Swim Time!

I had never known they could do this!

Sanya

best bathroom ever!

Sanya is on Hainan Island off the coast of China. It's called the Hawaii of China. I wouldn't go that far, but it is beautiful at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel! The best part was Monkey Island...it's an island...full of monkeys!

Shugakuin Imperial Villa

So the first place we went in Kyoto was one of the Imperial Villas where you need special permission from the Imperial Palace Office Built in the 17th century on the grounds of a 10th century temple that had been destroyed, this was an amazing introduction to the layout of gardens. It is a mountain retreat built in rice paddies and meant for basic retired Emperor R &R. It pretty much accomplishes that.

Best Meal Ever.

Kichisen Traditional Restaurant - the meal started out with cherry blossoms on the soup, and went from there....spring themed!

Blossoms, Blossoms, Blossoms!

Everywhere you look is beautiful...Sakura!

Water is Heavy

So the sound of water running gently through a well composed garden is meant to replicate the sound you hear as a baby in your mothers womb. It is universal to all living things and has the same intended effect: to relax, to calm, to slow everything down. It works, whether in a garden or not.

Kyoto: Rocks are Deep

In most gardens, the basic construction is rock garden (dry), water garden, moss garden. When you start out with rock, sometimes it is hard to follow with anything else, because the simplicity becomes very complex. This is best experienced early in the morning, with only a few birds and the noise of a distant bell.