Tour de Town

SUNDAY, AUGUST 8

Lazed around this morning as I don't have anything I actually really need to do. Well, I need to run to the grocery store, but things get discounted after 5pm, so, I'll go about then. I used up a lot of my veggies last night and should replenish them before the weeks starts. Also, my bread is almost gone.

Spent the morning cleaning. I have just a bit more to go. I swept the kitchen and hallways. The kitchen especially is quite dirty. Let me tell you about the broom I picked up yesterday. It looks like a broom as we'd have back home until you get down to the bristles. The nicely cropped bristles are little twigs. It seemed to work, though. Apparently I shed a lot, as I kept having to untangle long hairs from the broom. Of course I know the power of my hair. It single-handedly took out my mother's old vacuum. I need to pick up mopping supplies, but biking home with a broom was enough amusement for my neighbors for one day. I also need to find some sort of bleach.

I also took pictures, so Miriam, you will get pictures up on Facebook very soon.

I took off for the afternoon and went biking. I have concluded that I need a better map of the area as I somehow managed to get lost (but still ended up in the right place.) It was a nice way to see around the area. I took some side streets because the roads were busy and ended up in some little neighborhoods where the little gaijin girl got stared at a lot.

I asked for directions once, and not a moment too soon as I was almost heading off in the wrong direction. But between my few words of Japanese and her few words of English and my map, she pointed me in the right direction. It wasn't until later that I was confident in her directions, but she was right.

I ended up biking on this little one-lane (two way traffic) road that paralleled the shore of Lake Biwa and had mountains on the other side. As such, there was a lot more elevation change than I was expecting, but, I give my little bike credit, it pulled through! The lake is gorgeous, although I couldn't see it much through the trees.

The trees! My! It was shaded biking, for the most part, because the trees are thick, but between all of the insects, the cicadas, and the occasional bird call, the noise is actually deafening. Dad, you'll love this part of the country when you come visit. There is a lake, where I saw people fishing, little canals everywhere, big towering mountains on all sides, lots of biking, and plenty of ferns on those mountains. Just don't come in the summer and you'll be great. Mom, you can drive the same route, so you needn't miss out.

Passed half a dozen shrines. Honestly, shrines here are like churches in the Bible Belt.

I admit, though, I was pretty happy to get home. It was hot, it was mountainous, and it was about 20 miles, maybe, from my estimates. (Estimates aren't totally accurate because I have no idea where I ended up when I got lost.) But, mom, dad, you needn't worry about me getting lost. I had a mobile phone and Elizabeth's number (and only Elizabeth's number, but that's beside the point.) was in it.

I sat out on the deck for a while when I got back, just taking in the breeze. My butt hurts from all of the biking. I think, between climbing the mountain yesterday and biking around it (and then some) today, I will sleep quite well tonight. I'm also excited to have stuff to tell my coworkers.

Made some mashed potatoes. I <3 Mashed Potatoes.