I manage to get on just in time. The ship departs and I bid Japan's largest island goodbye. Inside the ferry, I find a little spot to take a little nap and eat my daily combini junk.
Shikoku's Valley
I heard this island is mostly rural and wild. But, as I get off the boat, only city greets me. That....and the wind.
The city eventually ends, but a long stretch of semi-urbanized area follows Route 192, the road I am on. To my left is a rail line where once in a while semi-empty single-car trains pass by.
The wind is ridiculous. How can it be that whenever it shows itself, it always has to push against and never with me? I push hard but Kazē holds me back at a slow pace.
It becomes the usual race against time as the sun begins to set. It gets really cold as soon as our star disappears behind the two mountain chains that hug this river valley. I imagine wind personified as the ancients used to, perhaps as some deity sitting on the tallest peak at the end of the valley, blowing gusts my way with some magical amphora. Merciless and unyielding, regardless of what I say, or do, the wind keeps at it.
The day is tough, and although physically I am tired from yesterday's rush, I make it to the small town of Miyoshi just as darkness descends.
More Luck
I stop to take out my rear light. I have to place it on my very helmet as it will not show on the bike as my backpack covers it. But....after all the kilometers I did, I am rewarded with disaster. My helmet's little clip comes off as I take the helmet off my head.....falls to the ground, in the only manner so that it bounces perfectly down the bridge I am on. My helmet is useless like this. What the hell........I say. I look up and say...cmon, really? A nice passer-by tries to help me look for it, but wouldn't you know it....the clip fell right into a mess of bushes and dead leaves below. Lost forever.
Wonderful Ryokan
I leave that mess behind and look for a hotel. I am cold, I am sweaty, and I am hungry. Thanks to my loss, I am also a bit frustrated. After trying 2 hotels with no luck, I stumble upon a tiny little ryokan (Japanese style inn) where a nice little old lady, the owner, allows me to stay the night for only about $30! Sweet!
I Take Care of It
The ryokan is as old fashioned and traditional as it gets. Zero luxury, but 100% character. The lady prepares my ofuro (hot bath) and I enjoy my daily bliss as I massage my aching muscles.
I get dressed and find a bike shop. Boom. Just like that, I get the kind bike shop owner to sell me the little clip I need for just 10 bucks. I forgo fixing all the other problems I have with my bike. I am starving.
Miyoshi Hospitality
I wonder the tiny deserted town's streets in the freezing night in search for food but cannot find anything open. A nice lady asks me what I am looking for and after telling her, she points me somewhere. After not finding the restaurant, I bump into her again and this time she brings me from restaurant to restaurant in search of an open one. Eventually she finds me a to-go joint and tells me to come to her house and eat it. How do I respond? Of course I go eat at her house, this is how you make a stranger into a friend!
At her place, I meet her husband. I devour my two meals I ordered as we chat away. I don't speak Japanese, they don't speak anything but Japanese.....but it's no problem.
I tell them my story, show them my trip's pictures and we have a great time. They even invite their silly looking friend over to meet me! They are surprised at all the stories I tell them but eventually, I say my goodbyes. I am physically wrecked! I need sleep. The two men walk me back to the ryokan, and I promise to stop by the friendly town of Miyoshi again if I ever come back to Shikoku.
I am hating the natural challenges here in Shikoku (aka: the wind), but I am loving the inhabitants friendly and open personalities. Let's see what tomorrow brings....
98km
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