Eddie's Birthday

Today is Eddie's birthday and we had nabe in Ton's place. Too much food = too full.

"I meant to do my work today
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.
And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand,-
So what could I do but laugh and go? "
-Richard Le Gallienne-

Happy Birthday Eddie.

Jidai Matsuri or Festival of Ages

Dancers in front of Heian Jingu Shrine

Yes, Turkey post is on an extended break. I think I have about another 10-13 posts to write about Turkey so bear with me. So.....Jidai Matsuri 時代祭. On every Oct the 22nd, Kyoto City will hold the Jidai Matsuri parade, which is also known as the Festival of Ages. This year around 2000 people took part in the parade which was held under threat of dark clouds and rain.


Pretty girls at the start of the parade. After taking the pic I realised I focused on the people rather than the girls

I was there so early because I thought there would be so many people at Heian Jingu Shrine where the parade will end. And it turned out I was wrong. So I stood there at the junction in front of the red shrine an hour and a half earlier, freezing and desperately hoping it won't rain. Ah, thank god I brought my Love in the Time of Cholera with me. Gabriel García Márquez saved the day.


No idea who he was suppose to be. Should have bought the Jidai Matsuri booklet

A dance was performed by a large group of ladies before the head of the parade arrived at the shrine. I liked the dance because of the symmetry and that everyone was so synchronised. After that, they quickly dispersed and the first of the long parade arrived. Ahead were the guests from Florence, Italy, who joined the parade to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a pact between the cities. (Source: Japan Today)


Rain, rain......

I can't remember if the Italian guests came first or the drummers came first....hmm.. Anyway, then came a long list of people in the procession dressed in period costumes representing the various styles throughout the history of Kyoto. And I am sorry, I don't know who each one is supposed to be so I cannot describe the pictures fully.


Pushing the carriage (?) into the front grounds of Heian Jingu

Kyoto was the capital of Japan in the year 794. On the 1100th anniversary of the transferance of the capital to Kyoto, Jidai Matsuri was held to commemorate that event and since then, it became one of the three biggest festivals in Kyoto (after Gion Matsuri and Aoi Matsuri).


Someone as someone

Personally, I prefer Gion Matsuri, which is by far the most colourful and entertaining festival in Kyoto and probably the biggest too, in Japan as well. Back to J.M., the procession starts from people dressed in costumes from the year 1894 and then work its way back to the year 794.


The procession coming from the huge red tori

The paraders will walk along a 4.5km route starting at noon from the Kyoto Imperial Palace and ending at Heian Jingu Shrine.


Er...samurais? You know, I don't actually know what a samurai outfit is suppose to look like....just a vague picture in my mind

Heian Jingu Shrine was built to celebrate the 1100th anniversary and this festival is a major event for the shrine. From now on, I will just put up the pics with inane comments underneath it because I don't know who they were supposed to be and it is 2am and I am so sleepy.


I like this picture. I like blue. Blue is nice


Purple is nice too


I like their katanas....I want them


I read somewhere that some of these pretty girls are maikos dressed in the period costumes


Poor kids.....long walk


She looks scary


I like the print on the blue top


Do you think all of them are from the same family?


More warriors coming


Ah...finally something I can give info on. They are supposed to be Murasaki Shikibu & Sei Syo-nagon, though you can't really see Ms Syo-nagon....or is it the other way around?


I like this picture, I like the view


This picture has a story behind it. It was such a cold day, wind, rain and all that, that quite naturally nature called and I really needed to go to the bathroom. And when I finally did, I came out only to see the last of the parade entering Heian Jingu. In the nick of time.


After the last of the parade entered the shrine, they closed the doors on us. So here were everyone desperately trying to get that last shot.


The crowd leaving


Ahh.....the secret picture. Took it from between the space of the closed doors. A ceremony being held inside Heian Jingu which was not opened to public

Ton's birthday

This was a suggestion from Chan who said that my Turkey posts should take a break. So, I decided to post about Ton's birthday (today) which we celebrated in Asiatica Restaurant somewhere near Shijo.



We started with something light. Er, I have no idea what the names of the dishes are, so any help is appreciated!! Spicy salad I would call it. Delicious!



Then it was fried egg with sauce.



After that came steam fish with garlic, onions, lemon, chillies and parsley. Oooo...I LOVE steam fish, especially this kind of fish. And it is so simple to make.



Next was Thai-style seafood "otak-otak" dish. Oh, this one was delicious! And the portion was big.



Meat with cashew nuts came after that. I like cashew nuts, so I always love this kind of dishes. I will go for the nuts instead of the meat!



Then came fried "la-la" or clams with sweet sauce.



After the clams was this minced meat dish. Oops....didn't realise that the table was dirty...guessed we were really hungry.



Oooooo......my favourite, tom yam soup. Delicious! Sigh.....just looking at it makes me hungry again. Too bad the bowl was small.



Dessert courtesy of Chompooh which were custard and sticky rice with beans. Oishikatta. Thank you!



Ton's chocolate birthday cake, all ready for Ton to make a wish and blow out the candles.



Ton, flanked by two gorgeous ladies, Yam and Mai.



After dinner, deeply satisfied with the delicious food, we all tried to make the glasses "sing". And needless to say, it took some of us a lot of time and energy just to make them sing.

So Ton, Happy Birthday once again!

"To what can our life on earth be likened?
To a flock of geese,
alighting on the snow.
Sometimes leaving a trace of their passage."

-from Su Shi-

Antalya. Turkey. Day 8

We headed towards Antalya on Day 8. We will be staying at a 5 star hotel for one night (no money to stay on for more than a night) along the beachside.


Spun sugar sweet. On the way to Antalya

Antalya is a beautiful place, famed for its blue seawater (Gulf of Antalya)on one side and the majestic Taurus mountains on the other side. It is a busy modern town, catering for the half a million population that lives there and the seaside tourists.


La Mer hotel room

We reached our hotel sometime in the afternoon. La Mer hotel. There were so many five star hotels all along the coastline, they were literally next door neighbours. We had to drive along a bit to hunt for our hotel as we did not know how it looks like and finally we found it. Big, nice and comfy. Hah! Money counts.


Poolside

We checked into our rooms. We spent the whole day in the hotel because everything was paid for (good deal). Drinks were free flowing until 2 a.m. (except foreign liquors which you will have to pay extra but turkish brands are free), buffets for breakfast, lunch, tea-time and dinner. And in between light snacks buffet, ice-creams. Sigh....the good ol' days (sorry, not days but day!)


Poolside and parasailing

Motor sports are not free, you will be charged extra. Most of the people there spent their time by the poolside, tanning, relaxing etc. A majority of them were Russians, having their summer holiday in sunny Antalya. There were plenty of activities for you to participate in if you are feeling bored like aerobics and contests. There were many hotel co-ordinators as well who were in charge of all the games, activities etc sort of like a higher end Club Med. Hmm, have not been to any Club Med so I don't know how "high end" it is.


La Mer hotel's beach and the backdrop mountains

The rough pebble beaches stretches several kilometers with all the hotels dotted along the coastline. It can be a bit painful on the soles because of all the pebbles and rocks that you have to pass through in order to get to the sandy seafloor. But the water is clear and has a really nice shade of aqua blue.


Blue seawater

I liked the location of our hotel because on one hand you can feast your eyes on the beaches and sea and on the other, the beautiful looming mountains.....dramatic backdrop.


Parasailing, anyone?

I had a fun time just sitting in the sun and swimming in the sea. Avoided the poolside because there were just too many people there. We missed the lunch buffet and the mini-lunch buffet after that but caught the tea time buffet. I was starving! And I missed the ice-cream too! We were standing in line for it and when it came to our turn, they said they ran out of it!


Buffet dinner


Dessert....half eaten

Then came dinner time. I was famished, after swimming and the lack of lunch. I was ready to attack the table! But you know how it is when you are so hungry and then after you eat a bit, you feel full? But I still managed to eat most of the food I liked. Yummy!


Rakı mixed with water, resulting in a milky solution

Have you tried Rakı before? It is a Turkish alcoholic beverage (45-47% alcohol content) made out of grape and is strongly flavoured with aniseed. You can also make Rakı out of other fruits as well. There are many ways to drink Rakı which is clear and colourless in the botol. Either you drink it straight, with water mixed in or as cocktail. White cheese is a perfect accompaniment to Rakı. I tried it before when I was in Japan but it was just too strong for me.

Pamukkale and Hierapolis. Turkey. Day 7.

More pictures of ancient ruins coming up! Er, though judging by the response (or lack of) from the last post on Ephesus, not many people seemed to be interested in viewing photos and reading about ancient ruins.

Pamukkale


Pamukkale. The *open* area where visitors are allowed to walk and dip in the pools

Expecting pictures of nice white travertine pools and blue waters cascading down? Well, don't hold your breath because there aren't any. At least not for now since there is construction work being carried out by the local council to beautify the place.


All dried up

Yeah, I was expecting to be able to take those beautiful pictures as seen in the magazines and websites promoting Pamukkale or also known as White Cotton Castle. But luck wasn't on my side this time. The construction work will end by end of this year according to the banner. So, to see Pamukkale in its full glory, I suggest you wait a year or so before heading there.


Terraces which still have water flowing

That said, I still enjoyed being there. There is nothing like seeing this World Heritage site, a white calcium formation on the side of a ridge. When warm mineral water flows down the edge of a cliff, it cools down and deposits its calcium content, which will form the pools, terraces and stalacites that you see.


View of the pools with construction work at the background

You can see massive beautification work going on as you walk about. In the 80s, hotels that were built above the site drained away the water and dirtied the place, replacing the once pristine white pools with a sad copy of itself. Realising the detrimental effect tourism had on the site, the hotels were torn down and the place is currently being restored back to its former glory.


The pools and terraces. Imagine what it would be like when they are restored.

Tourists can still go walking on the calcium terraces and take a dip in the pools at the designated sites although some of the pools are artificial. Some places are fenced off due to the construction work. Just remember, take off your shoes! ALthough this will be a bit painful as the ridges of the calcium cuts into your soles. This place is opened 24 hours, so you can visit during sunset or sunrise for those spectacular photo shots.


The ruins of the ancient Roman city: Hierapolis


Pamukkale Thermal

If you really want to go dipping or swimming in the mineral water, then head towards Pamukkale thermal, which is situated nearby, on the grounds of Hierapolis. This is swimming with a difference as there are submerged ruins of marble colums strewn about in the pool. My friend went for a swim. I didnt. Too lazy to change.


Roman Theater at Hierapolis


View of the plains from the theater

Pamukkale is surrounded by the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Hierapolis. It appears to be founded by Eumenes II, King of Pergamum. The site is still being excavated and certain areas are roped off. From the top of the Roman Theater, you will have a magnificient view of Pamukkale and the plains below. This theater can seat up to 12 000 people and have been built by Emperor Hadrian and Septimius Severus.


The Domitian (Northern) Gate


Frontinus Street and the Latrine on the left

We then walked back to the car and drove towards the necropolis area. Before exploring the necropolis site, we stopped at the ruins of Frontinus Street. The Arch of the Domitian is situated at the northern end of the street (hence "Northern Gate")According to the signboard placed before the Domitian gate: The Roman Proconsul of Asia, Julius Sextus Frontinus dedicated this gate to the Roman Emperor Domitian.


The Latrine

At the side of the Frontinus Street you will see a row of columns which is a part of the Latrine. According to the signboard, word for word: The building was found in a state of collapse, caused by an earthquake, that has allowed its almost complete reconstruction (I have no idea what this sentence means). The building was reached by a entrance through the two side doors. The room is divided longitudinally by a row of colums that supported a roof composed of travertine blocks. Along the two long sides ran a drain sluicing the liquids into the cloaca beneath the Frontinus Street. Along the preimeter walls may be seen the groove into which the seats with holes were fitted, and a small channed in which clean running water was available for hygiene. The paving is composed of travertine slabs that display heavy signs of wear. The construction og the building is dated to the end of the first century A.D. Its collapse is dated by the painted inscriptions found on the half-columns of its facade, that bear acclamations to the emperor Justinian. Phew!


The North Byzantine gate. The lady in yellow is standing beneath it

Signboard, my short version: This gate is a part of a fortification system built towards the end of the 4th century. There is another twin gate located at the southern end. There is a circle shape decoration which encloses a cross-like symbol and christian symbols are also found along the facade. Four large marble brackets with heads of lions, panther and a Gorgon, found in front of the gate were used as apotropaic (having the power to prevent evil/bad luck) elements to ward of evil.


Dangerous or not?

We saw this girl who climbed up the Byzantine Gate to have her picture taken. I don't think that was a smart thing to do as these are ruins and are unstable. PLus, once she started, others began to follow.


Necropolis site

The highlight of Hierapolis has to be the huge necropolis (burial) site, which is situated next to a Roman Bath. Tombs of all shapes and sizes rest in this area that stretch on for miles.


Remains of tombs. Necropolis of Hierapolis

The construction of the tombs started out as pit graves, located on the exits of the city area towards the end of the 2nd century BC. Then, it evolved to structures imitating temples and tombs with hypogean (located beneath the earth) burial chambers.


Necropolis

In the 2nd century A.C., sarcophagus were used which were raised up on steps. This funerary rite views the deceased as heroes. From the 4th century A.C. onwards, more and more land were used as burial grounds and some tombs were reused. In the 7th century, a devastating earthquake struck the area and the necropolis was abandoned, later plundered and in the following years were reused as shelter for the livestocks. (Source: signboard at Necropolis site)


Pamukkale from the car

After viewing the necropolis site, we headed back towards our boutique hotel which is really not bad, kind of like a 3 to 4 star hotel with a nice swimming pool (which we swam in the evening).


Sunset from our room's balcony

We then headed off for dinner at night in Denizli at this restaurant which specializes in everything mushroom. Every dish there (except the salad that we ate) were made out of mushrooms. I LOVE mushrooms so I was happy.


Baked cheese mushrooms

These were huge button mushrooms baked in cheese. Delicious. My only complain was that there was not enough to go around. We had another dish of mushrooms cooked with tomato and another with yoghurt.


Mushroom dessert

This was a bizzare dessert, to me at least. Since everything was about mushrooms, the dessert was also made of mushrooms which I think was stewed/cooked in syrup with a hint of lime/orange? Very strange. Not to my taste. The plate was small but we didn't finish it.


Funfair - Crazy dance ride. Woohoo!


Close-up of Crazy Dance

Nah, I didn't sit on it. On our way back to the hotel, we passed by this small funfair being held in Denizli town and we stopped. My two friends went for a ride in the Crazy Dance to the beat of disco/club music. I took pictures instead.


Ferris wheel

I guess we three girls must have made quite a sight among the locals as they were not really used to seeing Asian tourists. So much so that a couple of young guys asked to take a picture with us! And the funny thing is, I didn't see a camera with them and in the end since I was with a camera, I was the one who took the picture of them posing next to my friends! But then later, my friends told me that they had phone cameras. Ah......


Remains of a pillar. Hierapolis.

So, after the fun night, we head back to the hotel to rest for Day 8: Antalya