Bike Tracks

Amanohashidate

Day 281

My time in Kyoto was much to short for my liking. There was so much more to see and do and we were only allowed one day. This morning we board a bus for the beginning of the Japanese bicycle leg from hell.

The bus trip was only supposed to be 3 hours, it turned out to be 6 hours. We stopped once at a huge highway “rest stop” for lunch. It was an interesting mix of traditional Japanese, American food, fruits vegetables, ice cream, dried and fresh fish.

Val and Al are sporting new outfits. Al the Shogun Warrior and Val the Survivor “Don’t Vote Me out!” What does it all mean?

It took 5 buses to carry us all to Amanohashidate. The buses rode together in caravan fashion, which drove me crazy because they would stop and wait for each other. It just didn’t seem the efficient way to do things. Each bus had a driver and a young woman who wore a uniform. It was the young women’s job to stand outside the bus and direct the driver via hand waving and a whistle when he had to park or back up. She also counted the passengers and stood by the exit greeting us all upon entrance and exit. That was her job.

We were taken to the end of a dead end tourist street and told to “please take all your belongings and get off the bus.” We did. In town there were hundreds of Japanese tourists and these 4 bus loads of American Cyclist (without bikes) roaming the streets. We were not given direction or communication of any kind. Some folks were grabbing there luggage and totting it off in various directions, one to include the Buddhist Temple at the end of the street. We couldn’t find a camp ground anywhere.

Finally after 25 minutes of confusion, Tim showed up. He gatherer the Japanese bus drivers into a corner and told them all at once, “This is a mistake. Get your people, get back on the bus and take them to the campground which is 1/2 kilometer back up the street.”

It was a pretty funny scene. Riders had to be gathered up from the corners of this town and put back on the bus. These huge buses had to turn around on this narrow little dead end street, one by one made their exits, with the help of the bus ladies in uniform and their whistles.

Score one for the language barrier.

The bus drivers to their credit did get us to the camp ground. It’s no wonder they missed it the first time, I would have missed it too. Most people figure “International Cyclist” would stay in a nice fancy place, not a field or a parking lot. The campground was not fancy, it barely passed for a campground even though I must admit it had a couple tents on it. Within 30 minutes, every square inch of ground space had a tent within 1 foot of it. We packed them in.

Amanohashidate ~ October 9, 2000

Day 282 layover

We all chuckled at the thought of having a “layover day” after riding a bus for 6 hours. Just the same, it was nice to have a day off. My temporary tent mate, Stephanie and I decided the wise thing was to do our laundry first and get it out to dry. So we did our loads, by hand and got everything hung up before we took a shower for the day. There’s nothing like doing a bunch of laundry to cause a case of home sickness early in the morning. When I get home I’m going to kiss my washer and dryer.

The laundry sinks were located next to the inlet. All the while we were doing the laundry, hundreds of Japanese folks were doing a weekend “2 day march” for something or other. They passed by all decked out in walking shoes and back packs with little tags on the back. The march was a total of 40 kilometers over 2 days. Apparently it is a big deal thing today, because I think half of Japan passed us by this morning.

Al the Shogun Warrior sat on top of the tent watching the parade. He got more chuckles and smiles that day than ever before. He was the most photographed guy in the country.

My chores complete, I set off for town to rent a bike. I discovered I wasn’t the only one missing my bike, dozens of other riders were doing the same thing as me. Of course we had to put the seat up and even with doing so, it wasn’t high enough for me. Oh well, I’m not going very far, thank goodness!

My exploration took me over the bridges and on the island with the distant shore on the other side my destination. The long island was a bicycle and foot path (see picture map above). On the opposite shore was the mountain where you climb to see the “stairway to heaven.”

I met Paula, a staff person on the other side and we went up the chairlift instead of climbing the stairs. It was a cute little single chair lift, never going very far above the ground. The ride up took only a few relaxing minutes.

Once on top, hundreds of tourists were lining up to step on the platform, bend over and look at the view from between their legs. By doing this you would see the “stairway to heaven.” It was such a funny site to see everyone doing this. I was glad I had heard about it before seeing them do it.

Amanohashidate was an interesting place to spend a day. At night I and a huge contingent searched out a bath house in a local hotel. It was the most luxurious experience I have had bath housing so far. We enjoyed sitting in an outdoor pool made of rocks. It was esthetic garden pool with plants even a few benches to stretch out on.

Dickie came into camp that night with a can of Pocari Sweat, yummy?

We arrived at the hotel just prior to noon, local time. We lost an hour on the clock and had been traveling via bus and/or plane for the past 26 hours. I am wound up, our hotel is located across the street from a Japanese Castle, it looks wonderful, with pagoda like guard houses on each corner. This is going to be a cool place to stay.

Our room was amusing, everything was on a small scale, I felt like I was in Lilliputanville! The ceiling in the hallway could be reached by merely raising my arm. The toilet and sink were both very low to the ground. Even the beds were short and low. It was perfect for my room mate Shelli, who is a tiny, little size person.
It was lunchtime, so a group of us opted to find a local noodle house, not to far from the hotel. We were lucky to have Sara Lindsey with us, a lady who had lived in Japan for four years, and to our absolute delight, spoke Japanese! We set off for our latest adventure.
Sitting on the floor, we ordered from a Japanese menu, thankfully the pictures shed some light as to what we were getting!
Upon entering the restaurant, we encountered a row of shoes. It was an obvious reminder to remove our shoes prior to entering the room. We obliged, carefully stowing our shoes in a row. We choose our places, sitting on pillow like mats on the floor. My knees were not happy.

In the evening after dinner Sara took us to a neighborhood bath house. It was my first time going to one, as well as the others in my group.

We entered the property via an open door, shrouded with the fabric panels hanging half way down from the top. There were places to store our shoes, lockers, shelves and also the floor. I took mine off and placed them in a locker. In the meantime we were welcomed by a little Japanese lady who instructed us in Japanese what to do next. At least she instructed Sara, who in turn directed us.

Inside we paid 350 Yen ($3.50) for the bath with a towel, which looked to be a large wash cloth. We were given plastic baskets in which to store our clothing, then provided with yet another locker. The attendant handed each of us a plastic bowl/bucket and a bar of soap. Normally, the locals bring their own towels and toiletries. Being “gaijin” (foreigners) we obviously needed all the amenities provided. She determined our needs and filled them.

Sara explained Japanese customs to us. They people look for and provide “harmony” at all costs. They do not want anyone to “lose face” so they never call attention to mistakes and help each other along if things, like bringing your own towel to a bath house are overlooked.

We saw examples of this over and over again. If we got lost, they would take us, sometimes by the hand and show us the way. My pieced ear ring popped off my ear onto the floor in the bath house. When the women was I needed help looking for it, they were down on their hands and knees with me looking for it. When I finally found it wrapped in my hair, they cheered. It was such a team effort, so supportive and warm.

The dressing room was adjacent to the cashiers stand, men had their area to the right, women to the left. Standing at the cashiers stand, one could see directly into either side. Dressing in privacy was not an issue for these people. Nakedness is not a big deal. For us, we could stand off to the side to seek privacy, then rush to the inner room where the water was located.

In addition to the lockers, the dressing room was full of mirrors, it looked very much like an old fashioned beauty salon. They had those old bee hive chair hair dryers lined up against a small portion of the wall. It was a busy place, with supplies and things stored all over.

Inside the bath room were several tubs, hot, hotter and hottest. Each side of the wall was lined with facets about 10 inches from the floor. The procedures of washing were done in a kneeling or sit-down position. Just above the facet was a shower head, it too was only above my head, when I was kneeling.

In one corner there was a sauna that would seat about 6 or 7 ladies, it was a very hot sauna, probably the hottest I have ever encountered. Just outside the sauna was another tub, this one had cold water in it. On the interior wall there was shower enclosure that once the door was shut you could push a button then water would spray at you in various pressures and temperatures. You could only control the “on” switch, after that you had to take what came. It was a screaming experience!

The most amazing part of this whole experience was watching these beautiful Japanese women of all shapes, sizes and ages go through their bathing ritual. I do mean ritual. They gracefully soap their body parts with such determination and purpose. It is if they are covered in an inch thickness of clay and the only way it will come off is to gently scrub it off lathering and re-lathering until it is all gone. We were there for 2 hours, while we enjoyed all the tubs over and over, their was one young lady scrubbing her body the whole time. She was almost in a Zen like trance, so methodically graceful.

Of course us Americans did the once over lather then into the tubs for fun and relaxation. We didn’t wash nearly as well as the locals and I fear they must think of us as “dirty”. But then I did take a shower before I went to the bath house. How dirty could I be?

After an evening of relaxation, I was addicted to the Japanese bath house and made a vow to enjoy one everyday that I could when in the country. The experience was even better than I imagined it would be.

Kyoto layover day

October 6, 2000

The plot has thickened, tonight at dinner we were told that our bicycles are having such a good time in Kuala Lumpur, they have decided not to join us in Japan. We will be busing from camp to camp on the Japanese leg of our bicycle tour. Guess you can say the bikes have gone “off route”.

Seriously though, Tim of TKA told us he can get the bikes into Japan, but cannot assure us that he can get them out on time for our tour of China. In addition we will be leaving Japan on 4 different air carriers from 3 different locations in the country for Hong Kong. A rider put this in simpler terms; Our exodus from Japan will be the same as hiring someone to fly you from Los Angeles to San Francisco. When the trip day comes, you are bused to Denver, board a plane to fly to Oakland via Honolulu your are taken by ferry to San Francisco. . Thus making the trip 2 or more times as long and far as necessarily. Kind of like flying to Kuala Lumpur from Cairns to get to Osaka.

How are folks handling the news? Some are absolutely furious others don’t care. I am planning to stick with the group and see what adventures are to follow. It’s Zen to go with the flow.

The Kyoto layover day was exciting. With Sara’s guidance, we purchased all day bus passes and set out to see the famous Kiyomizu-Dera Buddhist Temple.

We were walking thru the Gion District the home of the famous Tea Houses and the setting for the most recent book “Memoirs of a Geisha.”

It was exciting to remember parts of a favorite book while being there.

On the way to the temple we passed various shops selling Japanese souvenirs. Silk sack type purses in every size and color are very popular, as well as beautiful Japanese fans and many confectionery shops. The food places offered us samples of their goodies. I enjoyed the Yatsuhachi a confectionery with bean curd paste filled with a cinnamon chocolate. They look like uncooked ravioli and were very tasty.

The Kiyomizu Temple is located high above the city on Mt. Otowa, on the eastern slope of the city. The picturesque Temple can be seen from blocks away, distinguished by it’s lovely pagoda roof. Kiyomizu is one of Japan’s most popular tourist spots, therefore teeming with tourists. I was surprised to see how commercialized the temple was. The surrounding shops on the temple grounds were selling all sorts of paraphernalia. To enter the Temple, we were required to pay a small fee, then another fee to enter another section of the Temple that is only open every 30 years.

As we entered a gentleman handed us a plastic bag to stow our shoes in while we carried them thru the Temple. Upon exiting, we returned the bag to him to be recycled. We all trod barefoot through the Temple. The crowds prevented us from stopping for long, but we did manage to see a few Buddha’s and some very mean looking warrior type guys. No photos were allowed inside!

My day ended with another wonderful experience at a Japanese bath. The story of getting there is of interest. We had planned to go directly after dinner, but I got involved “substituting” for someone in a Scrabble game. My friends were ready to leave to the bath house before the game was over, so I told them to go ahead, I’ll catch up. Later Shelli came back to tell me our “normal” bath house was closed tonight and showed me the location on a map of another, where they would meet me.

It was at least an hour before the Scrabble game ended. I headed off towards the bath house, my toiletries bag in tow. Following my map and counting the blocks, I went to where I thought the bath house should be. Of course my map, the streets and all the signs are in Japanese, there are no English letters anywhere. I was not able to find a bath house, smell soap or get any other clues. Finally I saw a well lit store that appears to be a Japanese 7-11. I walked in hoping to find an English speaking sales clerk.

As I stepped in line behind the store’s only customer, the gentleman behind the cash register looked at me and before I could utter a word he said, “Japanese bath house for American Cyclist!” I was stunned, but figured my friends must have been here asking for directions too. He took my map, drawing on it where I was and where I needed to go. Then he led me back out to the street and got me started in the right direction. Within 2 blocks I found the bath house, exactly where he said it would be. My friends were there and were they ever surprised to see me. They had all but given up when they found the place with the help of a pedestrian. None of them had talked to my helpful guy at the “7-11”, how he knew who I was and what I wanted I can only guess. It remains a mystery to me!

My second night in a bath house was just as delightful as the first. Bathing in this manner is a Japanese tradition I am becoming addicted too.

We flew from Cairns on the northeast coast of Australia over the top of Australia northwest across Indonesian air space to Malaysia. Changing from a charter to commercial airlines in Kuala Lumpur we traveled back to the northeast over Philippines and Taiwan to Osaka, Japan. It was a long journey.
Our bikes are still in Kuala Lumpur, they will follow us in the next couple days via air freight to Amanohashidate (Miyazu), hopefully in time for us to start riding!

Australia to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Singapore to Osaka, Japan

Day 279

Four countries in one day is one fast tour! I am glad we are going back for close up looks at both Malaysia and Singapore. Their airports impressed me to no end. Kuala Lumpur has a spectacular, knockout airport that puts anything I’ve seen to date to shame. I only had two hours there passing through customs and immigration to change planes, but it wasn’t enough time to get to see everything. The structure is impressive in design and size. There are upscale shops surpassing any mall in the U.S. and all this in just an airport. Of course Kuala Lumpur now boasts the tallest twin towers in the world, so I guess they must know how to attract visitors.

I was assigned to flight on the JAL #722 that was stopping in Singapore. It was a longer flight because of that reason, but it was a pleasant one. We had to deplane in the Singapore airport so the crew could come on and clean the plane. We then took on a full plane of passengers, it was a tight fit for a rather long flight. At the airport I found a A & W Stand and treated myself to my favorite, root beer float. Lucky for me I had a few American dollars in my pocket, and they accepted it (of course!) I sat on a bench watching American Golf on a thin screen TV with American Rock & Roll playing in the background. It was all too familiar I had to remind myself I was in Singapore!

My first realization of a culture change arrived at breakfast. My tray of Glutinous Rice, Jelly Salted Sea Cod, Japanese Pickles, Omelet and Fruit didn’t resemble any breakfast I was familiar with. The omelet was so small at 1 by 1 1/2 ” oblong, it was precisely two bites for me. The Glutinous Rice was tasty but so glutinous it was glued to the bottom of the dish, I had to scrape it off with my chop stick. I stabbed the Omelet in an effort to break it in two, later learning that using chop sticks for stabbing is not proper etiquette! The correct way is to grasp the food between the chop sticks and nibble on it.
Unfamiliar as it was, breakfast was tasty, but not filling. It became very clear to me why the Japanese are small people, they don’t eat much and what they do eat, is not fattening. I overheard comments around the plane, “it’s going to be a long 10 days!” They were referring to the food, the chop sticks and the culture shock we were entering. It’s going to be different I know, but I’m looking forward to it.

Bring on Japan, I’m ready!

With 10,000 Yen I felt momentarily rich! (just a tad over $100) cashed in a travelers check at the airport. My first very pleasant experience with a Japanese vendor. The man behind the counter, scrutinized the checks to make sure they were done correctly, then placed my Yen on a tray. As he handed it to me with both hands he bowed.

He treated me with such respect I felt very honored.

These people are naturals for providing customer service!

I love it!

Our last night in Nanning, Tim Kneeland led a meeting telling us that Odyssey would go on with only the people who would pay the additional $3000. Tim tried to justify his decision by giving a cost list of some of the flights and the projected increases the airlines had experienced. Curiously the overage was almost the same amount of people who had paid in full and never took the trip.

The insulting part was the fact that the airline cost sheet excluded the first two flights of our year in which TK&A did not charter large enough airplanes and ended up having to charter 3 additional planes to take us and the gear. It was very obvious to me that we were now paying for his poor judgment and lack of planning. To me an expense like this should be absorbed by the business person who made it. Or if not possible he should at least recognize it and apologize. Instead it was swept under the rug.

When Larry and I paid for this trip, we never in a million years thought we were paying for a trip that had yet to be organized. The most significant details had not yet been priced, sized or worked out. It was an extremely careless way to run a business.

I decided that I would not be paying another dime to be mismanaged. I can do THAT myself!

Binyang to Nanning

Day 301

We had a wonderful experience catching up today on an Express bus. They picked all 19 of us up at our hotel in Liuzhou as a special request. The bus then went to the station to be filled with other passengers.

This bike was a roving salad bar, selling interesting food from plastic boxes.

In addition to a driver, we had a lovely young girl who’s job was to “take care” of us. She offered newspapers, in English actually to us westerners, then provided bottled water and a motion sickness pill if wanted! As we entered the freeway, she came along and insisted we all put on our seat belts! I felt as though I was on an airline!

We got to watch music videos and the movie, “You’ve Got Mail” during the trip. It was so pleasant, the time passed quickly. All this for a cost of 50 yuan, $6.25! It was a bargain.

As we approached our destination city of Nanning, I noticed the skyline filled with tall buildings. This was the largest city I have been to in China and probably the most modern. It was teeming with people.

The streets were very wide and relatively clean, compared to the other places we have been. There were separate bike, motor scooter and auto lanes. All were congested and full of people.

I am always fascinated at the multitude of ways bikes can be used. In China they are a very common mode of transportation for just about anything. Entire careers are built from the seat of a bike.

This lady carried a household store around on hers. She was the Chinese Tupperware Fuller Brush Lady!

Air pollution filled the air in China.

Our hotel was the tops in China and perhaps right up there in the world ranking. We were going to exit China in style, I love it!

Entering the lobby, I noticed a bride and groom having their photos taken. Naturally curious I stopped to watch, then as I looked around I noticed more and more couples. All told there were 100 brides and grooms who had just been married in out hotel! It was so unreal, almost as though a Bride Magazine was doing a photo shoot!

The couples were all so adorable! All the women wore long white gowns with veils and flowers in their hair. It was curious to see that many wore red high heels, but later that evening I understood why. As they changed from their white gowns they donned striking red Chinese style dresses with mandarin colors and slits up the side. Talk about sexy! Wow, did they look stunning!

I asked Marco why there were so many. His response “it was a special day”. Apparently the hotel gives a “bridal package” so many couples get married at the same time. The hotel was perking with photographers and later in the day the families showed up for one huge banquet dinner. It was such a happy place.

The couples gathered in the lobby, waiting for photo opportunities.

I went to dinner tonight expecting to attend a meeting afterwards. Tonight was to be the final discussion as to how TK&A was to handle the end of Odyssey. On the way to dinner I met a few other riders and learned from the “white board” that some of our passports were not back yet, so we would not be leaving in the morning. We would be stuck at this 5 star hotel another day. (Oh well!)

I was disappointed to learn the meeting had also been cancelled, forcing the group to spend yet another day in anxiety. This lack of communication was annoying and sad. Our group is splintering and it’s not a good feeling. We want to end this trip on a high note, not one of anger and frustration.

After dinner I was hopping from group to group socializing. At one point someone mentioned getting a fabulous “foot massage” here in the hotel. I was curious so I asked her to show me where she had gone to get it. She took me downstairs and outside to a salon in the hotel’s building. As we walked in the door, the staff clustered around us to try and learn what it was we wanted. No one could speak English. It was at this moment I decided “what the heck, I’ll get my hair cut!”

I’ve been thinking about getting my haircut when I get home to the states. It has not been trimmed or tended this year at all. It has grown wild and unwieldy with sun bleached ends that feel like straw. I know my hairdresser back home (Hi Allison!) will just cluck her tongue at me. My hair is looking awful!

So it was at this moment, in a foreign country on the opposite side of the world where I cannot communicate verbally, I made the decision to cut it off! Talk about living on the wild side! I who normally drive 120 miles round trip to go to someone I trust and can count on not to terrorize me. Getting my hair cut is more traumatic then public speaking or flying in huge 747’s off short, high altitude runways. Yet here I was and I was ready.

The gentleman behind the counter grabbed a price list and put in front of my face. From this list the only thing I could read were the prices, the rest was in Chinese. He helped me out by pointing to 2 choices. One for a fee of 60 yuan and the other for a fee of 80 yuan. I asked what the difference was. He could not explain, but he made a telephone call.

An adorable tiny little girl (women) led me to a chair along the wall and motioned for me to sit there. I did and she put a cape around my neck. It was getting to late to change my mind. After a few minutes I was motioned to come to the telephone. Oh good! They found someone to speak English to me, I felt a sigh of relief.

The person on the other phone asked my in broken English if I preferred the 60 or 80 yuan procedure. I asked back, “what was the difference.” She told me “the 80 yuan procedure is better.”

No kidding! My response was, “I would assume so. Can you tell me what each offers?” The voice said “the 80 yuan is more better, you will like it.” Great, I was so worried, but now we had that settled. I motioned for the 80 yuan procedure. Why not, it’s only $2.50 more!

Back to my assigned seat I went. The adorable little women proceeded to dose my hair with soap, without ever putting my hair under the water. Within a few minutes my head was lathered up in a rich lather of suds, she was massaging my scalp. Oh my, that felt good!

The massage continued for at least 25 minutes. She used various techniques of rubbing, scratching and snapping my hair and skin. It was the most incredible shampoo I have ever experienced. When that part was over, she led my to a wash basin where the soap was rinsed off. As she finished she took a towel and wrapped it around my head at the same time putting her fingers in my ears (in unison) to dry the ears completely before helping me sit up. She was very systematic and smooth.

But the massage was not done. I was moved to a mirrored station, where she continued to massage my head then she moved down to my neck, shoulders, arm, back, hands and fingers. It was a mass of relaxed pulp when she finished it had been an hour since she started. At this point, I could have cared less what he did to my hair!

I was moved to the “main” station. The man who was to cut my hair had been cutting men’s hair while I was being massaged. I watched him and was very impressed with the focus and precision of his work. Every guy that left his chair had a gorgeous haircut when he left. I did not worry at all.

Since my hairdresser had no clue as to what I wanted and I wasn’t sure I could just motion what I wanted, I decided to take out my business card. My photo on my business card shows me with a haircut I like about 4 years ago. I figured it was a good start.

He looked at the photo and was delighted to have a guide. Actually the entire staff came over to look at my photo. They were impressed, they looked at my old photo and me now and couldn’t believe that person was me. I told them it was my high school photo, they all said, “Ah!” I’m sure that’s what they were thinking anyway!

He took his scissors and started to cut, I just passed the point of no return. My hair fell to the floor in large chunks, in a few minutes it looked like a long haired dog was sleeping beneath my feet. My sun bleached locks were gone.

My new hairdresser took an hour to fully perfect my new do. He did an awesome job, not only do I look like my picture, he did it for 80 yuan! (Allison that’s less than $10!)

So the good news is I have a great new do and a terrific new stylist. The bad news is, he’s halfway around the world! OK, Allison, you are safe!

Tonight I think I will go back for the foot massage. I’m a believer!

A statue representing China’s past and future.

In retrospect Australia was a highlight of my trip

The people were so friendly and genuinely glad to see us. In Sydney all we had to do was open a map to check our direction and folks would stop to help us. They went out of their way to make sure we had a good impression of their country.

The American dollar was very strong against the Aussie dollar, so strong in fact we have twice the buying power. That sure helped make Australia affordable. Australia would be a great place to retire, property is plentiful and cheap. Living on the ocean could be a strong possibility. The only drawback is the distance, the country is so far away from home and family.

Given the choice, I would not make Australia a bicycling destination. The country is just too huge and gets very rural fast. The drivers do not like cyclists taking up the road and for the most part do not give an inch. This is a fact I learned within the first 10 minutes on the bike and it never changed the entire time I was on the road in Australia. The sugar cane trucks were hauling 2 and 3 trailers, they sped by without pulling over in the other lane to give us a wider berth. There were so many times when, had I not been aware of the traffic behind me, I could have been seriously injured.

This to me is not a relaxing way to travel. Unfortunately or fortunately, we have gotten used to the traffic, it just depends on how you look at it. I would rather spend my time cycling in a bike friendly country that risk death or dismemberment. It is not a joyful way to ride.

Someday I do hope to return to Australia and drive/fly to all the sights I didn’t see on this trip. It is a wonderful, fun loving country and there is so much more to see.

Cairns Layover

Day 276

Cairns is known as a scuba diving destination for divers from all over the world. Located an hour’s boat ride from the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns makes it’s living offering water sports to tourists. It is a great town to visit, but believe it or not, it does not have a beach! If you want to scuba or snorkel, you must get on one of the many charter vessels and travel out to the reef.

I knew I wanted to see the reef. As a former certified scuba diver I was dying to gear up and dive, but doctor’s orders are “no more diving” since my ear surgery. What a bummer! Here I am in the most sought after scuba location in the world and all I can do is snorkel. Oh well, I could be at home shoveling snow or cleaning the toilet bowl.

Len Beil, one of the Odyssey riders put together a tour for us, getting a discount from the normal fare. It was a nice group of about 20 who joined the boat with about 100 or so others. It was a huge vessel, designed to transport as many bodies to the reef as possible. The interior of the boat had nice high back chairs lining both sides and the middle. There was a bar offering beverages and for free for everyone there was tea and cookies.

The trip out took an hour and a half. We stopped at Green Island to let off a bunch of folks who would be spending the day on land, using the white sand beaches to relax and play. We stayed on and after awhile docked beside a huge pontoon, which would be our location for the day. On the pontoon we found all the equipment needed to snorkel or dive. After the dive we would be welcomed to a lovely buffet lunch with all we could eat.

The ride out was rather bumpy, I preferred to sit outside in the fresh air napping and reading. I ventured inside a couple of times and felt sea sick immediately. The boat seemed to be going so fast and bumpy, it just didn’t agree with my stomach.

One thing I didn’t mention, because I still haven’t told Larry, is I had a little accident this morning. I got up sleepy to use the toilet. When I went to flush, I stepped back to see where the flusher was, while doing so I hit the raised portion of the shower (a very stupid design) and lost my balance, falling backwards into the shower stall, landing on my butt, but bumping my head very hard on the tile wall. It hurt. I saw birds, stars and those little whirly things, but I didn’t black out. My roommate never heard me groan in pain so it’s a good thing! She was fast asleep still.

I got up and crawled back into bed. My head hurt, but I wasn’t sure if I had a concussion. My head worried me but I figured I was OK since I was able to get up and walk. I certainly was unsure if I should go snorkeling, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity. When Bobbie woke up I told her what had happened, she suggested I take some aspirin to reduce the swelling. So that’s why I was a little sea sick on the boat. Guess you could say today would not be a “high energy” day for me either.

I felt better once the big boat docked to the pontoon. The pontoon was a huge beast and it seemed to be better grounded than the big boat. At least it didn’t have the sway to make me nauseas.

Al Young had come up to me and asked it I would snorkel with her, since she couldn’t swim and was scared. I told her my head hurt, but I thought I was OK and would be glad to help her. As it turned out, I enjoyed having someone to help and “talk” through the snorkel experience. She took to it like a fish to water. She was an easy student. We stayed in the water until we were as wrinkled as prunes and starving. It was a great day!

There is so much to see on the reef. You actually don’t even have to move, once you get over the coral, you can just float there looking down at the various ocean life. The more you look the more you see, it is so amazing. I saw two huge sea turtles and a little shark about a meter in length. The fish and coral are so colorful, there are more varieties than I could ever remember or identify.

My favorite was a huge green fish that was as big as a man. He was a real lover too, coming up to the scuba divers below me, letting them pet him. He kept coming back for more, just like a house pet. He enjoyed all the attention.

I was glad I took the time to come out here, even if it was just to snorkel. I will always remember this experience and look forward to the time when I can do it again. It was a great day.

After dinner we had a meeting, Tim announced that we are having problems getting into Japan. It is a long, involved explanation, but bottom line is, we changed airlines and because of the new airlines we need a new landing permit for Kyoto. This permit was supposed to be in 30 days prior to landing. We are supposed to land tomorrow, instead we will be staying in Cairns for at least another 24 hours.

Rumors start to fly immediately and the intrigue continues. Back in Belfast, Tim had cut Japan out of the schedule giving us 10 days in Cairns. He was approached by nearly 100% of the riders who felt that Japan was the impetuous for signing up for the trip. By him changing the schedule, he was using “bait and switch” to get us signed up. Well now, here we are in Cairns thinking we are going to Japan and now on the eve of departure we aren’t. Time will tell if this in an honest mistake. Lord knows we all make them, but after 5 years of planning, how much more can go wrong?

The meeting went smooth. Tim knows many people are very angry with him for his lack of planning, leadership and the way certain things are handled. The list goes on and on. He seems to be trying to change things, but for some his attention is too late, he should have been more attentive 8 months ago.

Cairns ~ Unanticipated Layover

Day 277

My roommates have now informed me I must wear a helmet at all times for safety purposes. They believe I am a menace to myself. If I can get through today without falling, they will reconsider. So, I guess I will be sitting in a chair poolside today. I’ve earned it.

It’s a lazy day for me, time to catch up on the website and take a nap.

At dinner, it was still unclear as to when and if we are going to Japan. We are still having trouble getting permission to land. There has been talk of us just getting on the plane and flying to Kuala Lumpur and waiting there for clearance. Tim said he didn’t like that option because it just uses up more air time. No kidding! Looking at the map, it takes us in a different direction than our goal.

At 8:30 Bobbie and I give up and go to a movie. We figure by the time the movie is over, we will know if we are going or staying tomorrow. In the mean time it’s not much fun hanging around listening to all the rumors and rumbling.

The movie was “High Fidelity” a light humorous and entertaining tale that kept us laughing form start to finish. Just what we needed. Back at camp we found a note taped to the hotel window regarding tomorrow’s schedule. It is a “go!” We are flying to Kuala Lumpur, deplaning then boarding two separate commercial airliners for Kyoto, Japan.

There are two things for me to worry about now, first the flights will end up taking over 24 hours total time until we reach our destination. Yuck! I will have to deal with that as it comes. Thankfully, we arrive in the morning, than have a layover day to recuperate before we are bused to our next destination to catch up with the riding schedule.

Second, we are limited to 35 kilos of luggage. Even after monthly mail outs to home, my bags continue to weigh a ton! I don’t know how much they weigh, but I know I’m not going to make that weight. I really need Larry here so I can use his portion!

Cairns to Kuala Lumpur to Kyoto

Day 278

“My bags are packed I’m ready to go, I’m leavin’ on a jet plane…” runs through my mind. Asia here I come! It was hard to sleep last night, I was too rested and not the least bit tired. I didn’t want to wake my roommates so I just laid in bed, waiting for morning or sleep which ever came first. Sleep came finally a hard, sound sleep that was abruptly disturbed by the rustling of bags being packed. It was time to move.

On the way to the airport, Bob W. offered to help with my “over weight” problem. He and two others had air shipped their bikes and camping gear to Auckland, New Zealand. They were planning to take a private tour through Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia while we cycled. Since he had no significant luggage he was going to help me. Cool! My stuff weighed in at 45.6 kilos! 10.6 kilos over the limit. (25 pounds!)

Overweight, it’s the story of my life!

Wonga Beach Layover

Day 274

It’s the last day of September, I have been on the road for 9 months today. As I reflect back

over the past 9 months I am very proud of what I have been able to accomplish. The trip has turned out differently than I expected in some parts, but in others it has been exactly what I expected. In any event it has never been easy. I am looking forward to the next 3 months with great expectations. I want to finish the trip and be able in future years to recall it as a source of pride. My trip with a bicycle.

The campground at Wonga Beach was a tropical delight located on the Pacific with towering palms trees shielding the tents from the sun. It had a wonderful swimming pool, game room to watch the Olympics and a general store. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less. We were 25 kilometers from any town.

For my layover day it would have been nice to just lounge around and lay on the beach, but then I had never been in Northern Queensland before and may never be again, so I made plans to visit a Rainforest Habitat wildlife sanctuary . I was anxious to see up close all those critters that made the forest so noisy.

At the Habitat I enjoyed the peaceful, cool surroundings while listening to the birds. The entire place was created under a huge screen to duplicate the conditions of a rain forest, but in a convenient location a few hundred meters from the Captain Cook Highway just outside of Port Douglas. They did a great job, when inside it was hard to tell you weren’t actually in a rainforest.

The afternoon was spent exploring the famous town of Port Douglas. It was a nice little tourist village that specialized in water activities, it was an alternative to the larger town of Cairns for folks wanting to see the Great Barrier Reef. I enjoyed window shopping down the street, all the while wishing I was out on a sailboat in the Pacific.

This parrot wanted the sunflower seeds, he was picking them out and ignoring the rest!

Wonga Beach to Cairns

Day 275

Our last day of riding in Australia, it was to be the most beautiful day of all. We had a very short ride of only 99 kilometers riding along the coast to the famous scuba diving destination of Cairns. The sun was shining and a cool breeze was blowing it was a great day. The temperature was climbing, I had discovered on my bike computer a thermometer, it started out reading 28 degrees and before the day was over climbed all the way to 37 degrees, Celsius. What it didn’t tell me was the percent of humidity, it was humid so humid in fact I felt it difficult to move very fast. Fred Drewes came up behind me mentioned I looked to be in a very languid, lazy mood today. He was right.

The heat forced me to stop and enjoy the view more often than I would normally. It was a good thing, because in doing so I got to meet a young mother and her son. They had been at our campground but were on their way home. I met up with them at a lookout point on top of a hill on the Captain Cook Highway. We got into a conversation and I ended up giving her young son an Odyssey pin. He was delighted.

Before I left I asked her if there was a town coming up. The route had been very desolate with the exception of one town, early in the morning. Since then there had not been anyplace to stop and buy a Coke. She told me there were no towns until Cairns! I was obviously disappointed, but then I asked if there was just a refreshment stand to buy a Coke somewhere along the route. She pointed out the beach up the shore where I could go. Great! At least I could look forward to something cold, rather than the tepid water in my camelback.

It was at least an hour before I pulled into the roadside refreshment stand. It was also Checkpoint for the mid-day check-in. As I pulled in alongside the neatly parked row of Odyssey bikes to get off. I was obviously more tired than normal. While dismounting I lost my balance, falling backwards onto a bike while my bike fell on top of me. This caused a domino effect, knocking down 4 more bikes in turn.

I was embarrassed, but unhurt. The entire patio of the restaurant watched, helplessly as I made a clown of myself. All I could do was sit on the ground and laugh. Merlyn the mechanic and some riders came running to help me get up. I wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground, never to return.

To my delight, when I did finally get up, the young boy I’d met earlier was standing there, handing me a bottle of Coke. His Mom and him had been waiting for me to arrive. What a sweetheart! I was so pleased at their thoughtfulness. I quickly sought shade and found comfort in conversation out of the limelight of my recent clumsiness.

The rest of the ride into Cairns was uneventful. Thank goodness!

Tinaroo Falls to Wonga Beach

Day 273

My night had not been restful. The evening before one of the men who worked at the camp, walked in with a snake around his arm. He asked if anyone there “liked snakes” I didn’t say anything, but managed to back away far enough to watch and hear the conversation. The snake he was carrying was a small venomous snake he had just found out in the back yard, the yard where my tent was pitched. He let Ann touch the snake and she noticed it was venomous. He said because the snake was so small, it’s venom would not be enough to hurt a large human.

Leaving the comfortable confines of dinner, I used my flashlight to monitor my every step back to the tent. Once inside the tent, I was afraid that the snaked would crawl under the tent to snuggle up to a warm body (mine). I figured I would be OK, just as long as I didn’t slide off the therm-o-rest mattress. Needless to say, I dreamed of snakes all night. I hate snakes.

It was to be a great ride today with a variety of terrain, never boring. Leaving the Presbyterian Church camp up in the Table Lands we would be dropping down off the plateau back to the Pacific coast, to ride on the Captain Cook Highway.

My watch was bothering me in the humidity, so I took it off. This one action made my day more enjoyable. Time didn’t matter, I had all day to go 135 kilometers and the only goal that was important was to reach camp before it got dark. No problem!

At lunch I stopped at the Mount Molly Cafe in Mount Molly. Little did I know when I ordered a hamburger that I would be getting a huge feast. The owner and his wife were immigrants, he Swiss and she Mexican. They migrated to Australia 20 years ago. Combined they produced the best looking and tasting hamburgers I’ve ever found.

Walter and Ann with their burgers, look at the size of them! We ate these materpieces with a knife and fork. layer by layer. These were $5 burgers (Aussie dollars meaning they cost us $3 American)

I left the little town of Mount Molly satisfied and happy with sweet memories of a “WOW” lunch. The next section of road was rolling hills for about 20 kilometers. After the boring flat, I welcomed some challenge and was past the section in no time. The final Aussie descent was coming up, I had heard about it from the locals. They kept telling me to me sure I had good brakes, because the road was very curvy with a fast steep descent. Cool, I could hardly wait.

The locals were semi-right. The descent was one of the best I’ve ever had, it was curvy but not so much I had to apply the brakes, I just leaned into the turn and continued to pick up speed all the way down. The view was spectacular, at the top I could see the Pacific coastline and Pierre pointed out the campground where we were staying 35 kilometers away. I rode through the rain forest until it ended at the bottom of the mountain, then the sugar cane fields began again and so did the heat. The heat hit me in the face the minute I emerged from the forest like a curtain waiting to envelope all those who exit. After all it is the tropics.

Pierre, a staff member enjoying the great day.

Flying Fish Point to Tinaroo Falls

Day 272

After dreaming of crocodiles all night I woke to a day of no rain in the rain forest! From Flying Fish Point we climbed up off the coast and onto the Tablelands of North Queensland. The landscape reminded me of the South Africa bush veldt, expansive views on hilly terrain, in shades of gold and brown. There were more and more banana plantations and for a pleasant surprise a tea farm!

The tea farm was a first for me, from a distance I could tell it was a new crop, it was manicured, low and very green. The aroma didn’t even give me a clue, but then sitting alongside the road was a stand offering tea for sale from the farm on the honor system!

I rode with Elisabeth today, neither one of us was feeling like going very fast. We set a leisurely pace for our climb which was to take us from sea level up and over 3 passes at 2350, 2400 and 2750 feet in altitude. The day started out to be warm and ended up just downright hot and muggy. Of course the locals kept telling us, “this isn’t hot, you should be here in the summertime!” I was glad we were not, it was hot enough for me.

The route was very rural, meaning there weren’t many stores to stop and buy food etc. We passed a few fruit and vegetable stands, not thinking about stopping, but then we approached one where there were other riders sitting on a bench enjoying a refreshment. We pulled off the road and joined them. It turned out to be a great stop! The very enterprising lady of the house not only had fruit and veggies for sale, but baked goods and frozen tropical fruit “slushies” as we called them. I ordered one, it was so delicious and refreshing, I will always remember this stop.

We stayed for quite awhile, because the “slushies” were more frozen than slushy. We ate them slowly as they melted, of course we shouted to all the other riders passing by how great our drink was, resulting in selling 20 or so of them for her!

Our hostess was telling us about the horrible climb we had ahead of us. She was concerned and even offered to see if she could get one of her friends who drives a cattle truck back and forth over the road to take us to camp. Our ears perked up at this thought. Elisabeth and I decided we would not let “pride get in our way” if a cattle truck were to appear and offer a lift! We told our hostess the same. She said the drivers never came by the same time, we would just have to take our chances, if one were to come by while we were waiting, then she would ask. If not she couldn’t help us.

As it turned out, the elusive drivers were probably out having donuts somewhere. They never showed up while we were there. Oh well, maybe next time. We set off towards checkpoint.

It wasn’t long before we started to climb into the rainforest. The section of forest we were traveling through was a designated “World Heritage Wet Tropical Rain forest” Back in the 1970’s the World Congress got together to designate certain areas of the world that needed to be preserved. These areas are both natural and man-made. Some of the original spots are Yellowstone National Park, Great Barrier Reef, Taj Mahal, Pyramids of Egypt, etc. Since that time other countries have joined the World Congress and over 500 more locations have been added to the list of “World Heritage Sites”. The Wet Tropical Rain forest that I went through today, was awesome.

If I could only remember one thing about the rain forest, it would be the noise. The moment we entered the forest the volume got turned up. Every emotion of life could be heard, laughing, crying, anger, joy and happiness all shouted out, there was communication going on, all at once! The trees were alive with birds, frogs, snakes and bugs. It would take a lifetime to identify the voices, so I just enjoyed the privilege of being there, sharing the moment.

The coolness of the shady forest was a welcome difference to us hot cyclists. The canopy of the forest blocked the sunshine, dropping the temperature by at least 10 degrees, but not the humidity. Considering our climb would be up and out of the rain forest, I was delighted for the shade.

A magnificent butterfly made an appearance in front of me as I rode. It was a Ulysses butterfly of vibrant, almost electric blue. I had seen a postcard of this variety and recognized it immediately. She fluttered in front of me, leading the way for quite awhile. I was entranced by the beauty, mother nature was putting on a show for me today. I was so glad the cattle truck didn’t appear, had it done so, I would have missed this moment, one I will always remember.

It was the day it didn’t rain in the rain forest.