This Is It

Yo fellas! guess who is that guy on the rock? ... uh? ... YEAH thats me par excellence!
at that time l was around 2~3 yrs old and l was already climbing in the mountains?! yes l'm a mountain boy and l love more the mountain than the sea ... l mean l love both for its different qualities but the mountain ... ... ... ... ... ... ok so l better finish with this trip and l feel this post is the last one, about the south japan odyssey of course, what will happen with this blog afterward l dunno ... lets see ... l'm also curious heheeee but l never thought that l would finishing it exactly at the end of the year! it is just too marvelous!!! ALAS read on:

So after my pizza and lunch and a good farewell to everyones, with a friend that was there with us, actually he was living down on the coast and so he offered to bring me to the station near by his place to catch the train and so we were gone!
You know, l told u that l had a special ticket and so l was planning to catch the night train but needed to reserve the seat and so l went to reserve the seat (yes at the last minute and l'm not ideot 'cos it had to happen like this) but the station master told me that it was full!!! what a fuck?
a did a little italian drama pleasing him to let me at least stand in the between the compartments ... nain, impossible ... and what to do? the friend that brought me to the station was telling me some suggestions and one was such as to go back to pizza people ... nonono gone is gone there is no going back ... and it was not possible to stop at his place and ok ... and what l did? l just took the train and went on anyway ... at the most l would stop somewhere in the middle in some hotel for the night, also because my special ticket had tha last 2 possible trip and therefore it was perfectly ok ... and so while traveling back and l saw that in just a mere 2 hours l would reach in Kobe and so like a flash it came to me to ask to one friend, that l met when l was in Kobe, if l could stop at her place just to sleep and that l would pay her a good dinner outside and then in the following morning l would take the first train ... and so l sent a mail on her cellular and for quite a good 1 hour l got no answer and l knew that she was working but was going to finish soon and funny thing is ... l was feeling sooooo in a letting go with the river of the train on the railroad bringing me on the right spot at the right time without any worries of any kind ... in fact she mailed me back just half an hour before l reached to the station that l had to change the train ... fiuuuuuuu just in time uh?! and YES she said ... cool!
We met around dinner time and she told me that she had a plan to meet a couple of sannyasins female friends to eat out and my sudden coming was just more than perfect for the situation and so we went to eat out with everyone in one restaurant in a nice corner outside on the "terrace" ... and wonder of wonders, just after then another 2 sannyasins came just next to our table and it was just a pure coincidence ... 'cos one of them was the one that rented to me the room when l was in Kobe ... WOOOW we never thought to meet in such situation and she was with a friend that we knew each other because of pune in ashram ... in fact she told me "l feel like to be in ashram LOL!!!!" ... yeah amazing.
But the most beautiful thing is yet to come ... hehe ... when everybody went home and it was time to go to sleep ... l asked to pass by to the JR station that was a little bit of walk to check about the next morning first train and so we went there and got the info ... before l go on l must tell u that when l went in the room of Purna, the one with the YES, her room was like my room ... l mean even worse ... just imagine u go in and as u close the door what u see is just a 70 cm of corridor and fat 50cm with the bathroom on the right (forget the kitchen ... almost inexistent) and then the bed (always on the right side) and so where l would sleep? of course on the floor but with nothing of nothing (l would have arranged with my things anyway) and it was already great that she allowed me to stay there and l was also happy to meet her again 'cos we could stay well together ... l mean we could understand each other and so what happened after we checked the time for the first train? while going back to her place going by the other way ... on the left we found a brand new mattress!!! the one that cost even 400$ and it was BRAND NEW!!! we could not believe ours eyes!!! and also with under mattress iron structure bed ... and it was garbage.
but we checked very very very good and without doubt it was really new and never used ...
WOW still now l cannot believe it!!!! can you? think about it: suddenly l ask to a friend to stop for an overnight sleep and she said YES knowing perfectly well that she had nothing to make me comfortable and in such small room (actually the smallest l ever saw) and ... l get the new mattress to sleep comfy? TELL ME IF IT IS TRUE!!!!
We looked around to understand how it was possible and we found that near by there was a model room show (the ones they build just to show to the potential clients what the replica of the building, house, rooms ect might be) and therefore they threw away this bed that wasn't needed anymore 'cos the show room was finished (but hey, they paid to throw it away ... meaning that they called the garbage people to pick it up the next day ...) and we got it before them LOLOLOL
... WOW and the funniest thing was that the mattress was fitting perfectly well on the floor (actually occupied all the space available) and l slept well! you bet!
Existence really take care if we are in a letting go ;)

Ok guys this is it.
ln the next morning l took the first train and l arrived in TYO back to home in the afternoon and oh, l forgot to tell u a thing ... l noticed an amazing thing: traveling in the trains wherever you are, it might give u a glimpse of how the local people are and l saw a very funny thing, literally true, coming from the south japan l could see that the southernmost place people were more relaxed and more in tune with nature and coming upper, lets say in between Kyushu and Tokyo, alias Osaka, l found people still with something of the south mixed with its original local behavior (wild) and something of the city ... and while l was approaching Tokyo ... amazing ... how easy to see the differences ... l found more and more stiff and serious people with nothing of the joy of the south and with nothing of the wilderness of Osaka ... aaaaaaahh aahh how l saw it so clear hahaaaaaaaa ... anyway ... thank you for enjoying my Odyssey ... l'm grateful to you, my beloved reader, for allowing me to share something that l never thought possible and that made me aware of many things that otherwise l could have missed and for the joy in making this blog and certainly l will go on with who know what hehe ... a special thanks to my Mama and Chamki for inviting me to share my south unforgettable story ... and thank you to all the fellows travelers that l met on the way as well in the web ... BOW TO YOU WITH LOVE!


Yes l was happily fat and Happy New Year! (^o^)/

Creative Food

Ok now l'm on my last day of the South Japan Odyssey, in fact l had to catch the train in the afternoon to travel in the night to be back to Tokyo the next day ... and so in the morning l had to prepare the pizza for lunch 'cos Vatya & Nartana wanted to try my pizza of course!!!
And so l was entirely busy all the morning in the kitchen, preparing the lunch while Nartana was ...


... yep he was playing the sitar and he is quite good at it, in fact that last morning he was playing together with the baul but a nice thing l saw while l stayed in his place ... it is his meditation to play every morning for half an hour or whatsoever the time ... this l liked and so one morning l just went at his back to steal and freeze the moment while he was playing ... l like that picture!!!
He had different flours for making pizzas and strangely enough l choose to use a mixture of a light flour with a a kind of wholewheat flour that at the end it tasted more like a bio pizza and it was good! .... kinda of chapati if u ever eat it ... may be because there was the baul there that made me use that flour (also because l like to experiment eh ;) and the big news for them was the topping l was making ... 'cos the guest was vegetarian and so l had the idea to grill first on the iron plate the zucchini (this was a big yellow zucchina) and the eggplant and few green pepper ... they loved it! u can see right away my little creation:


lt was really yummy and everybody appreciated it and l was happy to show them this kind of topping that is so perfect for vegetarians!!! l hope they'll use it for selling in the festivals (^0^) ... and also there was lot of grilled veggies that of course it wasn't possible to use all for pizzas and so while l was busy with pizza, a girl asked me "what about the left over veggies?" and l said "to lay the veggies together on a plate to marinate with parsley and olive oil and garlic ..." but then l added "... but do as you like, don't ask me, just create it" ... and WOW look what she made:

Osho on Bauls


ln the previous post l gave u a link of who the Bauls are in Wikpedia and ok ... but l'd love to tell you that there are 2 volumes 0sho talks about the Bauls and it is far more beautiful to read from Him ... click on the "book" to read clearly ... and also a beautiful introduction of this book u can read here ... enjoy.

The Baul

Hi Hi how are you?
l know l know that l slowed down a lot with blogger but alas l never thought that it would take so long to share my odyssey and l mean it was such a pleasure to share it and l'm thankful to you, my beloved reader, for the patience in coming back to read and enjoy my blog ... so we are almost done with this 1 month and + of my South Japan Odyssey ... just few more posts ;)
Ok here l am, writing in the morning, actually it is almost lunch but l just had breakfast and l decided to go on NOW otherwise who knows what it might postpone again ... ok ok ok enough said.

Hey-ya today l'm going to introduce u the Baul but first, l forgot to introduce, the Green Guy, look how sweet he is ....

lt was the previous night, when everybody was going to sleep and l was in the kitchen to wash my teeth and suddenly out of the blue, with the tail of my eye l got someone jumping around like a crazy kangaroo! ooohhh he was such a small sweetie with this alive geen ... well he was jumping (may be asking himself "where the fuck l am?) and sometime it would stop, looking at me and make some pose for a great shot (such the one u just saw) but then l asked him what about a little bit of action? ... YEAAAAH why not?! put the light on, come on! and VIA have a moment of Animal Planet



lt was such fun ... at the end l took him and bring it out in the wild where he belongs ... u had to see how happy he was to find the exit!

You have to know that these pizza people sometimes organize concert in their house and so this time there was a Baul concert ... WOW it seems that my trip was bringing me to the right spot at the right time ... 3 days l've stayed in Shobara and so much happened, from selling pizza in a very unique way to see a Baul concert that, by the way, the indian music is the only one that can touch me at the deepest point in my being , of course there are few exceptions, but only the indian music is able to make me lost and so ... for me it was a kind of gift that existence was giving me because actually it was my last night before going back to tokyo and so l took it very symbolically that at the end of my odyssey a night of celebration!!!
Here down u'll see the simple instruments he brought, with his japanese wife (she can speak very good Bengali) and l love the indian instruments ... ok u got it, l'm really lost with it.

A funny coincidence happened that l need to tell ya ... few years back, in tokyo l met an australian girl who knew how to speak spanish and l met her in the meditation program where l usually participate 3 times a week, 'cos l'm also a helper, and so one day she invited me to go to see a Baul concert (and she was a helper in organizing the concert) and it was held in a shrine and so many people came and they were a group of indians and japanese playing together ... ok it wasn't all the time fantastic but few songs did it!
And the coincidence is that that night in Shobara it was the same baul to play!!! ...amazing.
l thought l would never see again this baul group and ... the world is really small!!!!
But this time it wasn't the whole group, only he with his wife ... and l was amazed how 1 man can play and make music with 3 instruments simultaneously + voice ... and l must say that his voice was quite powerful and l like the melody .... devotional.
l took few clips 'cos Nartana asked me to make movies for him and so here l made a short movie, just few glimpses ... l hope u enjoy it, go have a look!



lt was very nice, very much different than the concert he did 2 or 3 yrs ago`, 'cos at that time they were a group of may be 7~10 peoples to play ... and this time it was only he with his wife and therefore it was more "intimate" and more penetrating ... in fact at the end l approached him and l told him of this coincidence and he remebered it! not of me of course but of that particular concert because at the end they stood up with the drums and walked/danced in the middle of the peoples inviting everyones to stand and dance ... that particular moment was really beautiful and he couldn't forget it and so we both were amazed about this ... then later on he showed few videos of his recent concerts in Tyo and l saw for instance that at the end of the concert, he was telling to the people to cool down with the cheering clapping hands ... as l saw this l said: RIGHT!!! 'cos l also feel that after a devotional song, to clap and saying bravo isn't very nice ... actually l myself don't like to clap in a usual way when some concert is finished ... but of course it depends of what kind of genre it is ... l remember when Prem Joshua played in Buddha Hall in Pune at the end there was such clapping and in that contest it was perfectly in tune! but with devotional baul songs at the end only silence is the best way to say BRAVO! (but not even this)
and he confirmed what l just said .... ok now l go to have some lunch then do some business and l'll be back soon to finish the story .... thank you & see you! (^o^)/

Shobara

The house in the center of the picture is the Vatya & Nartana's place where l've been for 3 days only... as l said before, they wanted me to stay longer such as 2 months!!! l'd really loved 'cos such peaceful land and clean air and playing with pizzas ... l mean country side life and l had 2 main reasons to move on instead to remain there ... one was that, before l left to travel around the grandfather, and he was also the boss, of the buddhist family where l use to work in the temple whenever they need (work such as: cleaning, cooking, carpentry and so on a little bit of all but nothing to do with their practice of buddhism ... and l dont care 'cos l do not have a so-called religion ... and l like there 'cos nobody speak english and so it is very good for me and moreover they're sweet people ... ) and so the boss was in the hospital 'cos of old age and passing his last days ... and when l was in Yakushima, suddenly it came to me to contact to my japanese roommate to ask her what l have to say properly, in japanese, to the family in case the boss would have popped out ... well as l said, it was difficult to get the antenna connection in the island but that time l went to the spot and got lots of messages, one of them was my roommate's telling me that, just the day l thought about asking her the proper phrase, ... the boss was "gone". He was a sweet man and therefore l felt it was better to be present at the ceremony that was on saturday of the week l was staying in Shobara ... and the other reason, the main one, was that deep down l felt that the "purpose" of this Odyssey was over and it was really time to move back to TYO .
Ok so here down you'll see a typical japanese room ... and l loved tremendously ... facing the garden with hills view ... aaaaaaahhh what a feeling ...

And here u can see a bit of Shobara land ... isn't beautiful?! all that green u see around is nothing but rice!!!

And so the next day, after the festival, was the holiday so we went to have a public bath, do some shopping and to see a couple that builded the House by themselves and made it an lndian restaurant ... it was a very very nice place and well made and they were also nice people that we invited to come over to eat fresh pasta l was going to make for dinner .... also because Nartana wanted to see how to make it and so l made them happy (and made myself too happy ;)

After the bath of course we were hungry and so l asked whats the speciality of Hiroshima ... OKONOMIYAKI.
So l had the honour to go with them to eat it just the way u see in the left picture ... there was a queue that we had to wait a good half a hour outside 'cos the place was quite famous for its taste ... it is such an experience to sit just in front of the cook and watching (you know...l like to watch silently especially when it is about food)
and there was this boy making these "omelets" with such speed, just like a samurai with a sword ZAK ZAK ZAK and SHUmmm ... amazing!
And there are not chopsticks or fork n knife but just kinda of carpenter spatula 'cos it is not that once the okonomiyaki is ready u eat it from the plate ... nooooo ... it go on cooking slowly and slowly on the ... how to say it?! ... the hot iron plate! so on the bottom forms a crust and with the help of the "spatula" that u can just, cut (as Nartana is doing on my right), separate the piece (cuz u cut the piece that u can put in your mouth only and the rest go on cooking and becoming yummier) and finally cleaning the "plate" just like a carpenter .... well l didn't found so especially yummy although it was spectacular and so here is what l ordered but don't ask me what there is inside 'cos l forgot ;) enjoy!

l'll make it someday, my version of course and l will show u in the food blog (^o^)/ ciao

Pizza Pizza Pizza

YEAH! my next step was Hiroshima ... well, not exactly Hiroshima city but its prefecture Shobara, a town in the hills with an altitude of 300 meters from sea level ... may be l had to balance the trip l was doing, may be l had to pass different phases of the odissey and l mean since l started to travel by leaving the big city ... sorry ... the biggest in all world! with its 34 million and + of peoples (included me) in TYO alone!!! can u believe it? l just discovered it! amazing ... but anyway what l was saying? AH so, leaving TYO to stay in a valley towns and thats means NARA & OSAKA & KYOTO & ARASHIYAMA & Co., then on a small hill facing the sea and thats the area of KOBE then in the south staying in the inland samurai town OBI and then on the seaside NANGO and the wild & beautiful YAKUSHIMA's forest and mountain and now moving in the hills ... to meet pizza peoples!
l left Nango after the sunrise u saw in the previous post and traveled the whole day till 10 PM and Vatya & Nartana had to come to pick me up at the last station 'cos there were no more trains to reach to Shobara .... and so l met for the first time this couple and we liked each other immediately! And the very next day they had to make pizza to sell in a festival that was happening in that town ... and l wanted to be present in that event 'cos the way they were making pizza and selling was really unique!!! not even in ltaly l ever saw this kind of business ... not in this way. OK lets show off what l mean ...

... yeah thats right! thats the shop ... and l helped them to set it up, it was in the ground of a school and the festival was about a town festival ... the name of the shop is "THE OVEN PIZZA 'S KOKOPELI" (it is the japanese pronunciation of KOKOPELLI) ... and on the left side, where u read coca cola, was another shop and it was selling drinking, mostly liquor shakes .... funny things is that although we were also selling drink (pineapple juice only) peoples were asking the juice to the drinking shop LOL ... and a little note about the oven pizza, Nartana made it ... from scratch, from an idea to making a design and to build it! it is beautifully managed and it does very easy 400 degree and thats very good to cook the pizza decently ... but suck lot of gas for making just a pizza a time ... anyway l liked very much the idea to sell pizza in this way and when he introduced the "shop" 2 yrs ago` in the town, made such a new impact that he went even in the newspaper!

yeah thats the oven in the middle of them and there is even the cover so that u can open an put the pizza's cut ... l mean he was selling 1 full pizza and also 1/4 of it, and so when there were spared cut he would then put inside from the top of the oven to make it warm before selling it, interesting uh?! l really liked how they were organized that it made me feel to do it in TYO and l'll do it some day!!! (thats why l'm practicing making pizza once a week here in my home ;)
And now enjoy the action!



it was a beautiful experience ... l'm grateful to them that allowed me to participate in the shop and the amazing thing was, it was the first time he was selling in his own festival's town, so he didn't make lots of pizzas dough, so in the morning he made few kilos and the previous day he made already ready-made pizza's base and kept under freeze in case the fresh ones is finished and so he brought only 50 pizzas in total (it was a small town) and the queue that formed!!! amazing!!!
it was selling so fast and peoples liked it very much!!! hehe ... in the beginning there was a boy that was passing back 'n' forth in front of the shop not knowing what was really going on ... l provoked him! l said YO, this is good pizza ... u gotta stop and try it.
And he escaped .... towards the end he decided (may be after he saw that everybody was buying it) to try it and l pretended to not look at him till when from my back l felt a TIP TIP on my shoulder and it was him with a big smile and with the GOOD thumb sign! l gave him a 5, ... LOL.
very nice .... and look at the proud Nartana!

Do u see the board on the left? do u know what it says? URIKIREMASHITA, GOMENNASAI. (SORRY, SOLD OUT!!!!) and still people were coming to ask it!
Actually a couple of guys, and looked like yakuza guys, asked him to participate at the next town's festival ... and he asked me to help him (actually he wanted me to stay the full month!) and l would have loved but ... later later, ciao.

The Chair

YO! l just got the pictures from A ... allright, A stand for Akeed!
So here is the famous chair l was talking about perviously ... exactly here.
And don't think that it is carved by human hand ... to tell the truth l didn't even ask if the chair was carved with tools 'cos these are just all collected pieces put together ... and believe it or not ... it is really comfortable! thats the chair l would love to have ... it is a gift from nature and just a "hollow bamboo" collected the woods as they were and voila` ... so in tune with nature and therefore with the body when u lie down on it ... without the psychiatric on your back of course!

Full Moon Nite

While l prepare for the next post, please enjoy this full moon nite l shot from my garden with winter breeze ... ... loving you



Bye Nango

Yeah thats right ... just 3 days l stayed in Nango and got, of course, one of the best time in my life.
But u know ... gotta move on ... l loved very much the spot, where l am with Golo, 'cos from there had a superb view of sea side

such as this Sunrise ... actually my very first "wild" sunrise ... and ... ok look first the picture


it was between 5~5:30 AM ... and such a golden line ... a waving cloud and the upper rays ...
and l said already a lot!
so u better check out this movie and watch out for the lighthouse




The scrolling title at the beginning of the movie is pronounced HI-NO-DE alias Sunrise in japanese (^-^)v

Back 2 Nango

Yeahey everyone! how are you?
Now l'm gonna post some of the amazing things with such creativity ... it literally blowed my mind faaaar off ... l was waiting this moment to show you ... thats why l had the hurry to get out of Yakushima hehe , 'cos more juicer posts are coming!!! but please forgive me if l slowed down with the blog ... l had to cut my time to sit here on the PC and so .... ok ok ok lets go on (^.^)v
Well, l went straight to A place in Nango, left Yakushima at midday and reached at his door between 9~10 PM and of course Golo the dog was jumping like .... like a happy dog!
But A was very surprised that l went back that night (l sent to him a notice mail but he is more ecological than technological) because he expected me the next day and anyway it was very nice to see again these fellas ... and there were 2 guests, a couple of around their 50thies and l met them for the first time .... but u know, this man made a wooden chair ... l mean it is more simile to the psychiatric couch, the one u almost lie down with the brainwasher behind u pretending to listen your rubbish ... well, shame on me l did not make the picture on this chair (l will ask to A to take one shot for me so u can see what l mean) and the beauty is that it is really comfy!!! and he created it so beautifully!!! but the most amazing ones are the ones made by his wife ... u know that Nango is a place of Typhoon (well not always...so don't get scared) and often u can find so many beautiful things on the beaches, things that the ocean brings, many funny things and A as well this couple l'm talking about, love very much to walk on the beach after typhoon and to pick whatsoever they feel like.
And that chair is one example and the wife instead, pick up small & big seashells and .... just look what she make out of it althought l shot from the postcards ... l did my best to make the quality of the picture enjoyable .... go and have a mindblowout experience!

AMAZING UH!? go on please

what can l say? ... l said already enough (^-^)

yeah l know there should be more but she had only these 3 postcards and she told me that she made many many many many many many .... l GULPED!!!
l told her ... that l'm very very very sorry to not be able to visit her place at that time so she can show me her amazing creativity ... but l assured that next time l go there in Nango it will be one of the first thing to do for me .... to see these small creatures, coming alive from the ocean through the hands of an hollow bamboo!!!

Fuji-san-set

This movie l took after l shot the pictures ... so u can see the whole scenery (^-^)

Zen Style

l'm back

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWW .... meeeoowww .... sorry for being so late ... l was busy to learn how to take care better my body ... but ALAS let get out of Yakushima!

You don't know what it does mean to stay 3 days continuously under rain and wet all over the body (except night time eh) and then suddenly WUEEEMMMMM the hot sun SSHUUUUMMMM kicking everywhere! it was really nice to be exposed to the SOURCE! (eh...because if the sun pop out then u too pop for sure... eh)
Anyway all my stuff, even my purse, my block-note with all the papers inside ... all w-e-t and so u can see that l'm making them happy tho have a happy sun-bathing and especially me of course!

l found a nice link with many more very nice pictures of Yakushima ... just go and dive in.
Well ... the Rocket boat is waiting for me to sail and so l guess it is time to finally say:
Yakushima-san ..... thank you & goodbye! ................... l mean: see you again!

Not Yet ... LOL

ln Shiratani Hut, when every one was out of the way and only few ones remained, l could look better and also breath much much better and was looking for, immediately, the place to sleep for the night ... and so l went in a room, the best one, and it was empty and clean and breathable and spacious.
Actually there were 2 young guys ... l introduced myself and with a nice surprise one of these guys could speak english fluently .... OOOOOOOHHHH finally a smooth conversation!
They were a group of students from Kyoto traveling together but it happend that one of them got sick and so he had to stop in the Hut to get rest and all the company went on, l think they wanted to reach to the top of the mountain Miyanoura-Dake, the tallest one! and only this fellow remained there to take care the friend, hoping to reach the group in the same day ... but it wasn't possible.
So we decided to go together to the bus stop place and also the entrance of this beautiful place, also the mama and the daughter, that we slept together in the first Hut at Jomon-sugi, joined our mission.
The mission was:
1 -Me to check the time of the first bus in the morning and to walk and enjoying the mystical nature without the 19 kg on my shoulders!!!
2 - The guy with fluent english, Ichiro, to try sending a SMS message to the group to tell'em that they were stopping for the night in the Cabin ('cos he couldn't send from where he was and so...)
3 - The mama & daughter were going to take the bus to go back to where they come from.
So now l just scanned the map and u can see the way we did to go (red spots) and the way back (blue spots)


Real adventure walking through this tropical land, breathtaking scenery (damm ... couldn't make a movie! thats was the real deal!) checked the time 4 the bus, he succeeded to send a message and a good farewell to the gals.
On the way back Ichiro wanted to to take the same way because it was the shortest and so the fastest too (worrying about his friend left there alone ... with my backpack!) but l said to him "my friend, without offense, it was nice to come down together and it is also nice to go back together but l understand your concern for your friend and this is very nice on your part, but this is also my last chance, the only opportunity to enjoy more this place taking the longer route (the blue spots) also because l'm very light and moreover tomorrow morning l'll have to take again the same trail to catch the bus ... l'm sorry so, see you there ciao" and he said "wait wait ... this is also my first time here and my last chance and me too l'd love to take the longer route ... so lets go together!" he was a very nice guy, l felt as if l knew him all my life ... yes that kind of feeling was there ion my part and l said this to him and asking if he also was feeling the same? "kind of" he answered. OK then l said "then lets go back ... we can go faster for your friend" and we started to go faster (almost running) .... then after a while l said "AOH!? no need to push ... your friend is not gonna die! of this l'm sure!!!" EKKEKAZZO?! ("what a fuck?" in italian) and he got the point and we enjoyed the trip and we found out that we didn't take so long to reach the Cabin and his friend was deeply snoring! (l knew!!!)
Here have a look of the inside the Hut ... you'll see my clothes and raincoat ... and it shot from the room

and here down l'm shooting to the entrance of the room

and my "bed" from the window

Much better than the first Hut uh?! and moreover with such nice company ... there was also another boy and funny thing is that after a while ('cos we eat "dinner" together ... kind of) l asked him (l wanted to check out my feelings) if he was from TOKYO? .... yes he said.
My Gosh!!! it is really true!!! l can tell if this person is coming from tokyo even if he doesnt speak or move ... amazing, l was surprised to guess right. (may be l was just lucky to guess it right).
And sleep ... and slept soundly ... and thats what l'm gonna do now ... and yes the last on Yakushima will be on the next post ... forgive me.
So now let me change the title ... LOL .... oooooowwww life is really beautiful ....

Shiratani and Bye Yak

Well l guess this is my last post on the beautiful Yakushima island (may be not ... who knows?)
so l show u right away the last Polaroid map here in the beginning and so u will see the red trail and that was the first hiking all along the river and on the railway (the horizontal line) and then into the mountain upwards till ball 12, Jomon-sugi ok.


And the orange trail was towards Shiratani (forgive me l didn't manage to take proper pictures on this place 'cos of continuous raining ... however l found few nice pictures of someone else ... go 2 see) and l arrived at the ball 13, where there was the other mountain Hut, and see the line when l cut to the left into the deep forest from the red trail? yes that one ... that little piece in between ... mystical. sorry more than this l'm failing to express the feeling and it must have been the same feeling when Hayao Miyazaki got there and got inspired to make the famous Princess Momonoke anime ... l saw it and it is really beautiful and Hayao managed to share the awesome feeling of this mystical place in the anime in a very beautiful expression of art through technology ... u gotta watch it ... it is worth it, so better go to your rental video shop and rent it ... l'm sure u'll love it.
But when l reached to the Hut l was horrified to find it overcrowded, everyone totally wet like the rabbi ... u have to understand what l'm telling right now ... l was reading an Osho book (and also recently l was following a "race" of "dirties" jokes in an intimate "place" and l thought that this joke, l'm going to tell u right now, was from there but l didn't find it and then remebered where did l read it) and He told a joke and it was such a nice joke! and so it goes like this:

Two little children were playing with their dog by the sea when the dog was carried out to sea by a big wave. A passing rabbi dived in, saved the dog and revived it by artificial respiration.

The children asked, "Hey, rabbi, are you a vet?"
"Am I wet?" replied the rabbi. "I am absolutely soaked!"

LOL ... now u get what did l mean? and this Hut was much much bigger and when l tried to make way to go in ... my gosh, believe me, u will not love to be there in my shoes at that moment but not even dreaming it .... it was lunch time and outside, deep non-stop rain and inside, everyone sprawled around standing sitting and yoga positions and whatnot ... and ok it wasn't so terrible to see it but the smell! oooohhh my ... forgive me for telling u this but it is unforgettable! because the toilet was inside and ... ok u got it, so l had to eat in a room where there was a little space for my flat ass ... well! there might have been 6 or 7 separate touristic groups + families and travelers just like me ... and after lunch, just in a half an hour they all went out to go on ... it was amazing to see this! not like sardines but like branches of sheep with the "pastor" screaming IKIMASHOOOO IKIMASHOOOO (lest go lets go) !!!

... dammit! l gotta go ... see what did l say in the beginning? ok no problem l'll finish in the next post ... and by the way, strange coincidence! 'cos before writing this post l already put the title and did u see that l stopped at Yak instead of Yakushima? thats why ... now l get it!
so see u later! (^o^)/ bi

PS = Actually the joke l shared before l found it here! oooowwww l got confused ... sorry f(^.^)

From 1 Hut 2 the other 1

When l escaped from Jomon-sugi place because of sardines, just 10 minutes later l found a small repairing place like a 3 x 3 meter square with roof and 3 bench around, just a resting place but l was surprised to find a tent inside in it! oh f**K ... 'cos l was thinking first, that that was the Hut and second, l wanted to set up the tent just there under the roof ... but anyway l went in (not in the tent! but on the bench!) 'cos l was all wet even if l had the raincoat and furthermore l was hungry! and ... l dont know why, just suddenly l took the camera and made this self portrait l just wanted to see my face as if l never saw it!!! ... so ok u too can have a look of that strange fellow ...
Had my lunch, had my siesta and l was also shivering a little bit ... practically since the lunch time it started to rain for real and non stop, so it was impossible to set up the tent just in the middle of the mud .... so l stayed almost 2 hrs there but time passed so VVUUUMMMMMM like a sec.
Then l noticed this tree had the branch interconnected with the other tree and l could not figure it out to whom really belonged the branch? u can look for urself ...

but of course it might be of the right one but who knows? Nature is known for making funny things too ... especially human beings LO~L.
Going on another 10 min. further on the path l finally met this small Hut, Takatsuka Hut.

There were already few people inside, a big family with 3 big children, a man, 2 boys ... and they were occupying all the first floor whereas on the top there was a mama with a 26 (?) yrs old daughter and plenty of space for my 1 meter leg! so l chose to stay on the window side (so l could breath easily in case of emergence eh!) and then after an hour or so ... another family with 2 big boys 9 and 14 yrs old (??) an the guide! so the house became full like sa..... ok, just full. ln fact poor papa and the Guide, they had to set up the tent outside ... real adventure for them guys! anyway as soon as it become dark we all went (after chit chatting for a while with "dinner") under the sleeping bag and "gone".
ln the morning farewell to everyone and also re-meeting Jomon without the mess of the previous day ... farewell to him too 'cos l was heading back on the same path just then to go to Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine ... fellas, thats the most beautiful place l ever saw in my life ... l mean l saw many other beautiful places just because l can see and catch the beauty wherever l am but this place, Shiratani, has its own magic ... it took 3 hours of beautiful dream-like walk and nasty backpack with its 19 kilos! to reach to the next Hut ... unfortunately l could not take any picture or movie on this path 'cos it was raining continuously and l was all wet withy my feet in the shoes that were making the ppss ppsss ppsss noise because of the water inside and the shoes were even water proof!
l'll tell u more later on ... now gotta sleep ... 'night my fellow travelers!

Flying

This is in TYO about yesterday when l was going back home from shopping and how could not share it with u? enjoy!

Toward Jomon-sugi

Yo guys, here l am ... greatly kicking!
Ok today was my first day after 4 days staying on my bed and l wanted to go out ... and it was raining pretty strong! who cared? it is so nice to go out ... and it made me remember Yakushima!
So l woke up at 4 AM, put the tent away and miraculously it wasn't raining and took the bus at 5 AM ... and riding to Arakawa trail starting point (arrived around 6 AM and ball 11) ... on the way lots of tourists groups tours and whatnot!? the bus was soon full like lots of sardines compressed in the can with their backpacks and it was the end of the world.
When almost arriving at the spot we had to change the bus because the previous typhoon (the one that forced me to delay the departure when l was in Obi) destroyed a piece of the road and so what happened? the bus that was on the other side was coming backward (really an experienced driver needed to drive a bus in backward way on a mountain road ... bbbrrrrrrr) to pick us up like sardines and in 10 minutes was the arrival.
Now lets stop with words and just look this movie
... put the glass on and light off ... 3-2-1 GO!



Cool uh? did u see how Huge the tree was? nooooooooooo??? oh my gosh ... watch it once more!
... just kidding ... yep only to walk on the railroad is almost 3 hrs! and like Indiana Jones with his senses at the maximum, 3 times l felt under my feet a strong vibration ... OMG an earthquake?
no ... just the train, and it was nice to see this kind of train like the one they use for the mine, same same ... with 3~4 people going to do some job ... it would have been nice to shoot at'em while passing but unfortunately it was raining or my hands were too wet to get the camera in a fast way ... anyway do you know how much weight l was carrying on my shoulder? 20 KILOS! uuuuuuuuuuhhh 6 hrs walking with it! uuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhh.
There were lots of people coming and going (it was the season, next time l know when to go and what to bring exactly ;)) and in the movie, before the last scene with Jomon-sugi, did u get where l was? l was inside a trunk tree, it was the Wilson Stump and u could go inside and look up to look the extra beauty but l went in took the movie and chalom go go 'cause tourists continuously were coming in the middle to get a shot just like here:

See what l mean? heheeeeeeee ... and just after half an hour the ARRIVAL, Jomon-sugi:


Pretty old uh? but here too ... too many sardines stopping in the middle just to get a shot and immediately (almost, just the time to fill the belly with something ... a picnic!) and back another 5 hours of trekking under rain with raincoat and the guide blah blahing AOH? anyway l opted to go away immediately to find out the Hut ... ciao

The Hole

Well l prepared this video days ago` but l forgot to post it and now l wanna post it here before going into the mountain ... this was in Todaiji in Nara when l was with V and his poppa, and his poppa told me about this ancient pillar that was located in the back of the BIG BUDDHA and he told me that there was a story saying that whoever could pass through this small hole (it was really small!) it means that he is a healthy person!
But first there were 2 cute japanese girls talking to each other trying to guess what it was for and when they heard it from the BIG VOICE OF THE POPPA, were pondering if it was worth risking to pass through and they were afraid, thinking "what if we remain blocked inside there?"
Anyway too long they were deciding, because they were just in front of the hole unmoving and so l said "SHO SHO SHO`" and ... enjoy the movie (^-^)



But actually l just got blocked on my back and stayed on the bed unmoving (almost) and so this is also to say that for another couple of days l will not go on telling my stories ... just wait a little bit more, when l will be really healthy LO~L!!!

Rainbows

When l got back from the fully lived day with the bicycle ... and headed back to my tent l found with surprise this beautiful rainbow welcoming me back!


and then after a while it became 2!!!
WoW l never saw 2 rainbows at the same time ...
what a gift!

(^-^)v

Impossible!

This was the bicycle that l rented, alright it is not a mountain bike but it had 3 option to change from soft to harder ... l mean the clutch and it was ok but as u'll see in the map, l planned to reach to the Lighthouse spot ball 7 remember? WELL, as usual the plan isn't working with me, the monkeys and company were at little more than half way between ball 6 and ball 8 and the spot 8 was my stopping point! and why? GUYS ... it was already 1 o'clock and without food and till the next town no restaurants, no convenience stores ... only monkeys and deers! and therefore no food alias no combustion for my legs to reach to ball 7 and back to ball 4 before 6 PM ... MURI! (in japanese means impossible!) so l said to A the australian, "my friend, l'm deeply sorry but cannot go on ... l cannot manage it is just muri, my legs doesn't allow me to go on ..." and u know what he did? he just gave me few biscuits, a little bit of petrol for my body ... and so l said "ok lets go l can manage ... " and just after 100 meters further l stopped ... "A ... l'm grateful that u want to save my life with your few biscuits ... but thats not enough for the return and l might get lost with monkeys and who know? from Darshan to Tarzan ... it is a little bit dangerous. So l go back ... " he got my point and we had a beautiful talk for a half an hour about what does mean to rise a child in these modern days ... l said clearly what l think and his last words were "you will be a great father if u'll ever have a child" ... THANK YOU but l can't and he knows why because l told him ... but l dont wanna tell u right know ... just that when people ask me if l have children and l say no and don't wanna have'em in this life ... and l'm surprised to see that they are surprised by my reply ... and so l tell 'em that because l'm already a father and mother too! ... ??? ... yes thats what their eyes show to me when l say this ... the baby thats inside me, darshan! thats the child that l'm rising!!! for what do u think that l presented him the Canon camera? 'cos l love him! l wanna make him as happy as possible! ... ok ... now the papa` is having few tears rolling on his cheek .... lets change the subject uh ....
What l was saying? Ah and so we ha a good farewell and l headed back as fast as possible to get the petrol at the first restaurant l could spot, it might have been a 5 star Hotel would have been fine! but instead l found, really the first one, an humble family house, spot 9, and l entered inside "KONNICHIWA~?" (hallo~?) ... they gave me a table, there was nobody, and gave me a flying fish with salad and rice then l ordered also an bacon omelet and the passion fruit! YEPPP l ate with mucho gusto aven thought the flying fish was little bit too salty ...
then wanted to stop to some beach to have a swim and so l went to Kuriohama beach, spot 10.
It was beautiful just like a tropical sea ... but it was windy and mossy and so l gave up the swim ... instead l bought lot of food for the mountain hiking and thats is in the next post ;)

The Deers and the Monkeys

Alright so, after the refreshing jumping in the waterfall, seeing that l had plenty of time to pass the day ... l thought that the waterfall was the farewell point with A, 'cos he had to go on, but looking at the map l said "the weather is fantastik and l have the bicycle rented till 6 PM so lets use it fully!" and so l decided to go on with him until the Lighthouse, ball 7.
And we took off for it! and after just 300 meter the slope started to be really nasty going upward, practically it was a real pain in the ass! but l thought that there must be an end somewhere for the down ride in just few meters more ... but noooooooooo it was always up and up and up and l was stubborn to go on ... until the Lighthouse!!! so in the beginning was mostly on the coast with ocean view but soon we immersed in the forest and alleluia some small down ride slope and then again nnnnnnnnhhhh up and up and up and then horizontal plane and then zzuuummmm downward and up again ... just like life!
and on the way we met few deers and bambi


and also monkeys, first time to see them so close ... the deer no, l saw even a big male deer up in the swiss mountain ... wow majestic ... but about monkeys, yeah l saw once in india but l was in the car you know, just passing and they were there eating coconuts something like this ... and here in Yakushima, while perspiring with sunglass pushing the bicycle ... l did meet very few monkeys here and there ... 1 or 2 ... then after a while l turn around to see if A was still alive ... no l didn't see him coming so l waited ... and l wait and 5 minutes pass by and start to worry ... as l move back to check out .. there he is! and what happened? he told me that he saw many monkeys together like a group ... YEAH???? then lets go back! and yes there were many of them ... also baby monkeys jumping from a tree to the other tree at the other side of the road ... it was so beautiful that l almost forgot to take the camera!!! have some glimpse: