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Sayonara, Japan

We're leaving Japan tomorrow for Bangkok...and while I'm really looking forward to Thailand, I am sad to be leaving Japan. We had such a nice time here. The people are warm and welcoming, it is a beautiful country all around and it is a comfortable and charming lifestyle.

We came at the right time of the year so if anyone out there is considering a trip to Japan, autumn is a good time to do it. The whole country seemed to be painted a gorgeous array of oranges and reds just for our visit.

My next post will be coming at you from Thailand!

Glowing Review: Hirano’s Guesthouse in Kyoto

We went to Kyoto with only one night booked at a hostel. The entire city seemed to be booked solid – the gorgeous fall foliage probably had something to do with it. I was a little bit nervous about finding a place to stay for the remaining four nights, but Rusel promised he was on top of it (he was “in charge” of Japan), and so I let him work on it. He spent an entire night when we were in Tokyo e-mailing people and says that he e-mailed about 100 places. Ninety-nine said that they didn’t have any rooms left.

Luckily, our prayers were answered when Hirano’s guesthouse e-mailed us back and said that they had room for the following four nights. When we arrived on her doorstep, we realized how lucky we were. For some reason, she had been booked solid until the day we arrived and then she was booked solid again the day we left. Kizmet!

I have to say that staying at Hirano’s was probably my favorite accommodation on our entire trip so far. She made it so extremely special and I really just fell in love with her hospitality, generosity and kindness.

For only 7,000 yen (about $70 USD) we had the entire back part of her house to ourselves the time we were there. Had other guests been staying, we would’ve been sharing the back part of the house but we just got lucky. Our room was comfortable, quiet, and had free wireless. The bathrooms were spotless and we had access to her bikes for free, which is such a nice touch.

Whenever we told her what we were doing for the day, she would offer suggestions or google it to make sure that we knew where we were going, how to get there, if tickets were available, etc. She was genuinely concerned that we had a good time in Kyoto and it made our trip that much more special. And every morning she cooked the most amazing breakfasts for us -- and she even understood vegetarianism! That woman can do some amazing things with tofu, and I love her for it.

If you ever find yourself traveling to Kyoto and want V.I.P. treatment, Hirano’s guesthouse is the way to go. When we reluctantly left Kyoto this morning for Tokyo, I asked her if we could stay forever and she said yes. And I truly think that she meant it!

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

On my eating, bathing and shopping tour of the world, I felt obliged to visit one of the Japanese bathhouses here in Kyoto to do some research. I picked the Funaoka Onsen bathhouse because it came highly recommended and it was close to the Golden Pavilion, which we were visiting in the morning.

As I have mentioned before, one thing that I will always remember about Japanese people is their attention to cleanliness. Never before in my life have I ever visited anywhere as consistently spotless no matter where you go. Public restrooms, parks, subways, sidewalks….I seriously can’t remember seeing one piece of litter anywhere in the entire country. Every once in a while we see cigarette butts on the ground but this, too, has been rare. We went into a McDonald’s the other day so Rusel could grab a bite and I could use the bathroom and even the McDonald’s toilets had heated seats and the “bidet” machine that I have written so lovingly about before. Even McDonald’s is crazy about being clean, something I can’t say about Micky D’s in America.

I wanted to go to the baths here to compare and contrast with the Russian banya system but also because I really love to take baths. As my sisters who hated sharing a bathroom with me growing up can attest, I would rather take a nice, long soak than a quick shower any day. Although there was a laundry list of bad things about my apartment on Thompson Street in the village, (drug addicts sometimes living in the hallway and on the roof, 7th floor walk-up, annoying NYU students and Jerseyites puking on the sidewalks in front of my building almost every night) the only thing that really bothered me was that it didn’t have a tub – just a shower. At my last apartment, the bathroom was so big you could land a plane in it, complete with a nice big bathtub. I loved it.

Anyway, I digress. I rode my bike around for about an hour trying to find the bath, regarded as the best in all of Kyoto. I almost gave up but it was a cold, rainy day yesterday and I was dreaming about heating up. I persevered.

When I finally found it and parked my bike, I was greeted by an “Irrasshaimase,” which means, “welcome” in Japanese, by an elderly lady behind the desk. I took off my boots and put them on a shelf provided and then I walked over to her. Luckily, there was a “cheat sheet” in front of her with the services written in both Japanese and English so I was able to point at what I wanted – entry, a towel, and soap. The total came to about $5, easily the cheapest thing that I have done here in Japan.

On the wall before proceeding into the bath/sauna area was a big poster listing and illustrating the “do’s” and “don’ts” of the bath. Luckily this poster was in English and Japanese as well. Don’t stand up and shower, do sit on the stool and put water into a bucket and clean yourself this way. Don’t get into the baths without first washing yourself. Don’t take your towel into the water. Don’t use soap in the baths. Do rinse off and dry off before returning to the locker room. I read them over a few times to make sure I remembered them.

I took my towel and went behind a red curtain, right next to an entry with a blue curtain. I was crossing my fingers that it was the ladies’ room and not the men’s room and luckily, I guessed right. Hey, the one thing I have definitely learned on this trip is that you never know.

I entered into the changing room, which was just one big room with a bunch of lockers. I wasn’t quite sure what to do at this point. Get naked? The room was pretty cold. I looked around but at the moment, I was the only person in the locker room. I very slowly took off my jacket, hoping that someone else would come in soon so I could just do what she did.

Luckily, a few old ladies entered together and started taking off all of their clothes, so I did too. Unlike the Russian banya, which had a really nice “resting” area in between steams, the Japanese baths didn’t really have a place to do that. Once you were in the bathing area, you stayed in the bathing area until you were finished.

I quickly followed the naked old ladies into a room with a huge sink and a bunch of plastic bowls. They each grabbed one and so did I. Then, we all walked into the big bathing area.

The room was huge and light, with a high ceiling. Everything was predictably spotless and bright. I followed one of the naked old ladies to the “showering” area, which was actually rows of plastic stools in front of individual hot and cold spigots. Everyone sits on a bucket and washes off before getting into the baths.

The lady next to me was really going to town, building up a huge lather and spending long spans of time cleaning just one small area: her feet, her back, her legs each got about five minutes each. I cleaned up, used the bucket to rinse off, and then walked over to the pools.

There were about five separate pools, some bigger than others, filled mainly with old ladies at the beginning but then younger ladies over the course of my visit. There was a regular hot bath, a steam bath, an herbal bath, an outdoor cypress-wood bath that smelled amazing and reminded me of Colorado, and an electric bath. I went around 4:00 and left around 5:00 so people were just getting off of work. Apparently in Japan, like in Russia, this is something that people do often and it is social. Many of the old ladies were sitting around in the baths, gossiping, and relaxing. It was really nice.

The difference between the Japanese baths and the Russian baths was that the Japanese bath was more focused on water whereas the Russian baths were more about the sauna. There was a sauna and a dunking pool here in Japan but the focus seemed to be more on relaxing in the water rather than having your friend beat you with a branch in the sauna. Both were nice experiences though – each had its merits.

For the most part, people just looked at me strangely or gave me a smile. I was definitely the only Westerner there and a bit of a curiosity. In Russia, I looked pretty much like everyone else at the banya but here in Japan I definitely stuck out. I’m much taller than the average Japanese woman and have a much “heartier” build, if you know what I mean. I could tell that some of the women were trying not to stare – in the end, I thought it was kind of funny.

The one thing I did think about was why America doesn’t have this sort of public bath ritual. Each neighborhood here in Japan has a public bathhouse and it is quite common for people to visit them. There are bathhouses in NYC but they’re pretty expensive and inconveniently located. I like this emphasis on relaxation and health and it’s a nice community activity.

I left the bathhouse as clean as a whistle and ready to greet Kyoto once again. The sun had just set and I rode my bike back to the guesthouse in a warm bubble, ready to have Thanksgiving dinner with Rusel.

Gobble Gobble

To my loyal blog readers, friends and family out there (especially in the USA), both Rusel and I wish you a happy Thanksgiving!

We spent the day taking in the sights and had a lovely Italian meal to celebrate (the closest we could get to a good old fashioned western meal -- outside of McDonald's).

Rusel would like to make a call out to missing Adam's cooking.

Have a great one! It's been such a great year -- so many amazing new people in my life, and lots of love to those I have known forever. Thanks!

An Exclusive Club

We spent the day out and about in Kyoto, a beautiful and interesting city. In the morning we trekked to the Kinkakuji Temple (the Golden Pavilion) on our bikes, where we took pictures and toured around. We were amongst a large crowd of Japanese tourists, but nothing too overwhelming. It was quite the sight to see, especially with the leaves on the trees changing color. We are definitely in Japan at the right time of the year.

Then Rusel and I separated for the afternoon. I went to a Japanese bath and he went to a museum. It’s funny -- since we’ve been spending so much time together, I feel a strange anxiety initially when we separate. Today, I found myself saying things to someone who wasn’t actually standing there.

Because Rusel has been doing so much of the navigating lately, I had to figure out where the Japanese baths were and something that should’ve taken me about fifteen minutes on my bike ended up taking an hour. Both Rusel and I have decided that U2 wrote the song “Where The Streets Have No Name” after a visit to Japan because the street signs are posted very randomly and often are difficult to find, which makes getting around quite the challenge.

I have really been enjoying our time in Japan, but I’m not completely in love with the country as I have been with so many other places in the past. Usually, within a short amount of time upon visiting a new place I can tell right away if it is “my” kind of place or not. Funnily enough, I’m the same way with people – I don’t really have many good friends with whom I don’t click with automatically. I’m just not patient enough to wait for someone or something to reveal itself over time. I like it when all of the cards are laid quickly on the table.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on my slightly lukewarm feelings until I rode my bicycle past a shop and couldn’t see what they were selling inside until someone walked out at the last minute and the curtain-like fabric that was hanging over the door parted for a moment and I could peer in briefly. Many of the stores and restaurants here are like that – no windows for window-shopping – instead, this barrier to prevent prying eyes from looking in without actually entering.

Before I came to Japan I had the naïve idea that we would meet a geisha, talk to her, and figure out what the whole thing is all about. We found a tourist company here that takes tourists to the geisha district (something anyone can do for free) and then can proceed to take tourists to a “special light dinner and an evening of entertainment with geishas” – for $500 USD. Apparently, it has taken the Western guy who gives these “tours” eight years to secure the proper introductions to allow this service for tourists. Needless to say, I won’t be meeting any geishas on this trip.

The thing that makes Japan so unique is this sort of mystery and I guess it’s just something that is totally foreign to me as an American. I come from a culture that is mass-produced and exported on a grand scale. Entrepreneurs are rewarded for finding ways to take an idea, duplicate it, and bastardize it for the masses. Perfect examples are all of the horrible Will Smith and Bruce Willis movies that are churned out and sent to other countries as “American entertainment,” – films that make everyone outside of America think that everyone in the good old U S of A carries a gun and is able to jump away from a burning building into a boat that happens to be going by at the same time, all without a bruise or even some clever dialogue to justify it all.

Here in Japan, culture is something that is sometimes hidden, elusive, exclusive. Concealed alleys, secluded clubs, invitation-only restaurants are all standard fare. Last night Rusel and I rode our bikes home through the geisha district and even though it was only about 7:00 at night, the streets there were empty and much of the place was silent. Although the evening's entertainment was beginning for the geishas and their patrons, the streets were deserted and I could only guess the private scenes going on behind all of the closed doors. It can be frustrating as a tourist -- but at the same time it does make the quiet beauty and mystery of the place intensify considerably.

It has definitely made me consider why I like traveling so much and what this realization means. I must admit – guiltily – that part of the reason I like to travel is because when I meet people in other countries, oftentimes my nationality or the fact that I am a Westerner makes me special and allows me access that people who live there don’t even receive. Visiting Japan definitely turns that idea on its head. Foreigners are considered outsiders and there is definitely a desire to somehow exclude them. In the end, I actually really respect the Japanese people for protecting their truly unique way of doing things.

But even as I write all of this, the dichotomy of Japan and the people here gives me pause because the people we have encountered on our travels here are some of the most sweet and genuine individuals I have ever met. I have definitely felt an over-all welcoming and genuine kindness that I’ve never found anywhere else – hence the interesting paradox of Japan.

A Place For Everything

I have decided that if aliens descended on planet earth and wanted to study the most civilized society found here, they should probably come straight to Japan and stay awhile.

Japan is just an extremely fascinating place – mostly because of its orderliness, cleanliness, and all-around great standard of living. Apparently 90% of Japanese people consider themselves to be middle class and this is reflected in numerous ways big and small.

Rusel did bring up a good point today when I told him my theory about aliens and Japan. He said that maybe this place is too clean and orderly, and living here would make him go crazy because he would probably just freak out and have to be the “crazy kooky guy who is freaking out.” There is a large emphasis on conformity and uniformity here. The city is quiet – hushed, even. People don’t speak loud or stick out.

In the end, it gives me something to think about. At first brush, I find Japan very calming and relaxing. A place for everything and everything in its place seems to be the mantra for things both physical and mental.

Rusel came through for us and found a place to stay for the next four nights. It’s a lovely little minshuku that actually has a better location than the place we were staying at previously. The woman who runs it is really charming and has made us feel very at home here. So far, all of the rooms that we have stayed in here in Japan have had the traditional tatami mats on the floors and we sleep on futons on the floor as well. It’s different but comfortable.

On the subway to our new place this morning, I noticed that the benches on the subway were made of plush red velvet. See, that’s what I’m talking about. Plush red velvet, on the subway. And it was spotless – no stains, rips or tears.

After we checked in we borrowed the bicycles here and went to Nijo Jinya, a Japanese palace surrounded by Japanese gardens. The shogun that had the place built installed “nightingale” floors that squeak when you walk on them, meant to alert guards of intruders. We had to let a loud group of Japanese tourists pass us so we could hear the noise, which was pretty cool. It actually did sound like birds singing (kind of).

After that we went to the Imperial Palace but it was already closing down so we just rode our bikes around the park outside the palace and explored Kyoto. My favorite thing about Kyoto is riding our bikes through these little back alleys with little shops and restaurants here and there. We stumbled upon a night market with lots of different types of fish but also other souvenirs and food.

I realized that I have a system for judging whether or not I like a place. They are:

-Food
-People
-Shopping
-Bike-ability/Walk-ability
-Weather
-Proximity to Water

Is it wrong that I put food as the number one thing? Oh, well. Kyoto rates high so far on Food, People, Bike-ability and Weather. The shopping has been pretty good here as well but unfortunately things are extremely expensive in Japan. We are seriously hemorrhaging money and we’re not even splurging at all.

Tonight, we had a really delicious dinner at a little mom-and-pop style place right across the street from our minshuku. I think that it was a seven-course meal but each course was very small so at the end of the dinner we were full but not stuffed. It was a good reflection of our time in Japan so far: everything very measured, yet fulfilling in the end.

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

I woke up this morning feeling better. Not fully recovered, but better than before my big rest – and ready to tackle another city.

We didn’t really have a plan for Japan after visiting Tokyo for a few days, so last night between coughing spells and nose-blowing episodes, we decided that we were going to go to Kyoto. Billed as the “cultural center of Japan,” it sounded good. We were also considering a trip to a remote island recommended by a friend but in the end, we’ve decided to keep it easy. And Kyoto seemed easy.

So we decided to take the bullet train, which covers the 319 miles between Tokyo and Kyoto in 2 hours, 40 minutes. Although it was the most expensive option, with our train history and general state of wellbeing (or lack thereof), we decided to treat ourselves. You only live once and at the end of the day we are still in recovery mode.

On the train ride to Kyoto I half-expected my face to peel back like those pictures of people on roller coasters. Sadly, it did not. But it was exciting to be going so fast, and funny to think of how fast our train journey across Russia would’ve gone if we had been on a bullet train. Apartment buildings, skyscrapers and mountains sped by in one huge blur. The train was predictably immaculate, quiet, and generally an all-around great experience. The guy sitting next to me put on one of those crazy germ-repelling facemasks after one of my coughing spells, but I didn’t blame him. Many people here seem to wear them so I didn’t take it personally, although I’m sure that it had something to do with me.

We arrived in Kyoto and found our hostel quickly with very little drama. We’d had a hard time finding a place to stay – apparently Kyoto is all the rage these days. We are staying at this hostel one evening and tomorrow night moving to a more family-style guesthouse because this place is booked solid. 

After we checked in, we picked up bikes and rode them up to Tofuku-ji, founded in 1236 by the priest Enni. It now belongs to the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism and is a great place to see the fall foliage (see Rusel’s pictures...once I am able to upload them). It felt good to be out and about again and I felt renewed. The day I was out in Tokyo and feeling sick, everything felt like work and I was really losing my traveling mojo. Luckily I found it again today at the temple and was happy to witness one of my favorite feats of Mother Nature herself. 

We were amongst a huge group of Japanese tourists at the temple and everywhere we turned, people were sweet and accommodating. It’s truly the people here that make it a special place -- they are just so friendly and welcoming. Rusel and I split up for a bit so he could take some pictures and I asked a guard what was up the path that he was standing in front of and he whipped out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket where he had written, in English, “A Graveyard. A Seme Tery. For people dead.” It was very endearing and worth the short hike in the end. The sun was setting and it was that part of the day when the light turns golden -- quite beautiful.

After we spent some time at the temple we rode our bikes to Fushimi-inari Taisha, a shrine dedicated to the gods of rice and sake. A 4-km hike up the mountain through Japanese red torri (gates) and stone foxes in the late afternoon was definitely an experience that turned from cool to creepy quite quickly. The sun sets here around 5 and as we were hiking up the mountain everything got dark. There were shrines along the path but also small cemeteries here and there to give everything an eerie feel. When we finally reached the top we were met with a big cemetery as well as a breathtaking nighttime view of Kyoto -- all lit up like a Christmas tree.

I had a fair amount of respect for the artist Christo before today, but now I see that he just stole someone else’s idea. It’s disappointing, but ultimately cool to see the original. We had a nice time at the shrine today and it was a good way to bounce back.

I think that we made a good decision to bring our sickly selves to Kyoto. I’m already feeling much better and am feeling excited about the adventures ahead as Kyoto is a much-more manageable city than Tokyo. We’re staying here until Saturday, when we’re scheduled to head back to Tokyo.

The band is definitely back together!

Mrs. Roboto

We’ve been in Tokyo since Friday night, and it’s definitely a very fast, cool, sleek and clean city.

Cleanliness and orderliness is definitely the name of the game here. And politeness. Everyone is so nice and kind, even more so than China (if that’s even possible).

Yesterday, as Rusel and I stood staring at the metro map trying to figure out how to get to Harajuku with extremely lost looks on our faces, a teenager came up to us with her mother and sister and asked us if we needed help. Everyone got involved and they told us how to get there, the specific train line, and pointed us in the right direction. They even stood there and watched us to make sure that we were going in the right direction, with concerned but amused looks on their faces. It was really nice.

We made it to Harajuku and the crazy fashion scene found there. I wanted to linger and look at everything, Rusel wanted to go to a museum in the area, so we split up. I had been feeling really sick all morning but for some reason, once Rusel left, it all really hit me. I was fatigued, and my nose was running all over the place. We read in the guidebook that the Japanese people don’t approve of nose blowing in public, it is considered disgusting. However, I had no choice as my nose was running as fast as a bullet train. I tried to conceal my nose blowing and wiping as much as possible but it was definitely a challenge.

Finally, I had to sit down on a bench in a small shopping area, blow my nose, and try to pass the time until Rusel and I were to meet up. I know, I know. I must’ve been REALLY sick to pass up prime shopping in one of the world’s top fashion and shopping areas. I was just beat.

Everyone is so nice here and everything is so clean, I almost felt like just finding a nice part of the sidewalk in a back alley on which to lie down in. Crime is so low here that I honestly think I would’ve been fine. Apparently, if you forget something somewhere, you can come back hours later and it will still be here. Everything is so civilized here I can understand how that would happen.

In the end, Rusel and I met up in our appointed spot – a back alley that actually looked like a street on the map when we picked it out but was actually difficult and confusing to find (of course). We had dinner at a delicious organic restaurant in Harajuku. It had the most amazing toilet. On the side of the toilet was a little “control panel” and you could pick various modes – all of which turned the toilet into a mini-bidet hitting various parts of your nether-regions. I had to try them all out – for research purposes, of course!

Although we had big plans for the night, they were all scratched because I finally was forced to realize that I was actually really sick and I had to just put everything on hold – traveling in an amazing country and one of the world’s coolest cities be damned. It absolutely killed me but I stayed in bed all day today and I’m hoping that when I wake up tomorrow morning I will have finally kicked this thing.

A few interesting things about Japanese culture that we have discovered so far:

-Cleanliness is in the details. At our minshuku, we were given a pair of slippers to wear inside and “outside” shoes are always left by the front door. There is also, interestingly, a pair of universal slippers in the bathroom (in our case, we are sharing a toilet which is in the hallway) that you slip into once you enter the toilet and then leave in there once you leave. It all makes sense, I guess. Why bring in outside dirt, and why track bathroom germs all over the house? Of course, all of the slippers – the usual ones by the front door and the pair in the toilet – are too small for Rusel.
-I am starting to keep a running tab of the number of countries where Rusel is so tall that he hits his head in the doorways. So far, Rusel received a concussion in Moscow because he was running to get me a towel (I’m not kidding, he actually got a concussion), he had to duck everywhere else in Russia, he hit his head upon entry to the Ger in Mongolia, and he whacked his head today as he was running out of our room to go to the front desk to receive a call from Adam. Stay tuned for updates on this from Thailand (surely) and (possibly) Australia.
-We also have a shared Japanese bath, but this isn’t because we’re staying in a “budget” type of place, apparently even the nice hotels have shared baths. Like the Russian banya, it’s a process and the most important step is that you shower before you get in the huge bathtub. Rightly so, the Japanese people don’t understand why you get into a bath dirty and then sit and clean yourself in the dirty water. As a professional bather (right below expert sleeper on my resume), I appreciate this attention to bathing and am figuring out how to install a Japanese bath in my future home.
-The metro system is slightly confusing in Tokyo because it is a combination of light rail and underground subway systems. They are, however, spotless. In our worldwide tour, Rusel and I are taking notes on how to improve what we now realize is the hideousness of the New York subway system. I’m sure that the transit workers union is anxiously awaiting our return and can’t wait to meet with us.
-How everything remains so clean is a mystery as it is difficult to find public trashcans. We met this American guy in Beijing who lived in Japan for a year and he told us that when he asked his Japanese friends why this is so, they replied, “Because we don’t create trash.”
-Everyone is extremely stylish here and people dress and appear more “Western” than any other Asian country I’ve visited.
-Everything is crazy expensive here, probably just about on par with Moscow and Russian prices. We have been thinking about extending our tickets past next Sunday, when we are scheduled to fly out to Thailand, but aren’t sure if we can afford it. I need to do a post on “traveling on the dollar,” but until then, let’s just say that right now, it’s the pits. Everything is expensive before you even factor in the totally weak currency, which is just like pouring sake on the wound. Cue violins: I was so sick and we are so closely watching our money, I didn’t even buy a single thing (besides nasal decongestants) in Harajuku. Oh, the horror!

Safe Arrival in Japan

Rusel and I have arrived safely in Japan........

It was definitely strange to get on a plane, and in a little under three hours, be in a totally different country. No provodnitsa giving me stern looks, no scenery outside except clouds. For reasons that are too boring to explain, Rusel and I are on different flights the rest of the trip so he left the hostel quite early; I got a few extra hours of sleep as my flight didn't leave until early afternoon. We easily found each other at the airport and made our way into Tokyo.

So here we are, and the usual stress of finding the place ensued. It's funny because there is usually a predictable turn of events for us now when trying to find our accommodation, which is usually in some crazy unmarked dark alley where you need to know the secret knock. It goes a little something like this:

1. We're working together to read the map or the guidebook
2. We get frustrated with each other and the situation because we are inevitably lost and the guidebook or directions are completely wrong or just confusing
3. One person screams at the other person
4. We turn on each other
5. One of us asks someone on the street where to go, while the other person glares at them
6. They tell us where to go quickly in their native language or in limited English
7. We act like we understand and walk away
8. We walk a few more blocks (still mad at each other, sometimes a little bit of yelling is still happening, sometimes just dirty looks)
9. We ask another person
10. We make up (usually with a hug, which is hard to do with backpacks and even though we are still lost)
11. We ask another person
12. We find the place

Sometimes, Steps 1-11 are repeated many times before Step 12 is achieved.

Today's adventure was no exception and that's exactly how it went down. But we are here now in our cute little Tokyo bed and breakfast, called a minshuku. It seems to be run by two very funny old ladies and I can already sense that they are probably going to get their own blog posts. The place has a pretty good location and so far, so good. Tokyo is extremely expensive and we are already feeling the pinch after getting used to Chinese prices.

But we're excited to be here and we're both feeling a bit better, thanks for the e-mails!