November 1, 2024
Day 37: Murou to Konzojicho (travel day)
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The storm was traveling towards Shikoku faster than predicted. For the time being, however, we were stoked, because the warm breeze preceding it not only let us lounge around in T-shirts, but it also kept our tent bone dry.
Michael didn't join us for coffee, as he seemed to be in more of a hurry than us. He did come up to say farewell and to exchange contact info. We wish him well on his further journeys!
We also wanted to outrun the rain. We packed more efficiently than usual and gave ourselves just enough time to catch the 8:10 ferry to Takamatsu. When it landed, it spit out more freight trucks than I thought could ever fit into a boat that size. It was a veritable clown car.
Maybe the secret to its capacity is the elephant theme that pervades throughout. Apparently every commercial ferry in Japan must have a theme of some sort.
I didn't feel any rain when I walked outside. The deck was wet, but it could have been wet for any number of reasons. Maybe we were going to out-ride the rain after all.
It was more than thirty kilometers to the guesthouse, so I knew the odds were actually quite slim. The sprinkles I felt as we left the port at Takematsu gave me hope that it might stay this way for the next couple of hours. I delayed getting my rain gear from the pannier. I guess it's proof that I'm an optimist. Or maybe I'm just lazy.
The rain came, I grudgingly got all the gear out, and we trudged along. There were a couple routing hiccups, but nothing major. We had gotten into a residential area that made us feel like we'd never find a konbini, but our patience eventually paid off with a roadside Lawson. I hung most of my stuff out to dry on the bike. We went to the seating area inside and set up camp. We bought a few items to justify our stay, then ate and drank, letting the power of evaporation work its magic. We do such things in the States all the time, but here it felt like an act of reckless abandon. I can picture the clerk just shaking his head as he mops up the drips and drops we left on the floor. What choice did we have?
We were enjoying the drying process so much that we barely noticed that the rain had stopped entirely. If things had instead worsened, we might have stayed there all day.
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We arrived at the guesthouse shortly after 1:00. With checkin starting at 4:00, we had some time to kill. The original plan was to park our bikes either at the guesthouse, or at the adjacent train station, and then hop on a train to Takematsu to hang out somewhere indoors for a while. Well, the trains don't come by all that often, and it takes anywhere between 45 and 75 minutes to get to the city.
We were soon greeted by Robin, a German traveler who had the same idea as us, at least as far as arriving to the guesthouse early. We talked for a while, discussing various options. While the two of us decided to grab lunch at a nearby curry shop, he chose to stay under a covered area at the guesthouse to wait it out.
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The curry place was great. The dishes are from scratch, and it's served with brown rice. A rare thing, in our experience. We ate as slowly as we could. Then we visited another konbini to buy tomorrow's breakfast.
When we returned shortly after 3:00, another guest, Almog, had arrived. The four of us now waited together, sometimes talking, sometimes researching stuff on our phones. What were we researching? Mostly what indoor activities were available within walking, busing, or train distance.
The owner arrived right at 4:00. She gave us all the welcome speech at the same time. I suppose that someone who runs a guesthouse must have decent English skills. Hers were top-notch.
After a nice shower, we went out in the now-pouring rain to an udon place. That was the extent of our travels today. We'll catch a train to Takamatsu early tomorrow morning. Can you believe we've been in Japan for more than five weeks, and have yet to any sort of train anywhere? That's got to be a record of some kind.
I feel like we're in a holding pattern right now. It's not a bad feeling. It's just different, and my mind hasn't adjusted to the change yet. I'd like to go for a long ride on Sunday without the panniers. The thought of that keeps me moving forward. Let's see what happens.
Today's ride: 34 km (21 miles)
Total: 2,157 km (1,339 miles)
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