japan planning

All weekend all we did was try to book hotels for our upcoming trip to Japan! Seriously I think i emailed about 20 hotels/guesthouses in Kyoto trying to find a room for the night of our arrival. Everything was booked or else it seemed that some places didn't give bookings for only 1 or 2 nights. Our arrival to Japan coincides with the last day of "Golden Week" which seems similar to spring break in America. Everyone is out and about travelling so nothing is available. We finally managed to find a traditional guesthouse for our first two nights. 100 dollars to sleep on futons on the floor... i thought that kind of travel was supposed to be free :) Its a traditional Japanese guesthouse and this is as cheap as they come in Kyoto! After two nights of 'roughing' it, we will move over to the luxurious Granvia Hotel above Kyoto Station. Not sure how luxurious it will be, but at 180 USD a night I hope it has a comfortable bed at least!

180 a night might sound like a lot, but we sort of feel like we got a bargin! We first booked it at the end of last week and it was double, we also booked the Westin which was at the time cheaper but still about 200 USD a night. But being as indecisive as we are, we went back to cancel our reservation for the Granvia and found that it was now cheaper then the Westin!! So after reserving and cancelling a handful of times, we finally have our final reservations for Kyoto!!

And the other big reservation was for Tokyo. We had originally wanted to stay in a hotel a friend recommended as it looked super chic and stylish. Turned out it was over 500 USD a night.. and fully booked! So over the weekend we went back and forth between two hotels -- one that was 350 USD a night and one that was 210 a night. One is with a view, one is no view.. we opted for the cheaper one!

And now we just have to buy our Japan Rail Pass that also costs a fortune and then we are ready to roll! This all looks very expensive in USD, but we are planning and thinking about the trip in Euros.. so we sort of feel like we are getting a good deal! Its all about perceptions!!

recap on my US trip

I returned from my 3 week US visit a week ago... home to no internet! The maid nor folo paid the bill while I was away and it took 7 days to get it all sorted and us back online. GRR!

My trip to the US was short and a bit rushed, but I managed to see quite a few people and enjoy my time there. I landed in SF and got my bearings before heading to LA for a weekend for a high school friend's wedding. A total reunion that left me emotional and wondering what I am doing living all the way across the world. Nostalgia can creep up on you quickly, but then goes away just as fast!

Then in SF for 5 days to shop til I dropped. I had little time in SF compared to my normal trips, so I had to cram in a year's worth of shopping in only a few days. I shopped til I couldn't walk anymore, but didn't end up getting as much as I would have liked! Spent a good deal of time with my cousin and her kids and just a few friends in SF that I always miss a ton while in India.

Then off to Oklahoma to see the family. My mom has moved to Oklahoma City which I must say is a lot more energizing then Ponca City! We didn't do much, but it was still better to be in a big(ish) city! Then to Southern Oklahoma for more family. I saw a cousin of mine that I've not seen in probably 10+ yrs! She's now all grown up!

And then my final leg of the tour.. Dallas. It was quick as I had tons of errands to run (i.e. taxes!), but during my short stay there I found a house that I wanted to buy! We followed up on it over the last two weeks, but seems that 6 other offers were put in and it is now looking doubtful that we'll even have a chance to bid on it. :( But it was probably meant to be. But it got us energized about buying property and we'll definitely keep looking now - all over the world.

Returning home was good, but it is hot and humid!! I've hardly left the house since returning - not that that really helps shield me from the weather. And now I am busy planning our holiday to Japan. (We originally had planned to go to Cuba, but it just wasn't too enticing to do another 25,000 mile flight nor fighting with the bureaucracy of getting in/out!) Japan is a bit overwhelming though -- so much to see, even with 3 weeks! And of course prices of hotels is a bit discouraging -- our first night we will be staying in a traditional guesthouse (mats on the floor) with shared bath for 100 USD a night!! But keep up with the blog as we hope to update from there often - we leave on May 3rd, returning on the 24th of May. Til then...

link back up.

So I finally got around to updating my link on slaint.com for this blog! Now I just have to remember to update again! Lots of news, so I will create a couple of posts to catch you all up!

I will also try to start uploading some photos to slaint again although I have been using flickr.com much more recently as it's so much easier to manage....