While we were waiting at the hospital one of the kind doctors logged me into his wifi so that I could find somewhere to stay. I found a convenient hotel, near the station, but not far from the hospital, and since our time at the hospital we have been staying here.
We have been occupying ourselves with solving problems! The first of course was to make sure that Neil was as comfortable as he could be, which is why I chose this hotel because it is Western style. In his condition it would be very difficult to get off a Japanese style bed on the floor.
The next problem was how to get our bags from where they had been left. After several long conversations with the hotel staff, via google translate, I managed to organise for our bags to be, firstly packed, then transported to our hotel. If I had gone by bus to pick them up I would have had a 4 ½ hour bus ride, then had to stay overnight as there was no return bus till the next day. It would have meant that Neil would have had to be alone without any help, and though he might have been glad of not seeing me for a while, it probably was not a good idea! I was glad also that I wasn’t faced with what would have been a very windy bus trip – I could well have been quite green on arrival.
Most of the time here has been fairly sedentary after all the activity of the first week. We had a little bit of walking around the streets yesterday, just to stretch our legs, but after a while Neil lagged and we would have to rest. Today has been spent sitting at the hospital for hours waiting to get enough pain killers to get Neil home as pain free as possible.
Tomorrow we head home, though it is a longer journey than originally planned. We will overnight in Hong Kong and arrive home on Thursday night. One of our goals was achieved on this trip – we have both become dual pilgrims, but the second leg we planned to walk wasn’t to be, nor was the sightseeing of Koyosan, Kyoto, or Osaka. That will have to wait for another time.
We cannot fault the assistance we have had from the locals. People bend over backwards to help us, and though many of the conversations this week have been through google translate, somehow we have managed to make ourselves understood, and understand.
On the Kumano Kodo we have stayed in wonderful local homes and B & B style accommodation. The food at these places was very regional and very tasty – much more so than the last few days. The scenery was spectacular, and the little villages a delight. The Nakahechi route of the Kumano Kodo is, apart form the Japanese, peopled with Australians, not the ocker ones thank goodness, along with a sprinkling of other nationalities. By far the commonest thing to do is to have bags transported, with very few people carrying their full packs.
The path though is one of the hardest I have done. What makes it hard is the steepness of the steps / stairs, the protruding tree roots, and the stones paving the path. The stones are very slippery, partly because of their surface and sometimes when damp that affects they are even more slippery, but also because of the steep angle of the path. Added to that is the steep drops off from the path. It would be easy (as Neil discovered) to trip and fall off the path, so extreme care needs to be taken. That said though – it is a wonderful journey and well worth the hardships.
Till next journey, whenever and wherever it may be - Sayōnara
We have been occupying ourselves with solving problems! The first of course was to make sure that Neil was as comfortable as he could be, which is why I chose this hotel because it is Western style. In his condition it would be very difficult to get off a Japanese style bed on the floor.
The view from the top floor
The corridor - I love the patterns
Most of the time here has been fairly sedentary after all the activity of the first week. We had a little bit of walking around the streets yesterday, just to stretch our legs, but after a while Neil lagged and we would have to rest. Today has been spent sitting at the hospital for hours waiting to get enough pain killers to get Neil home as pain free as possible.
A bus queue
A bike parking station!
A lovely garden we passed
We cannot fault the assistance we have had from the locals. People bend over backwards to help us, and though many of the conversations this week have been through google translate, somehow we have managed to make ourselves understood, and understand.
At the start, with our hostess
On the Kumano Kodo we have stayed in wonderful local homes and B & B style accommodation. The food at these places was very regional and very tasty – much more so than the last few days. The scenery was spectacular, and the little villages a delight. The Nakahechi route of the Kumano Kodo is, apart form the Japanese, peopled with Australians, not the ocker ones thank goodness, along with a sprinkling of other nationalities. By far the commonest thing to do is to have bags transported, with very few people carrying their full packs.
The path though is one of the hardest I have done. What makes it hard is the steepness of the steps / stairs, the protruding tree roots, and the stones paving the path. The stones are very slippery, partly because of their surface and sometimes when damp that affects they are even more slippery, but also because of the steep angle of the path. Added to that is the steep drops off from the path. It would be easy (as Neil discovered) to trip and fall off the path, so extreme care needs to be taken. That said though – it is a wonderful journey and well worth the hardships.
Nonaka
Sorry to hear about the accident Janet but it sounds as though it has been a wonderful trip up till then. Riversong has been practising while you were away, and it'll be nice to sing to you again! Cheers, Lesley
ReplyDeleteThanks Lesley. Do we practice on Monday or leave it as Thursday?
ReplyDelete