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April 30

Road To Takeo

Woke rather early to go to Takeo. I bought my first Calorie Mate. This is a brand of Japanese "power bar" type thing. Despite the fact that America has the highest percentage of obese citizens, our fitness technology rocks. Eating Calorie Mate is a bit like chewing on a handful of dry flour. Give me a Powerbar anyday.

I rode around Omura bay, which had some beautiful views. Traffic is not so bad, but noticiable. Eventually climbed a little mountain to Takeo, which is more inland. After going through a little tunnel, I saw my first cyclist! He was a Japanese guy, and also loaded down with gear (in fact, much more so than I). We exchanged greeting from across the street, since we were going in opposite directions, and then pushed on.

Before getting to Takeo, one of my bike shoes started breaking. The sole of the shoe started coming off, but was still hanging by the front of the shoe. I was able to still pedal with it, but I'm not sure for how much longer.

I actually didn't know that Takeo had a Youth Hostel until I accidentally ran into it. It's located at the top of a steep 700 meter climb, and has a beautiful view of the surrounding area. Like most inland towns in this region, Takeo is a small valley town, surrounded on all sides by lush mountains and hills.

After checking into the YH, I went looking for a bike or shoe shop. I went to the local koban, and they directed me to a guy about 2 km down the road who runs a shoe repair shop. The guy had to be atleast 75 years old, but I left my shoe and told him I'd pick it up the next afternoon.

At Takeo Youth Hostel there were more "bikers", and I ended up meeting a young (I mean young - he's 18) guy named Mitsuru. We stayed up until pretty late, eating food from the local supermarket, and talking about all sorts of nonesense, including the Israel/Palestinian conflict, and about his work as an interior designer.

One other thing: Takeo has the hottest ofuro (hot bath) I've ever been in. Practically scalding.