Day 29 - From Osaka to Nara.. and then some.

23/9

I woke up after getting not much more than a couple of hours of sleep, but I didn't want to spend more money on the mange café so I went sightseeing very early in the morning. So early that the people trying to get customers to their store still stood the same place as yesterday. It was 3:30..

I went to all the places you go to in Osaka, and then I made preparations for today's trip to Nara. I would have to cross a mountain range, but I chose the best place to cross and hoped for the best. I really wanted to go to Nara.

The rain was falling steady without it being a shower, haha. I went on and hoped that the rain would stop once I reached Nara. It didn't take long to go the 55 km. And getting there was not as hard as I had feared. 

Once in Nara I went to see many shrines and temples and gates and I spent some time with the infamous Shika deers. They were not that bad, especially if you don't have the biscuits. When do people ever learn? 

Having spent 5 hours of sightseeing I thought about my next move. There was approximately 100 km to Wakayama, the next big city where I was to take the ferry to Shikoku. But I thought it would be easier to go some of the way and then gain some more time in the end. I have learned that when you have time, energy and nice weather then you better be working the bike otherwise you'll regret it.

Now, I got a good 50 km. before I wanted to take a longer break and recharge my phone. I found a MacDonald and sat there for some time. 

Suddenly I heard someone saying excuse me in my direction. I always go to the Mac without buying something there because I don't like to eat there so I was sure that they wanted to ask me to leave. But it turned out to be someone sitting at a table on the other side. She is from South Africa and teaches English in town. I was kind of surprised about meeting a non-Japanese all the way out here, but thought it must be a nice experience for her. 

I left in order to find something to eat and I wanted to look around for a place to sleep. After eating a feast at a set menu place in the mall, I met the girl again. Her name is Yentel and we talked for hours about being in Japan, being a foreigner in Japan and so on. 

We also talked about many other things and I wish I could stay longer, but I needed to sleep so I went to the station which didn't lock for the night and I slept very comfortably.

Tomorrow's plan is to cross Shikoku, let's see how that plays out. 

Distance: 105 km
Time: 6:30
Condition: ready to sleep!
Quote: as you think so shall you become