Thursday, May 30, 2013

Good Morning Fukui and Bye

I accidentally drove into the heart of Fukui and it was getting late. I wanted to be by the shore so I could find a parking area to rest my heavy feet and pass out. I turned the car west and randomly drove toward the sea. I really wanted to bathe and out of the corner of my eye I spied a board advertising just that. It was a dark looking onsen hotel that maybe never had better days from the beginning.

The bath was nothing to speak of but I felt good to be clean after my hiking around Amanohashidate. After the bath I was driving yet again to find a resting place for the night when I remembered my camera batteries were all dead. There was no way I could show up to Kenrokuen the following morning with dead batteries. Out went the notion to sleep by the sea. I found a rest area and made sure there was an outlet somewhere outside where I could charge my batteries in the middle of the night. Success. When morning hit I was up and running to Ishikawa but not before revving up my body with a short walk.

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The map had shown me this spot as something of worth. It might have been. Well, yes it was.

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Rocks. Water. Perfect.

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Some other curious travelers greeted me and then gave me a friendly warning "Don't fall off. It's dangerous being alone." I should have pretended I was going to fall off in that moment. I'm too righteous in my split second thinking however.

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My face says it well. I hobbled over the rocks and breathed in the crisp sea air. My favorite was the man who was fishing out on a lonely rock. He was probably just as happy to be there as I was watching him. I often have such moments.

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 In the quiet morning light, before any crowd reared their faces, it felt like a ghost town there.

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Old tourism buildings feel so sad even if they are still alive. Testaments to changing time and decay of life.

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