[post of
Thursday 23rd of August 2012]
We left
very late this time. We enjoyed so much Joe’s hospitality in Karatsu that we
took our time in leaving his house (perhaps too much time considering the day
that awaits us). After several coffees we managed to dismantle the tent,
assemble the bikes, and head down-hill for at least 8 km without even
realising. That’s how a good day starts! Meanwhile, we think how lucky we were
yesterday when Joe came to pick us up by car. Today, seeing the part of the
road (up-hill) that Joe’s lift saved us yesterday, I have serious doubts we
could have reached our final destination by our own.
When we get
to the town of Karatsu, we see its massive castle overlooking the entire bay.
Ages ago, all Japan was covered by castles. The majority of those open to the
public nowadays are but modern replicas, although it’s quite nice to see the
silhouette of the Karatsu Castle on the hilltop.
Following
Joe’s indications, we leave the main road and go through a path that cut across
a garden full of so many pine trees that’ll be impossible to see as many in
Spain. the trees’ arms have grown in a peculiar way, bended, and there is a
Shinto sanctuary in the middle of the garden. A perfect place to take some nice
shot. We take some picture, and off we go. We must go on.
As we leave
the pine garden behind us, we get into a road quite narrow, the edges in bad
condition, and too many tracks to allow us to enjoy the view. We are beginning
the less good-looking part of today’s stage, which will stretch out alongside
the Northern region of the Kyushu. The worst part is that Gabriel’s bike starts
making a weird noise. He cleans up the chain, and adds some more oil to the
mechanisms, but the noise stays there. At the end, he dismounts the wheel and,
after careful studying it, we get bad news: the box of the back wheel is a bit
loose, and we don’t have the right key to tight it up. We’re not sure how long
it’ll last, but we cannot stop here. We have to keep going on.
And so we
go on until, late at night, we find the house. Our host today is a woman who
had given hospitality to more than 300 people in the past. That’s because there
are people who, once they start using Couchsurfing and letting people into
their house, cannot help but keeping their door open to more.
It’s been
80 km today. Let’s go to sleep.
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