hachijojima 2009 sept, 21-23 day 2(the beach experience 2)

what a beautiful morning. i woke up with adventure in my head. we readied for the day and embraced the sun, off we went at 6:30am.

oh we had to climb down the woods once more but i heard no complaints. this must be the effect of the the cool, fresh air. we reached the main road finally. and it was deserted. nothing. complete calmness. we can have photo sessions for hours in the middle of the road. uhmm, how are we to reach our destination again?

oh my god! as i've mentioned, this is another unending travel... by foot!

first on the list, fureai bokujou near the peak of hachijou-fuji. all mountains seemed so easy to climb after the fuji expedition. we were initially told that we can hitch hike to the top but where are the damn cars? halfway there, we were still on foot. the long winding road was breathtaking though.

reaching the bokujou (ranch) is an privilege. we were above the whole island and the air was fresh and cool. if it can be eaten, i'd consume it in seconds. i was hungry to death but there was no food around. they only had milk; this must be taken from the black cows in the ranch. hungry... staying there for a little longer would have been disastrous; i would have experienced killing a cow for the first time... using bare hands! wahihihi... but the place was spectacular enough to forget hunger.

lots of people with vehicles also came, but still no ride. going down was another long walk. most of my sunburns were because of this. my necklace pendant even made its mark on my skin.

at last we reached the hi-way. after feasting on food, we rode a bus (our very first bus ride on the island. yehey!!!) to uramigataki hot spring. unlike most hot springs, this one is mixed. that means, we will not be in the nude. good thing!!! i'm still not prepared and comfortable with nudity. with the upper body nude, i dipped in the hot waters. waaaah... feet relieved.

the spring is open to the public with no entrance fee. anyone can join in the fun. it was located just beside urumigataki (taki = falls). i looked down one edge and what a long fall it would have been. the spring area was just a small place, enough to be cozy with others. we even got acquainted with a farmer, but don't get me wrong. farmers in japan are comparable to hacienderos in the philippines. he drove us back to the hi-way after our warm bath and gave us green tea presents. people in here are way too friendly, i concluded.

of to our next stop, sokodo beach. i was not surprised with the long walk from the drop off point this time. from this whole trip, my legs must have shaped up well. staved off lots of unwanted fats. we were quite prepared for this supposed swim, we even bought snacks. but we were unprepared for the sea. who would want to swim in that??? this part is directly facing the pacific.

if we can't swim, then we better do what we do best. we took pictures!

we had dinner in a korean grill house and then went home. we really tried hard to find a taxi but to no avail. walked back to the hi-way... no taxi. passed a big convenient store... no taxi. through a dark trail... no taxi. are we to walk back home? do people only walk on this island??? oh wait, where are the people? i can't find anyone.

we then reached the airport and decided to rest. this cannot go on. we decided to dial a cab and waited. the airport was closed. no one was around. deserted... no vending around: thirsty. it was frustrating to wait for ages not knowing if we were understood by the japanese receptionist at the other line. it is at times like this where i seriously wish i have learned more japanese.

...
time flew so fast. i was on the brink of exhaustion.
...

finally, the cab came. we traversed back through the narrow dark forest. i now understood how scared little red riding hood must have been when going to grandma's house. at least we were riding and not walking. and we were "we" and not "i". i pity little red riding hood.

the day ended with another sore feet. but it was all worth it.

our last day coming up.