Blissful Adventures

Our eleven-week journey through Japan, Korea, and southern China became a fascinating lesson in history, culture, and beauty woven into daily life. The highlights began with a peaceful visit to Nikko, where the shrines dedicated to the Tokugawa shoguns, the architects of more than 250 years of Edo-period stability, stood quietly among towering cedars and moss-covered stone lanterns…

From ancient tranquillity we moved south to the intense heat of Osaka, joining the crowds at Expo 2025 before finding peace in the mountains of Hokkaido, arriving just in time for the island’s spectacular autumn colours…

Our first time in Korea added new historical layers to our journey. In Seoul, we explored the grand Joseon palaces, whose kings shaped Korea’s cultural foundations for more than five centuries, while the striking modern skyline of Jongno rose around them.
Busan’s Gamcheon Culture Village, built by refugees from the brutal civil war that ripped Korea apart, offered a moving sense of resilience and determination despite the odds…

Gyeongju, the former capital of the Silla Kingdom, greeted us with its ancient royal burial mounds preserving more than a thousand years of history...

Southern China brought us the timeless karst landscapes of Guangxi, long celebrated in classical poetry and ink paintings. We drifted along the Yulong and Li Rivers, explored ancient markets and climbed the soaring walkways of Peak Ruyi, a dramatic piece of modern engineering set amid mountains that feel eternal…

…and we stayed in the amazing Tea Cozy Hotel in Xiatangzhai – a solid 10 and our most favourite hotel in the world.
Returning to Tokyo to meet up with old friends and celebrate a special birthday was the perfect finale to a journey rich in history, landscapes, and warm connections across three remarkable countries. Here we are with the birthday girl, Sumiko, (on the left) along with Tom, Taiko, and Melanie from Vancouver…

With just a few days left in Tokyo, we visited Rikugien Gardens, where there were reminders of the amazing colours that have been a key feature of this trip…

As if the natural colours were not enough, in the evening we watched an extraordinary light show at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku …

We called this trip From Fuji to Everest without intending to climb either. While we didn’t get to see the Himalayas, we enjoyed a beautiful early-morning view of Fuji from the top of the Government Building …

While there have been so many amazing experiences on this journey, perhaps most notable has been the weather. We’ve had weeks of gloriously warm days with almost endless sunshine and only one wet day – Sheila’s birthday!

So that is it, another journey complete as we fly home for Christmas with our minds full of fabulous memories. A huge thank you to all the people who helped us along the way, many whose names we will never know, and especially big hugs to the wonderful friends and “relatives” in China and Japan who made this trip so memorable. And thank you, dear reader, for following along and giving us a reason to keep writing.
Bye for now. We look forward to seeing you on our next Blissful Adventure.

We began this trip nearly three months ago with our plans disrupted by the situation in Nepal. Sometimes the best laid plans going awry can be unfortunate, yet at other times they lead to something unexpectedly good. Not only did we enjoy a wonderful time in China, but just before we left home Sheila was contacted by Japanese friends she had not seen for many years. So here we are in Noborito on the outskirts of Tokyo being embraced by another family…

This is Hiro, Naomi, Yukari and the rest of the Saito family. Sheila was Hiro’s English tutor when she lived in Tokyo nearly forty years ago and she clearly made a lasting impression. They treated us to a fabulous Japanese meal…

…and when they learned that James was a chef they insisted he raid their urban farm for ingredients to create a western dinner. Spinach, daikon, arugula and herbs accompanied a baked French Brie, while cabbage and broccoli complimented the coq au vin…

…and these beautiful oranges are destined for Crêpes Suzette à l’Orange…

James had a great time with sous-chef Yukari, Hiro’s sister, and cheerful help from the entire Saito family…

A couple of days in Kawasaki gave us time to visit the Nihon Minkaen Folk Museum where ancient houses from across Japan have been preserved…

The early nineteenth century Yamada house is remarkable because it is completely encased in rice straw to protect it and its occupants from the bitter winters of the Japanese Alps…

This house was once used for raising silkworms and for making gunpowder. Perhaps not the wisest activity inside a wooden structure wrapped in straw.
This two-hundred-year-old water mill was used for polishing rice…

Now we have left the sub-tropical landscapes of Southern China, we are back in the land of autumn and have arrived just in time to catch the last colourful gasp before winter sets in…

With just a few days left to soak up the fabulous fall sunshine, we are preparing to spring a surprise birthday visit on another Japanese friend in Tokyo before we head home for Christmas.

As we are nearing the end of our visit to China we thought it was time to take a trip on the river that has made this area famous.
The fabulous karst mountain scenery along the Li River in Yangshuo is known by every Chinese person because this scene appears on the 20 yuan bank note….

Although, as we have discovered, most people here don’t use cash anymore, a fellow passenger had thoughtfully brought along a 20 yuan note that everyone wanted to photograph…

The river is shallow at this time of the year as it lazily winds its way through valleys carved deeply through the ancient limestone to create scenes of incredible beauty…

But we are not alone. Dozens of luxury cruise boats ferry hundreds of people a day from the bustling city of Guilin to the popular tourist destination of Yangshuo four hours downstream…

While swarms of electrically powered bamboo rafts forge a path ahead or follow us like ducklings trailing their mother...

Despite the warm sunshine and very low prices, this is the quietest season. In the summer and during Chinese holidays, hundreds of cruise boats take thousands of people on this trip every day…

Water buffalo and goats graze the banks while ducks, geese and egrets fish in the shallows. In some areas the mountainsides are swathed in plastic as the kumquat farmers keep their crops free of rain and fruit flies while they ripen for the Christmas market …

Whichever way we turn, our eyes rest on nothing but a tapestry of mountains, each one unfolding into the next in quiet, breathtaking beauty…

After ten days of stunning vistas, exhilerating experiences, blue skies, warm sunshine, soft beds, and, above all, the embrace of some of the kindest and loveliest people we have ever known, our time with our Chinese family is drawing to a close for the time being.
Now we must say goodbye to Curry and Rose as we dine on Aberdeen angus steaks and drink fine wines under the stars on our last evening…

And in the morning we will say 谢谢你 (xièxie nǐ) and 见 (zàijiàn) to Suzy, Amy, Richard, Hanna, and the rest of our wonderful family and friends at our ‘home in the Tea Cozy and hope that one day they will visit us…

Farewell Xiatangzhai. We have friends awaiting us in Tokyo, but we promise that we will return to our Chinese home soon.

In Fuli, we stepped back more than forty years to a time when Sheila lived in Beijing. It was a time before private cars, before cellphones in every pocket, before super-fancy hotels on every skyline, and certainly before every market trader displayed a QR code for instant payment.Yet, here in Fuli, the sights, sounds and smells of old China linger...

This is truly a place where two worlds collide. We arrived in Suzy’s husband’s Tesla with all the bells and whistles, while the local farm people still bring their produce on ancient machines or tricycles…

Citrus fruits are in season and our god-daughter, (driver, guide and translator), Suzy, was good at bargaining for some mandarins and sweet potatoes for the Tea Cozy staff…

While these pictures tell some of the story, the atmosphere is impossible to capture. The buzz of conversation, the thump of chopping blocks, the scent of spices, and the good-natured curiosity of the locals all merge into something unforgettable. Sheila remembers her early days in China when her presence as a western woman would quickly draw a crowd. Even now, in the maze of stalls at Fuli market, we still turn a few heads and spark warm smiles…

Rose and Suzy may have their hair done at a fancy salon, but the locals here get a trim in the market…

Fuli’s farmers’ market is held on nine days a month and is often avoided by tour guides because one of its traditional specialties is dog meat. Today we saw none of that. Instead, there were stalls piled high with pork, chickens, ducks and pigeons, along with frogs, river snails and tiny turtles. The sheer abundance is overwhelming. While most food is grown locally, we spotted fruits and vegetables hauled in from all corners of China. These women were selling young plants that, even this late in the season, will take root and thrive…

Dried foods remain very popular here. Wherever we turned, the harvests dangled in the sunshine. Dehydrated cabbages and persimmons are particularly popular and these pork strips, seasoned and air-dried, will carry the unmistakable flavour of country-style cooking…

Our visit to the market was only the beginning of a wonderful day. Curry and his wife insisted we stay overnight in their beautiful home in Guilin so that we could experience the historic city after dark. These are the famous Sun and Moon pagodas in Shan Lake in the city's heart...

Our plans to take our friends and their lovely daughters, Ruby and Katie out for dinner dissolved when Rose unveiled a magnificent home-cooked feast. There were crabs, beef, chicken and a huge bowl of delicate white mantis shrimps, a prized Asian delicacy...

But their kindness went even further. Very late that evening James revealed a hole in his sock. Without a word, Rose ordered five new pairs online and they were delivered in under thirty minutes. Almost anything can be bought and paid for by phone and everyone pays by scanning a QR code - even for a few cents in the market. Curry operates almost everything in his home from his screen, including the robot that washes the tile floors. Suzy gives spoken instructions to her electric car and hardly anyone still uses cash or even cards. We wonder if the sugar cane seller who comes along our street still takes cash…

Our time in China will soon come to an end and tomorrow we will take you on a cruise along the River Li, one of the most breathtakingly beautiful waterways in the world.

While we love wandering among the ancient stone houses and relics of old China, the modern world is sweeping across this land like a tsunami. A glimpse through the doorway of a villager’s home showed us that while Chairman Mao’s ‘old’ China is still revered, there is plenty of room for a modern tele and a fan...

Our friends live very comfortably amid this change and, watching them, we get glimpses of what future life in Canada or England might one day become. Nowhere is the blend of old and new more striking than at Ruyi Mountain, where cable cars and glass bridges defy both gravity and imagination and take us to a place where the earth seems to touch the sky…

A ropeway carried us 700 feet above the valley floor as the world shrank beneath us…

Then, as if the mountain itself were playing with perspective, we glided two kilometres from one summit to another, suspended between peaks in a dreamlike flight…

From the cable car, we stepped onto a suspension bridge that seemed as fragile as a woven spider's web…

…Each step was just a heartbeat above the canyon far below.
Hundreds of stone steps led us onward to the very top of Ruyi Mountain, where the horizon unfolded like a painting. Mountains rolled endlessly in every direction, and for a moment, it felt as though the world belonged entirely to us…

But the adventure had only just begun. Hundreds of stone steps led us on a trail that wound around the mountains and across bridges high above the treetops…

… until we reached a lengthy glass balcony seemingly suspended in mid-air…

Hundreds of feet above the jungle canopy, it seemed impossibly delicate, and, while some experienced fear, we all felt wonder. By the time we returned to the base by cable car, we had walked ten thousand steps.
The ingenuity required to build in such a place is staggering. The mountains’ sheer faces, the soaring bridges, the delicate glass floors, all testify to a level of skill and vision that is almost unimaginable…

China’s modern marvels extend far beyond the mountains. Super new highways stretch like wide ribbons across the countryside, more than half the cars are electric, and even the most modest models are equipped for autonomous driving. Riding in them feels like stepping into a sci-fi movie as onboard cameras read road signs and traffic lights; watch for pedestrians, animals, and even single traffic cones; and constantly update our position vis-à-vis other vehicles…

The railways are equally breathtaking. More than fifty-thousand kilometres of high-speed track weave across the country, and luxurious trains glide along at over 400 kilometres per hour. The next generation of 600 kilometre an hour maglev trains are already being tested, while the Canadian government is planning to build its first "high-speed" line where trains will travel at a paltry 200 kilometres an hour.
China is a land of contrasts, where ancient traditions brush against the future, where every step upward reminds us that the sky is not the limit, but merely the beginning and, thanks to our friends Curry and Rose, our trip to the peak of Mt. Ruyi ended with a feast.
As we shared a delicious lunch with our hosts and some new found friends in a teahouse perched atop the Giggling Tree Hotel, we looked out over this stunning vista of karst mountains stretching endlessly into the distance and talked of our magical morning when we had scaled their heights…

From the heights of modernity today, tomorrow we will take you to visit old China at Fuli Farmers’ Market