bienvenido a miami
what a great stop over on the way to europe…the moment zaid and his roommate paul picked me up at the airport, i just had to put on the most cliche song for my week: “miami” by will smith…nevermind the fact that i had already listened to it 100 times before my arrival!
the beach and the night life is just like i imagined it to be…many shades of blue in the ocean, loud music, restaurants with outdoor seating (without having to use a heater at 10pm), and hoards of people walking the strip at night.
the timing of this trip could was perfect, as it coincidentally became a little costa rica reunion for zaid, danielle and i. it had been a couple of years but it did not seem like it at all, as we laid out on the beach, danced at ‘mango’s’ to some latin music, and reminissed about our summer together.
oooh and for anyone planning a trip to miami, the place to eat is ‘matador’ in north miami beach. argentinian steak house with an all you can eat buffet, one bottle of wine PER PERSON (the san telmo malbec is awesome!) for only $25 u.s.!
hiroshima (fukuoka, nagasaki, nara, kyoto)
the southern part of japan was beautiful, since the cherry blossoms start blooming from the south to the north. they were in full bloom when i visited hiroshimaand the peace memorial park. i spent a few days there, visiting all of the museums and a bomb sites, which were incredible. other than the museum exhibits, the most powerful sight was the a-bomb dome. since the bomb was dropped almost directly above it, the building is still standing (the frame of it anyway) and serves as a reminder to tourists and residents on a daily basis. it was personally important to me as a japanese-american to visit the site, and i am so glad i did.
afterwards i made my way to fukuoka, nagasaki, nara, and then kyoto, where i visited the temples and shrines i studied a few years ago in the ‘buddhist art and architecture’ class (art h 350 i think). it was really amazing to finally see all of the grand buildings in person, and i was really able to appreciate the sights because of the info i learned in class. can not explain the feeling of tranquility that is evoked as i walk around the grounds. the most extravagant piece is the ‘kinkakuji’, in kyoto, which is right on the water. the gold reflection against the green japanese garden is priceless.