Well I started Tuesday 14th October in K's house in Kyoto sleeping on the sofas for a couple of hours as after no sleep on the night bus, and not being allowed into my room until 3pm, I was pretty knackered and needed some shut eye, so in the lounge room it was for me!! It was absolutely pouring it down with rain, so in the afternoon when I'd managed to be allowed into my room, I decided to go for a walk. Not the best idea in the world as within 5 minutes I was completely drenched through and resembling a very sorrowful drowned rat. I was just about to turn around and head back, when a Japanese man pulled up along side me in his car, wound down his window, and pissing himself laughing handed me his umbrella to have and then drove off. Salvation. Well nearly, I got totally lost as the maps they give you just do not work, and I have no concept of which direction is North or South. I wish to god I had actually bought myself a compass instead of laughing at it in the shops and smuggly deciding I wouldn't be needing one - yeah right!!!! Anyway, after wandering around for christ knows how long, I was severely pissed off, tired, cold and wet, so got a taxi back as no idea where I was and opted for an early night.

The next day was much better, gorgeous hot sunny day, so out came the factor 25 suncream (saving the precious factor 50 for OZ) and hopped on a bus to start the day on a little trek which was Lonely Planet recommended (so it must be good). Did a little wander up Chawan-Zaka (teapot lane) which was full of quaint little Japanese teahouses and pottery shops, and the mountains were looming as a picturesque backdrop, then toured the famous temples Kiyomizu-dera. These really are spectacular and guide book worthy. The place was really busy, but this is the old Japan, the Japan that you imagine it to be with all the mountains and hundreds of temples. Kyoto really is beautiful when you get into it. A group of Japanese school girls shyly approached me with their cameras, so I just presumed they wanted me to take group photos of them all - but what they actually wanted was their photo taken with me!! I posed with 2 of them whilst all their friends took pictures, and all schoolgirls over here pose with the 2 finger peace sign, so I had to go along with it of course, and get a picture for myself. They were so unbelieveably grateful that I had posed with them, and they squealed with delight when I said I was English. They all seem so impressed when you say that, bless them. They were adorable girls. Afterwards I took a wander down to several more quaint little streets lined with little teahouses, then went down Ishibei-Koji street, which is supposed to be the most beautiful street in Kyoto, and also sometimes classed as the most beautiful street in Asia. Its a little cobbled street and it really is lovely. Then navigated to Maruyama-Koen which is a gorgeous park just to chill in, and I had a green tea crepe ice cream which was surprisingly edible. Met a Japanese guy with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and he started chatting to me, and when I said I used to be a Veterinary Nurse he asked me loads of questions about what was wrong with his dog. This dog was 14, blind, severely arthritic and had a nasty tumour growing on its back end. My diagnosis was that it needed to go in a yellow bag in the incineration freezer (Vet Nurses you know what I mean!!), and I told him he should take the poor thing to a vet to decide its "quality of life". He mmmed and aaaahed, and you so know he won't. Poor dog, I would have put a bullet in its head myself to end his misery had there been one handy. Anyway, this guy could talk for England and invited me to a karaoke tomorrow night - at which I did what all great News Of The World reporters do - I politely made my excuses and left. Then went to Chion-in temple, then onto Gion which is Geisha district. I'd waited until early evening for this, and Gion corner is beautiful. Its got all the little teahouses and establishments were the Geisha entertain, and I was lucky enough to see a handful of fully made-up Geisha scurrying form establishment to establishment to entertain clients - and I do mean scurry. How they can move in those shoes is beyond me. It was awesome to see the real, genuine geisha going about their business, and taxis would pull up with the male clientele hurrying into the buildings, and walking down the street you could even hear some of the music coming from the upstairs that the Geisha were playing to entertain. Anyway, headed back to the hostel and met a lovely German woman who was in my dorm and she has travelled loads, and now lives in Australia, so we had dinner together and she was giving me loads of tips about places.

Thursday I went to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, which is guarded by statues of foxes - they say the fox spirit will possess you by entering under your fingernails. You have to walk through thousands of red Torii gates (shrine gates) stretching before you as an orange coloured tunnel up the trail of Mount Inari. Its knackering. By the time I come home Im going to have thigh muscles that could crack a mans skull!!!! Then headed over to Tofukuji Temple which had all the monks inside doing their service. Got to watch as they were doing their chanting, wandering around with incense and chiming the gongs. They really are so disciplined. Was then all templed out by this stage so headed back before I got heat stroke (this is supposed to be autumn and its 25-26 degrees). The night bus back to Tokyo for me tonight, wahey - can't wait!!! Then the flight to New Zealand tomorrow.