Home, Sweet, Home
Japan
December 16
Today was my last day in Kyoto and I mostly walked around and did some souvenir shopping. I’ve seen too many shrines and didn’t want to see more museums. I did pass by one shine that I liked, however. Visitors could discover their future via a priest-like figure. If bad things were predicted, then they could tie paper around a tree and this would positively change the future (yes, they must pay for the paper). Another interesting part of the city was looking at a local cemetery, which included a lot of small trees. I also saw some of the white-faced Geisha girls running around the Gion district. They have a quite an audience as tourists snap pictures as they scamper down the street.
Tie paper around a tree I also noticed the similarities we have as humans outweigh the differences we have as citizens of various countries. Certainly, I was able to witness many different people and many different cultures. To say that we are all the same is inaccurate; there are differences related to race, gender, religion and culture. Furthermore I am not a cultural relativist, some parts of cultures are just plain stupid and wrong, which understandably causes conflict. But, most of our differences are rather trivial thus what we have in common supercede these differences. This is especially noticeable when witnessing children. All the kids in all the countries I was in run after pigeons, cry when another kids take their toys and have hair that is out of place.
The immense number of treasures both man-made and physical was also astounding. The Hermitage, Taj Mahal, the Pyramids, the Alps: the list goes on and on. All the possible activities while traveling are seemingly endless.
There are also the activities that will stand out for the rest of my life. As I sit on my deathbed, I will remember the day that hurt my foot in Nha Trag and was carried to a local bar where they put my foot on ice as they chipped off ice for mixed drinks. The chance to shoot a rocket launcher at a cow was also unique. Eating crickets, grasshoppers and other animals in Bangkok, arguing with nearly every Italian I met, exploring the markets of Morocco, the great museums of Europe and running for trains in China; these are all things I will never forget. I saw so much, but there is so much more to see.
