To Shirahama
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sat 28 Oct 2017 22:57
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To Shirahama
 We ate a
simple breakfast in the reception of our hostel and as we left at ten, just a
light drizzle. By the time we had walked the twenty minutes to the station it
was hammering down, apparently a severe tropical cyclone is due to make land
tomorrow afternoon. No wonder Bear was so dead against sailing through Japanese
waters. Too right. We look back at a very grey Nara.
 We change trains at Tennōji, a really useful thing here for
travellers is that the place you are heading to has an
arrow. Really helpful, also that you can read it in English and spaghetti
(I’m sure there is a technical term for such truly beautiful writing but the
first time I ever saw it, it struck me as being like squiggly pasta).
  The overhead signs were easy to follow too, you found where you
wanted to go and that told you your platform number. We settled at platform 15
to wait the five minutes for our train as one arrived on platform 14, the first
time we have seen a ‘Women Only’ carriage, the sign, very clear and with red writing.
 A quiet little station built in 1889.
   Very similar scenery to what we have become accustomed
to.
  Countryside, paddy fields and a backdrop of misty hills.
 The sea, very dark clouds and rainy – hang on I see some
dots and zoom in.
 Surfers waiting on a wave, are they nuts, it’s freezing
out.
 We near Shirahama. The area is a well-known holiday
destination for the Japanese.
   Inland for a few minutes and the rain is still
pouring.
 Our ‘welcome’ at the station, hot springs and a zoo are
nearby.
 Two trains,
just a short hop of 108 miles to the seaside. Feeling
brave, we jump on a bus (with help from the ‘lady who knew’ waggling her
clipboard) and nine stops later we get out at our hotel.
 I wait at the bottom of the outside
steps, Bear goes in and rings the buzzer, no one appears. He comes back to me
and we walk to the nearby cake shop to ask for directions. The lovely lady steps
out into the rain and walks us back to where we had just come from. It has a
feel like we may be the only guests and we are waiting for Lurch to say “You
Rang” when a small, disinterested chap eventually shuffles out. He keeps trying
to keep us for three nights and now we feel like in the film where the chap has
his leg broken to stay longer.........We pay for two nights with breakfast. No
lift, thinking we had to carry our cases up two flights we were nicely surprised
to find our room on the first flight. Through the outer door, now giggling, it
still has ‘that’ feel. We are in a small hall with a wardrobe (on looking in we
find two very full Hungry Hippos – the thingies you put out with beads that
attract damp). The far door leads in to a tiny toilet with an even diddier sink.
Da Da, we open the bedroom door. My first words to Bear were tired splendour.
Beds settled as he always does. I nearly break my
knees as the bed has a nine inch shelf before you hit mattress. This will be a
laugh.
 At the end of the bed we have a
kettle, a fridge and two machines we think are for mossy repellent but who knows. The television is
big but not a single English speaking channel so the weather, typhoon and
tropical cyclone will have to be checked on the IPad.
  The balcony at some point was split
in half, one side a cute space with a table and
chairs, the other a bath and shower – OH a jacuzzi with a light switch. Bear will be able to flash to
his hearts content over the marina full of rufty-tufty fishing boats. Thank you.
 Next to our bed is a frosted glass
wall that leads to the wash basin and then through a
door (with three sets of hinges, five screws on each side, never seen a door
held on with thirty screws before in my life – typhoon
proof maybe) you reach the bathroom. I throw myself over the wooden
board to find a comfy bed and pillow.
  Things are looking up until I drop a
piece of paper down the side of the mattress, to heavy for me I ask for help.
Bear pulls up the corner and comes up with a camera lens cap, a hair slide and
an unused condom. Hell, that was just in my top corner. We decide not to disturb
anywhere else....some secrets should stay that way........Bear poses with his haul and
shows just how wide the ‘seat’ is around the edge. Heaven only knows how a short
person copes. We go for a bimble to the local store, hurrah, it’s a Lawsons, we
get our favourite bits of chicken and a pot noodle for supper. We know how to dine in style. We get back soaked, a good excuse for a bath. I’m first.
  Happy as Larry, Bear not only has one
of ‘those fancy toilets’, complete with toilet slippers (about a size four) but a jacuzzi he discovers has disco lights that change colour.
Through the full rainbow....What more do I
need, especially as the experience is rounded off with a sherbet.
The jam-jar-looking-receptacle once held a healthy dose of cheap sake, very nice
when added to a cup of cappochinno. Here Bear models a Jim Beam and
coke.
  After his long soak, he dons the provided pj’s. Pity there is about three inches of heel hanging off the back of the slippers.
I don’t know what about the full ensemble but he chooses the second picture to
go on FB. I look so much slimmer in the second
one.
I go for a soak and worry about the
static that will come off those very thick, pure nylon legs and thank the Lord
he can’t move his legs like a cricket or the whole place will go up in flames.
Once I’m clean I have to borrow pitons to get out of the bath. Ooo there’s a
stool for short people but it’s the other side of the room, at five feet ten I
have never considered myself as short so wouldn’t have taken it with me in the
first place. I might have needed it had my climbing kit failed. Dry and powdered
(as you all know I hate chafe or the very thought of it), I throw myself
Fosbury-flop-style into my pit and will try hard not to get up until breakfast.
Ooo there’s something to wonder about. Still odd to leave a bedroom to use a
toilet, com back in, shut the door and head to the other side of the bed through
another door to wash your hands.....
Both settled, we have a laugh at the
FB comments.
Paul: Looks pretty comfy to us
Sue: Bless (and a smiley
face)😄
Steve says: Love the slippers (smiley face crying with
laughter). Clearly not made for Western size feet (smiley face)
Made me chuckle on my night watch, especially the thought
of all the static from BB (another wet-eyed
smiley)😂
Richard says: Natty!
Ana says: He matches the decor in an odd sort of way!
See I refer back to my initial comment – dated splendour. Thank you. You’re welcome.
Stacey: (smiley face with heart
glasses, a smiley face and a laughing one)
Cecily: The slippers make it!! Scare the opposition tactic
xx
Burney: Stigmatism, stripes and checks
Sorry the faces won’t transport to
the blog. Thank you to all the ‘likes’ too.
Time for sleep, oh, my, the top has
come off and he looks like something................I’m not entirely
sure............. but I don’t think it’s the
way forward.
ALL IN ALL TIME TO SEE THE
SEASIDE AND SURVIVE OUR DIGS
NICE TO BE IN COASTAL JAPAN IN PERFECT
SURROUNDINGS
I REALLY WORRY ABOUT THIS MAN ON OCCASION, NIGHT
ALL
WHAT WAS THAT
NOTHING DEAR,
NOTHING |