We
left the House at 7.30 am, after VT and Claudine made themselves a
simple breakfast of soba noodles purchased from the cold section of Coop
Supermarket the night before. It came complete with a sealed bag of
soup and a choice of char siew or tofu. Suzie though, only munched on a
bag of chips while Bernie was rolling on empty!
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| Breathtaking view from the road above 88 House |
We
descended the hills while the morning air was still cold and crisp. By
the time we reached the intersection to the cemetery, the climb began!
Out came the sweat from our pores and with that, we started undressing
as well!!
There
were no bike paths in this part of Japan. The roads were narrow on
certain segments. Here and there were pedestrian paths and these left us
in a dilemma .... should we be rolling over the people or the cars???
This
morning, Bernie and Suzie covered their bikes with plastic covers meant
for bikes, purchased from Daiso. It left the bottom of the wheels
exposed allowing them to wheel the bikes into the station. Boarding the
train for Miyajimaguchi, it was packed with students, workers and
tourists as well.
Arriving
at the station, we were astounded with the flood of devotees making a
beeline for the ferry service to the island. Deciding not to rush with
them, we scouted for breakfast and found an oyster farm serving a set,
spread of oysters. Bernie and Suzie decided on it without hesitation but
2 kg of barbecued oysters, oyster omelettes and oysters fried with
breadcrumbs later; they were almost sick!!!! While VT tried out a small order, Claudine who was turned off by the huge muscular morsels decided to return to the bakery they passed earlier.
After
breakfast, we returned to the ferry terminal. As our JR tickets only
allowed us passage on board and not our bikes, the port authorities
helped us to purchase separate tickets for our bikes from the vending
machines. Bringing our bicycles on board costs 100 Yen for each sector.
The ferry ride was short and brief. Bicycles were treated as vehicles, hence we board from the car lane.
Arriving
on the island 10 minutes later, the number of devotees overwhelmed us.
Initially unaware, few of us joined the queue for the Itsukushima
Shrine. The wait time was a shocking 180 minutes!!!
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| On low tide, you can catch a lot of hermit crabs |
Abandoning the queue, we went for the free for all, Grand Torii Gate instead! Situated by the sea, the great Torii is said to be the boundary
between the spirit and the human worlds. Painted in bright vermilion colour, it is said to ward off evil spirits!
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| Crazy crowd |
 |
| Rickshaw pullers are a real candy eye!!! |
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| Deer behaving like dogs!!! |
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| See the close human contact??? |
We
did not spend a long time on the island. Even a short walk through the
shops was a fight for space! The docile and friendly deers are so used
to human contact, they even consume our food which are sadly not fit for
them. If caught unaware, they will snatch the food right out from your
hands !!!
Returning
to the mainland, we took the new train back to Hiroshima. This express
train makes less stops compared to our morning commuter.
Back
in Hiroshima, we rode to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. A Unesco
Heritage Site, it draws in the crowd. Approaching ground zero, we had to
weave past throngs of tourists, all the while keeping an eye on the
leader and sweeper so as not to lose anyone.
Arriving
at the Atomic Bomb Dome, a sudden melancholy engulfed us. Gone was the
crazy rush for space we endured earlier. Instead, a broody, quiet
atmosphere hung in the air. The half collapsed building, in grey cement
and stripped off paint evokes a bone chilling feeling of what happened
on August 6, 1945.
Crossing
the reconstructed Aioi bridge, we saw the convergence of the 2 rivers,
Ota and Motoyasu. We took a walk in the park, rang the Peace Bell and
soon made our way back to our House. War and Death was not something we
enjoyed brooding over for too long!
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| 7 train crossings with super precision timing, but this lady riding with stilettos caught our attention! |
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| Cheap and affordable chain of restaurants |
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| Squalid flats |
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| The supermarket |
Midway
through our journey back to the House, we had a tea break at Sukiya,
then top up our supplies from the adjacent supermarket. Prices near the
low cost flats were not as inflated as in Coop. We tried out many snacks
but the strawberries; not too sour and slightly sweet was enjoyed at
the House's verandah once again.
That
night, Bernie and Suzie skipped dinner. After settling the day's
laundry, VT and Claudine rolled down the hill together and returned to
last night's restaurant for another round of barbecued chicken thigh on
bamboo skewers. It was good to load themselves up, as the next day was a
grueling day at Shimanami Kaido!
Photo Credits ;
1. Bernie
2. Suzie
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