Day 9: Sahara Camping – Minaminagasaki

[post of Thursday 16^th of August 2012]

Today Gabriel has chosen relax over action, and we woke up late. We’re not ready for the day that awaits us; it’s a long time we since last time we managed to login to Internet; yesterday we changed plans and, instead of climbing the Unzen mountain, we went down to the West coast of the Shimabara Peninsula… therefore, we have no clue about how many km far we are from Nagasaki. In fact, even right now, just before we go to sleep, and finish up uploading the blog, we keep having no idea about it. Today the temperature was so high that none of our km-counters worked. In any case, we failed to reach our target, although this is not big problem. 

The stage toward Nagasaki is very hard due to both its parts up-hill and the cruel Summer we have to deal with. Ainhoa fell from the bike this morning, nothing serious, ended up fainting for the warmth, and assisted by the nurses of a geriatric hospital. No doubt, she’s the lady of the couple.

We had an argument, we said weird things to each other, we suffered the weather… why the hell there are no trees to shelter under their shadow today?!? Now it’s already 5.30pm, and we have 10 km left; they’re not so hard, all considered, but we’re both in such a bad mood. In an hour it will be dark and we’re going crazy asking indication to the passers-by of this area, Minaminagasaki. They all keep sending us to a hotel in Minaminagasaki and, after getting the same indication from four people, we get that they all mean a hotel in Nagasaki. We see a Buddhist temple with a man in contemplation of a tree in flowers. Ainhoa asks him where we can find a place to stay tonight… and he goes crazy! In few minutes, we’re surrounded by four people, all speaking in Japanese. The Buddhist nun who can speak a little bit of English tries to convince her superior to let us stay in their convent. At first, the older nun doesn’t want because she thinks we are Americans, then things change when we say we come from Spain, no without checking our passports. We get to enjoy the present of Jose and Rosita, and we start to settle down in this incredible place, where we are ushered into a room simple and beautiful at the same time. After we get changed and into some kimonos, the nuns offer us a massive and delicious dinner. This place brings us to another place and time, connected to the exterior world by TV and air conditioned. We cannot help but keep thanking all these many people for turning this journey in an extraordinary experience of life, so far away and different from a simple holiday.