Would you travel alone or in a group?

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Who would say no to travelling? If given the chance, or the time, and the money, I’m sure everyone’s out of their house in just one snap. So when a friend invited me to visit a few famous World Heritage sites in Kyoto, I didn’t hesitate at all. I was imagining traditional Kyoto and its temples and geishas and delicious food in no time. As per the friend’s suggestion, we signed up on a bus tour which offered going to four different locations all in one day. It was my first time to join a bus tour loaded with tourists so I was filled with excitement. Being a night owl though, going to the meeting place at 8:00 am was troublesome. I was half awake when I got there, surprisingly, earlier than the others. THE OTHERS included a mother and son from Hong Kong, a grandparents-and-grandchildren combination from Malaysia, four female best friends from Taiwan, three lovely Chinese cousins hanging out with their grandmother and a lot more, summing it up to twenty. The tour guide was a middle-aged Japanese lady who sounded nervous when she answered queries in English as she was handing out the bus tour kit. I guess she was relieved to see my friend who pretended to be Chinese at first (to practice her English) if not for her Japanese name on the registration list. The bus was comfortable and clean; however we couldn’t choose where to sit as there was a specific seat plan. Friend gave me the window seat and I could enjoy the one hour drive spotting the difference between Osaka and Kyoto. Halfway through the trip, the noise level was raised to a maximum. Who could blame everyone’s excitement? Friend tried to take a nap but failed after a few attempts so we ended up chatting like the others. Upon every stop, we were given an hour and twenty minutes to explore and take selfie and then immediately head up to the bus. As the tour guide repeatedly said, failure to show up on time is not their problem. The bus will leave right on schedule. Threatening, yeah and kinda stiff but well, rule is rule. It was my first time to take a picture looking at my watch. Entrance tickets to the tourist spots were part of the bus tour fee so we were spared from the long queue. Standing up in line isn’t my cup of tea. Lunch, which was included on the fee, was buffet style Japanese cuisine. Bet the Chinese were looking for the oily stuff. So was me. At some point where we had to use the train to transfer to another location, waiting for the other tourists who were walking slowly and taking pictures every now and then was upsetting. Instead of being pissed off and raising tantrums, we befriended the Malaysian kids as they talked in halting English. Grandpa and grandma looked very proud. Almost to the last stop, it rained. Umbrellas were not part of the tour kit unfortunately. Of course I am a Girl Scout so I’m always ready. I would have loved to stay longer at every spot. But four cultural heritage sites with varying distance in one day couldn’t be possible. Nevertheless, Kyoto is fantastic.