\wandering around Nara

Monday, May 4,　2008、Nara

I　am typing on a Japanese keyboard. It is not easy. a Japanese keyboard. It is not easy. The shift key is over further than I am used to. Also, if I hit a the shift key right after the space key, it repeats the last 4-5 words I have typed.

I do not know if it is allergies or a cold I have. It was horrible during the night with a pressure headache. But I feel that it is like a cold, too. Whatever the problem, I wish I did not have it along with the jet lag I am presently suffering.

I spent about 5 hours out exploring the city today. I went to the temples, saw a 5-story pagoda, walked through gardens, explored a park, etc. There are many blooming plants--wisteria, dogwood, azaleas, etc. (Could they be causing the allergies?) My nearby neighborhood is also popular with tourists because of the quaint old houses and the small shops with specialty items. Nara is a nice place as I had expected.

I was exhausted after　it all. I was tired from walking, but most of my problems related to the nasal difficulties and to the jet lag. When I returned to the room, I just wanted to go to bed. But I knew that I should stay awake. I read literature, planned things for the next day or two, etc., until 1 the next day or two, etc., until 18:00 when I went to the bath to soak. Later in the evening, I started reading a spy novel from WWII that my friend Jean had given me.

I lost my chapstick today. That sounds like a little thing, but I enjoy it so much. And it was a new tube. Do not know what they will have as a replacement here.