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May 11

Ride Inland / Motobu

I got up to Ohgimi town center, and spotted a road behind some trees and building. I decided to take it, and Voila! I believe this is the exact road Claude was talking of. Although the road itself was pretty modern and wide, I was passed by only 3 cars for the hour or so that I took this route. After travelling uphill for about half an hour, I stopped to talk to a lady sitting in her car on the side of the road. At this point I decided to turn, since her map revealed it may continue on for quite a ways pretty hilly, and I wanted to make it to Motobu by the afternoon.

The ride downhill was really nice, and I took a couple of photos.

On the way down I also spotted that coffee house that Claude must've been talking about. Unfortunately its hours were from noon, and it was only 8:30am, so I kept on going. I did take a picture, however, since the entrance was so pretty.

On the way to Motobu I stopped for a 100yen soba. They gave me soba in a large styrofoam cup, and you add the broth from a big machine that dispenses it like a soda machine at a restaurant. Yummy and cheap!

Got to Motobu, checked out the Ferry Terminal and found that the ferry back to Kagoshima was leaving at 9:10 the next morning. Having nothing better to do, I went to Ocean Expo Park, a few kilometers north. It was pretty cheesy, but free, and included Emerald Beach, a beach with free showers. I treated myself to an ice cream float. There were lots of chinese tourists there (from Taiwan, maybe? Taiwan is closer to Okinawa than Japan's bigger islands).

Then down to Shiokawa Beach, a free camping beach only about 3 km (2 miles) south of the ferry terminal. It had the arua of a free beach - lots of trash and a smelly bathroom building. That bathroom was later to save me.

It looked like rain and I setup my tent in a hurry. I later woke up to lightning, and pouring rain. Although my tent has done pretty well in the past against rain, it didn't do to well this time. I happened to pitch it where a huge puddle formed, and it eventually leaked through the ceiling as well. I got up at 10:30 p.m. and move all my gear (which I fortunately packed in the water-proof bags, just in case such a thing might happen). Where did I move? Where else? I pitched my tent under the front of the smelly bathroom, and there spent the rest of my night.