Tavel

Washington State:Part 2

September 15, 2024September 8, 2024 saucee19Leave a comment

Day 2: Bainbridge to Seattle

The Quality Inn had breakfast included so we ate and checked out by 8:00am.

We lined up for the Bainbridge to Seattle ferry. If one’s car is under 14’ one gets to pay the cheapest fare for a car. The Honda Fit I was driving is under 14’.

The ferry was delayed because of the foggy conditions on the water, once on the Seattle side there wasn’t any fog.

Once off the ferry we headed to the Museum of Flight… I just have to say, driving on American highways is scary…they go much faster than we do on Vancouver Island.

We could have spent the whole day at the museum of flight. The docents were all very knowledgeable, and it seemed like they had all been part of the aviation industry before retiring and becoming docents.

In the aerospace section they had displays of things worn and listened to…I wonder if the creators of Guardians of the Galaxy came to this museum for inspiration?

We had lunch at the cafe at the museum, and then headed off to Seattle centre to check into our hotel: Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Seattle Center. We left our car in the hotel parking garage and walked to Chihuly Garden and Glass (about 15 minutes)

If you can’t see the Space needle fully please click on picture

After the Gardens we took the monorail the one stop (it only has the two stations) to Pikes Place ( he fish market). The idea was to have dinner at the market… but I guess I didn’t research it enough to realize that the market closes at 5pm and so do all the restaurants in the market!

We ended up eating at a cute little French restaurant near the fish market: Cafe Campaign

After that we headed back to the hotel. End of day 2

Day 3: Seattle to Victoria

This day consists of a lot of driving and many ferries. I was exhausted and didn’t remember to take any photos.

Again we started out early leaving the hotel at 7:45am.

The first ferry we took was the Mukilteo to Clinton ferry. This ferry didn’t have a long line and we didn’t have long to wait.

We then drove from Clinton to Coupeville to catch the next ferry from Coupeville to Port Townsend. For this ferry I would recommend making a reservation. I did while planning this trip and I’m glad I did as there was a long queue for cars on standby.

We had lunch in Port Townsend at Doc’s Marina Grill. I didn’t realize that the Thursday we arrive was the beginning of the 3 day wooden boat festival and the area where I had planned our lunch was the location for all the kinks and food tents.

After lunch we headed back to Port Angeles to catch the Coho Black Ball ferry back to Victoria. This time I did have a reservation for the ferry… and again it was a good thing I did as it was the last ferry snd the queue for the cars on standby was long.

I think we could have done the whole trip on one tank of gas, but I get nervous when the tank only has a quarter of a tank left… so we did fill up once.

Also would recommend getting a toll road pass before going to Seattle (if one is driving) as it saves $1.75 for each toll road.

Tavel

Washington State: Part 1

September 8, 2024September 8, 2024 saucee19Leave a comment

This past week, I travelled to Washington State with my parents for 3 days. I’m braking up the trip to two blogs.

Day 1: Victoria to Bainbridge.

The day started off really early for me. I was not able to book a reservation for the 10:30am Black Ball Ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles. I had to get to the ferry terminal just after the first ferry left at 6:10am and line up to be put on standby. I got there at 5:35am, but did not line up as I would have been told to turn around and come back, so I parked the car and waited until 6am when I noticed 2 cars were not told to turn around I joined the queue. (I was told that the first 5 cars on standby are guaranteed a place on the ferry-I was car number 3).

At 8:30am my parents joined me at the ferry terminal 9:00am we went through customs, and we set off at 10:30.

I drove my parents’ Honda Fit because 1) it has a GPS map, and 2) it is under 14’ (the cheaper fare for the Washington State Ferries)…my 2008 Nissan Versa does not have GPS, and it is 14.09’

Once in Port Angeles, we drove to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Mountains. We were worried about the weather because when we started on our journey it was heavily overcast, but as we ascended the mountains it started to clear up and the views were spectacular. Note: I purchased a National Parks Pass before departing Victoria.

After having a picnic lunch, we headed down the mountain and drove to Bainbridge Island. It took longer than expected because of all the construction on the roads.

Our destination was the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. The memorial is located where the first Japanese Americans were forcibly taken from the island to be brought to internment camps on the mainland during WWII.

We then headed into the town of Bainbridge and had dinner at the Harbour Public House . Dad and I had the Ribollita, which was good, and my mom had the salmon Pub Famous Chowder… she said it was only “okay”.

We ended the day at the hotel I booked on Expedia. (Quality Inn & Suites Bainbridge Island). It was clean and quiet… except for the snoring that came from my family 🙂

Please note: I do not get paid for mentioning any of these places in my blog.

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Last days in Japan

April 24, 2023 saucee19Leave a comment

I returned home on Saturday.

The last couple of days in Japan I went to the places I used to love.

Visiting Yokohama and Akarenga (Red Brick Warehouse)

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Visiting Kukai

April 18, 2023 saucee19Leave a comment

Got up at stupid o’clock in the morning to catch a bus, to catch a train to catch a cable car to catch another bus to pay my respects to Kobo Daishi (Kukai).

All it said in my guidebook was to go to Mount Koya. It did not say that Mt. Koya is like a Temple village and that one needs a bus to get around. Luckily, the guy at the ticket counter at Namba Station told me about a discount ticket where it not only gets you to Mt Koya, but also includes a all you can ride two day bus pass.

Images around the Kobodaishi Gobyo Mausoleum

I got to the Kobodaishi Gobyo Mausoleum ( no photos allowed) which was through a giant cemetery with gigantic trees. After which I got my final Nokyocho stamp.

I am now on a bullet train heading back towards Tokyo. It’ll be nice to stay in one place for a while and not have to worry about accommodations, transportation and weather!

Tucking in to my Ekiben. Night.

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Sightseeing Tokushima

April 17, 2023 saucee191 Comment

Today started off with a bus ride to Ai no Yakata. Ai no Yakata is an Indigo dye museum and workshop. It was interesting seeing the history of Indigo dying industry in Tokushima. It was also fascinating making a pattern on a bandana.

Headed back to the city for a quick Lunch before heading out to the Naruto whirlpool. The best time for viewing the tidal whirlpool was 16:40. I just made it on time. I opted to see it from the bridge instead of from a boat as I thought it was huge (judging from photos I had seen). The photos are from a boat and there are more than one whirlpool. They aren’t that big. Glad I went to see it.

Tomorrow Mount Koya.

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Day 30

April 16, 2023April 16, 2023 saucee191 Comment

Weather: sunny

Last Shikoku Temple day. In the morning I went to Temple 88 (Okuboji). I was a bit emotional, as it was the last of the 88 temples. Not sure if the Temple itself is larger than the other temples, but it sure felt majestic.

Visiting all 88 temples is called “kechigan” (the fulfillment of one’s wish). However, some believe that one needs to complete the circle by returning to the temple one started with to achieve Kechigan. So I went back to Temple 1 (Ryozenji) where my journey began 30 days ago.

Do I feel any different from when I started 30 days ago? Yes, my feet hurt. Will have to see a doctor when I get home regarding plantar fasciitis. But besides that? I leant a lot about myself, which at this point I’m not ready to share on a public blog. And then there are other things/rules that I learnt:

1) there is no right or wrong way of doing something, only the way that works best for you.

2) (following point 1) don’t let someone make you feel bad about the way you do things. That is their insecurity NOT yours.

2) you are only allowed to feel sorry for yourself or frustrated about a situation for a maximum of 3 minutes – anything longer than that and you might miss the bus.

Tomorrow I’m doing some sightseeing in Tokushima. I was excited about starting the pilgrimage when I first got here I didn’t do any sightseeing.

For dinner I ate Tokushima Ramen. It is a rich Shoyu based ramen with a raw egg. It was kind of like Sukiyaki met Ramen and had a baby and called it Tokushima Ramen.

I am still trying to figure out the logistics of visiting Mt. Koya and paying my respects to Kobo Daishi.

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Day 29

April 15, 2023 saucee193 Comments

Weather: rainy

Started out later today. I went to the JR train station and got in line at the JR ticket counter to get my JR pass activated, only to find out that it was to be done at a travel agent office a couple of doors down and they don’t open until 10 am… so I had to wait around for 2 hours.

Finally got the tickets and headed to Temple 86 (Shidoji). It has a beautiful garden.

I then travelled to Temple 85 (Yakuriji) which has a cable car and the temple was in the clouds. This is where I met up with Samurai Duck! Samurai Duck wanted to join Usagi-chan and me in Shikoku and he was only able to join us for today.

After Yakuriji we went for lunch and both got a giant Tempura rice bowl each… neither of us were able to finish the food. (Samurai Duck rented a car so we were able to travel very quickly!)

We got to Temple 87 (Nagaoji) and met a woman from Ehime who is also doing the pilgrimage (this is her 4th time). She told us that a certain treat made by the monk’s wife from Nagaoji is very famous and is usually hard to get as it sells out quickly. Samurai Duck and I were able to get some.

This is where I said goodbye to Samurai Duck as I am staying in a guesthouse recommended by Kyoko-san: Inn Tek Tek and Samurai Duck had to make a 6 hour journey home! Thank you Samurai Duck!

In this area there is a famous sauna bath (the last of its kind) called Kara-furo. It was a popular way of bathing for people in the Nara period. CE 710 – 794. The ofuro (bath) culture in Japan didn’t take off until the Edo period 1603 – 1867. This sauna bathing was popular in areas around Nara and Shikoku where Onsen (natural hot springs) were not easily available.

Sauna bath. One enters a cave like room (the metal door on the left side of the picture). The temperature can get up to 115*C.

Tomorrow is Temple 88!

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Day 28

April 14, 2023April 14, 2023 saucee192 Comments

Weather: Sunny in the morning with a yellow haze of sand from China, afternoon cloudy, evening rain.

This morning I got on a high speed ferry (30 minutes) to Naoshima. An “art” island. There are many open air art pieces on this island (most notably pumpkins by Yayoi Kusama) and there are also a number of galleries.

When I got to the island I rented an electric bicycle. Wow, can that thing go! I should have done the pilgrimage by electric bike. It flies up hills!

I didn’t go to every gallery because by 2:30pm I was overwhelmed by all the art and by all the foreigners (mostly French, but I did go round a few of the galleries with a couple from Finland). As well I was going over my budget. Most galleries charge admission (¥520 – ¥2,100). The Chichu Art Museum was the most expensive and they wouldn’t let you take ANY photos (not even of the building). Note: if you do go to Chichu or Hitoshi Sugimoto Gallery you need to make a reservation. You can do it on the day, but you might have to wait a couple of hours for your allotted time.

Naoshima’s Buddhist pilgrimage. (There are 88 statues)

I returned to Takamatsu by slow ferry (1 hour). No photos. I fell asleep… must have been the rocking motion of the boat.

Tomorrow back on the pilgrimage.

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Day 27

April 13, 2023 saucee191 Comment

Weather: Sunny.

Started the day going to Temple 81 (Shiromineji) which was on the top of one mountain and had a statue of a Tengu. (Also the resting place of Emperor Sutoku 1119-1164). It also had different stone carvings of the animals for Chinese years.

I then went to temple 82 (Negoroji) which was up another mountain and where they had a statue of an ushi-oni (devil cow) which looks like something out of the stories of Cthulhu.

I then went to Temple 80 (Kokubunji) which was tame.. no mythical beasties.

Temple 73 (Ichinomiya) was next. it was a short walk from the train station (10 minutes) and it had cute dragonfly designs in the concrete by the gate.

Dragonfly design in concrete temple 83 (Ichinomiya)

I finished the temples faster than expected so I decided to go to Temple 84 (Yashimaji) which was easy to get to by train and bus. It was at the top of another mountain and I finished with a sparkling wine and Gorgonzola pizza with honey.

Tomorrow is a day of sightseeing.

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Day 26

April 12, 2023 saucee192 Comments

Weather: Rain in the morning- sunny by 3pm

Today I finished the 70s. Tomorrow I will tackle 80 – 82 (81 and 82 are in the mountains).

Got to temple 76 (Konzoji) at 7:00am and the rain started. The weather app said it would rain until noon and then be cloudy until 3 pm when the sun would come out. It was spot on!!! I was impressed!

I was the first henro at Konzoji and when I arrived there were a group of people doing morning stretches in the temple grounds.

Temple 77 (Doryuji) I was joined by a group of pushy bus henro. Their tour conductor rushed past me while I was getting my Nokyocho out to get her group’s Nokyocho done first (there where quite a lot) and the monk looked unperturbed at the action. I had run out of incense sticks so I went to buy them at the gift shop… that is when the henro group started trying to push me away from the cashier to get their souvenirs. That is when I said: Wait. Your. Turn. (sternly and in English) they looked sheepishly and stopped… not sure they understood the words but they understood the meaning. They were the first rude Henro group I have come across this whole trip.

Temple 77 (Doryuji)… you can make out some of the rude henro group in the background.

Temple 78 (Goshoji) was much better. No rude henro group. They were travelling by bus so they probably already left this temple by the time I got there. Thank Buddha! This temple had beautiful wood reliefs in the ceiling of the awning of the temple.

There was also a shop? window filled with items made with 5 yen coins on the way to Goshoin.

The last temple of the day was Temple 79 (Tennoji). The rain stopped but it was still cloudy. This temple has both a temple and a shrine. (There was a period when temples and shrines were worshiped together in the same location, but with the separation ordinance of Buddhism and Shintoism in 1868 many shrines/ temples were relocated).

Temple 79 (Tennoji) – it is almost impossible to take a photo in Japan without telephone wires.