Visas, Going Away Parties and a Little Place Called Japan

So, I know everyone is waiting with bated breath but do not fret, my visa showed up and it is for 60 days. I will go into the particulars as to why it must be 60 days at a later date (you see what I did there? Now you have to keep coming back). The visa is actually pretty cool. It is emblazoned with the “Republic of China” across the top and Chinese characters all over the place. I now feel very official with such a legitimate piece of paper supper-glued onto one of the pages in my passport.

I want to extended a hardy “well done” and “thank you” to all those that made an appearance at our going away party. When I say “our” I am referring to Talbot and myself, I am not speaking in the royal. The night started with a great dinner with the family and then the night continued… For those of you that were there I need not recount my drunken buffoonery. However, I must say the ten shots of The German Hunter (Jagermiester) were completely and totally unnecessary. For those of you that were not able to make it, let me just say that I was found passed out and naked on my bathroom floor at 2am, Classy!!! This was not my proudest moment by far (is it me, or in the two postings of this newly formed Blog have I had two “not very proud moments”? this thing might be a bad idea).

I am now 48 hours from boarding a plane to Japan. The plans are coming together nicely, and I am very excited to spend a week there before heading to Taiwan. We are going to spend our first day in Tokyo, and then head to Kyoto for the weekend. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for seventeen centuries and I have read that it rivals Paris and Rome in culture and in beauty, I will let you know. We are staying in this cool, I hope, bed and breakfast run by a Japanese couple and their two children. This bed and breakfast is supposedly a five minute walk from a temple that is the begging of the “Lonely Planet” walking tour of Kyoto. So, I figure even if the B&B leaves something to be desired for we should still be in a great location to explore the city. After Kyoto we head back to Tokyo, after a quick stop at Mount Fuji. (Did you know that Mt. Fuji is completely smooth on all sides and looks the same from every angle? I learned that yesterday from a talking globe I bought my one year old Niece for her birthday.) Once we get back to Tokyo we are, get this, staying at a Buddhist temple with the monks. I am really excited about this! We are allowed to take part in their meditation and we can grab breakfast with them in the morning. Maybe I will come back a much more centered and relaxed person… well, until I have to drive in Miami again… no, I am not bitter at all!

If all goes well… Next entry will be from the other side of the world!

Hope all is well