Where have the last nearly 6 weeks gone. At the start of this adventure, it felt as if we had all the time in the world, yet the days have slipped by so easily, and tomorrow morning we will say goodbye to the van that has been such a comfortable home for our time here. … More Day 39 – A perfect last day with the van
Having decided to stay at the beach near Shima again, we were both woken in the middle of the night by the roar of the sea, which seemed to have been whipped up by a wind. We had been watching the weather forecasts closely, as strong winds, and heavy rain & seas were predicted for … More Day 37 – Outrunning the storm & a homecoming
This morning started early, as we wanted to get to our next stop, as we had planned a bike ride there. The drive took us along the mountainous East coast of the Kii Peninsula, and we felt a little like moles, as the road seemed to spend more tie going through mountains, than between them. … More Day 35 – Cycling and a Shrine to a white fox
It would be fair to say that the Maruyama Rice Terraces were stunning, and last night’s park-up, overlooking the paddy-fields was perhaps our favourite of the trip, so far. And we’ve stayed in some incredible places. We slept, with the sound of the waterwheel, and the baleful cries of the Raccoon Dogs (which we now … More Day 34 – A warm-hearted start to the day & a Demon Pirate King
After yesterday’s soaking, and last night’s rainbow, we hoped that today would be brighter, and by just after 6am, it was clear that it was going to be a lovely day. The sunrise across the bay was stunning, And we took out mats out to do our morning stretches, overlooking the bay. Simply a perfect … More Day 33 – Perfect day from sunrise to sunset
Last night was wet, very wet and we woke to the sound of rain drumming on the roof of the van, before 6 this morning. It may have been soggy, but we still planned to do the walk we had found that would take us along a short section of the Kumano Kodo Pilgimage Trail, … More Day 32 – Following in ancient footsteps
We really liked our little park up, by the quay at Susami, and woke this morning to the sound of rain on the van roof, with grey skies threatening a wet day ahead. Our hopes of a second bike ride went out of the window, so we replanned the day, and ultimately our route for … More Day 31 – Turning silver into gold
After such a lovely, but wet day yesterday, we woke today to expect more of the same. But the rain had stopped and there were even a few scraps of blue sky, amongst the grey. But, it felt as if the season had changed on a sixpence. It was chilly in the van, for the … More Day 29 – Along the Skyline
Last night’s park-up was just a joy. It was incredibly peaceful, with just the eerie howls of the Raccoon Dogs to disturb our slumber. That, and the rain, which started pounding on the roof in the early hours and hasn’t stopped yet. We had a slow start, and after breakfast, pulled our wet-weather clothes on … More Day 28 – A stunning insight into Shingon Buddhism
After yesterday’s truly hideous day, we’ve slipped back into wonderfully gentle normality today, and already we have started to forget how we felt, this time yesterday. We were exhausted last night, and once again were in a dead sleep before 9pm, which was just what we needed, waking this morning just before 6, to find … More Day 27 – Back to wonderfully normal
Vaucluse Dreamer 