Bye-bye Thailand, konnichiwa Japan!

Its official. The Thai Rail odyssey has been cold-storaged. Again. The money saved will go to the Visit-Japan fund for a trip scheduled for next year.

We did our sums and realised that the Thai trip would cost about $6000 or so for all of us. For another $7000 we could go back to Japan. So we gave the children the options: Go to Thailand this year or save the $$ and use it for Japan next year. It was almost unanimous - Japan it would be! The only exception was Owain. He wanted the clear waters of Krabi and was miffed that we would not be going. Consolation prize, KH suggested was just to go to Pangkor again. The water there, while not as clear as Krabi, would be clearer than many other places in Malaysia.

So I went online immediately, booked our accomodation in Lumut (Pangkor was full!) at the Swiss Garden resort and accomodation in Ipoh. We plan to take a leisurely drive to Penang as well and then back down the peninsula.

I'm very very excited! I think I've been a teensy bit depressed after Japan - withdrawal symptoms. I've missed it so much! But now, I feel perky and excited again - I wake up feeling like I have something to look forward to. Its time to start planning!! Time to dust off my Japan wishlist. I have a whole year to plan, maybe take Japanese lessons, go into Japanese cuisine again etc! And this time, I plan a much longer stay - at least 14 days or more in Japan. Off the top of my head - Ghibli, Disney Sea, the Kurobe-alpine route, Hakone (maybe) preserved post towns of Tsumago, Magome in the lush Kiso Valley, definitely Kyoto again, Nara, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima, Miyajima, driving in Shikoku and the Iya valley, and definitely, lots and lots of onsens! The kids have made their first request - go back to Kangetsu for our Tokyo stay. They really enjoyed the computer time, the rotemburo, and as Owain said, "even the bed on the floor and the comforter was very comfy!" Hee. Futon, son, futon...

Can't wait to go but the planning is half the fun... Now just have to pray for the yen to devalue more!