Saturday, June 30, 2012

Day 18 Sat 30/6 - Wonderful Park camp in Shunan


Today Distance :71.1km    Total: 920.2km
Today weather : 25 -34c    Cloudy with evening rain
Time on Bike : 4 hr 55 min
Ave speed : 14.4 kmh       Max : 53.5
Ave Climb : 2%                Max :7%
Trip Altitude : 363 m            Max :131 m
Today spend : 1613 yen     Total :43159 yen


We are about 500km to Osaka,and Sherco already started counting the days as he will be flying home on the 9th of July, and he told me must at least do 70 km per day to reach Osaka,and have enough time to do shopping.So today considered  target achieved. I had studied the map and there is no big climb except for some roller coaster ride .The town that we passed thru' is Hofu,Aio,and Shunan.We saw many paddies fields,its a planting season now in Japan on almost every vacant lands available.Japan don't import rice as i think they are self sufficient. I love eating the Japanese rice,a little sticky than our normal rice but most important is you feel stomach full and satisfaction after eating. Its extreamly expensive and cost 500 yen per kilo,that is Rm 20 in Malaysia.So sometimes i am only eating instant mee for dinner. Well,back to the ride,the weather was cooling and for the past 2 days,good for us to clock longer distance,once we hit 70 km,we started to look for place to camp as we knew there wasn't anymore road station ahead, we spotted a park and Sherco was fast to check it out, and the result is excellent,with few tap water,power plugs and the most unexpected is the eight shower heads that used to find in the swimming pool. We really had a good wash. The only negative part of it is, the 30 min rain after we had our dinner.
Road Station in Yamaguchi where we camp last night

Heading to next town Hofu on route 25

One of the several bridges we crossed today
Paddies planting season now everywhere in japan

This road station in Aio is too early for us to camp

Lawson, one of the popular convenience store we frequent

Charging my laptop outside the store

Superb tunnel with adequate lighthing
Broad bike lane above a flyover

Another tunnel is coming up

And another on the hilly coastline

Certain strectch of hilly road has no bike lane but a narrow shoulder

Stopping for a good view on the village down in the valley

Stopping for a good view on the village down in the valley

Stopping for a good view on the village down in the valley

Stopping for a good view on the village down in the valley

Surprise Ramen noodles restaurant up on the hill

Big bowl of Ramen a bit overprice for 500 yen

Wonderful park camp in Shunan

Happy find from Sherco when we were desperate

Sherco busy taking pictures with his tripot

This is really wonderful and unexpected





Day 17 Fri 29/6 - A Century Hard Ride in Search for Yamaguchi Road Station


Today Distance :102.8km    Total: 849.1km
Today weather : 25 -34c    Hot sunny 
Time on Bike :6 hr 42 min
Ave speed : 15.3kmh       Max : 52.0
Ave Climb : 2%                Max :7%
Trip Altitude : 466m            Max :73m
Today spend : 1552 yen     Total :41546 yen


Another good day and we started moving rather early at 5.45am as Sherco has complained on the hot weather. We gave away some onions and potatoes as it is too heavy to carry them all,of course without Matsumoto knowing.Heading to Kitakyushu and stopping at Moji for our lunch in Joyfull restaurant again .We did not know,we can't go onto the Shimonoseki Bridge after being told by the toll staff to use the undersea tunnel,Kanmon Tunnel.Amazing !!! To go to the tunnel,we took a lift down and push our bikes across the 780m long tunnel to the other end of Shimonoseki city.There is a nice garden and esplanade where we took some nice pictures of the bridge before we rode along the coast . From the busy route 2,we turn into route 190, we got a little lost here as we had to rely on Sherco smart phone to refer to the google map for direction for our intended stay in another road station in Ube.It was a very tiring ride today and our very 1st century in Japan.


Tents on stage last night

Onions and potatoes gift fr Matsumoto,this much we gave away without him knowing

Morning sunrise at 5 am

There are puppets around the park

Heading to Kitakyushu on route 10

And then to Shimonoseki on route 25

The only tunnel we passed

Same lunch as yesterday in Joyfull restaurant.Did i tell you i will comeback?

Inside the restaurant

Way to the bridge

Shimonoseki-kaikyo Bri

Bridge view under

No bicycle and pedestrain on the bridge but the Japanese built undersea tunnel

This is the building where we took a lift down

Map information on the undersea tunnel

From Moji crossing over to Shimonoseki

You are not allow to ride ,only push

Halfway boundary

Add caption

780m long

Kanmon Tunnel

At the other end


Nice Japanese garden overlooking to the bridge






Riding along the coast line