Biking Awaji Island

I'm at the new school today and three more kids (in a different class) just made the connection between this LEAH DIXON character and myself. She's apparently some kind of American singer/actress ("... or maybe Japanese"), who is well-known here but not at home in the States. I can't complain that they think I'm the long-list twin of some model, but I can't help but think it's amusing that she's Asian.

As for the weekend, well, another one has come and gone, and I'm happy to report I made it around Awaji Island (between Honshu and Shikoku islands) on my solo bike trip... something I've been hoping to do for a long time. I actually feared that I would be in a lot of pain today after the ride, but I'm feeling totally fine and it was definitely a lot of fun.

The trip was about 150 kilometers (93 miles) in total and I spanned it out over two days, staying at my friend Kate's house on Saturday night. I left early on Saturday (early bedtime on Friday), biking to Akashi, taking the ferry across to the island and then biking down the east coast (Hwy 28). Kate lives in Fukura, on the southern tip (where the Naruto whirlpool sightseeing ships leave from), which was a convenient stopping point for the first day. I stopped at a few places on the way, including Sumoto Castle, but I got really lucky with beautiful, sunny weather and it was a pretty flat path. Smooth trip to say the least.

I arrived in Fukura around 4pm and met Kate at a local ice cream parlor. Then we went for a walk, exploring the temples and fish markets in her town, before meeting some of Kate's friends to watch movies and talk. Fun, low-key evening.

We had originally planned to also visit England Park, sort of an animal-farm amusement park (with emus, koalas and onion-flavored ice cream) on Sunday morning, but it was raining and I still had a long trip home, so we just made pancakes and talked before I had to leave around 1:30pm.

It took me considerably longer to get home than it took me to get to the south of Awaji, but I was also on rural roads and it was raining and windy the entire ride. Despite the unfavorable weather conditions, the scenery was stunning, with the small road following the coastline for almost the entire 60+ kilometer trip (and often next to mountains). There were also only about 2 big hills on the west side of the island, which I didn't find bad, and I stopped at a few quaint little ma'n'pa shops along the road to buy onions and yuzu (a special citrus fruit the island is famous for). Just before the ferry stop back to the main island, I also took the time to visit a natural onsen (hotspring) in Iwaya city, with glorious views of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (world's largest suspension bridge). I know, I know... I had already gotten wet enough for one day with over three hours of biking in the rain (my clothes were soaked through - even with a rain jacket and poncho!), but relaxing in the steaming, warm baths while watching the lights change on the rainbow-colored bridge was such a treat. It probably took me another 2 hours to get home from there, but I was so happy it seemed like nothing.

This trip inspired me to explore bike tourism a bit more, something I have been interested in since getting involved with the PEPY Ride program in Cambodia this past spring. It's a great way to get personal with your surroundings and explore, not to mention that it's really good for both you and the environment :)

I'll post more details about the Awaji ride with my photo album (will be a link on the right side) soon, but I would definitely recommend the bike trip to anyone... even in the rain. It can be done in a day if you're ambitious enough to try it (and get up early... the Tako Ferry from Akashi goes 24 hours, and it'd probably take you around 13-15 hours). Beautiful trip!