!!
The next morning it was raining, and really hard. We had our breakfast and then headed to the bus stop with all of the other people in the hotels. We had a slightly more terrifying bus ride, personally, cause it was raining so hard. We went back to Senzu and got on the train. Now I really wanted to go on the old steam train but it didn’t run until 2 and it was only 11. It was too cold and miserable to wait. So back to Kanaiya we went.
In Kanaiya we decided to take a taxi to the Tea Museum. What the hell the day was ours. Li enjoyed that, seeing as most of it was of Chinese origin and this made him really happy. It even had a replica of the teahouse in Shanghai. This made us laugh. We also bought a ticket for the outside teahouse, a replica of the one in Kyoto. Very pretty, and unfortunately raining Great Danes and lions. What this ticket gave us was a traditional tea ceremony. The kind where the woman in the kimono or the man in his special clothes does the whole ceremony of washing the teacups, mixing and everything. The main guy opened up the sliding windows so the cool rain sounds could be heard. The teahouse is built in the middle of a pond. The ceremony seems to take forever and is very tense, personally, but beautifully done. We had to sit on the floor all-proper and when Li stood up he had a major leg cramp. Hehehe. And I am older. Heheheh. Made me very happy.
Then we went home and relaxed. Now I think I am getting a cold because the weather keeps changing from warm to cool and my body is all confused.
Hope all are healthy and well. Keep in touch and talk to you all soon.
Andrea


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Posted by (Top)Andrea::4/14/2003 ::

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