Hotel Rainbow Taito

... with taking pictures of. While traveling the slopes we noticed a large plain which just begged to be played in. But wanting to be respectful along with the heat I restrained myself.

Upon exploring some back trails we discovered a really cool area with low water levels and lily pads, and accompanying small streams and a waterfall. The waterfall I kept trying to capture on film but it just didn't seem to pan out very well. I also spent a couple minutes trying ...

... airport at 7am for our flight to Beijing...........GOOD TIMES!! I'm pretty sure birnie's alarm went off right after I got under the covers, and we both bounced up, still drunk, and like two Bulls in a China Shop, started packing our stuff up. Already late, we caught our train and were off to the airport.. NEXT STOP...........CHINA BABY!!! Hope everyone had enjoyed some of the Japan stories/pics. I will be finishing a quick entry for Nara next so stay tuned. Makely and Birnie

... explore the city. I'd like a temple and a coffee, please My first stop, before I even had my morning coffee, was the Zojoji Temple. Why? Simply because I passed it on the way to the coffee shop. That's one of the great things about Tokyo; you can pass by a temple on the way to the subway. Anyway, this particular temple is dedicated to the patron saint of travelers, which seemed appropriate enough. There are also two trees in the garden outside the ...

... and took a metro ride over the famous Tokyo Rainbow Bridge to the island of Odaiba where I was able to take some great shots of the Tokyo cityscape with the bridge in front of it. I hate that I'm not inspired to write a more insightful blog about Tokyo but we've been having such an incredible time since arriving in America that I haven't had a moment free to wrap it all up. Just wait for the blogs about our road trip through the US midwest... it's been WILD!

... walk to the Asakusa Shrine, one of the most famous shrines in Tokyo and you can buy lots of tourist souvenirs in that area. The Ginza line is excellent because it runs right through the heart of Tokyo and provides easy connections to Shibuya, Tokyo station, and Roppongi; areas that you want to visit if you are in town on a short break. At the end of my trip, I stayed at the Villa Fontaine Otemachi brach hotel all though the Villa Fontaine have ...

... in surprise. 'I didn't get a letter or anything. Can you change it back again?' I asked, trying to stay calm and rational. 'It will go on your credit history,' they warned me. 'Ok. Its not like I've got anything to lose.' 'The computer says declined. I'll have to put you though to the Lending Department.' 'Oh, ok.' Surely this was a mistake. Surely they had to send me a letter at least to tell me they'd make a change? A snide, sharply-spoken ...

... strangers with a motive to just get a job from them. We did speak to some people, mostly about traveling in Japan, whether Chris should shave his head, etc. During the event they announced that there would be an after party nearby at a Belgian beer garden in the basement floor of the Tokyo building. When we got there, there were way too many of us and we certainly elicited a lot of stares (abot 100 foreigners showing up at once). They ...

... emailing on it) and my bicycle which I have never been more happy to have in my life especially since the campus is huge and takes about 15 minutes to walk to the gate of the school from my dorm alone and another 10 to get to the nearest store (don't scoff, it doesn't sound like much but you try doing it a couple times a day then get back to me). I am just setting myself up now and going food shopping- our kitchen is completely empty- and trying to meet as many people as possible. -lama.

... was a tour group. It turns out that they were a group of foreign tour guide trainees, and they adopted me as a customer to test their skills. It meant seeing everything a second time, but they were a great group. We helped each other out - they explained the history of the Imperial Palace (most of which burned down at one point or another) and I helped them with their English (they had some ...

... faint. I have to make so many descisions about what I AM going to do with my life... oh god... Sorry it just shocked me out of my not slumber... coz I can't stop thinking so I can't sleep and I have a stinking headache *sigh* I'm trying not to think about going home.. I'll only really being leaving 2 of my best friends behind.. but what friends they ...