DAY 5: To Sapporo

The nice couple from last night, who treated me to dinner, comes inside the michinoeki (highway rest stop) to say hello. Yoshie and Saito are their names. Kindest people. Good hearted and generous. Because of people like them I am not hating Japan. The general population, at least here in Hokkaido never smile back, wave or act welcoming. At times it is so frustrating that I want to go somewhere else. But thenI meet people like Yui, Horii, Yoshie, Saito and the bikers from Teshio, and quickly remember why I love Japan. Hokkaido is Japan's.....how can I put it nicely.......backyard. Most of the action is going on somewhere else. There's a lot of green though. Give me Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto and I will be truly excited. Hokkaido you really are naturally beautiful, but having a mentality from the middle ages......it kind of makes you a bit, ugly.

Harsh, unforgiving, rough around the edges and in a different time.....all correct. I should have heeded the warnings of those that crossed this place before.

No worries though. Dylan, a fellow cyclist who I did not manage to meet halfway in the end told me today that this will have its ups and down....literally as well as emotionally. That, is certainly true.

More Country
I keep riding. No rain, just mist so thick this I could nit see the end of the road. Nice weather comes after 10am and I have plenty of kms. It is a good day. I woke up at 5am, so I am on schedule. However, almost a week if endless countryside is becoming monotonous. I wonder, when the first big city will come.

Be Careful What You Wish For
Sapporo is within sight. Hokkaido's capital and largest city by far. The road I take quickly begins to fill with cars. Things getthe busy. Light, stop, light, honk. A mix of signs and people fill the roads. Then rain, which makes it to travel as my phone must not get wet.

Familiarity, I Enjoy You
Then as it about to pour, a McDonalds. I decide to forgo Japanese food for fast food. I need to try it.

I order a burger. Deliciously bad. A bit different as I expected. Companies like CocaCola and fast foods cater to different palates in different countries. Japan's Mickey-Ds is delish. A bit sweeter in taste, and better quality meat, in my humble opinion as aswarm fast food aficionado.

Tom the Couchsurfer
I call Tom, a kind stranger who's letting me stay the night. He says to come over quickly as he has to go to back to work. I brave the streets again under the falling rain. I stop at a light and manage to lose my balance. In front of me are 5 workmen fixing something. The sight of me falling makes them laugh but they attempt to help. This happens at least once per day as my bike is as heavy as a tank. Nothing major, not even a cut, just a slightly bruised pride.

I finally reach Tom's place. This is where I am now, relaxing on his couch as he went back to work. The coldness of some strangers, the kindness of others.

By the way, excuse my formatting. I got another blogging app on my phone, so hopefully it works better. Unfortunately it seems it is impossible to move and comment pics&vids. Sigh...

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4