If you are here then you know about the upcoming Bhutan / Japan trip for summer 2023. Because of COVID and all of the other changes in life and love, I’ll be organizing this trip as a carbon copy of my 2018 travels.
Our plan is to visit Bhutan and Japan, with a small piece of Thailand throw into the mix. We will adventure into villages, temples and shrines as we try to gain some cultural and social understanding of the people and places we will visit.
As we make our way to Asia, assuming all goes well, we will hit a few milestones along the way including a trip to the Bumthang Valley, a visit to the Orgyen Choling house in the Tang Valley, a float down the Mo Chu, and extensive time in the Dzongs of Western and Central Bhutan. Overall, my hope is that those who travel with me will find an adventure and an experience that will transform hearts and minds….a tall order, indeed.
From Bhutan our trip takes us to southern Japan and the former capital of the country, Kyoto. Renting two machiya, we will make food for ourselves bought at a local grocery, bike to temples and shrines in this expansive city, and learn about the history and culture of Japan by seeing the sites. We’ll make our way to Kinkaku-ji and Gingaku-ji temples, Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari, the small but beautiful bamboo forest, followed by time on our own wandering the city.
I remember distinctly my experience planning this trip for the summer of 2020 only to face the scourge of COVID as it swept across the globe. I never imagined the virus would spread to all of these places I’ve known and I hope that the people that I encountered years ago are doing well. I’m particularly excited to visit my favorite coffee shop in Kyoto, Sagan.
So, this blog site will host more musings on the travel, details about the trip, and a few new stories of previous days spent in Bhutan and Japan. You’ll see too a few new photos from the archives as I go about updating these pages as a way to incorporate stories and ideas. Finally, you’ll find the earlier trips that did not make it to this blog posted here in their full glory.
So, hang tight my friends and get ready for one of the most wonderful experiences of your young life. In the meantime,
May you be happy, May you be well.
gentryfunkblog 