Top Ten Countries - Number Six: Japan [Part ONE]

Miyajima, near Hiroshima.

Well I wouldn’t still be living here if I didn’t like the place, would I?

My visit to Japan was in 2011, in April not so long after the March 11^th tsunami and earthquake which had caused so much devastation. However, this first time I didn’t head north of Tokyo. I flew into Kansai Airport and enjoyed an amazing week in Kyoto. Tourists at the time were scarce in Japan, only natural I guess, so accommodation wasn’t so hard to find.

Let me start that I don’t think I like a place better in Japan than Kyoto. Kyoto is just brilliant, another city up there with the best cities in the world (oh I think I can feel another top ten coming on). It’s a friendly place – I stayed out K’s House in Kyoto, and I have to say it is possibly the best hostel I have ever stayed in in my life. This is where I first encountered the special toilet seats and just how clean people like places to be hear.

Kinkankuji.

The toilets at the hostel, like many in Japan, have the special heated seats for cold bums, and bidee functions too. As if that wasn’t enough the staff at K’s House Japan kept the place incredibly clean, absolutely spotless. There were free tours to the Geisha district, I saw a Geisha performance at a theatre, I met so many people at that hostel too, it was really a magic week. I knew straight away that it was not a mistake to come here when I got to Kyoto.

There’s even a train museum in Kyoto, not to mention wonderful temples, with the crowning glory being Kinkakuji, the golden temple in a lake, almost like the Japanese answer to Amritsar’s Golden temple in India. Everywhere people wanted me to be in pictures, it was a strange ol’ experience, one I will never forget. It’s got a wonderful culture Kyoto, a great soul. There was the Manga Museum as well, that was really special with lots of cosplayers and exhibition on this artform, so very very popular in Japan. The Arashiyama Bamboo forest was also a highlight, a delight to explore and walk around for a few hours on paths weaving their way through the tall bamboo.

Cosplay at the Manga Museum.

Then there were day trips. One to Nara to visit the amazing Nara-Park, and the impressive Todaji, where in sits a giant Buddha. Takarazuka was another day trip from Kyoto, where I visited the Osamu Tezuka museum one cold, rainy April’s day. Tezuka created ‘Astroboy’, known originally as Atomu, and is a national treasure. His museum was a lot of fun and very interesting. He created many more comics than Astroboy – Black Jack and a comic/animation version of Hitler in the 1980s.

Temple in Takayama.

But I couldn’t stay in Kyoto forever. Well maybe I could have but that ship has sailed now! I went across to a place called Takayama in the Hida district. With a wonderful, old-world feel and beautiful streets, Takayama lights up a couple of times a year for a festival. At other times of the year, like when I was there, there is a museum which showcases the floats of the festival amongst other things. Actually I had only just missed the festival, which is held around the middle of April each year. There’s also something of a curiosity museum showcasing things from principally 1955-1965 and the Takayama Showa-kan. It’s full of movie posters, houses set up from that time period, and some amazing nostalgia as well. Well, hard for me to be nostalgic about it I guess, I hadn’t been born, but I did enjoy the place.

It’s pretty quiet at times, and one of the best things was the accommodation. I stayed at the Hida Takayama Temple Inn Zenko-ji, part of a temple. It was really cheap and I had my own room. There is an impressive prayer room as well and it’s a unique and special place to stay.

The A-Bomb Dome.

Hiroshima was a fair hike southwards, in fact it’s near the very south of Honshu. It’s another place that will take your heart. There’s the A-Bomb Dome, the only building (or maybe there is one more) remaining after the nuclear bomb was dropped. Not so far away, over the river, is the humbling Peace Memorial Museum, which visitors to Hiroshima should not miss. You’ll find out just what the people of Hiroshima went through that fateful day in 1945.

There are a lot of beautiful parks in Hiroshima, and April is just about the perfect time to visit the city. I went to

Baseball in Hiroshima.

a baseball game there too. Sadly the Hiroshima Sparrows (yes, really) didn't do so well, but it was a great atmosphere. Not to mention the cherry blossoms are out in full force too! It’s really beautiful, so why not take a short boat ride to Miyajima and see the temples and pagodas there, and take a wonderful walk around the island. Several interesting shops can be found as well, but this is a most beautiful island, with a big red gate standing out in the ocean which can be walked to when the tide is out. It’s justly famous as a place of great beauty.

Hiroshima

I headed up to Tokyo from there, but I had an afternoon in Osaka. There I only visited the Aquarium, not too far from a big Ferris wheel. The Aquarium is outstanding, full of fun and oh so many fish. A little different from the places I usually visit, but well worth it.

And then it was time to head to the big smoke! To Tokyo, the Daddy of all cities…

But you know what? I think that’s best saved for the next blog! The next blog will feature Iwate-ken, Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagano and a couple of other places. Seems I have a bit to write about when it comes to Japan… see you then!

Night-time in Kyoto.

Please Note – I am yet to release anything on Kindle about Japan, you can expect that sometime next year. If you are interested in my travel writings, please visit my webpage –

dhakatodakar.webs.com

Short Journeys - Kazakhstan (out now)

Hi all,

I wanted to get the next blog on the top ten destinations out today, but I have been doing so much writing of late my brain is a bit fried to be honest. I have been working on the latest two additions to my new 'Short Journeys' range, and I finally managed to upload 'Kazakhstan' yesterday. I was hoping to have it ready by the end of November, but the time just wasn't available. So today I present it to you. Kazakhstan, a beautiful, amazing and rather unvisited country in Central Asia. The 9th biggest country on Earth.

The cover I went with in the end. :) 

Short Journeys - Kazakhstan (US Store)

Short Journeys - Kazakhstan (UK Store)

Here are some photos and some snippets from the book to hopefully whet your appetite!

Introduction:

There are a lot of reasons to travel to Kazakhstan, outside from visiting a place which is well and truly off the tourist route and being able to wow your friends when you get home. Ok, that’s not a good enough reason on its own, but I hope to give you many reasons to go to the ninth-biggest country in the world.

Kazakhstan is a country with a long history, a diverse people, and a country which is just growing more and more as every day passes in the 21^st century. There’s something beautifully ancient about the country, something delightfully modern at the same time. A country building a future across a wide land, in a location between Europe and Asia, with a mix of Russia and the Ukraine added to the Kazakh people.

Park in Almaty

Kazakh Museum of Musical Instruments

Almaty:

Almaty is a city of contrasts. In some areas the roads are sweeping and wide, and then there are leafy parks, with statues. Wander through the right park and you’ll find flowers blooming and artists with easels set up as they paint what they see. I visited a couple of museums; one was the Museum of Kazakh Musical Instruments where my friend and I basically had a woman play various Kazakh instruments just for us in a small auditorium. There are malls too, shopping strips and not a single McDonald’s to be found, only a place called ‘McBurger’, definitely not a registered American fast food chain.

There are buses all around the city, as well as trams and trolley-buses – buses which run off electricity coming from wires above the roads, something between a tram and a bus. I had never seen such a bus before I went to Russia, but they are still very popular across Eastern Europe today. Then we have the metro, which was not open when I was in Almaty. The metro however is open today, two years later, in good news for all living in and visiting Almaty. 

Semey: - Dostoevsky Museum

Lenin and Marx next to each other in Semey.

Dostoevsky Museum.

Are you a fan of Dostoevsky, perhaps the most famous Russian writer of all? I have been ever since I first visited St Petersburg and decided afterwards to read ‘Crime and Punishment’. Fyodor Dostoyevsky periodically pissed on the rulers of Russia here and there, and was sent for a few years in exile to Semey, in Kazakhstan, where he lived in the house the museum is housed in with his wife and child. He also started work on ‘The Brothers Karamazov’ whilst he was in Semey.

The house is beautifully done, and I had my friends with me with was good because no-one there spoke English. However, it should be remembered that though the house is full of period dressings, tables, clocks and the like from the time Dostoevsky was in Semey (mid 19^th century), I think I am right in saying that nothing was actually there at the time or indeed owned or used by the great writer.

Astana:

Palace of Peace and Accord

Two giant... samovarry things!

Ahhh, only in Astana.

What I particularly loved about this part of town was that (as is often the case in Russia) the pipes were all above ground. Now I’m not sure exactly what they were carrying, presumably gas, maybe water, but as they run along the road they add to atmosphere and look of the place considerably. That’s the main vision I have in my mind from this part of town.

The bus ran along this highway into ‘town’, the centre of which I have talked about but is much harder to define. In the older part of town, which at some point gives way to the ultra-modern new part of town filled with Norman Foster (a British architect) buildings, there is almost a feel of Astana, albeit a much flatter one.

Short Journeys - The Next one

My top choice - Astana station.

Hi folks
thought I'd share with you the images for the front cover of the next 'Short Journeys' - which will be on Kazakhstan.
One image is a statue in Panfilov Park, Almaty. my second choice at the moment.
Then we have the Zenkoc Cathedral, also in Almaty.

But I think the third image is more interesting and showcases Astana - the sparkling new capital. It's the station there. Unfortunately a number of pics I took are ruined thanks to mold on the camera lens.

Coming this weekend - number six of my faourite destinations!

Top Ten Countries - Number 7: The United Kingdom

So I lied. I changed the order just a little silly me! Had a rethink during the week about which was next, and I am returning to Europe – but not the mainland! The country I am talking about is not really a country – it’s three! England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, it’s the United Kingdom. Or Great Britain. Or just Britain. Or the United Kingdom OF Great Britain if you like. Nevertheless, I’ve been there three times now. Or is it four?

Sylvester McCoy and I.

When I was young, I really wanted to visited the UK, and I had a very very good reason for that – it was the home of the most awesomest television programme in the entire world – Doctor Who. In 2011 I managed to actually meet a whole host of stars when I visited from the show, including Sylvester McCoy, Louise Jameson, John Leeson, Richard Franklin, the amazing Colin Baker, the lovely Sophie Aldred and the charming and incredibly friendly Sarah Sutton, who I met twice!

with Sophie Aldred

For the Doctor Who fan London has it all. Locations of so many episodes obviously, ‘The Who Shop’ for absolutely every piece of Who-merchandise you could dream of, and if you go to Earl’s Court you’ll even find a police box. But the UK has so much more as well.

Big Ben

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

London gives you the recreated but just as brilliant (well, I didn’t time travel so I’m guessing) Globe Theatre, home to Shakespeare’s plays – oh and where they shot the episode ‘The Shakespeare Code’ of the aforementioned show J. The Tower Bridge is a stunning piece of architecture, St Paul’s Cathedral is grand and big and everything you want in a cathedral, there’s Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the experience of taking the tube (where the 1967 episode ‘The Web of Fear’ was… ok sorry!). There’s Oxford street for all

your shopping, there’s Buckingham Palace for a glimpse of her majesty the Queen, Hyde Park and lots of others, impressive stations such as King’s Cross, London is really the complete city in my book. It’s one of my favourite cities on the planet.

Inside York Minster

I loved York. The town is so atmospheric, there’s city walls to walk around, the stunning York Minster, and for train buff’s a brilliant train museum. The cobbled streets are brilliant too as is the town’s love for Richard the Third, there’s even a rather eccentric little museum.

Gorgeous York building.

Oxford is just as brilliant with its Universities and its buzz. Visit the universities, the churches, feel the student vibe, it’s great. Bristol on the other side of the country I equally loved.

Inside a University in Oxford.

But around the place there are surprises and so much more to see. The countryside is beautiful, and you find surprises like Cardiff – a really lovely city (DW Experience anyone… ooops sorry again). But Cardiff was a real highlight of my 2011 trip. Buzzing, wonderful place. Day trips to castles. Well, it has its own, quite impressive castle too.

Cardiff Bay

Head north to Scotland, I visited Glasgow (scene of the tragic helicopter crash this weekend). Actually a great city with nice pubs and a young vibe. But then you have Edinburgh. With an amazing castle overlooking the place, is there a better place for arts and drama and comedy in Europe? These two places typify why the UK is so awesome – the vibe of the place. The pubs, the streets, wherever you go in the UK something is on. Something is happening. And there are still a list of things I haven’t seen there that I want to, starting with Stone Henge. In that rough area of the island, I visited the Glastonbury festival in 1999. Yes I was much younger, but that was a blast too. Maybe I am too old for it these days.

So. Today’s blog was a bit of a mish mash of 100 thoughts. Sorry about that. I also have no kindle writings concerning the UK. The closest is my Dhaka to Dakar on Europe, but again, NO UK in there. Closest I get is Germany.

Dhaka to Dakar: Book Two – Europe

So we have –

10 – Slovakia

9 – Romania

8 – Mali

7 – The United Kingdom

What will be number six?

Top Ten Countries - Number 8: Mali

The Dogon Escarpment.

Now, we are up to number 8. Mali is an amazing country located in West Africa. Land-locked, dry, terrorist activity in the north in recent years, it has had its issues that’s for sure. In fact, when I went there back in 2007 it had its issues – my flight was cancelled a few days before because they had decided to close the airport for a week to re-seal the runway! I can assure you that that is the only time I have encountered that particular problem.

I flew into Ouagadougou, the capital of neighbouring Burkina Faso, and made my way to Mali by land. I had a little less than two weeks there, I had left a couple of days later because of the new flights, and

Rooftop sleeping, Dogon Country. 

lost 2 days crossing to Mali, but I still managed to pack in a lot in those 12-ish days.

After crossing into Mali, I went with three charming people (two I met on the crossing) to Dogon country. We overnighted in the town of Banfora, before begin a trek in one of the most remarkable, remote places on Earth. The Dogon Escarpment is sort of like a big rock, well it’s a big cliff really. It goes on for 150 kilometres, and is up to 500 metres high.

It’s a popular trekking spot in this part of the world. Trekkers walk in the mornings and late afternoon to avoid the searing heat – I was there in November and it was over 40 each day at the peak. There are villages on the lower plains and on top of the escarpment, the trek goes through quite a few, and you stay at one on the lower plain the first night, atop it the second. We slept on a rooftop looking at the sky. Now THAT was brilliant!  As was seeing village life in the villages. Although there is a dependency on the trekkers and the tourist dollar, they still function a lot as they have done for hundreds of years. The only lighting is from car batteries.

pounding millet in a Dogon village.

Climbing the escarpment was a challenge, but not as hard as I had expected. On top we visited a village and saw a local school, being mobbed by children. This is only the simplest of possible summaries for this 3-day trek. Three of the best days of my life.

Boat, Mopti.

Around Mali there is a lot to see as well. In the region no countries has as many highlights as Mali. Taking a boat on the Bani River at Mopti. Not just the Bani river, it's at the convergance of two big rivers - the Bani and the Niger. A special place, a big riverside town, lovely spot, was one highlight, but the only place to rival the beauty of the Dogon country is Djenne.

Djenne street.

Famous for the biggest mud-brick structure in the world, most of the island town is made from mud. It’s an amazing place to spend a day, with passageways, beautiful houses and more. The mosque there is crowning glory of this town, a UNESCO-protected site, rising up in the middle. Today tourists are not allowed inside, but from outside it is still breath-taking. To get to the town you have to get your taxi onto a boat to get across the river. That’s part of the fun too!

The amazing mosque at Djenne.

Segou and the Niger River.

Segou is another pleasant river-side town in Mali. I only spent a day there, a very brief day, but life on the Niger River was a buzz, as were the donkeys and it seemed like a very pleasant town. We walked along the river in the afternoon as the sun beat down and saw the life-blood of this whole region of Africa – that’s the Niger river which stretches through many countries.

Bamako at night.

The last stop was Bamako, the capital city, a sort of sprawling ‘splat’ on the map in some ways. Capital cities are rarely a highlight in Africa, and Bamako didn’t reverse this trend, however it still was an interesting and lively place. If you want some decent food, or to do proper souvenir shopping or visit the best markets Mali has to offer, you come to Bamako. Or indeed, if you need a flight in or out of the country! It’s worth two days.

Young artisan at the Artisans' mmarket, Bamako

And so that’s my experience of Mali. Be aware that earlier this year there were major issues in the north and Timbuktu – oh yes, if you’ve ever wondered where Timbuktu was, wonder no longer, it’s in the north of Mali! Well the French Army was fighting there earlier this year, fighting terrorists and extremists who had taken over the place. Mali is a wonderful place, but, good idea to check the safety situation before you go!

So far the top ten has had two countries in Europe, and one in Africa. Next time we journey to another continent. Which one will it be?

10 – Slovakia

9 – Romania

8 – Mali

7 - ????

Kindle Writings on Mali:

Dhaka to Dakar  -Chapter Nineteen: Mali

Dhaka to Dakar: Book Three - Across Africa

Top Ten Countries: Number 9 - Romania

Not so far from the tenth country on my list, number nine is the incredible Romania. At present Romania is going through hard times, being very badly hit by the economic crisis, so why not journey there and pump some money into the economy? You’ll find it one of the most beautiful places in all the world, there’s no doubt. It had breath taking mountains, castles galore, a mind-blowing capital, warm-hearted people oh and you know, Transylvania, a place too many people associate with vampires, but in fact as beautiful as any region in Europe that there is!

Bucharest street near the station.

Start with the capital. Look, it certainly isn’t the highlight of Romania, Bucharest, but it’s at the very least an interesting place. Parts of it still echo the name ‘Ceausescu’, the somewhat heavy-handed brutal communist dictator, and in some ways the communist past of the city is what is interesting. The streets are wide and leafy, the buildings often grey and foreboding. The Peoples’ Palace is for certain one of the most impressive buildings in the world, the cost of building to the Romanian people though suggests it was not worth it.

The Palace of the People.

There’s even a few museums, including a nice outdoors one, and a replica Arc De Triumph, as the dictator dreamed to make Bucharest the ‘Paris of Eastern Europe’. What he did create was certainly an impressive and unique city.

Bran Castle

After Bucharest I visited Transylvania, simply a beautiful, green part of the world full of mountains and castles and wonderful medieval cities such as Brasov. Not too far from Brasov is Bran, a small town up a mountain with beautiful Bran Castle, fabled to be ‘Dracula’s Castle’, although this is not actually true. The castle though is worth visiting, perched sort of on a rock above the town.

Just down the road from Bran I found a place called Sinai, where you can find a really beautiful palace.  Peles Castle, which to me was more of a palace according to the images of what is what in my mind, is stunning, a little bit gothic, and provides the visitor with a wonderful tour where you can see much of the inside of the castle. It was one of the many highlights for me in Romania.

Peles Castle

Sigisoara

Sigisoara is a truly beautiful, again slightly gothic, medieval town in Transylvania. A place with arch ways over cobblestone streets, beautifully creepy graveyards, a couple of small museums and history with Vlad the Impaler, from whom the Dracula legend was born. I adored this small city/town. It has a wonderfully romantic (in a scary way :D) atmosphere and should not be left out of any trip to Romania.

Outside Transylvania to the north-west of the country is Cluj-Napoca, also just known as ‘Cluj’. The second biggest city in Romania, it’s big but beautiful in a way Bucharest

Cluj-Napoca.

isn’t. An old city with a young soul, it’s a university city. Not so far away are many places for day trips, including the Turda Gorge which is a wonderful place for a day hike. That in turn is close to the Turda Salt Mine, an incredibly expansive mine which these days you can take a tour into. When I was there, we basically had the run of the place which was unbelievable, the sort of place as a child you long to run around inside with no-one telling you where you can and can’t go (although there was a clear course laid out). Those were the days. But it’s really impressive without or with a guide.

Turda Gorge

Finally the mountains not so far from Cluj offer more fantastic hiking. There are small villages to be discovered and there was a wonderful ice cave as well. Romania will always have a special place in my heart. Like Slovakia, you won’t find it as expensive as Western Europe. Today it’s a little more on the tourist trail than when I visited in 2004, but it doesn’t make it any less beautiful or stunning. Most people don’t need a visa like I did nine years ago either.

Transport is good to the main centres, trains connect a lot of Romania, and indeed to neighbouring countries – I came in from Bulgaria and left to Serbia. Trams and trolley buses are popular in the cities, and of course there are always buses to the harder to reach places.

Salt Mine at Turda.

Two words that sum up Romania: Gorgeous and Stunning.

So:

10: Slovakia

9: Romania

What will be number 8? Stay tuned.

Kindle writings on Romania:

Dhaka to Dakar Chapter 9: Romania

Dhaka to Dakar Book 2: Europe