Korea Trip - North Korea

So we took the train to North Korea, crossing the Friendship Bridge... And stopped

...We stopped so that North Korean immigration agents could go through our stuff.
It was a bit anticlimactic, but the chief customs guy was pretty funny, he even gave a bottle of rice wine to one of the guys in the group. After about half an hour, it was done, and the train lurched to a start again.

...Then, after an hour or so, the locomotive caught on fire.

Being not allowed to leave the train, and the windows not opening more than a crack, we were unable to know what was happening when the train suddenly stopped in its tracks, in the middle of nowhere, near a small rural village without electricity.

We then noticed village people coming to and from the village under the orders of the government officials on the train, carrying buckets of water to the front of the train. I was in another train, talking to a group of Chinese laborers on their way to Pyongyand to work on a new building, and eventually understood that the locomotive had caught fire and that we would be there a while.


...And you know what? That there five hours was one of the most fulfilling of the whole trip, because we got to see a small rural North Korean village from up close, and some of the village kids even went up to the train and I got to communicate and play rock paper scissors with these kids that probably have never seen a Caucasian before...

Anyways, a few hours later, a new locomotive came in from Pyongyang, and we finally made it, five hours late.


Pyongyang itself is a lot more industrial than what we saw from the train on our way there, but most buildings are old and look.... Washed out... Then you have those huge government projects and monuments that are, let's face it, impressive, like the Ryugyong Hotel (Still being finished).

After arriving at the hotel, we had time for a shower and supper in a huge and very empty dining hall. The elevators of the hotel were pretty cool, a pair of them had half the shaft sticking out of the buinding, and you could see yourself being propelled up or down. The elevators were very efficient, only staying open for 3 seconds. I sort of liked that, as I hate having to just stand there, waiting for a door to close, but one of the girls was not quick enough to get out and got to make an extra trip up and down the elevator back to her floor :P

The next day we were going to head to Kim Il Sung's "Birthplace House", and the Museum of Gifts.

Korea Trip - Dandong

On April 5th, we took the ferry from Incheon port in South Korea, to Dandong, a city in China that borders with North Korea.

...For some reason, the ferry struck me a typically Chinese.

It was really crowded. in fact this is a picture of one of the less crowded areas.
After rubbing shoulders with a couple of hundred Chinese people, we were let on board of the ferry, into our own private room.

Well, private common room, anyways. I positioned myself nearest the door, to get some fresh air from outside, but in the end, so many Chinese were smoking on the deck with the door open, about two meters from our cabin, that i ended up closing the door.

The cafeteria was no less crowded for supper, and all in all, it was a relatively event-less trip and we arrived the next morning in Dandong.

The feeling I had in Dandong, was of a mix of Urban and countryside. On one hand you had factories and coal-processing plants near the center of the town, but on the other, you had some very tall buildings, and downtown was definitely urban. in contrast to South Korea, though, it was definitely less modern and clean. Then again, I would be comparing Seoul, the capital of SK, with a random city in China.

Anyways, when we arrived, we met our energetic Chinese guide, and went to our hotel for a long-awaited shower, and proceeded to make the most of our last day in the free and democratic country that is China. We visited the War Museum in China, commemorating the Korean war (with slightly different versions of how things happened than the museum in SK)...

...Went on a boar ride on the river bordering china and North Korea (Thats the Friendship bridge)..

And had some fun at a great Chinese restaurant in town, complete with revolving tables (I need to get me one of those).

On the boat, I got a set of old North-Korean money (that is technically illegal for foreigners to possess in NK), and me and the guide managed to haggle down the price from 30$ to about 6$, and I got to use my special skills honed in years of role-playing games!

All in all it was a hectic day. After leaving some "compromising items" at the hotel (Basically, pictures we took in SK and pamphlets from some of the NGOs we had visited), we headed to the train station and into North Korea!

Korea Trip - South Korea Part 2

The South Korean part of the trip was pretty interesting.

We met with may professors, members of think-tanks and members of foundations working in international relations and peace. Of course the seminars were geared towards the two Koreas, and more specifically towards the situation with North Korea.

How North Korea is using fear, uncertainty and doubt while threatening the world to get what it wants. The fact is that the leaders know that they would lose a war, but also that they could cause pretty heavy damage before going out. They therefore have no interest in starting a war, but have interest (wanting more coverage, to be taken seriously, to get economic concessions) in keeping up the rhetoric.

The regime also keeps up the talk of the threat from the USA, with its bases in Japan and South Korea, but how much of it is genuinely felt and how much of it is based on the need to justify the regime is unclear.

Lets remember that the Koreas having been divided by external powers without the consent of its people,and the Kim regime being a direct consequence of Russia and China's involvement. however, the fact is that even if there were to be reunification, it would most likely spell a fiasco. North Koreans are proud and see themselves as the true Koreans, the South having sold themselves out to America. many would prefer to defect to China than to have to integrate South Korea and adopt its modern culture. A reunification would need to feed and give work to 24 million penniless North Koreans, most of which have no skills usable in South Korea's modern society. The economic gap between East and West Germany was not as large as the one between north and South Korea, and there are still inequalities to this day, a reunification between the two Koreas would therefore be extremely hard, which makes it, unfortunately, unenviable by most parties.

South Koreans have also become used to the threat of the north. most do not realize that they are still at war, as only an armistice was ever signed. The fact that Seoul could be razed in 30 minutes also eludes most of them in their everyday lives. by contrast, north Koreans are very much aware that they are still at war. They are also aware of the sanctions they are suffering from. Most of the sanctions are understandable, such as the sanctions on military goods and even luxury goods, as punishment for misdeeds. However, it becomes harder to justify refusing to sell tractors to North Korea, that has been having food problems since 1994, on the basis of which they could potentially be used as missile-carriers.

In order to understand North Korea's stubbornness, one must understand the prism by which they see the world:

1. They are very much aware that they are in a constant state of war and of the US threat and they feel they constantly have to ramp up their army and defenses as well as never show a sign of weakness, lest they be attacked. They see a strong army as the only thing preventing a US attack on them.This justifies squashing any dissension and funneling resources away from other sectors towards the army. it is also used to justify the regime.

2. They feel that they are in constant competition with south Korea. Their leaders being infallible, they blame the South Koreans selling themselves out to the US, as well as a concerted effort by the US and the UN to put up embargoes and sanctions for their economic troubles.

The feelings of being unjustly victimized and standing alone against the world are therefore strong and they want good and efficient farming, but they feel that a strong army and weapons are a prerequisite to being able to do so, as the second they show weakness, they will get invaded. Like Iraq or Libya.

...I could talk about it at length, but suffice to say the conferences in Seoul were interesting.



We stayed at a modern Youth Hostel in the heart of Seoul.

Having arrived two days early, I visited Gangnam district, and biked around Seoul a bit.

In between seminars, we had a bit of time and we ended up visiting the DMZ (Demilitarized zone). It was a mix of touristy (with coin binoculars and souvenir shops), sad (Wall with messages from separated families, a train station awaiting reunification in order to go anywhere) and scary (an abandoned tunnel dug by North Korea in order to invade South Korea.. only a few have been discovered.. How many more are there?)

We also visited the Korean War museum. (Lets just say the story is slightly different from the North version I was going to hear few days from then).

After the last seminar, we headed to Incheon port to take the ferry to Dandong, China, and from there, to north Korea.

..But more on that tomorrow....

Japan and Korea

So, I ended up spending 2 days with my Japanese friend and 2 days with Jeremy and his parents, and a party with Yves.

The first three days were at the New Koyo hostel at the Minami Senju station, which is cheap, clean and rents bikes at 2.5$ a day and has wifi and a laundry machine. The guy that runs the place is great and knows everything around the area and is always ready to help.

I ended up biking to the Sky Tree (tallest broadcasting tower in the world) to meet my japanese friend there. I didnt go up because it would have cost like 40$, and there was a huge waiting line.. What i DID do was go up to the 31st floor of the building right next to it for free.

After getting another bike, we ended up going to Ueno Park to see the Sakura blooming. when we made it, it was night, but the whole place was lit up and it was pretty. we ended up sitting down and talking to a couple of japanese guys, and eventually with a couple of japanese girls that were sitting behind us. One of the girls was totally a hottie and was smart, had studied Chinese and had worked there a few months and had a interest in the world and politics and we ended up talking 3 hours. She also had a boyfriend, I learned then. Figures.

The next day I went to meet my friend in the Yokohama Chinatown, it took longer than planned because I couldnt get a wifi. I even checked at a Starbucks, but to be able to use the wifi there, you need to register. Online. Yeah.
The staff, whom I am sure ALL had their smartphones somewhere near by were less than helpful suggesting i find a hotel or something with free wifi to register. I guess it would have been too much to ask that one proposes to register me online with their smartphone. I ended up having to leave Chinartown to find a 7-11 convinience store, which all have free wifi. Is there something 7-11 DONT have in Japan?

After an all-you-can-eat Chinese food buffet, I went to meet Jeremy and we went out for Karaoke. The next day we had to check out at the New Koyo, as it had been full for saturday night and ended up staying at the Koyo (The OLD Koyo) hostel. The owner was polite enough, but the place was pretty bad... People smoked in the rooms and hallway, the shower was closed from 11pm to 9am, and the checkout was at 9am, the rooms smelt of cigarette and were very shabby... I should have forked the extra 10$ to get a regular cheap hostel, if only not to have to wake up at 7am in a room stinking of cigarette because my nextdoor neighbour was smoking, and being able to take a shower before checking out...

Anyhoo, before having to check into that crumby hostel, Jeremy and me met up with his parents, who happened to be in Japan visiting him, and we went around Shibuya. I eventually met up with Yves, and we went out with some friends. I got a bunch of cheesecake at this trendy place in Shibuya and it was good.

The last day, I said goodbye to jeremy and his parents and went to the Oedo Monogatari Onsen in Odaiba. I had already been there a few times before, but I noticed a sign this time around saying clearly that people with tattoos were not permitted to enter.. I resisted the urge to Gaijin Smash my way in, and asked the guy at the door if it was OK if I just covered it or something. No go. So after an hour of train, dirty me could not even go to the Onsen. At least I had an interesting talk with the manager, though we obviously had a different conception as to the definition of the word "discrimination".

So, having been unable to get a shower at Crumby Hostel, and being refused the right to bathe, and running out of time, I went to the airport and flew to Korea.

Korea is pretty similar, yet very different from Japan. People sort of look the same, the art and graphics of signs and posters are very similar, but the language and alphabet are completely different. When people talk, I sometimes can understand a small part of what they are saying because some words are similar with Japanese words, but just when I think I can understand, it becomes totally alien... Also, there must be an infrastructure with the sewage system, because most parts of town smell like shit. Literally. Like, from the sewers. I dont know how the sewage works, but in many districts, every block or so, I'd pass a sewage grating, and would get a whiff of old mud puppy. I still cant decide if its better or worse than cigarette smoke.

Anyhoo, There is a lot less english on the signs and I cant read a word of korean, so the trip to the hostel wasa bit more challenging. In a good way. I eventually arrived, and while the room is small, theres a laundry room, free rice/kimchi/instant ramen, and the rooms are clean. Theres no wifi, but theres a computer with internet, which I am using right now. Its also like 15$ a night.

The owner talks good english, and he even lent me his bike, so I went to the Gangam area and wandered around Seoul a bit. Food prices are always a surprise. 80 cents for a jumeok bap (korean onigiri), 10$ for a feast or korean BBQ... But then 10$ is also what it costs for a few pastries and a coffee at a local non-high-class place. I dont know if the price of wheat skyrocketed and meat plumetted, but anyways.

Tomorow I will go around Seoul a bit more and I have to check in at the hostel where the group of students will be staying. The real study trip starts tomorrow at 2:00pm.

Kombini run!

So, after more than twenty hours, I am in Tokyo!

I noticed my japanese is a bit rusty, but i can manage to get around by myself pretty good.

Basically....

Its good to be back.
I dont know if its the sense of adventure of being alone with your backpack and a couple of bucks..
...if its being in a country so foreign that its still exotic, but familiar enoigh that you can get around and talk to people...
...if its the freedom of wandering the streets and aside from a few big plans like visiting Sky Tree, just being free and wander where things look interesting...

But i missed that.

Its strange how nostalgic just seeing the landscape from Narita aiort to Tokyo station was from the train window,i mean its just a bunch of rural-ish houses, some fields and a babmoo grove or two, right?

So here I am at a nice and cheap place near minamisenju station, planning to meet some friends during the week and weekend, but also just wander around and look at stuff.


Before heading to the academic trip in the Koreas.
Seems many of the ministers we were supposed ro meet will be tied up because of the situation with the DPRK, but we will meet more professors at various universities to compensate.
Looking forward to ot...


But first, its Japan time.

...I wonder what my kids are doing...

Id like to go back to Mikasa sometime...

First Step

First leg in the trip to Japan-SouthKorea-China-NorthKorea...
Boarding a plane to New-York in 10m
Didnt sleep last night in order to be here on time.

Exchange rate sucks, I'm gonna be so poor after this...

Sommet.. ou fosse?

http://blogues.lapresse.ca/voixdelest/2013/02/07/un-mauvais-film/


Bref, le PQ, qui proposait de faire un sommet sur l'éducation ou "tout serait mis sur la table" met de coté  une à une, les idées et les débats autres que l'indexation des frais de scolarité. Va-t-on vraiment parler du financement des universités? Va-t-on véritablement considérer la gestion interne des universités, une certaine mal-gestion que semble élucider quelques études dont, entre-autre, celle-ci? 
Le ministre à apparemment déjà décidé que l'indexation est la solution... Alors le sommet sera un beau petit spectacle dont la décision finale a déjà été choisie à l'avance.

Si nous remettions en place ne serait-ce que la moitié des impôts aux corporations ou au capital financier qui ont été coupés ces dernières années nous pourrions nous payer même la (si choquante) gratuité scolaire.
Et avoir un surplus.
Depuis 2000, le taux fédéral d'imposition est passé de 28 % à 15 %...
Avec l'imposition provinciale de 12%, les entreprises sont imposées à 28%
Comparé à la moyenne de 38% des états-unis, c'est un paradis fiscal!
Le gouvernement peut ben pas avoir d'argent à mettre en éducation....

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Ayant pris part à beaucoup de manifestations, j'ai vu de près les abus policiers, la violence excessive et la provocation par les "forces de l'ordre" des civils pour justifier leur intervention musclée. J'ai aussi vu la version biaisée de l'histoire véhiculée par la majorité des grands médias et la crédulité passive du grand public et sa capacité à être manipulé par la peur.
Certains sous-groupes de manifestants faisaient du grabuge, certes, mais il y en avait au moins autant du côté des policiers.. Plus, en fait, si on considère que les étudiants étaient si nombreux comparativement aux policiers.
Cela étant dit, je ne suis plus surpris des abus policiers. Constable 728 est un cas parmi tant d'autres.
Je ne suis donc pas surpris quand je vois des articles comme ceci.
Suis-je le seul à penser que les policiers devraient être des professionnels entraînés et agir au service de la population citoyenne et devoir rendre des comptes à la population qu'elle prétend servir et qui paie son salaire?
Enfer à la "confrérie" et un peu plus de responsabilisation et de transparence SVP!

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La capacité de réductionnisme et d'infantilisation, voire de démagogie que beaucoup de journalistes font du sujet est presque aussi aberrant que le nombre de lecteurs qui ne font que le gober tout rond sans poser un regard critique sur le sujet.

Par exemple, cet article.

On voit tout de suite que l'auteur n,effleure que la surface du problème, en le sur-simplifiant et en utilisant une analogie douteuse, mais qui, à première vue apparaît juste.

Voici donc quelques commentaires faits à propos de cet article faits par moi et d'autres:


1. La France est un système à 2 vitesses, où les universités gratuites sont sous financés et mal perçues par le privé. Si on s'offre la gratuité, toutes les universités doivent avoir le même financement, aussi non on se retrouve en position d'injustice. L'auteur aurait pu nommer l'Allemagne, la Suède, le Danemark, Le Mexique qui ont des universités gratuites avec de bonnes réputations.

2. L'auteur induit les lecteurs faussement à l'idée que la gratuité scolaire doit NÉCESSAIREMENT être la gratuité non balisée. Option Nationale par exemple ne propose aucunement la gratuité scolaire non balisée. L'état pourrait payer par exemple la première admission et si un étudiant venait qu'à échouer il devrait en assumer les frais. plusieurs autres systèmes de balises sont possibles. pour revenir à son analogie boiteuse de consommation d,eau, ça serait comme avoir des compteurs, mais avoir droit à une certaine quantité d'eau gratuite avant de commencer de la payer.

3. Pourquoi donner des barrières supplémentaires à l'accessibilité et à la promotion des études universitaires quand le taux de diplomation est déjà inférieur à la moyenne des pays comparable au Québec?

4. La gratuité scolaire se chiffre entre 500 millions et 800 millions. On subventionne nos entreprises à coups de 3 milliards par année (soit 3 fois plus que l'Ontario). Est-ce que ce genre de dépenses et de subvention est réellement rentable? L'abolition de la taxe sur le capital et la baisse d'impositions aux corporation ont-ils vraiment créés de l'emploi, ou ont-ils juste servis à renflouer les coffres des compagnies et des actionnaires (les études récentes semblent proposer que c'est le cas)?

5. On entre dans une phase ou la main d'oeuvre spécialisée sera en forte demande (beaucoup de mise à la retraite à prévoir). Ce serait tout à notre avantage d'augmenter les incitatifs aux études dans ce contexte. On parle souvent des coûts de la gratuité scolaire, mais as-t -on chiffrés les bénéfices? Tous ces gradués auront certainement un revenu plus élevé, donc plus d'impôts pour l'état et ainsi de suite.

6. Les droits de scolarité substantiels vont décourager ou rendre impossible certains de poursuivre des études universitaires et donc non seulement nuire au développement du milieu universitaire, mais nous priver de Québécois(es) éduquées potentiels. De plus, les études démontrent que ceux issus des milieux plus défavorisés sont plus réfractaires à l'idée d'endettement. Bref, l'endettement est quand même un frein.

7. Une autre "balise" pouvant être utilisée est le contrat social. Nous payons les études des Québécois(es), mais après leurs études, il est nécessaire que tu travailles au Québec pendant un certain nombre d'années. Si tu veux quitter le Québec, pas de problème - mais tu auras alors une dette envers le gouvernement Québec au prorata des années de "service" te restant et du coût de tes études; la portion du coût des études que tu dois alors défrayer serait calculé de façon "concurrentielle" avec le coût des études ailleurs dans le monde. Ça éviterait donc qu'une personne profite d'études à rabais en médecine, par exemple, avant d'aller pratiquer juste de l'autre côté de la frontière.

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Au moins, il y en a encore certains qui acceptent la r.alité plus nuancée et complexe de la situation et sont prêt à aborder le sujet véritablement, et non avec la décision déjà prise d'avance:

http://www.ledevoir.com/societe/education/370711/la-gratuite-est-realiste-dit-jacques-parizeau

Et, en language plus vernaculaire, mais non poins posé:

http://www.lapresse.ca/debats/chroniques/pierre-foglia/201302/09/01-4620019-parlera-t-on-aussi-deducation.php

Nouvelle page

Bon, ça fait deux ans que je suis revenu, je devrais poster de temps en temps.

Cependant ma vie a pas mal changée. je ne suis plus en pays étranger (quoique des fois j'ai le sentiment d'y être tant je suis d.goûté d'un système politique qui ne me représente pas ainsi que de la petitesse d'esprit de beaucoup de mes co-citoyens).

Je ne peux donc pas poster mes aventures ou mésaventures, et poster à propos de mon cheminement scolaire serait monotone. Pour l'instant donc, ce blog deviendra plus une façon de m'exprimer sur ce qui me tracasse dans l'actualité, mes opinions, etc.

Last day in the Osaka region...

Today I biked to and around Kyoto. It was fun and I got to see so many small temples and historical sites I cannot name them all, Kyoto is great, and unlike most cities in Japan, it has a grid pattern with street names, so its easy to navigate on a bike!

I came back late, so I couldnt meet up with Ari again, but its alright.

I'll be leaving for the Nagoya region tomorrow to meet with Matt and company. Would have liked to meet with Dave too, but hes in Australia :-(

Internet time is up, more later!

The begining of the end

Well, only a few days left.. I biked to Sendai yesterday, and looking at my options, it was either use alot of time and money to get to the Japan Sea coast to be able to bike a bit before using alot of time and money to make it back to Tokyo...

Bike through Fukushima and its radiation on which data is lacking (8 hours a day for like 2 days in the sun and all..)

..Or take the Shinkansen to the South and work my way back north to Tokyo.

After 2 hours of biking and it being bumpy and making my back hurt.. I decided to take the bullet Train to Osaka that afternoon, using the opportunity to visit Kyoto, Nara, and places near and aroubnd Osaka that Ive wanted to see, or re-visit in a while. Plus I get to nag Arijann(sp?) at her job.

So I arrived in Osaka, start putting up my bike outside, in a non-smoking area, and I swear.. in the 10m it took me to assemble it, I had to tell off 15 people who just came near me and started to smoke in my face, from a few meters away. And there were like 20 non-smoking signs.. People would sit AROUND a non-smoking sign and light-up.. I got annoyed, at one point a mother and her two little kids come and she lights up.. I do the polite thing and inform her that its a non smoking zone.

She looks at me and takes a puff.

Okay... I tell her that seh is bothering me..

Just the stare and abnother puff...

At that point, I wasnt gonna take no shit, so I just got up, took her cigarette, put it out on the ground and gave it back to her. All in the most gentlemanly fashion, being careful not to touch her in the process.

It fortunately ended at that. I just hate smokers here...

Anyhoo, I biked a bit around Osaka, Met Ari near a cafe where she works and we talked a while, then went to McDs because on top of being a poor student paying tuition, shes doing an un-paid internship in Japan...

And Japanese McDonalds have this wonderful thing called 100-yen menus. 1 burger 1 buck. Win.

The night ended late with debates about Game of Thrones and ethical problems in movies and how we should approach them. Been a while since I waqs in a debate, and I still suck inn organizing my thoughts in a matter that is not only coherent, but convincing. But Ari is a good conversationalist, and it was fun.

Looking for a place to stay that night, I got lost and ended up in the wrong part of town.. slumville.
A whole park with discarded appliances, tarps, umbrellas making crude houses, the smell of urine and excrement.. people sleeping on the sidewalk,m or just standing there in a daze.... Yeah. My hotel was near there.

My funds set aside for my Japan Trip are running low, so I need to cut somewhere :P

Anyhoo, the Hotel was old and cheap, but the sheets were clean.

I went to Mount Koya for the day today, and hiked a bit, and visited quite a few sites. its very pretty, up there in the mountains, I reccomend it to anyone in the Osaka/Nara region. They have these special dishes, that are basically traditionnal Japanese dishes, but vegetarian, since some of the monks couldnt eat animals. It was quite the experience for me.. I could eat a high-class Japanese set course without having to worry about having fish hiding somewhere inside! I could eat miso soup that was made with kinoko-dashi(mushroom stock) instead of the normal katsuo-dashi(fish based stock), eat boiled vegetables that were boiled in somethinng OTHER than fish-based broth(the popular o-den  you can get anywhere has katsuo dashi).... It was a real eye-opener.. Without all that katsuo-dashi everywhere traditional japanese food is like.. 10x tastier! At least for me.

Im back at a slightly better hotel for tonight and tomorrow. Oh did i mention the crazy japanese guy who tried to kill me? That was two days ago, near Sendai.

CrazyFuck was trying to get out of a parking lot and on the road, but not doing anything for about a minute, so i got tired of waiting and tried to pass in front of him (in hindsight i should have tries back, but there were ditches and stuff), but i cant make it to the  other side because the car was too close to the concrete blocks separating the road from sidewalk.

So I stop and ask him to back up a bit so I can pass.
He.. slowly pushes into me and stops..
Just enough so my pedal gets wedged in his bumber, pinning my left ankle between it and the car..
I frantically motion him to back off.
He pushes about another half a metre. luckily I have slick tires so my bike isnt completely beinng run down, but sorta skids on the road, stuck to the car. he stops and stares at me.
I motion for him to back off, pointing behing him and telling him in japanese to reverse.
At this point a Japanese mom in the parking notices and calls the police.
The guy advances another metre. By that time my bike it at a 45 degree angle and by foot still lodged between the peddle and bumper.

..I half half a nmind to try and lift the car or.. do SOMETHING, but with my busted back I knew I wouldnt be doing any feats of　strength anytime soon, So I reach into my fanny pack and take a picture of him and his liscence plate and  I tell myself if he advances one more time, I'm totally gonna start flailing at his hood.

Fortunately thats when the police came, and Lo and behold, when THEY tell him to back off, he shifts and backs up...

After 2 hours of waiting and stuff.. They tell me he is a bit senile and thought he was backing off. 4 times in a row. when he was going forward. And then backed off the second the police told him to.

Riiight.

Anyhoo, my bike was scratched, but nothing functionnal was broken, so they asked me If everything was ok... My ankle was a bit sore from being stuck between my bike and the bumper, but nothing broken..  However.. I dont know what that old man was thinking, but I dont buy that senility crap, and I told them i wanted to have my bike fixed. An hour later the insurance person came, we went to the bike shop and were told, you cant just repair scratches.. You would need to buy a new frame.. but the supplier website was down and stuff, so I got the insurance company's info and theyre gonna contact me later. Dont know about getteing a whole new frame, but I'm sure we can work somethinng out.

Anyhoo.. Tomorrow Ill go to Kyoto for the day, come back to osaka, meet Ari one last time, Then im on my way to the Nagoya region to meet with some old friends there, before going to Tokyo.

The show must go on... Sorta

So...

My bike being in maintainance, and me having a hard time bending down or leaning back or use my arms for anything (and gods forbid I try and lie down) I decided to take it easy and use the public transportations and go to Osore-zan, one of Japan's top 3 holy mountains, and the scariest one, since its the gateway to hell.

A train and buss.. And 3 hours later, I find myself at the mountain. I must admit it has a very creepy athmosphere. Theres the white rock and sand barren land with smoke comming through vents in the rock.. The white sand beach... The old temples... The cool, lonely wind blowing through the path weaving between cairns of rocks adorned with children's toys and pinwheels (built for children who have died before their parents)...

The river is the equivalent of Styx, and its very acid that only one type of fish live in it. Maybe because of the sulphur vapors or something else, but the very.. Active insect life that one can usually find in Japan is absent here, the only thing you can hear are crows. It was strange but somewhat calming and quiet, I walked about two hours, stopped by a small free onsen on the temple grounds.. I really chose the time of year to visit here, it seems.. The Obon festival, Japanese Halloween, in a way. I therefore had the chance to see Japanese Itako, mediums, who come during this time of year and use Kuchiyose to call on the spirits of the recently desceased to posses them that they may speak to their close ones. They are traditionally blind old women...

Anyways, it was very interesting. Waiting for the bus, an old man struck up a conversation with me and I told him about Mikasa, my trip and accident, etc. He kindly offered me a lift to town, as he was going there, and on the way I learned that he was visiting Mutsu for Obon because its his hometown, but he has been living in Nagoya for 50 years. I told him I had been on a student exchange in Nagoya, and we talked about miso-katsu and other Nagoya-ish things, it was fun. I was able to take a train back to aomori, and made it back in the late afternoon.

After one sleepless night in Hakodate because of back pains and douchebag mosquitoes, and one more or less sleepless night in an Aomori Internet cafe because of the hard (compared to a bed and mattress) sleeping area... I felt like a real bed. I checked at the tourist info area a chose the cheapest hotel i saw (still 45$), and fell asleep the second I hit the sheets I stopped writhing in pain and found a position that didnt hurt.

Checking my e-mails the next day, I saw that my bike had been repaired, so I decided what I'd do next. I came up with a few guidelines..

1. No more non-mattress nights (hurting my back)
2. No more mountain roads (when going uphill, you need to pull with your arms and push with your feet... My legs are ok, but pulling or pushing with my arms causes pain)
3. I'm still gonna try biking around Japan for a bit more.

Therefore, I chose to send most of my stuff back to Canada, including my tent and ruck sacks. I will be travelling light and sleeping in hostels, hotels or guesthouses. I kept Spike, my ipad, toiletteries, important papers, bike multi- tool, bike bag, camera and some other small stuff. I just put it in a big bag, roll it up and secure it on my back carrier with my hooked elastic band. It makes a big difference in weight.

So after a quick stop at the post office, I put my bike in its bag, took the Shinkansen bullet train to Morioka, and started biking my way south. The way is flat, and my bike is much lighter, so it went well. In one afternoon I was able to bike 50km easily. I will continue to Osaki and figure out what I do then. If the road stays as flat as it was today, I should be able to reach the town tomorrow.

At that moment, the Chosen One learned a valuable lesson about iron claws... THEY HURT LIKE CRAP MAN!

And I remembered that back sprains hurt twice more when you lie down or try to turn. Combined with the fact that the room was swarmed with mosquitoes because of a hole in the bug screen.... And somehow instead of just quietly sucking me(!) and leaving me be, they insisted in always flying IN MY EARS, waking me up with a jolt and sending daggers of pain down my back... I must have slept like an hour, max, last night.


Anyways, I had already bought a ferry ticket, so I took it slow that morning, continued reading a book I had found at the hostel "The Last Templar", and took the ferry to Aomori.


Lets just say dragging a bike PLUS saddle bags around on a busted back isn't very pleasant.


Anyhoo, In Aomori, I got around to three bike places, but they were all closed because of O-Bon, the Japanese Halloween. The fourth place was opened, I told them to check my bike and take their time, as the doctor has said no riding for 2-3 days, and I also left him most of my packs, taking only bare essentials. After that, I went to, of course, an Onsen.


Well, I got a good wake up call, or rather "Welcome to Honshu" call, when I got asked to leave the onsen because of my tattoos. Four years in Hokkaido and that never happened. I Mind Tricked the staff member with my French, and he went away, but after that I didn't feel like staying anyways. Im in an Internet Cafe now, not the Tokyo-class, but good enough, with a padded cubicle for sleeping and drink bar. Smells like cigarette. Since there's only one floor, they cant ave smoking and non-smoking floors like those big places in Tokyo, but its cheap.


With a bit of luck, I'll be able to sleep well and tomorrow I'll take the train and bus to Osore-san, probably stay the night in Mutsu, and be back in Aomori the day after that, ready to pick up my bike and continue on my way. Thats the plan anyways, we will see what the force has in store for me....

Adventure 2

Alright.

Since I'm sorta not insured right now... I decided that unless the doctor was really insistent, I wouldn't take any X-rays.

The doctor was cool, talked some English, and a bit of french and German and was very understanding of my situation and I got quite a deal for just above 40$. I'm sure that normally it would have cost me more like 120$.

Seems its a medium sprain/strain, so it hurts when I move, and he suggested i take a day or two off biking...

So basically, I need to go to a big town to get my bike fixed, and also need to take a break of sports. Its a shame since I wanted to do the whole trip on my bike, but I think it would be a bigger shame to miss out on stuff because I don't want to take a train, so I decided to head to Hakodate.

I could stay a day there, then take the ferry to Aomori the next day, have a place there take a look at my bike while I make a day trip to Osore-san, the mountain that is said to be the gateway to hell. There are trains and buses going there, and its pretty mountainous regions, so id probably save a day or two off my trip not doing it by bike.
Id spend the next day either in Mutsu or Aomori, then with a little luck, be back biking from Aomori to Tokyo!

Unexpected occurrences are part of the deal, and making do with them and adjusting the plans accordingly is part of the fun.

I'm just happy I just got a sprain and bruises.

To explain what happened in greater details.. The roads have no bike lanes and are often narrow. A bike must ride on the side of the road, so that 1 metre "lane" between the car lane side line and the railway/forest. The roads are in good condition, but the side lanes aren't always. I'm guessing that when they repair the roads, they sometimes only do it halfway through the side lane. meaning there's a bunch of asphalt ON TOP of the asphalt till halfway through the side lane, often with a good centimetre height difference between the two. That also means that 1 metre strip is often littered with holes, bumps. In this case, it was the former, two types of asphalt, with a 1 inch indent between them, going diagonally along the 1 metre side lane..

Going downhill at a reasonable pace, i noticed that there is a crack in the asphalt that's running along the side lane, growing narrower and narrower and eventually  meeting with the side of the road a few metres downhill; I'll have to go over it eventually. I slow down a bit and go over it..

Humm, it was higher than I thought, but I'm ok..
Oh wait...
The fact that i had packs on my back wheel dawned on me a second too late; my back wheel couldn't get over the bump and instead slipped and followed the edge going sideways. To avoid following through and ending up in the traffic, I tried to adjust my heading, but it was too late, I did manage to fall along the side lane instead of the traffic, though.

After a less than graceful fall and roll, i pulled myself up, noticed I was bleeding from 3 places with chaffed skin, and my back hurt like hell. Also my bike handle was twisted and derailleur sounded funny.
I fixed the handle with my trusty multi-tool, but would have to have a pro look at my derailleur. My saddlebags were also a bit damaged.

That was my day :P
Could have been worst, eh?

Adventure!

They say an adventure is going through tough spots, surviving, then telling everyone it was nothing.

Well, I've lost my cell phone, biked a day through the rain.. Etc.

But it was worth it. Being alone with just your bike, tent ..and GPS :)

Taking side streets to look around, pausing to take in the surrounding mountains, wind and smells..

Getting lost and finding your way back again, parking at a convenience store for snacks and a rest.. Stopping at a random small town and finding out if they have camp grounds or where the onsen is...

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Of course there are also accidents, and I had one earlier. I'm ok, just skinned my arms bit, bruised my back and hurt my back. Im at the hospital to confirm its just a sprain or strain and nothing major. I'll have to go to to Yakumoor Hakodate to getmy bike checked tho, cuz the old man at the bike shop here was stumpped by my bike's level of awesomeness.

More later. I am fine.

Taking it easy

This place is nice, the onsen also has a restaurant and a rest room.
The toilets are clean and smell good, which is surprisingly rare in Japan, I found.
Im a bit tired and couldnt sleep well yesterday because itwas so hot, So I was thinking of staying here another night, or making a short hop to the next town...
Its 30 degrees outside, but with the humidity at 85%, it feels like 40. Plus is super sunny...

I'll see how I feel after a trip to the onsen.

The camp grounds are also nice and clean. Might also go for a swim in the sea...

...Rain...

Leaving my cozy toiletside campsite, I headed south and then west on my journey to Hakodate.
It rained a bit on the way but it was just a drizzle. Once I got to Muroran ("Moron" to Melissa), I started following the signs towards Date, the next city on my itinerary...
I followed the said signs for 40 minutes to the foot of a great bridge... Which had big signs that made it very clear that no bikes, no mororcycles of less than 125cc, and no one on foot was allowed.. And that bridge was the only way to my destination.

I pondered Gaijin Smashing my way on the bridge, but I decided it wouldnt be conductive to my making it out of this safely, so, I started backtracking, then it started to rain hard.. After getting thouroughly soaked, i decided to stop for abit and noticed that my fanny pouch zipper was busted, then I noticed that my cell phone was missing... Oh well.

After a jungle of blocked roads due to construction to which the detours were blocked to my by dire old men because only motorized vehicles are allowed..I considered just taking the train...

But I kept at it, and eventually got through to Date and beyond. The region is very nice seaside cliffs. That also means lots of ups and downs. It also started raining, so i got drenched again.

It stopped when I was about around Toya, and I stopped at a cute small rest area with a drinking fountain at its centre. It was really charming, and I stayed there ponring whether to try and find a place there or to go to the next village over.

It was only 4, so I opted to try and make it to the next place. After 2 Death Traps called tunnels (theres no room for bycicles, so you have to just hug the wall and hope no one rams you from behind and there were only one lane each direction, so it gets precarious if cars a comming on both ways sothe one behind you cant just shave a bit off the opposite lane to pass you), I got to Toyoura, which is a small and cute place. Its too bad Japanese love to put Tetrapods on every beach, else the beach would have also been a sight!

Anyhoo, I unpacked, cleaned everything in a public sink, put up my tent and headed to the onsen, where I am writing this. Its a nice place, I think I will come back tomorrow and recharge my iPad and stuff here.. Its at 10%...

Looks like its more mountains in store for me tomorrow!

I also took my blood pressure...
107 max
57 min
87 beats

Is it just me or is that low? Anyways, I havent had any lightheaded spells lately so, I'll assume everything is peachy.

Onsen resort & being cheap

So, yeah. I decided to keep moving and biked about 30km to Noboribetsu Hot Springs Resort.
The last 5 or so kilometres were very tough, going up pretty much all the way.

I arrived at the main part of town (5km from the hot springs part) around 1pm, so I had alot of time. I checked for cheap lodgings, but, as expected from a top resort spot, most hotels were 100+$ a night and nothing really under 40$.
I asked around and got a suggestion...

I decided to go and enjoy Noboribetsu hot springs and see what would happen...
As i was going around, I noticed the information centre and decided to take a look, the 3 nice girls there offered to look after my baggages for the day so I could move around more freely on my bike. I also taught them a bit about Quebec. I have a canadian flag sticked to one side of my bike ruck sack, and a quebec flag on the other side, and Spike, my travel companion cactuar, sticking out of the pocket with my quebec flag.

Anyways, i rode a bit, but left my bike to go through Hell's Valley (where the hot springs bubbles up), and walk through the nature reserve to see the sights. It was very hot, but cloudy and misty, with high humidity. It was a good 2-3 hour walk back and forth to see everything. When i got back, I went to a few restaurants which were closed (they close from 2 to 6, so if you wanna eat during the afternoon, you're screwed) before finding a small restaurant where it was just me and the old lady cook and we talked a bit, and she gave me a discount. I also got to see The clockwork statue of King Enma get angry.

After that, I took it easy at one of the many hot springs resorts, went to see the night illuminatio. At Hell's Valley and went back to get my packs. One of the ladies at the information centre subtly hinted at the same place as the person earlier today did...

So here I am, in my first para-legal stunt, having pitched my tent in the grass behind a toilet in a small resting area between the resort place and city proper. There are also 3 cars in the parking lot with people in them, stayin the night here too, I guess :)

Map

Camping again!

I had planned a bit less, but i ended up doing 90km today.

By the way, youth hostels cost as much as cheap hotels in japan... But with someone else in the room.
I dont really understand the concept here.

Anyways... When I was passing Chitose Airport, I rememberred my friends talking about a fun new mall there but saw no signs or entrance. I asked a convinience store lady on the way if the mall was neat the airport, or inside it, but she had no idea what i was talking about. I tried doing a round of calls, but everyone must have been busy at work so I went arount, keepimg an eye out for some kind of entrance, but those roads were not built with bycicles in mind, so going south, I found no entrance or sign and to go to Chitose Airport itself would have required me to do more dubious road maneuvers I felt comfortable with considering the trafic.

Just before Tomakomai, I stopped at a road station to check surrounding camp sites, and met this cool japanese guy with great english that had lived in Toronto for 3 years. He had reckognised my Quebec flag and came talk to me. He told me the only camp place in the area was this 5-star place and cost from 40 to 70 dollars for a spot... And reccomended I go to Shiraoi to this place called Poroto, wheres theres an onsen, an Ainu museum, some nature trails and a camp ground (4$).

So I did my best and did the extra 40km. Its a nice place, the forest is cool, and the camp place is better, in my opinion, to the other place, which felt more like a golf course, with a bit more trees.

I'll look around tomorrow and if I feel like it I might take it easy, see the museum and walk along some forest trils... Or I might head south... Looking forward to the Noboribetsu springs.

I just wish the japanese family a few metres back wasnt listening to the radio, sorta breaks the ambiance...

Back in business!

After getting down with whatever i got, I decided to take it easy for a while.
I ended staying at Ros' place for 3 nights. I think i could have left after two nights, but it just happened to be the town's festival that night, so She generously let me squat one more night. 3 days with Alfador :D

The 6th, wanting to take it slow, I took it easy in the morning and went to Mikasa, the town where I just finished spending the last 4 years of my life...

On the way there, I met with yet another friend who lives in Bibai, where I was passing through (a school nurse at one of the schools i used to work in) and we had dinner at a restaurant.

From Sunagawa to Mikasa was about 35km and i didnt feel lightheaded.

When going around town, looking for a place to put up my tent I met this nice lady, mother of a kid I used to teach and she invited me to stAy the night at her place. It was cool, but we ended up talking till about 3am, so I only got about 2 hours of sleep that night.

The older brother, whom I didnt know because hes in high school, is very smart, but in a very broad and autodidactic kind of way. I was very happy to find a young, critical and inquisitive youth; my students usually dont question what they are told, and stuff... I guess it might also be the difference between middle school and high school?

Anyhoo. Today, even though i was lacking sleep, I went to sapporo (around 65km), got my money back for the busted derailer earlier, and booked a night at a Youth Hostel. By the time I made it at the Mexican restaurant, they were closing, so I thought I'd try an italian restaurant just north of the station.. I got in, sat down.. And the lady next to me starts to light a cigarette... I ask the waitress to be moved to the non-smoking section.. But it seems they have none..

I was too tired to even feel annoyed; I just excused myself, left, and got convenience sto food, I am eating in the room while typing this.

After the 65km and the night with pretty much no sleep i feel pretty tired, but none of that fogginess, so if everything goes well, i might be in Tomakomai by tomorrow!

Resting...

Been staying at a friend's place for the past 2 days resting.
What I thought was heatstroke might be different; After 2 days of eating alot sleeping alot and drinking alot I still have trouble concentrating and feel vaguely lightheaded...
Nothing major, but nothing reassuring either.. I wonder if I have low blood pressure or light anemia?

I have made a point to eat alot and get lots of sleep. I am constantly thirsty though.

Anyways, tomorrow, I will continue my trip and it easy for a while. I mean it's not a race or anything.