Away to Adelaide

So it's goodbye to the Land of the Rising Sun and incredibly clean toilets (that have electronically warmed seats) and off to the barbecue country of the world. But, before then, we dip over to Gion by bus to see the more authentic Geisha district. Our guide from yesterday did say that geisha who live here do have regular customers who they will entertain and there is no way you can get to see or meet a geisha unless invited by a customer. Apparently it's not like the old days, where geisha were effectively prostitutes, but now it's more entertainment through singing and dancing, although our guide suggested the geisha and customers may be more than just good friends. We alight the bus and firstly have a beer in a quite nice bar in one of the side streets. After that we walk through the old district and, to be fair, it's all pretty seedy - many nightclubs and bars that open only in the evening and a few massage signs that look rather dubious. We do see some entrances where only VIP are allowed and this is where a geisha may work. So, not particularly glamourous, but neither is Soho in London!

Now it's off to the airport and onto Australia. We can't wait to tie a kangaroo down sport and blow a didgeridoo.