A "golden" vacation

Hello everybody, it's been a while! I'm sorry I've been missing, but I was scared I wouldn't be able to successfully blog anymore due to the loss of the camera cord that connects to my computer, BUT, thankfully one of the girl's had it and just had forgotten to give it to me. So, yay, I can still break up long winded stories with pretty pictures :)

At this very moment, I am quietly typing away at my computer, trying not to bother the very grumpy older lady in the bed across from me, in a six bedroom mixed-dorm in a hostel in Kyoto. Why am I in a hostel and not in school? Because it's Golden Week silly! It's a series of holidays all pushed together in the span of a week, and most everyone goes on vacation to various beautiful spots around Japan. I began planning this venture, solo, a few weeks ago, but then left the option open for several people to come with; truth be told, I really didn't want to come to such a busy city alone. I was eventually joined by five other girls: CrayKay (see previous adventures), Leah, Catherine, Michelle, and Emily. All lovely, intelligent girls with very individual and dynamic personalities.

We got off to an early start yesterday morning, leaving I-House around 9:30. It only took us about a half an hour to get to Kyoto from Nagoya Station, thanks to the Shinkansen (p.s. it was my first time!), and then a little bit of circling to find our hostel. For some reason, circling seems to be becoming just part of the process when journeying alone, but it was still nice because we got to run around a little bit of the main shopping area and see what we wanted to do for the day. After checking our baggage in, we set out for something all of us have been dying to go to: a cat cafe. Yeah, you read it right, it's a place where you can go, drink coffee, and pay to play with cats for a set time. It's kitty prostitution, and I totally love it. I've been wanting to try it since I read it in this blog, and it was totally worth it. 1400 ¥ per hour + 5 friends + 6 cats = an equation for a pretty furrtastic time. Emily, especially, was in need of some kitty love, so I'm really glad we all went.

We also, found a decent looking Indian restaurant at across the street from our hostel (Khaosan Hotel for those who want to know a great place to stay in Kyoto), and decided to try it for dinner. The dishes were mildly expensive, about $20/person, but the curry and naan were absolutely delicious and the waitstaff were incredibly friendly and made our dining experience quite enjoyable. I'll try to post the name of it later for people interested in Kyoto's cuisine. So, was it worth it? Why yes it was. We all became impregnated with massive, slightly spicy, food babies, and had to sit for some time before making our way to, what else, karaoke!!!

Seriously, karaoke is one of the most fun ways to spend 2-12 hours of your time. It's endless fun and you always have the option for all you can drink, nomihodai. Even if you don't drink, you can still wind up spending six hours belting out songs from: Queen, BSB, Barenaked Ladies, TLC, whatever, and still wish for more time. Danger: sore throats may occur.

Anyway, I plan on updating all this week so I don't bombard you with too much awesome (I know it's kinda hard to handle).

As always, be safe, be cool, be yourself, and love you lattes!