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  0 comments links to this post  

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Travel Companion and a Departure Date

Looks like I won't need to go solo after all. An American buddy of mine here in Japan, Nate, has decided to come along for the ride and keep me company. Nate came to Japan the same time as me, and has been doing basically the same job in another small town nearby. Neither of us have any experience with bicycle tours, and neither of us are exceptionally fit, so it seems like a good match. I was willing to do the whole thing alone, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not glad to have some company (and someone to help me change flat tires).

We've also tentatively set a date for departure. The plan is to leave Kochi (the province we live in now) on the 11th of August and through a combination of buses and slow boats arrive at Japan's northernmost city, Wakkanai, two days later on the 13th.

Posted by Andrew Wallace @ 10:09 PM  1 comments links to this post