Xi'an (pronounced shee-ahn), China

For more photos of Xi'an click here.
We fell out of the five-star cocoon we had wrapped around us in Beijing and found ourselves in Xi'an, where an ancient walled city meets an industrial wasteland. Like most Chinese cities, the air here hangs in a thick, particulate haze, giving visitors head colds within two weeks and residents a smoker's cough when they travel to cleaner climates. Gone was the veneer of the up and coming Olympic city. The typical Chinese beds give as much as sleeping on linoleum; the front desk offers bed boards why? Few people, even at our hotel, spoke English. Credit cards were useless and western loos, few and far between. It was like we were in a foreign country with a different culture or something.

If Italy is in a constant state of 'merge', Chinese traffic is a constant game of 'chicken'. Moving into oncoming traffic to pass a vehicle is common practice. Cars do not give way to bikes and pedestrians. Red lights, crosswalks and lane lines are mere suggestions that are as often ignored, as are no smoking signs. Sometimes, in the back of a taxi, it's the better part of valor just to close your eyes. Crossing the street, our strategy was to position a group of locals between us and oncoming traffic. When they went, we didn't hesitate.

There to soften the culture shock, was Ken, a friend of a friend who speaks fluent Chinese and is teaching English at a teacher's college in town. Lucky for us he had a few days off while his students attended compulsory sporting events. How fun for Jeff to talk with another guy after weeks of being with just girls! We thoroughly enjoyed his company and learned so much about the city and the culture from him. Ken knew the best restaurants, proving that Lonely Planet is no match for local knowledge. His "go with the flow" attitude proved contagious and necessary, especially when our taxi got a flat tire on the way to the airport.

Skylar says, "Xi'an is interesting. It has a lot of fun stuff like: The Terracotta Army," that farmer Yao found when digging a well. The warriors were in pieces and have largely been glued back together. We enjoyed viewing them and wonder why they are so far (1.5km) from Qin's Tomb. We climbed to the top of Emperor Qin's tomb, a mound with over 100 steps, but we lost track of the exact number. High levels of mercury contaminate the mound. Some think he had a gold and silver model of China there, complete with mercury rivers.

We arrived at the Bell Tower, in the center of Xi'an, during a traditional music performance. This edifice was the alarm clock for the whole town while the Drum Tower indicated the end of the work day. Our favorite sites in Xi'an were the park around the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Great Mosque and the Taoist, Eight Immortals Temple. In these places, we found beauty, relative quiet and relief from the crush of humanity.

Traveler's Notes: Taxis and food are incredible bargains in China, just a few dollars to get anywhere in a city and the whole family can feast on noodles for $4. Thanks to Tricia for the grapefruit seed extract! At the first sign of a tummy ache, we take that and feel right again. Finally, the current Lonely Planet China is unfortunately years behind, therefore, riddled with errors.

Blonde in China

It feels interesting to be blonde in China. They think I'm exotic and want to touch my shoulder and they stare a lot. They want to speak Chinese to you and it usually means, "Can I take my picture with you?" They point and stare a lot and they smile. They pretend that they are taking a picture of their friends when they're really taking a picture of me and it's not convincing. I'm getting used to it and I saw two ladies with blonde hair today, but no children.

Mommy said I had to be a good ambassador so I had to get pictures taken with two shy twins who ran around the Bell Tower because they didn't want their picture taken and their grandma was crazy about me. They took pictures of me and their kids. In the end, their dad took a picture of my dad with his palm pilot, phone camera. They like him too because he's got red hair.

Beijing, China

Beijing Blog
By Maya and Skylar
Grand Hyatt Beijing
The hotel swimming pool was so much fun. It was like a tropical oasis at midnight with lights on the ceiling like stars. It had fake palm trees and coconuts and two hot tubs. It was inside and underground. We went there every day.

Tian'anmen Square
There's a lot of historical significance about this place, but today, there were just lots of people trying to sell you stuff. We mispronounced boo-yow as boo-jow and so they laughed a little, but left us alone. It means "I don't want it, no thank you." It's really big and open with a lot of concrete. It has an obelisk in the middle so it reminded me a little of the Washington Monument, but a lot shorter. There were some really cool statues of people who looked really depressed; my parents said they were revolutionaries in a struggle. Lots of people were flying kites.

Beijing gets to host the Olympics in 2008 so they are very excited and making a lot of construction. They are putting on their best face for everybody. There are drills going at the airport and they are definitely making it look pretty which was nice for us. They're trying to make people obey traffic laws, but it's not really working out so you're more likely than not to get run over by a bus. In Tian'anmen Square there is a countdown clock until the Olympics start.

Forbidden City or Palace Museum
The Forbidden City is really a city, like, it's HUGE. You enter under a really big picture of Mao. This picture is on the money and everything. You walk through a long stretch filled with people who:
A Want to be your guide
B Want to sell you something or
C Are hideously deformed and would like money.
After this, you buy tickets and enter the haven of the Palace Museum with none of A, B or C. It's now called the Palace Museum because it's now filled with the treasures that were not stolen by the British or the French. This place is really Mulan, except the big palace steps that they come down were under construction which kind of ruined the look. The roof reminded me of Mulan fighting the top Hun and Mushu saying, "I'm your worst nightmare."

The last emperor, Puyi was crowned when he was three and he cried at his crowning ceremony. He had a lot of hardships being the last emperor. Then you walk 15 billion miles through scenery and beautiful buildings to get to the Imperial Gardens, but by the time you get there, you're too tired and hungry to go much further so you go back to your hotel.

Chinese words
There are a whole lot of Chinese characters. To read the newspaper, you have to know at least 2000. We don't know any and we only know how to say four words which have pretty much gotten us by. We don't know how to spell them either.
They are:
1. Ni How, pronounced knee- how, meaning "Hello"
2. Boo-yow, meaning "I don't want it/no thank you"
3. Dui bu qi, pronounced doi boo chi, meaning "Excuse me/sorry"
4. Xie xie pronounced shi sh, meaning "Thank you"

Katerina
Katerina was my mom and dad's student in Switzerland. She is very nice and we got to meet her. She's half Chinese and she speaks Chinese and she's bound and determined to learn 2,000 characters. She took us out for lunch to a really great vegetarian restaurant called Pure Lotus where they served watermelon over dry ice. The place mats were banana leaves and you ate out of hollow gourds. The chocolate fondue was really good. They had lots of fruit with melted chocolate. She's really lovely and we highly recommend her choice of restaurants.

Acrobats
So the #1 Top Acrobatics class was AMAZING! They ranged from ages 10 to 20, but looked much younger. You see, it's harder to flip your body head-over-heels gracefully the taller you get. There were 13 amazing acts but the one that sticks out most prominently in my mind was their signature bicycle finale. It starts with three girls pedaling in helmets (a novelty in China) around and around and doing various one person stunts. Then they all get on one bike and do amazing things, such as one lying in the middle part of the bike by the chain, one standing and one being held up and them going around and around on momentum. Then more and more girls come out as does a trick bike with more pegs and two teachers which gives one a feeling of forboding. Through an amazing sequence of events they manage to all get on the bike, all 13 of them, gracefully. With one arm out, all standing, they go around and around with no one pedaling. The other stunts are just as amazing especially with the really young kids. If you are ever in Beijing they are a must see.

Great Wall
The wall is on top of mountains and it goes up when the mountain goes up and down when the mountain goes down. Instead of hiking up, we took a ski lift up and we saw all the trees and flowers below us. There was also a donkey and lots of touts trying to sell you things. It was fun running down the really steep stairs. There were lots of stairs. The guard houses had doors and lots of windows. It only took one man to send a message on the wall. They could light warning fires and could be easily bribed. Towards the end, I hear they took the latter.

On the way down, we went tobogganing. I sat with my mom and she let me drive. When we got down, I said, "Can we do it again and can I go really fast by myself?" I don't think they had that in Mulan's time.

For more photos of Beijing, click here.

CD Release

We're so excited, we have to take a break from travel writing to let everyone know that Jeff's bandmate, Eric vonRadics has just released a CD. It's awesome and here's a bonus, we sing backing vocals on Mexican Lebowski and helped write Nothing Dear during a trip to the Oregon Coast. You can hear the CD (or even buy a copy) at CD Baby.

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo, home to 12 million people, could be a cold and impersonal place, but not for us, thanks to several friends who showed us an intimate and intriguing Tokyo. Delightful Akiko worked at Walker School before moving home to Tokyo. It was so fun to see a familiar face and catch up on mutual friends. We laughed a lot and learned more about Japanese culture from her over dinner, at the Monsoon Cafe, on our first night in Tokyo. We were so glad our paths could cross if even for a short time.

Thanks Elise for the internet introduction to another personal tour guide. Rachel recognized us, from pictures on the blog, in the lobby of the hotel. (OK, there weren't any other families in the lobby at 7am so she had good odds.) First stop was the Tsukiji Fish Market where an impossible amount of seafood is sold daily. Fork lifts and motorized carts race around at a "time is money" pace. They don't slow down for tourists gawking at their commerce so everyone was on their toes. "Look at the size of that fish! What do they do with that table saw? How do you eat urchins? Look out he's dumping that bucket." Exotic and engaging to the adults of the group, the fish market was a tad offensive to the young vegetarians in our group. Just when they thought they'd found a safe haven amidst the commotion, the bucket of live octopi got them squealing and picking up their paces.

Rising above the crowded streets and far from the sounds and smells of Tsukiji, we visited Tokyo City View. It's a 360 degree glass and steel enclosed viewing area, 54 stories up, like the one atop the Guinness Factory in Dublin, only much larger and well, it's Tokyo down there. Wanting to get a closer look at one of those efficient and highly populated pedestrian cross walks, we descended to Shibuya Crossing. Perched on stools at a second story Starbucks, we had an excellent vantage point to watch the ebb and flow of humanity, as dictated by traffic signals. Jeff found a fellow photographer in Rachel and the two enjoyed framing various shots while we tried not to lose them in the crowds.

In search of more Japanese manufactured CD's, we headed to Ginza where we finally purchased a Yui CD. She's our favorite Japanese artist; we don't know what she's saying, but enjoy the way she says it. Also in this neighborhood is the Sony Building, chock full of the latest Sony gadgets: massive plasma screen TV's, tiny video and still cameras, new computers and more.

From high tech to old-fashioned, we made our way to Asakusa in search of (Moby) Kimono, the elusive costume of Skylar's dreams. On a side street, in a shop with sweet ladies, she discovered a peach colored kimono with a bamboo pattern that met her specifications and in which, she looked like a princess. Back in the hotel room that evening, we practiced tucking and tying it using the instructions from the store. It worked!

If you haven't seen the movies of Japan's premier animator, Hayao Miyazaki, run, don't walk to rent them: My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Nausicaa, or Kiki's Delivery Service to name a few. They're stunning animation with appeal for children and adults. He also designed Ghibli Museum as a magical space for inspiring creativity and educating visitors about animation. His theme is "Let's get lost together," and in this labyrinthian, play house, it is easy to get lost in thought or in the more literal sense. The Ghibli Cinema shows original short films, not available anywhere else in the world. While the spoken language was lost on us, the message of his animation was clear. Every detail of the building was carefully considered like each camera angle of a film. Photography is prohibited inside the museum, making visitors much more engaged with exhibits. Miyazaki wants children to be equal guests in this house so they get their own ticket (three frames of a film), there are even spaces too small for adults and Skylar was the only one young enough to climb inside the furry cat bus from Totoro.

We lost ourselves for a full day at Studio Ghibli before bidding farewell to our new buddy, Rachel and meeting Miye, Sadatoshi and their family. Thanks to Melissa and Ken for introducing us to this lovely family, who invited us to their home for a delicious feast! Maki taught our girls origami while her sons made acrobatic paper airplanes and entertained us. Their kindness and generosity made our last night in Japan very special. We look forward to their visit to Ashland this summer so that we can reciprocate.

We will miss Japan and our friends in Tokyo. We will miss the warm welcomes and kind bows that greet anyone entering a place of business. We will miss the detailed wax and rubber food that made ordering so easy and we will miss the amazing Japanese toilets and baths.

Traveler's Note: Japan Rail Pass is an exceptional value. It's only available to visitors and must be purchased outside of Japan. All JR trains and buses including reserved seats on the Shinkansen (bullet train) are included. Admission tickets to Ghibli Museum also must be purchased before entering Japan.
Tokyo Photos

Skylar's Photos and Guide to Japanese Potties

More Ghibli Museum Photos

Kyoto, Japan

Photos of Kyoto
Photos of Ryokan Yamazaki
Tatami mats, futons, rice paper screens and lovely gardens greeted us at the Ryokan Yamazaki in northern Kyoto, thirty minutes on the bus from Kyoto Station. Staying at a traditional Japanese hotel proved economical and an educational cultural experience. The Yamazaki family took good care of us, showing us the bus routes and which direction to point our shoes when we take them off. We even sat on cushions at low tables in the restaurant where they accommodated our "odd" vegetarian diet. Takehiro Yamazaki speaks excellent English and cooks the food also. His aunt and uncle had limited English (though better than our Japanese) and greeted us with "Welcome Back" when we returned from the city. Leaving this peaceful setting, Mrs. Yamazaki kindly presented the girls with Japanese change purses saying, "I will be waiting for you when you return."

Visiting Ninnanji Temple and taking the walking tour with Johnnie Hillwalker were highlights of our stay in Kyoto, along with our final, perfect day. It began with a great night's sleep at Kyoto Century Hotel where the staff are extremely professional and speak excellent English. We took a trip to a large CD store to get Japanese imports. (That is, before they got to the US & the cost tripled). After finding several, sought after, "paper sleeves," we went to the corner AM/PM to pack a picnic lunch. Why can't they carried sushi and soba lunch boxes at convenience stores in the US? Taking a picnic to Yasaka Shrine, we dined beneath the cherry blossoms at the edge of a creek. Then it was off to a matinee performance of the Miyako Odori or cherry blossom dance, performed only in April by the maiko (15-20 years old) and geisha. Sitting in a tatami boxed seat, the sights and sounds of traditional Japanese music and dance washed over us. The precision of movements reminded us of the dances of India: hand positions, darting eyes, fan movements, stomping all synchronized. We interpreted the dances as stories of the seasons, of love and of the creation of stars and all of it accompanied by traditional stringed instruments and strident vocals. We ended this exceptional day with dinner in the subterranean city below the train station.

Kyoto Station holds enough stores and services to fill a tourist's week, but that would be a tragic waste of time in this vibrant, ancient city. Still, the Italian restaurant in the Porta, provided a welcome change to a two week diet of, you guessed it, Japanese food. Michelle's likeness now graces the walls of the restaurant as the girls entered a poster contest; they will announce the winner May 25th, Mother's Day in Japan.

Johnnie Hillwalker

For photos of the walking tour, click here.
Walk in Kyoto, Talk in English, read the pamphlet next to the computer at the ryokan. No reservations, credit cards or URL, just show up at the meeting point at Kyoto Station Monday, Wednesday or Friday at 10:00. So I did. On this brisk April morning, 76 year old Hajime Hirooka, aka Johnnie Hillwalker, wore a red and orange fisherman's hat and black wool coat. He greeted each of the 38 walkers, writing down our nationalities and accommodations in a well-worn black book. Johnnie has toured Kyoto three days a week for the last sixteen years and will continue doing so as long as his doctors allow. He's a man with a mission: to show visitors the "real Japan," off the worn tourist tracks. His articulate lectures and humble manner endears him to those who walk with him.

Working prayer beads between his fingers, Johnnie taught us about Japanese Buddhism at Higashi Honganji. Most Japanese don't go to temples to pray, but the priests go to homes monthly on death anniversaries to say a ten minute prayer at the family altar. For example if a family member dies on December 13, the priest visits on the 13th of each month. Outside, loud speakers amplifying angry voices interrupted his lecture. Black vans with blackened windows passes slowly on the street. Johnnie explained that these are Japanese Nazis angry about the Chinese Premier's visit to Kyoto today. "They like to scare people." Loud speakers on top of cars are common in Japan, especially during this election season.

Along a peaceful, narrow street, we stopped at Ayako-Tenmangu, where Johnnie demystified the Shinto religion. It has no Bible and no one knows where it started. Purity is the only tenet, so the Japanese take off shoes indoors, have a high standard of cleanliness and believe everything has a spirit (trees, rocks, water, people). Demonstrating the purification process, Johnnie washed his hands with water from the dragon fountain and rinsed his mouth. "The spirits are very busy and moving around so we need to get their attention before we pray," he said ringing a large bell attached to a rope and clapping his hands twice. The cow statues signify that this temple is for wisdom and intellect or in Johnnie's words, to "give me a better head." Fox statues indicate a temple for improving business. The fox I understand, but the cow for intelligence doesn't fit into my experience with cows.

Our path continued to the playground of a primary school. When the school year began in March, only 19 kindergarteners registered for school so in two years, the only surviving elementary school in this neighborhood will close due to declining enrollment. Young families have to choose where they live carefully because neighborhood relationships are very complicated. Families live in the same place for a long time and require everyone to perform duties whether caring for the shrines or cleaning the streets.

Also complicated is the role of geisha in modern Kyoto society. At the age of 15, girls can apply to become geisha, that process is now on the internet. Leaving school and entering strict training in music, dance, tea ceremony, her life is controlled by the teachers. If a woman decides to marry, she can no longer be geisha. In old Kyoto the geisha would only perform dance in private tea houses for their patron family. It wasn't open to the public. Still unclear about where geisha reside on the accomplished artist to exotic dancer spectrum, I asked Johnnie, "If you had a daughter, would you want her to be geisha?" He laughed and several expressions crossed his face. After a complicated pause, he answered, "If she really wanted that life."

Cottage industry thrives in the back streets of Kyoto. Johnnie pointed out homes where people made fans, pottery and prayer beads for the larger businesses that sold the products. At Toyokuni Shrine Johnnie related the story of Hideyoshi, a Japanese hero, born a poor farmer 400 years ago, he united Japan. What a treat to hear English for five hours and to converse with such friendly and interesting travelers. During the walk, people offered advice about our next destinations, what to do in Beijing, Bangkok or Frankfurt. A Japanese woman from Osaka graciously clarified some of my burning questions about Japanese culture:

Question: Why do we feel vulgar munching on an apple while walking down the street?
Answer: Because Japanese people don't eat in public. It's a private activity. That may also explain why the oldest people on the planet live in Japan and the heaviest ones live in the States. A coffee to go at Starbucks here comes in a drink carrier, hidden in a paper bag, to be consumed when you arrive at your destination.

Question: Why do some women wear kimonos and some western clothing?
Answer: A kimono is like a cocktail dress, for special occasions.

Question: Why do so many people wear surgical face masks? Is it the pollution?
Answer: Simply hayfever. It's spring and there's a lot of pollen.

Question: Why is the year listed on our rail passes 19 and not 2007?
Answer: Japanese use both calendar systems. It's year 19 of the Heisei Emperor and when a new emperor comes, it will start again at year 1.

I definitely "got a better head" today.

Geisha Girls

Click here for more photos of our maiko (geisha under 20 years old) girls.
MAYA'S ACCOUNT
The very first thing you do is take off your shoes and put on these un-comfertable slippers. You are lead into a circular room here you will spend the better part of the next two and a half hours. You are robed in a light cotton robe that is low in the front and back. You are lead to a row of chairs set in front of mirrors. Your hair is put into a fishnet hair net. Your entire face is then painted bright white except for a space between the base of your hairline and the top of your spine. This is slightly uncomfortable as your windpipe is pressed to get the desired look. Then you chose your kimono so the white will dry. My kimono was deep blue with pink sort of star streaks filled with flowers and cool patterns. Your chosen kimono is set aside and then it's back into the make-up chair. the eye shadow is pink and lined in red. Your lips previously white are turned deep red and perfectly shaped. Then on comes the kimono. They put a red flowered wrap around your waist that will look good under your kimono. Then lots of things are tied and tucked around your waist so that once your kimono and obi are on, your body will be all one thickness. With this done they wrap a gray cloth around your head to keep sweat off the magnificent head dress decorated with flowers and various ornaments. You know those flip flops you always see with kimonos, yeah you put those on too. Then your picture is taken twenty times with various fans, parasols and orbs. This is an accomplishment in and of itself as the photographer only speaks Japanese. The only truly difficult part of this process is getting the make up off, which you do yourself. This is really neat and totally worth it, so if you are ever in Kyoto go to Yumekoubou Studio.

SKYLAR'S VERSION
Yesterday me and Maya were made in to geisha.
At the very start, you have a white dressing robe and white kimono socks on.
Then they put a hairnet on you so your hair doesn't get painted.
Then they put white make up all over your face, except one place on spot on your neck they don't cover.
The lady said, "It's cold" and it was. They put black eyebrow liner in your eyebrows so that they were black.
She put black mascara on. Then they paint your red lipstick on.
You go and pick a kimono; they are very colorful and there are a lot to choose from.
When you put the kimono on, you feel like a princess because there are so many women dressing you.
It was kind of hard to breath and it was tight. Then they put a black wig on you with all these decorations in it. It looks like the wig is really connected to your head. You put on your flip-flop like shoes and go to the next room and you have to wait a while because there are already people in the photo shoot room. Some of these Japanese ladies asked to have our picture taken with them. People kept telling me and Maya we were so "cute" when they walked passed.
The kimono and wig were very heavy.In the photo shoot room, we got pictures taken with parasols, fans and orbs (balls), tall shoes and a basket. The pictures that you'll see attached are only the ones that my dad took of us. The professional photos won't be ready for a month.
It was so much fun!

Nara, Japan

Walking among the cherry trees, along lantern-lined paths, we explored the temples and shrines in this ancient capital. The graceful lines of gray tile pagoda roofs against the cotton-candy-pink of the cherry blossoms stopped us in our tracks more than once. These stunning buildings are no longer for practicing Buddhist; crowded with tourists they lack the meditative atmosphere required by the devout. Still, the vast complex in Nara Park allowed us some insight on Buddhism and Japanese history.

Then there are the deer that roam the park. Standing waist high to an adult, these white spotted, white-tailed deer have lost all fear of humans. Not a trace of that former instinct remains. To them, humans are vending machines. Once considered messengers of the divine, they are now "national treasures" who greet visitors to the park; two in our party had different opinions about the deer.

"The deer ignore you if you don't have food and they really love you if you do." Skylar

"The deer in Nara are scary and I don't like them. One of the deer bit my butt because I wasn't opening the deer biscuits fast enough." Maya

We appreciated the warnings we received from friends about the deers' insistent nature and managed to navigate the park all day without incident until we bought the deer biscuits. Then we raced for the nearest bench to dispense treats to an adoring, antlered crowd.

For photos of Nara and the deer feeding frenzy, click here.

Traditional Bath House, Japan

Nervously, we approached the red-curtained door of the traditional bath house or sento. Would we cause an international incident by breaching etiquette? Immediately we recognized our first mistake. All the slippers in the entry way were blue and those on our feet were white. We raced back, undetected, to our room for the appropriate footwear and returned more confident, ready for our first public bath (that wasn't in our bathing suits at the YMCA).

To enhance your Japanese bathing experience and to avoid any future embarrassment, Skylar has written this step by step guide for first time bathers. As far as we know it may only apply to the women's bath house on the eighth floor of the Dormy Inn, Hiroshima, but we will keep you posted on that point because we definitely want to go again and again.

Click here to read Skylar's Guide to the Traditional Bath House.

Hiroshima, Japan

Click here for more photos of Hiroshima.
It was a happy accident that our family spent Easter Sunday in Hiroshima wandering among the cherry blossoms and visiting the Peace Park. We had planned to visit this historic city, but did not realize we would reach it on Easter. There was a poetry in this, that we spent the Christian day of rebirth, visiting war memorials in a Buddhist city reborn after a nuclear bomb.

"Nothing will grow in Hiroshima for 75 years," they said after the Enola Gay decimated the city, but it was rebuilt and growing trees within twenty years. On this day, extended families picnicked under the cherry trees lining the Motoyasu-gawa River while a cherry-pink bateau-mouche toured up and down the river. Barbeques overflowed with noodle dishes and children played baseball in the park; a waterfront music festival provided the soundtrack to our day. We walked for several miles, alternately joining the stream of humanity on parade and sitting on benches to eat our paper bag repasts. Our meal paled in comparison to the ubiquitous, elegant, boxed lunches, with a compartment for each dish, preferred by locals.

Across the river, the A-Bomb Dome or Gembaku Domu stands on the site of a former government building. The atomic bomb exploded almost directly above it on August 6, 1945; all of the workers died instantly, but many of its walls remained intact. The ruins, crowned by a skeletal dome, provide a moving reminder of the tragedy.

At ground level at the Peace Memorial Hall, is an abstract clock statue permanently set at 8:15, the time of detonation; rubble from 1945 surrounds the clock. We descended the spiraling ramp into the meditative Memorial, our voices catching in our throats as we read the informational plaques describing Japan on a path of war as well as the atrocity of the bombing.

We entered the softly lit Hall of Remembrance, a round room with a pleasant water feature in the center. Sitting in silence on a small bench, we gazed at the photographs on the walls, 360 degrees of neighborhoods decimated by the bomb. It is a grizzly panoramic view from the hypocenter. The photographs are made from 140,000 square tiles, one for each person who died between August and December, 1945 as a result of the atomic bomb.

All of the victims' names are engraved on the arch that frames the eternal flame. Japan will extinguish the fire only when the last nuclear weapon has been dismantled. An atomic weapon is indiscriminate, killing regardless of age or nationality. Among the victims were Japanese civilians, Korean slave laborers and American prisoners of war. At the Peace Memorial Hall, one can see portraits of all the victims by inserting the guide pamphlet into a touch screen computer kiosk. Our eight-year-old scanned photographs for a long time, finding a human connection that was lacking for her in the concrete and flames.

Familiar with the book, Sadako and the 1,000 Cranes, our twelve-year-old made a poignant connection, to this atrocity, at the Children's Peace Memorial. Sadako developed leukemia at the age of ten from the radiation exposure. According to Japanese custom, if a person folds 1,000 cranes, her wish will come true. Sadako did not complete the 1,000 cranes before her death, but her story inspired this monument and continues to inspire origami crane folding across the world. Display cases exhibit donated cranes, folded in vivid colors and strung up like leis by the 1,000's.

While admiring the Sadako monument, in a particularly contemplative mood, an elderly Japanese woman approached me with a handwritten card, saying in multiple languages,
"Do you mind if I pray for your happiness?"
"Please, by all means." How could I refuse such a generous offer?
So we inclined our heads, closed our eyes and stood quietly for many moments.
Thanking her with a bow and a poorly accented "Arigato," she asked one more question, "American?" She smiled broadly at my positive response and walked away.

The people of Hiroshima are serious about spreading peace and in our short visit, they appeared to live the mission of the Peace Memorial: "Mourning the lives lost in the atomic bombing, we pledge to convey the truth of this tragedy throughout Japan and the world, pass it on to the future, learn the lessons of history, and build a peaceful world free from nuclear weapons."

Their goals have recently come into conflict with elected officials who want Japan to become a nuclear power. The youngest survivor or hibakusha is now 62, in utero when the bomb exploded. With fewer hibakusha to tell the story and political realities changing this peaceful nation, the nuclear atrocity of Hiroshima is in danger of fading into the dusty recesses of history....lest we forget.

As we returned to our hotel that evening fatigued by celebration and somber reflection, our daughter asked, "Mom, why isn't war illegal?" It's a very good question.

Sydney, Australia

When a family member names their daughter after a city, one has high expectations of the place. We were not disappointed by Sydney. Staying at the B&B Sydney Harbour, in the Rocks, near Circular Quay, we got provisions at a local bakery and walked for miles around the harbour. We admired the bridge, the opera house and the skyline from every angle. We strolled the Botanical Gardens, awed by the grand fig trees and sat a long while observing the flying fox colony. These supposedly nocturnal creatures make quite a racket all day long, fussing over who gets to hang upside down on which branch. Some take flight unexpectedly to change trees.

Thank you Mary H. for introducing us to wonderful Jen and her delightful children. We spent a fun- filled day with them at the Taronga Zoo. The highlight was the free- flight bird show, hands down. We skipped Manly and Bondi Beach in favor of a smaller north shore beach near Mosman with amazing rock formations. All five girls and their parents spent hours in the tide pools finding snails, sea stars, crabs and other treasures. Then our generous new friends gave us the best gift. Maya and Skylar stayed at their house to have dinner and watch a movie while Jeff and Michelle had a date (as in alone, without the children). We enjoyed our night out at a local pub trying to discern the rules of rugby and cricket. We were struck by how slow moving and convoluted is cricket, the polar opposite of rugby and laughed at Bill Bryson's description of the sports. "It has always seemed to me that cricket is much too restrained for the rough and tumble Australian temperament....I am quite certain that if the development of cricket was left in Australian hands, within a generation the players would be using the bats to hit each other."

We ended the day, riding a ferry across Sydney Harbour under a full moon. It was a perfect day and made us understand how one could be moved to name their child after this enchanting place.

For photos of Taronga Zoo click here.

For photos of Sydney click here.