It's our final morning in Kyoto and we're off to catch the Shinkansen to Hiroshima in about an hour.

Had a manic final day here yesterday, squeezing in lots of sightseeing to make up for our general slackness the day before. The first stop was Nijo-jo (the castle). It comprised of two internal palaces, walls, a moat and landscaped gardens. We paid to walk through one of the palaces and it had nightingale floors which had been fashioned so that the floor boards make a tuneful squeaking noise when walked upon, apparently to warn the shogun of intruders. The castle wasn't quite what we were expecting (no turrets!) but it did have these fantastic ornate, gold leaf gates.

We then got the JR line to Arashiyama, a suburb of Kyoto. There we went into Tenryu-ji, a temple complex with a beautiful landscaped garden. And again there were lots of cute Japanese children running about (two of which were playing paper, scissors, stone which was quite cool!). We exited the complex through the north gate and walked straight through the bamboo grove which looked like something out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Strolled up the river where we ate lunch from the supermarket. We accidentally seem to be doing the wierd crisp tour of Japan (today's flavour were caesar salad) - I love going to the shops, staring at the bizarre packaging and not really having a clue what I'm buying.

Our final stop in Arashiyama was Don's choice - Iwatayama Monkey Park. It was a steep climb to the top of the hill to a viewing playform that was swarming with monkeys. Don was in his element but I didn't like it at all; on the pamphlet it had stated 'PLEASE DO NOT LOOK AT THE MONKEYS DIRECTLY IN THE EYE' and yet they were practically brushing past our legs. Our trip there also instigated quote of the day (from me this time): "I don't want to have to punch a monkey..." But the view from the top of that hill over Kyoto was worth the entrance fee alone.

After that we returned to the city and sat under Kyoto Tower drinking tea and writing postcards, went for tea at a Mexican restaurant and then came back to the hostel to ring home (so good to speak to people!) and drink in the bar.

So that was Kyoto... We've really enjoyed it here but Hiroshima should certainly be interesting. Excuse me while I leave now, I have to carry about 40 stones worth of rucksack to the train station.

Love you and miss you all x x x