Just Past the Caravelle Hotel

Not too far from the Caravelle Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, walking past the street vendors shouting, "Madame, Madame," is the colorful and vibrant Ben Thanh Market.  It very much has the feel, just as was supposed to, of Les Halles in Paris, but with a vastly different assortment of shops and merchandise. I could have spent hours and hours winding through the market, viewing the colorful displays of exotic (to me) produce, spices, meat and fish.  Surprisingly, to this day, I can still remember the pleasantly spicy and fishy odor of the market.

Eating Eggs in Hakone Japan

Not too far from Mount Fuji is the town of Hakone.  We took the Tozan switchback train up the hillside in order to catch the Hakone Ropeway overlooking the hot springs of the Owaku-dani valley.  Plumes of sulfurous steam dot the valley creating an other-worldly view as you travel overhead.  We were treated to a clear view of glorious Mount Fuji at the end of the trip.  Walking a bit father led us to a surprising and truly Japanese experience - eating eggs cooked in the hot springs.  The egg shells turn black because of the sulfur in the water.  It is said you will have good luck from eating these special eggs!

Hakone Ropeway above the Owaku-dani valley 

Lu Ann Sidney eating an egg

 

Special hot spring-cooked eggs

Kyoto at 4 PM

On the last day of our visit to Kyoto, when we were exhausted and almost decided not to see anything more, we decided to try to see Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion. It was late, near 4 pm in the afternoon, and we were wondering if the temple would be open. To our surprise, there were huge crowds of people streaming toward the entrance. We quickly found out why. In the last afternoon sun, Kinkakuji is truly golden and mesmerizing, shining so brightly it is almost difficult to look at. What a perfect way to end our trip to Kyoto!