Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

The plan was...... to leave Kochi - my home of two years - this time tomorrow (the departure date was brought forward to the 8th). All the tickets from here in Kochi to Wakkanai in the far north have been booked. The trip up there should take the better part of 4 days, and involve one plane, a few trains, a subway connection, a couple of taxis, some long bus rides and 2 ferries, all before I can get on my bike (soon to be on a courier truck up there ahead of me) and ride. Accommodation will be 1 night at a friend's in Osaka, 1 on a ferry and 1 on a bus. The route is a long, tiring way to cover a mere 1500km as the plane flies, but has one very redeeming feature... it's CHEAP - a mere 25,000 yen, which is a steal in a country where it can cost 8000 yen (AU$100) just to drive your car across a bridge.

Unfortunately..... a little meteorological mayhem has now appeared in the form of one Cyclone Maria, which is now set to come ashore here in Kochi just in time to see me off at the airport. Although my flight has yet to be cancelled, Yahoo weather puts the cyclone directly over Kochi at take-off time. Have to wait and see for now... and maybe an Ave Maria or two couldn't hurt either....

Posted by Andrew Wallace @ 7:56 PM