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Letter 6
Saturday 18.08.13 21,64 km
It's 6.30am. I fell over in the dormitory last night at 9pm and slept till
5am. Then I lay there
thinking. I guess I'm the only foreigner onboard. There's one among the staff
that both speaks and
understands english. The girl in the reception was able to understand "Drinking
water?", and happily
she led me to a water machine I hadn't seen.
There are a lot of motorcyclists onboard. I had read about it. Hokkaido is a
must if you want to
play cool. Like Tibet was in China. There was also a group of cyclists. I will
meet a lot of them,
says Nori.
The breakfast in the restaurant is 1000 Y, less than 10 €. I think I'm gonna
spend!
One thing has the japanese adapted for sure: small sausages. The breakfast is a
buffet and sausages
there are. The fish is salmon. A delicious corn soup, totally blended, Mango,
almost made into jelly.
Yougurt with an unknown fruit. The miso soup is without the lasting potatoes and
onions I know and
a lot of other stuff. The european flavour are dreadful buns and small packages
with "Jelly and
margarine". I search the restaurant for a knife. There are none. Forks and
spoons, but no knives.
I inspect the package, how to get it out? Nothing to get hold of. Only there is
a strange structure
on the one side. Try to break it and suddenly - out comes two thin stripes of
both.
The young english speaking man from yesterday is in the restaurant too. He wants
to talk. Will travel
to Europe next month with a backpack. To 6 countries in South-and Middeleurope.
If I'm on Facebook?
He wants to be friends with me. I refer to me webpage. Until now noboby has
contacted me that way,
but he could be the first.
He's not the only person speaking foreign languages it shows. The girl, that
stands thanking at the
exit dare ask, where I come from, and she's been in Europe. Has studied music in
Salzburg, so there
we are speaking german - funny.
Wooaw. The ocean is big
After having eaten as much as I can, I feel the need for a visit to the toilet.
It's gonna be me
first meeting with the warmed up toilet seats the guidebooks always mentions as
one of the first things.
A control panel the size of an arm with at least 10 buttons. After having
pressed a lot of them also
the green one on the outlet (which I think is reset...?) I turn down the seat
and find an ordinary
mechanical handle - and then it flushed...
I think I could have been both sprayed and dried, but you have to sit down
before it works...
I've found an electrical outlet. (110V like in the US). I have an adapter with
me as it's those
outlets with the flat pins, but luckily all that has to do with charging both on
110 V and 220V.
It would be different if you've bring your hairdrier. I don't think they can dry
much hair here!
I wondered for a moment when I saw the electrical installation at Nori's place.
50A! At home I've
only got 25A totally. But if the voltage is half the current has to be dubble to
get the same
efficiency. But they must have greater loss in the cables?
The sea is calm, but now we're in the straight between Honshu and Hokkaido.
There're 2 hours left,
scheduled arrival 1.30 pm. The ship was rolling a bit last night, but chains
attached under the
tables in the restaurant tell it doesn't stop there sometimes.
When I want to go down with the elevator because the ferry is docking it doesn't
work. And when I
try the stairs they're also blocked. Luckily my english speaking friend arrives
and says, I just
have to wait here. In the end we're allowed to go down the stairs. Motorbikes
and bicycles are in
the lowest deck. I guess they don't want us down there before most of the cars
are out.
I get ashore. Tamokamai isn't to be seen but there are not many road to choose.
I go on till I
reach a bigger road and Tamokamai is to the left. I would have been to the east,
but now I decide
to go to the center to buy supplies. I don't pass any supermarket sp I choose to
go for the station.
As a miracle a sign after the first stair says: Tourist Office. In the office is
a girl who speaks
a little english. The supermarket is at the other side of the station. It's not
easy crossing the rails
but by the help of a map I got, I succeed. She also marked a cheap hotel in case
I want to stay.
In the supermarket, which is HUGE, I manage to get my stuff pretty fast. But
there's one problem.
I've bought a meal of nuddles and I can't read the instruction. So I go back to
the tourist office.
Now I know how to cook it. I also get water for my bottles and hear about the
wheather out east.
It should be cloudy the next two days and after that some sunshine the next.
Sounds good for camping.
As the last I ask for Starbucks. Yes there is one which shows to be at the main
raod east.
But I don't get that far. The lowest attachment for the left front pannier has
come loose. It takes
me some time to realize that the upper bolt has disappeared. It's because we had
it taken apart.
It wasn't tightened properly. Damn....
As a new miracle there are a lot of garages at the road. Soon they're searching
for a new bolt. But they only have 5 mm, not 4. As a result they suggest it put
together with plastic strips. And they have some bigger than those I bought.
5 min's later I'm on my way again.I still miss having checked the bolt in the
right side. I'm too
busy finding Starbucks. If I don't upload today I don't know when.
Now I'm sitting with my cappucino worth a small fortune and connected to the net
immediately. But
now dear friends it'll properly last 3-4 days before there're any news.
No, maybe longer. I've just asked. There are only 4 cities on Hokkaido with a
Starbucks and Kushiro
where I'm heading is not one of them. But I'll maybe figure out something -
maybe - you never know...