Category Archives: Travel

Eating the Bay 5

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The B Star Bar, San Francisco, CA

It was my good fortune that my shakuhachi teacher’s daughter has moved to San Francisco from Japan to attend University. That meant that Kaoru combined a teaching trip to LA with a trip to SF to see his daughter. He was staying with one of his students, Karl Young. I had been invited to have dinner after my lesson.

Karl and his wife Sue live in the Richmond District in a nondescript apartment building; until you enter the lobby. It’s all restored 1940’s architecture. A hidden jewel.  Sue and, then, Karl, then Emi (Kaoru’s daughter) arrived during my lesson. Karl ‘s lesson followed mine.  After lessons, we all sat for a while in a very lively talk about art while sampling an excellent chocolate beer.

Primed and ready to go, we are led by Karl and Sue a few block way to the B Star Bar. A small Burmese restaurant. We’re lucky in that there is one table available for the five of us. Karl and Sue give us advice, starting with the Tea Leaf Salad. We also order various dishes that we share or not. The restaurant stocks a Belgian Chimey Beer. A marvellous complex mixture of flavours. I need to do a beer tour of Belgium some day! The Tea Leaf Salad is mixed at the table. A few bites and I know why they insisted that we order it. Everything is superb. So many flavours mixed perfectly. I am swooning. As we are leaving, I say to the waitress, “I didn’t think food could taste this good.”

Five stars, must go!

PS- Up the street is the original Burmese Superstar that the B Star Bar is spun off from. Same food.

http://www.bstarbar.com/

Eating the Bay 4

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Hotel San Remo, San Francisco, CA

When I had breakfast at the Venus Cafe, I was on my way with my bags to San Francisco. I had arrived in the Bay Area in the belief that I only needed the two nights couch surfing accommodation that I had arranged. The day of my arrival, I had received information that meant I needed to stay another night. A quick hop on the web and through a Fodor’s recommendation found and booked at the San Remo Hotel in the North Beach neighbourhood of San Francisco. Other budget hotels I had tried were booked out. I’m glad that was so.

The San Remo was built one hundred years ago by the founder of the Bank of America after the 1906 Great Earthquake.  It’s located a few blocks from Fisherman’s Wharf, occupying the second and third stories of the buildingl.  You are buzzed into small foyer on ground level and then ascend a one and a half person wide staircase to the first floor of the hotel. It is beautiful with restored Italianate Victorian fixtures and architecture. You will not find a phone or tv in your room. There is wireless in the main hallways. Some rooms have a sink but the showers and toilets are located separately from the rooms on each floor as in a European pension. Here’s a photo of one view inside of my room.

The View From My Bed, San Remo Hotel

You can see the period furniture and the light from the central air shaft. It was comfortable room. The hotel was very clean, quiet and tidy with a welcoming feel. The staff were a very happy group who obviously enjoyed working in such an establishment. When I think of the concrete bunkers that so often pass as hotels these days, I appreciate the San Remo even more. Sure, the walls are thin and you have to go down the hall for the WC but for at least one night, as a special treat, I would recommend San Remo Hotel to anyone who is looking for a unique experience in San Francisco.

An interesting history page.

http://www.sanremohotel.com/san-remo-hotel-history.php

2237 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA

Eating the Bay 3

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Venus Cafe- Berkeley, CA


The morning after Picasso found me walking down Shattuck looking for a cafe that had been recommended for breakfast. Getting farther and farther from downtown. Slowed down. Did I come too far? A few yards ahead, something different. Somehow inviting. The Venus Cafe. Read the menu in window and entered. Waitress with a bright smile took my order for a cappuccino that came just as I finished perusing the menu. Ordered the Warm Poached Egg Salad. “Two poached eggs on a nest of mushrooms with tomato, goats cheese, mixed greens with tapenade toast.” The cap was in a little bit smaller cup than I had been served at other places. Just a little foam on the top. Dark brown underneath. Full rich flavour. This is what a cappuccino should taste like.

My food arrived just as I finished the cap. The poached eggs had large round balls of yolk containing a deep bright color inside. They sat on top of the mixed greens with the nest of mushrooms under all. A light dressing. I was able to finish the toast this time. After I had cleared my plate, the waitress asked how I liked my meal. I said, “I wish I didn’t have to stop eating.” All other breakfasts will be measured by this one. If you are ever in Berkeley, check it out. They use organic and local ingredients.

http://www.venusrestaurant.net/

Eating the Bay 2

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Picasso Delicioso

After my breakfast at the Homemade Cafe, I found my way across Berkeley to the apartment of a man named Marshall. He is an 80 yr old retired uni professor and a friend of my very close friend Jesse who was visiting from Western Australia. Jesse was bunking there and we sat through a monthly Shakespeare gathering. Two years ago, Marshall was part of a university extension class on Shakespeare. At the end of the semester, the university cancelled the class. The members decided to continue on their own. They meet and read a play and discuss it. After two hours of Shakespeare, Jesse and I took our leave and caught the BART under the bay to San Francisco. Then a bus on the way to Golden Gate Park where the De Young Museum is located. We were on our way to the Picasso Exhibition.

“Masterpieces from the Musee National Picasso, Paris”. I have to say upfront that I knew Picasso more by reputation than by having viewed his work. Sure, I had seen photographs of some of his more famous pieces but that isn’t the same. A few years back, I went to an exhibition that included Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party”. I was familiar with the work through photographs. When I saw the original, I was stunned. It was so alive. After so many years, it still resonated. It was an eyeopener for me. So, I travelled to the Picasso exhibition with this in mind and the fact that as an artist his reputation was/is gigantic.

The exhibition is a selection of 150 works out of almost 3600 pieces in the museum’s collection. Imagine trying to curate that. (If you are a libran, it’s better that you don’t.) It covers the years 1901 – 1973. There are paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints. Sometime there are several drawings showing the evolution of a piece. The exhibition is displayed chronologically in nine interconnected  galleries.

Jesse and I rocked up to the cashier, got our tickets and headed down the stairs. Of course, there was no photography allowed, so, this is a text only email. There were audio guides available but we passed. That was fortunate for two reasons. The first being that you have to follow a set path through the galleries. The second is that it would have been feeding in someone else’s observations before we could have our own experience. I might use the audio if I saw an exhibition more than once.

OK, so, Jesse and I are let loose from the line monitor and as we move to the first piece, to the right through the opening, there is a cluster of people looking. Jesse looks to the left and says, “Let’s start there.” I say, “OK”. When we get to the end of the wall, there is an opening into the next gallery. We decide to do the entire exhibition turning left. This resulted in our seeing between one and three walls of every gallery and then the remaining walls as we move through back to the entrance. Going was still in chronological order and easy to follow but returning it wasn’t a matter of just reversed order, we lost all sense of order. Having gone through many emotions and exclamations we then moved through the centre of the galleries pointing out the pieces that resonated with us the most. “That one and that one and that one…” Jesse’s favourite was The Women Running on the Beach (The Race). I had a big yes to that one as well. But, than, being a Libran…” I also really like The cubist paintings Winter in Paris,  Man with Guitar and Man with a Mandolin …”.

What I discovered in experiencing this exhibition was a full recognition of Picasso’s greatness. His incredible skill was evident again and again but it was how he used that skill to stretch and stretch and, then, break the concept of what is possible to do in these mediums. As an example, take the Cubist painting “The Man with Guitar”. I looked and I thought, “Yeh, I can see the head of the man there and the neck of the guitar down there and the body of the guitar maybe there.” Then, I felt my labelling and searching with my intellect break down as I was overwhelmed by the power of the painting and was taken past my analytic mind to experiencing with all of my being.

I could say more but this is just an account of what went on for me. I don’t know how it would be for you. It would be best if you could go and experience this exhibition for yourself. All I can assure you of is that if you do you will be doing yourself a great favour. Jesse and I were over the moon as we walked back through the park to catch our bus.

At the De Young til 9 October.

Eating the Bay 1

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Homemade Cafe, Berkeley

My first morning in Berkeley, my couch-surfing host recommended the local cafe. We were in a residential neighbourhood away from the main commercial areas. I had seen the cafe when I had eaten at the Bread of India Restaurant the night before. It is on the corner; a traditional looking cafe. Big sign in the window “Sunrise Special 7-9 am $4.95”.

I arrived at 8:30 and found a seat at a small table near the kitchen area. Ordered a cappuccino and a Sunrise Special; two eggs (scrambled), fried potatoes with a large dollop of sour cream on top and toast.

The cap was passable, the eggs were light and cooked just right, the potatoes were cubed and fried nicely and plentiful (not too greasy). I couldn’t finish the toast. I was stuffed. The table had a pot of medium hot salsa that I used to help digest it all. For that kind of meal it was good. I enjoyed it. It kept me going until dinner time that evening. It was the kind of food that I can enjoy once in a great while.

What I really liked about the Homemade Cafe was it’s relaxed friendly happy feeling. The staff were joking with each other. There was that atmosphere of customers who came to be amongst each other even if they weren’t talking to each other. People reading the paper or a book. A few talking. An old-fashioned neighbourhood cafe.

http://www.homemade-cafe.com/

Springtime for Kundan and California

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I have gone through four or more drafts of my travel update without settling on the right format to describe my journey. However, the title was too good to pass up and if I don’t write soon, I’d lose the chance to use it.

Last week, I spent three days at Harbin Hot Springs ( http://www.harbin.org/intro.htm ) in Napa county two and a half hours from my sister’s house in Chico, two hours north of San Francisco. If you have even the slightest chance of going there, please take it. It’s located up a fully wooded valley and is veeery relaxing. The centre is the main pool area. Six pools: a swimming pool that was a pleasant temperature for doing laps and fooling around. A heart shaped soaking pool. A cold pool. Sauna and steam rooms. Then, a large warm soaking pool about five foot deep. Next to it, the hot pool and above another cold pool. There are large decks for sunbathing and hanging out. The hot pool is 102+F (39C). The sign says to begin with no more than 2 minutes. I tend toward one minute. Then, off to the cold pool for a short dip. A pause for a long drink of my electrolyte enhanced water and back to the hot pool where I found that I was immediately enjoying the deep relaxing heat. I would do this circuit three or four times.

About timing of your visit. I arrived Thursday midday and left Sunday. The difference in population of the pools between friday and saturday was considerable. One way around it: I found myself awake at four thirty in the morning and went down to the pools. Only two other people there. After my rounds, I returned to morph into the most relaxing puddle of Kundan in my bed.

Other attractions are a number of varying degrees of difficulty hikes around the large property. Fabulous views. Many quiet spots. The restaurant is informal with a deck looking out on the wooded valley. I shared a table with some very interesting people.

There are events happening most nights and, of course, yoga, massage and other bodywork. I chose to have a Watsu session. This was a new experience for me. Watsu is described as “water shiatsu”, though, I would say that that is much more than that. The session happens in a shallow, maybe four foot deep warm salt water pool. I had a crick in my neck and a tight lower back, so, Patti, my practitioner, said that she would give me a gentle session. She put velcroed straps just below my knees to add floatation, then, I just lay back in her arms and let go. There was gentle massaging of my neck and lower back but mostly it was gentle movement of my body through the water stretching it in various ways. I felt totally supported. About three quarters of the way through the hour, my head lolled against her cheek and I suddenly felt like I was a babe in my mothers arms. My heart melted. Wow, wowww, wowwww.

And, it even released my neck and back.

On top of all that Harbin has to offer everyone, I also met up with a couple old friends. Sheelu was visiting and the Ramadeva lives there. Ramadeva teaches Feldenkrais classes twice a week and does other work. I first met him when he was the lead facilitator of the first Mystic Rose that I participated in. That day, he was walking the hiking trails looking for people who needed assistance. Nice work, especially on a cool spring day. Oh, and, did I mention how relaxed I was at the end of only three days. Truly and oasis.

So, that was the most recent treat of my journey in Californialand. Mostly this has been a time of enjoying being with my sister, brother and sister-in-law, as well as my nephews and nieces. I managed to bump into some friends along the way and make new friends as well. My sister Mary, in between quilting and playing bridge, has been attending a class about Rumi’s poems. I went along to a couple class meetings as well as a couple informal gatherings. The leader is a beautiful woman who is passionately absorbed in the poetry of Rumi and other Sufis. A great way to touch one’s heart. While in SLO town, I got to sit and chat with my brother John in the morning before he went off to work and spend time in the afternoons at the breakfast counter talking with my sister-in-law, Stephanie when she got home from work. It’s such a pleasure to just be together with each of them. John and Steph, had just bought a vacation home at Lake Shasta on the California/Oregon border. We loaded up a trailer and made a stop at Ikea on the way. Then, it was moving in and cleaning up (I am now an expert Ikea assembler). Next weekend, I go up to the Lake House again for Memorial day weekend and, then, head south to SLO again for the month of July.

In all, it’s just been a very cruizy time. Oh, yeh, there was the spring garden tour. I’ll be uploading some photos to my flickr pages.

Cheers

Changes

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My life has been one of many changes. They continue.

We need to step back a bit to get a better perspective of what has led to my present choices.

A current influence has been my ever increasing obsession with myshakuhachi. For four years now, I have been pursuing that state where there is no difference between Kundan and his shakuhachi. At times, recently, I have felt something that might be this illusory state whispering by like a passing feather on the edge of my aura.

The external manifestation of this experience has been a series of continuing jumps in the quality of my playing on these beautifully crafted lengths of bamboo. It has been a snowballing effect that, at times, finds me striding around my rooms exclaiming in difficult to believe joy.

These experiences resulted in my decision, not so long ago, to set aside my Great European Cycling Adventure to better focus on my shakuhachi evolution.  A difficult decision but one that felt right for me. My new plan was announced as the “Pacific Solution”. It involved two visits to Japan for study and travel with a visit to California in the middle. Such a plan led me to a renewed inculcating of the Japanese language into this predominately monolingual brain.

I finally took the bull by the horns and truly learned the two 52 character syllabic alphabets. Having accomplished that task successfully, I was so chuffed that I ventured on into expanding my few readings of the Chinese ideograms that were adopted and adapted by our Japanese ancestors. I am pleased to say that I have made some progress with my present regular recognition of approximately 125 Kanji. Just a few days ago, I added another dozen to the study list in my flash card app.
Concurrent with the advancement of two streams of study, I commenced with the logistical side of my new venture. There was the calculation of travel dates based on seasonal variations and the availability of accommodation in Chichibu as well as my teacher’s presence in his hometown. I found myself with four weeks in the late spring to travel by thumb and couch through western Japan. This was something that I had been promising myself for some years. It was a further stimulus to my language studies.

A departure date of 23 March was set and tickets purchased well in advance. (My good friend Anagara’s 60th Birthday Party was influential on the settling of this date.) I began accumulating equipment and supplies. Lists and gifts and ideas. I visited all my various health care practitioners . Excitement rose as preparations advanced apace. I found a buyer for my car with incredible easy. The time drew nigh. Five weeks shakuhachi intensive in Chichibu here I come. I had postponed a trip earlier in the year and I could hardly wait.

All was in Harmony in Heaven and on Earth.

Then, one evening, I had the urge to tune into the ABC news channel earlier than usual. The helicopters were just beginning the live broadcast of the tsunami as it swept through Sendai. I watched stunned and unaware of how much this would impact my life.

As the tragedy in Northeastern Japan unfolded, my concern was for those affected directly and indirectly grew. My own travel plans were not in doubt. I grew up in LA where earthquakes were a normal part of life. When I lived in Tokyo in the late ’70’s, I would be woken in the night by strong tremblers. I would roll over and go back to sleep. I am a fatalist in relation to earthquakes.

However, as the days passed other factors began to disturb me. The most obvious being the developing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Still, my concern focused on the stress being experienced by the people and infrastructure of the Sendai and Tokyo regions. I was scheduled to fly into Tokyo in a weeks time. No one could say what would happen in that time. I was hoping for the best but I decided that I did not feel right to add to the strain being experienced in the Tokyo region. I made plans instead to go to Kyoto to wait until I felt it was right to be travel to Chichibu. I would still be in Japan and I had planned to to visit Kyoto and Nara during this visit. I would just change my schedule in this way and wait there as things resolved.

On Thursday, I visited a close friend and told him of my change of plans. My friend  replied, “I understand how difficult it is for you to change you plans to visit Japan. However, all of the people of Japan are going through a time of trauma, grieving and incredible uncertainty. They need to sort this out themselves. You would be intruding if you went there now. It wouldn’t be  right for you to go to Japan now.”

The truth of  my friend’s words struck home. When I left his house, I went directly to my travel agent and began arrangements to cancel my existing ticket and book a flight direct from Australia to California. When I got home, I rang my teacher, Kaoru, and told him of my decision. I felt unable to adequately explain myself. I was in emotional turmoil. I did not feel any sense of relief that I have avoided any possible danger. I feel a deep sadness for the situation of the people of Japan that has caused me to reach my decision. I let go as the sadness poured through me. I came to peace with it.

The possibility of spending time with my family in California is very welcome. My thoughts and heart are constantly with Japan as I continue on my journey.

Let the light shine from our hearts to all parts of this world.

Love, Kundan

The Itinerary

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Here’s my itinerary so far:

I will be leaving the fair shores of Oz on 23 March en route to Japan. For five weeks, I will be enjoying another shakuhachi intensive in Chichibu. I will then sling a pack on my back to hitch-hike for a further four weeks. I intend at that time to visit Kyoto, Hiroshima and Kyushu. I will be experiencing the Couch Surfing network along the way. Much unknown involved.

The first of June will find me once again boarding Singapore Air for a flight to California. Visiting family and doing short trips on the west coast for the summer. It looks as if my sister Mary and I will be heading up into the Northwest together as she had already planned such a trip toward the end of June. My birthplace of Billings, Montana may be graced by my presence once again.

31st of August finds me leaving LAX to return to Japan. Right now, it looks like a couple weeks of more travelling around Japan by thumb. Heading north this time. Then, six weeks of shakuhachi before returning to the land down under.

There is enough space in my plans for a good deal of unexpected adventure!

Looks Like The Pacific Solution

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Tossed it around some more and, barring unforeseen circumstances, I will give Europe a miss this year. It was a great plan. Still is! However, it would be hampered by my attempts to put in the amount of shakuhachi practice that I am now doing and want to continue for the immediate future. I’m at a stage in my learning/playing where I feel the need to be more stable. The beauty of the Europe Cycling Plan is the movement and exploration.

So, I have decided to do a Brisbane- Tokyo- LAX- Tokyo- Brisbane trip. I will do some travelling; hitching in Japan, train trips in the US, however, these will be of shorter duration with the northern summer mostly spent at my brother or sister’s.

That’s how it’s looking. I just need to settle on the dates.