The Taj certainly lived up to my expectation.

We were first inline when we arrived at the west gate ticket office at 5.40am. After another “Sir - I have no change” conversation at the ticket desk, we moved to another que closer to the west gate. Just after 6am the gates opened, and we rushed to find the Taj before the sun came up.

I appreciated the un-spoilt view of the Taj, taking lots of pictures before the wave of packaged tourists turned up to pollute the tranquil landscape.

Onwards to Delhi!

A holly man gazes across the Ganges River.

When I crossed the bridge that spans across the Ganges River, the old city looked rather tranquil and sleepy. That moment quickly evaporated when we started to navigate through the vast labyrinth of narrow lanes towards the river and our guesthouse.

If anything, the network of small narrow lanes added some light relief from the sun during the day leaving the mornings and early evenings to stroll along the Ganges.

The Manikarnika Ghat was fascinating. Being meters away from families burning their beloved ones in a process of liberation from the cycle of birth and death will stay with me for a long time. 

Equally, I certainly wont forget having to move out the way for busy ‘outcasts’ carrying dead bodies through the small alleyways towards the Ganges River.

Being in Varanasi was a perfect time to re-watch Ron Fricke’s amazing “Baraka” film, which features shots of the Manikarnika Ghat and burning ceremony in high definition glory.

Onwards to Agra!

I’m hooked on this roti/dal combination that seems popular in Bodgaya. A small wholemeal roll stuffed with herbs and spices served with dal. Very delicious and good value for 15 Rp.

We arrived at Gaya Junction train station at 6.30am after 10 hours on the train from Kolkata. Leaving the morning circus of Gaya behind us, we hit the road for serene Bodygaya which was 30 minutes ride away via rikshaw.

After a short stand off between the rikshaw driver and myself over the tiresome “Sir - I have no change” conversation, he finally broke my 100 rupees note and we made our way in to Mohammad’s Guesthouse.

Mohammad’s House is located in a wonderful little local village with cheap rooms, a kitchen, an open roof top and lovely views of the sunset. I don’t think the other guesthouse options on the busy main road would of gave us the same experience. Highly recommended!

Indian tourists pay respect underneath the bodhi tree where Prince Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment and became Buddha some 2600 years ago.

After a quick shower and chai, we set off in to the hot hot mid day sun in search for the Mahabodhi Temple. The facade on the spire of the temple was certainly different to anything else I’ve seen before, looking rather futuristic and sci-fi in pattern design.

The Buddha trail continued, this time with 4 men and 1 motorbike, riding 12km north east of Bodhgaya to the Dungeshwari Cave, where Buddha spent 6 years of penance before descending on Bodhgaya.

It was a lovely motorbike journey, albeit a little tight on space, through little villages, dried river beds and lots of wide open space.

Onwards to Varanasi.

It took 10 hours on a train from Kolkata to New Jalpaiguri and a 4 hour jeep ride up the mountain before we arrived in Darjeeling. Those willing to take the toy train up the mountain can do so, if you have 10 hours extra to spare and the visibility good enough to make the journey worth while.

I arrived in to a surreal blanket of bright white mist surrounding the entire town. It was strange being so high up and close to the Himalayan peaks, but unable to see this amazing backdrop. If anything, the mist made Darjeeling seem more mystical with the sound of chimes and chants escaping from nearby monasteries.

Those wanting a better chance of seeing the view “off season” should try a journey to Tiger Hill or nearby Sikkim.

We combated the cooler mountain temperature (like true Brits) by drinking litres of Darjeeling tea, and eating at the food stalls near the pony stables. The folded and stuffed veggie rotis with chilli sauce hit the spot every time.

Darjeeling felt rather cosmopolitan for a mountain town, with Nepalese, Tibetan and Indian making up the population mix. For a town so small this place has lots to offer travellers looking to escape from the heat in Kolkata.

The tea boys of Sutter Street make a mean chai tea served in a rustic clay cup.

I really like what I’ve seen of Kolkata so far. The Marble Palace, Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum, Metro System and Planetarium provide some amusement for attraction seekers and give a glimpse into Kolkata’s colonial past. 

It’s just as enjoyable getting lost around the city and eating at one of the many delicious food stalls. Same goes for the lassies and tea.

Head to the Paragon Hotel on Sutter Street if you’re looking for a cheap place to stay.

Darjeeling then westward we go! 

I was secretly excited to arrive back in KL. It’s a city with some amazing culinary delights and diversity.

In Pasar Seni, old Chinese shop houses from 1910 line the street next to modern skyscrapers, whilst in Bukit Bintang the landscape is dominated by post-modern, Islamic and Malay architecture.

The purpose of this visit was to obtain an Indian visa, relax and take some pictures. After researching on the internet it appears you cannot apply direct with the Indian embassy anymore. Luckily India Mike has it all under control. It even works out that the visa center is a 5 minute walk from Le Village, my favourite place to stay and chill out (on a budget) in KL.

Outside the Pertronas Towers.

This one looks like a modern world war 2 bunker from Jersey.

Secondhand camera shop in China Town.

One more country to go. Destination Kolkata, India!

If you’re trying to get back to Kuala Lumpor from Japan, consider stopping over in Taipei. I found a cheap flight from Kansai International Airport to Taoyuan which got me back on the Air Asia network again.

Another thing worth sharing is a hostel I came across in central Taipei. Plenty of cheap food options and transport links within walking distance. A real result.

The hostel in question is called Holo Family House, situated on the 22nd floor of the KMall. The guesthouse also seems to be pretty earthquake proof, as I didn’t feel the aftershocks that hit Taipei recently.

I was expecting a big come down from Japan, so much so I had done no research on visa requirements  (free 90 day visa on arrival) or places to stay before setting off to the airport.

The friendliness of the people and great location nursed my Japanese come down a real treat. I’ll be back.

Kyoto has many things to offer the creative tourist. I could talk to you about the amazing temples and zen gardens or the delicious types of food and drink on offer, down to the intimate social scene going on in the evenings.

However, after a year of traveling around South East Asia, and traveling solo through Japan, I started to experience a “sight seeing malaise”. What seemed to inspire me more than anything else, was spending time with like minded people, and that’s exactly what I did in Kyoto.

My friend Kana (who I met randomly in Tokyo), put me in contact with architects “Geneto”. She told me we should have some common ground.

What started as a chat and dinner at their office, led to a couple of evenings out, and eventually me sleeping at the Geneto studio!

Trying to network at the AS2 art event, which included an eclectic mix of artists, poets, web & game designers, scientists and TV mafioso.

Myself and Ko-ji from Geneto settle down for some Chanko.

The lovely Asako from Geneto (left) and Mayumi (center) helped me out by translating my english at dinner and social events. I would not of been able to talk openly about design, business, love or life without them. Thank you both!

Myself, Keiji (left) and Eiichiro (right) from Geneto talk about women through an English to Japanese translation website. Some very funny “lost in translation” moments.

Conclusion

I was honoured that Ko-ji invited me to stay at his studio. It was a real inspirational experience to see how this creative collective operated. Although Ko-ji’s english was limited and my japanese just as bad, I felt that we had a strange sense of connection and similarity in values and ideas. He even told me how he dreamt in English sometimes - which I thought was hilarious.

I can’t wait to return to Kyoto, and be able to have a one-on-one conversation in Japanese with Ko-ji and Asako.

It goes to show, there may be cultural differences in this world, but we’re all made of the same stuff. Design and passion binds us together.

This experience has defiantly re-fuelled my inspiration tank, and made me even more curious about the wonders of Japan…

I’m also wondering where my Japanese phrase book disappeared to.

Keep loving, keep giving.

Links

• Geneto
• AS2 Art Event (Japanese Blog)

I had the pleasure spending some time with furniture designer Asako Yamashita and architect Ko-ji Yamanaka at their studio in Kyoto recently.

The team are a very inspiring bunch, taking on projects such as house design to commercial spaces and installations.

Geneto recently designed a custom installation for the Diesel Denim Gallery in Aoyama,Tokyo, which featured ‘lightening shaped frames’ around the studio space.

They are inspired by the detail of materials, functionality and the environment around them, designing unique spaces which often take on elements of the clients personality.

Geneto have recently launched a new website - so make sure you pay them a visit.

After browsing Keibunsha’s website, I was looking forward to what treasures I might find when I visited the store in person. As expected it was a sensory overload - with an intense selection of current and vintage design books.

I was immediately trying to work out how much ‘extra’ weight I could carry in my backpack, but came to the sorry conclusion it was ‘none’. With that in mind, I came across this random package of Japanese papers that looked like they’d been letter pressed:

I started flicking through the stamp section (like you do) and came across this beauty:

Both items fit nicely in my bag! I’d defiantly recommend Keibunsha to any creative tourist if you’re visiting Kyoto. The shop is open everyday, from 10am - 10pm. Telephone: 075-711-5919.