September 25, 2024
Errands and encounters
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A day in Sapporo would have been lovely, but Chitose has its own charms. We crossed the Chitose River a few times, found some other parks to hang out in, and generally made a nice day of it.
Most of all, we had business to take care of.
We had slept incredibly well. A solid nine hours. The sun rose at 5:30am, which was good news because it had set at 5:30pm last night, much to our surprise.
I forgot to mention yesterday that we practically had the campground to ourselves. There was only one other camper, off in the scarab section. There was a bike outside the tent, but we weren't sure if that meant we were sharing the place with another bike tourist. It turns out we were. His name is Yuta, and he approached us both to say hello and to offer the leftovers of his camp stove gas canister. All of a sudden we had oodles of fuel. One less item to look for today!
Yuta was heading back to his home near Kobe today. He had completed a bike/hike tour of Hokkaido, and was going to make a quick run to Lake Shikotsu (where we'll also visit tomorrow) before heading to the airport. We exchanged contact info so that maybe we can visit him in about a month.
After that, it was off to Daiso to be dazzled by the discounts. We'd hardly set off for town when our stomachs started growling, and if you're a bike tourist, you know what that means: SECOND BREAKFAST! This was a sign that we're adjusting to the new time zone.
We struck out at the first bakery we found. For some reason they were doing take out only, and we wanted to sit. The second bakery was similar, but it was near a park, so we got our coffee to go. We're fickle beasts.
We stopped at a supermarket just to check it out. We were so overwhelmed by the variety of products available and the slight differences in shopping culture that we only lasted about five minutes before we abandoned all hope and made a beeline (we are bees, after all) for the exit.
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After these distractions we arrived Daiso for another dose of sensory overload, but at least we were on a bona fide mission. We bought a new knife, a tarp, a couple of toiletry bags, some rope, and a couple of other small things that caught our eye. I thought that Daisos in Korea were well-stocked, but they have nothing on Japan's.
We stopped by Nanba Cycles, which is famous for helping folks who need bike boxes. We figured we'd see if they could take a look at my wife's front disc brake that I sort of screwed up. A sign on the door said that they were closed to participate in an exhibit of some sort. Too bad. We really wanted to give them our business.
It was finally time to have a quality meal. We wanted to try out this curry soup place, but accidentally ended up at the ramen shop next door. It was a happy accident, for sure. The broth was rich and salty. Just what the doctor ordered.
I had spotted another bike shop on the map that was close to our campground, so we tried them. They turned out to be super helpful, not only fixing the brakes on my wife's bike, but also giving it a once-over, tightening bolts that my multitool couldn't torque down enough, pumping the tires up to the proper PSI, etc. All for no charge. We bought a few things we sort of needed from them. A good exchange for everyone, I think.
We returned to our camp site, changed clothes, and headed on foot for the onsen. We're used to the Korean version, which is different enough that each we faced a few head-scratching moments as we headed off into our separate facilities. We made the best of it, got nice and clean, and enjoyed a good soak as a bonus. I wouldn't count it among my favorite experiences, but considering that almost no campgrounds have showers, onsens are going to be something of a godsend for us.
No sooner did we return to our tent, when we bumped into a very tall Westerner, Stuart. He's American, and his wife Beer is Thai. We ate dinner together at a nice covered picnic area, spending a couple hours sharing stories and getting to know one another. They're also just finishing up their bike tour of Hokkaido, and they had good advice to share. Coincidentally, they set up their tent in the exact same spot Yuta had set up his!
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3 weeks ago
Later Peter apologized for calling him a bean-like figure. But as you saw for yourself, it was a fitting description.
3 weeks ago
3 weeks ago
3 weeks ago
Tomorrow is the first day of actual touring, and we're giddy with anticipation. Wish us luck!
Today's ride: 17 km (11 miles)
Total: 28 km (17 miles)
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