konnichi wa travelling ｇroupies, just spent 4 wonderful days in Kyoto, a wonderful old city full of temples, shrines and vending machines!　We have become proper temple trekkers and are soo ashamed to admit that we re doing so much walking (on average 10 hours a day) that we re in bed by 9.30 at the latest!　Not even a glass of saki could keep us awake! Though last night I (nic) fell asleep to the sounds of a belching rob drinking his Asahi beer and abusing the telly cos there was a little old lady on a cooking programme putting lettuce in a microwave! He was outraged, its not healthy lemme tell ya! Our slurping technique is well refined now... having had a few meals in the working mens eateries, the best and cheapest places to go... sampled some fantastic dishes (although the fox would beg to differ, not quite potatoes and chicken). We did have to have a crash teaching course in the use of chopsticks, but my zen chopstick \"buddy\" is coming on well now. Nic was offered a childrens fork with a little elephant on the top, but true to form this was politely thrown back by the diva herself!!!! Let me tell you about the bathing, not your simple one person affair!!! separate sex communal bathing is the tradition. in large bathroom areas little stools define your own bath spot, with a shower. the idea is to throughly cleanse oneself before getting into the communal hot tub for a good soak. we feel liberated! well, we re in Hiroshima at the mo staying in a weird hippie peace commune run by personality challenged americans, though we ll leave that til the next time. check out the fantastic photos of Kyoto (and us) which shall be uploaded in the next few days. love ya all