Takayama, Accident, Hiroshima, Miyajima and the long ride home

So after I posted the last entry, I was off on my way to Hiroshima prefecture. This was the plan: drive to Alex's place, he drives to pick up everyone along the way. Stop off at Amy's place for the night and then drive to Miyajima on Saturday and hangout. Come home on Sunday after we wake up. Be home to do some laundry.

This is what really happened. I took off at 3 to drive to his place which was the most beautiful drive. I loved the little town Takayama. Means tall mountains. I could see for miles in each direction. I was going to take this highway 9 over to Yuki so I didn:t have to back track. Great idea until I hit the border of Hiroshima and Okayama. It turned into a bike path with no signs. I CAN'T READ KANJI. So I guessed and kept driving. I didn't want to turn around because I was in a dense forest, one lane with mirrors to see if anyone is coming in the other direction. Yes they call this a highway. Britt calls this a bike path. I could tell it wasn't travelled much because there was lots of debris on the road and with my little wheel barrow tires, I just blazed through all of that. To my luck, I was on highway 9 the whole time. I ended up in Yuki, but I didnt know how to get to Alex's house. I stopped on the road and saw some high school boys. I was on the phone with Alex who was 10 minutes away. No place to park a car and wait. The boys led me to the high school to wait. The actually ran me to the high school as I raced next to them in my go-cart of a car. I pulled in and started to look at my map. I could feel eyes looking at me. Of course I had 7 girls just staring at me in a line. Next the Kocho sensei (head) of the school came out and I was telling them I was waiting for the other ALT. I am going to be news at that school. A girl was in their town. A small town, not as bad as Yoshikawa.

So we were off to Fukayama which is a big city to the south to meet a girl on the train. Oh my ride down was white knuckled because the roads are curvy and Alex is the speediest driver and scared the living day lights out of me. Made it with time to spare. Checked out the castle- good. Picked up a Canadian Gen. Off to meet another girl Amy. Got there and had Yakiniku. Great grilling of raw meat done to your own likings. Yum. Stayed at Amy's place and listened to her crazy stories of Spain.

Up early to drive to Hiroshima City. On the way (about 10 mintues into the drive) Alex attempted to kill us by almost running off the road into a side rail. I screamed and he slammed on his breaks. Phew. So back on the road and next just a HUGE slam on the brakes and he hits a Japanese family. Great. So I sat outside by some vending machines for about 2 hours. He didn:t have his license on him. He had to go back to Yuki to get it before he could do anything. Amy drove him there and Gen and I went on to the city. Got to Hiroshima City about 4. Amy calls and says she is coming and will be there in an hour. Sweet. Met up with some more people for dinner. Call from Alex. He is going to take the bus too. He got there at 830. Random. We hit up a karoake bar with a newlywed couple from Manchester England. They had never experienced that before, so we took them under our wing and showed them how to sing awfully to some really limited English songs.
We had to catch the last train to another girls house Natasha. Stayed the night there. I passed out on a small small couch. Nice though. After I got addicted to the prize machine with rubberband bracelets. I got an orange one first. I didn:t like the color. I was hoping for pink. I got a bright electric green next. Still not good enough. Next was white. Now I didn:t have anymore coins. So on them is written: Germanium, Love, Hope. They came with rings too. Why Germanium?

We woke up and decided to still go to Miyajima. We did. I said I couldn:t stay the whole day because it was going to take me 6 hours to get home since we didn:t have a car anymore to take direct routes.
Miyajima was great beautiful and all of that. Gate, pagodas, and deer. (pictures to come on my new camera!)



Modes of transport that day: Ferry, train, tram, bus, car. Too bad I didn't have to go to the post office so I could ride my bike. Oh wait, the post office isn't open at 11 AT NIGHT ON A SUNDAY. Yeah that's what time I got home. We left Miyajima at 4 when I was told we would leave by noon. Just a little off. Oh and Alex got lost on the way to his house too. That set us back 20 minutes and the tightest road ever. I mean tight as in a building on each side with 2 inches to spare even with the side mirrors folded in. All I can say is Idiot. Good thing I wasn't driving. Maybe I should have because we wouldn't have gotten lost in the first place.
oh and I found this along the way. Random

Today is coffee coffee coffee. Super tired. Oh and made some new friends. LONG WEEKEND but good.
The group photo. Me, Alex, Greg, Amy, Natasha, Genn
Again in front of the Tori Gate.
I can't explain this random one.
And this is what my camera can do.