Day 15 - Wrapping things up

Some interesting things happened during the rest of the day, but I did not take pictures.

Just before I reach the place where I was supposed to meet Ian, three nasty looking guys went by on Harleys. They looked liked like Hells Angels. I was a bit worried when I saw them because people like that sometimes like to harass foreigners, and we were in an area with almost no houses. They came roaring up and slowed down! Now I was worried. However, I relaxed when each one in turn, without stopping, gave me a full formal bow.

Less than a kilometer down the road, I saw the place where Ian and I planned to meet - a bus stop with a covered shelter. It was getting very warm, about 20 degrees C, so the shade was welcome. As I walked up, I could see Ian arrive. We rested a bit and had a drink, the last of what we had been carrying.

We started off together and soon discovered a large coffee shop / restaurant. We had coffee and pancakes. When we went to pay, the waiter brought us to frozen cans of tea, telling us they were settai that we would appreciate them a little further down the road.

We continued down the road when a car pulled up and the driver stopped and gave us 1,000 yen. He then drove up the road a ways, made a U-turn and came back in our direction. He obviously had seen us and went out of his way to give us settai.

We stopped at a convenience store and bought food for the next day's lunch. I ate an ice cream cone while we rested before continuing.

We arrived at the lodge around 4 p.m. after going about 26 kilometers. We bathed, blogged, watched sumo on TV and then ate. I went to bed as soon after supper as I had finish writing in my diary and preparing my gear for the next day's walk.