Babs’ travels -The Peking to Paris Rally and other driving adventures.

I'm only going to say it once, but I will have to scream it, I'm afraid: "SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT THE BRISTOL".  There it is, out in the open, now we'll move on and deal with what we've got.  Car 9 sometimes stops for no apparent reason, although, after a little rest, it will start again. It smells badly of petrol at random times. Going downhill it made a terrible grinding noise at one point and then stopped. For some reason, unknown to me, using engine braking down steep hills, and there are lots of them, second gear has to held in. Other than that, all's fine. I'm confessing my own sins, just for balance. The navigator has made a few cock-ups. That's all I'm saying.  We spend the night before last in Nara, the old capital. There are some interesting old buildings there, the best being Tödai-ji which houses the giant Buddha that claims to be the largest bronze Buddha in the world. In fact, the Buddha above Thimphu, Bhutan, is three ti...

Let's talk about food. I love Japanese food - just as well, really.  Miso soup with seaweed with a little fish and pickled radish on the side is my new best breakfast and I cannot get enough of sashimi. A breakfast buffet is all well and good but, what about choosing in a restaurant?  Being confronted by a menu with not a word of any language you can understand could lead to big time ordering error and disappointment. Fortunately, the Japanese have an ingenious solution. Outside many restaurants the is a glass fronted display case filled with plastic facsimiles of each dish. Problem solved. Of course, if the restaurant does not have this then it a lottery but, in truth, most dishes here are excellent and it can be fun not knowing what will arrive. Now children, here's the fun bit. All these photos are of plastic food. Except one.  Can you spot which was my lunch?  Answers on a postcard please.  

We're in Kyoto for our welcome first rest day and a chance to draw breath and get the laundry done.  It's been a great couple days driving along with some interesting sights. One of the  reasons I love Japan is because everything is different here. From the big stuff right down to the smallest detail it will often surprise you.  Everyone you come across is unfailingly courteous and helpful - we have  even been bowed to by the traffic controller at roadworks.   We've travelled beside the coast with the sea a steely grey in the rain, passed endless fishing villages, gone up mountains with real snow, through charming thatched villages, along US style strip development and to isolated settlements only reachable by extremely narrow and twisty roads.  At the lunch stop a couple of days ago there was a sand sculpture museum. A few of us were reluctant to go but were so glad we did. It was stupendous and, remarkably, is changed every year by sculptors ...

Last time, I left you as we were about to board a boat to cross to an "enchanted island",  just of the coast of Hiroshima and properly known as Miyajima. The short boat ride soon had us on the busy island that is considered to be the most holy in all Japan. It was busy with tourists but quite atmospheric at low tide. The giant toro gate was looking a little grubby but, stuck in the water in all winds and weathers, it would be, I suppose. Pete and I were treated to a barbecued  octopus leg on a stick by PW - actually not that tasty so Paddy devoured all three. Lots of tame deer are hanging around totally unbothered by the hoardes of people. The return boat was a dinner cruise which, for some reason, 5 of us were banished to another level from the others to eat like naughty children, and so we missed the dinner entertainment. During the jollifications Adrian was busy trying to remove all the last traces of crap from the fuel line tha has been causing us so many...