Unlike Me, Strawberry Fields Forever

Exciting news! I just booked 3 youth hostels for Matuyama in Shikoku, Iwakuni back on Honshu, and Hiroshima. Jen, Lily and I are officially going traveling.

The hope is that we'll get rooms at the Tokushima and Takamatsu youth hostels as well, but if not, we can at least spend 5 or so days going around Matsuyama and Hiroshima.

So the plan that's been finalized so far is this:

Feb 17: travel to Matsuyama

Feb 18: spend the day at Dogo Onsen

Feb 19: catch a boat over to Hiroshima and make our way down to Iwakuni

Feb 20: see Miyajima island

Feb 21: look around Iwakuni and move over to Hiroshima for a night

Feb 22: go to the Peace Park and Hiroshima-jo then catch a night bus back to Kyoto

It's going to be freaking awesome. I was reading up on Dogo onsen, turns out it's been recorded in literature as far back as 3,000 years! It's also the onsen that Miyazaki supposedly based the main bath house in Spirited Away on.

I'm getting super jazzed for this vacation.

I kinda needed this pick me up after today. It was a little bit of a nightmare.

So I didn't have to go into school till 2nd period, and that was nice, but I got a bit of a surprise. I remember waking up and looking outside and thinking it looked a little bleak, but it didn't even occur to me that it might rain, so I stupidly didn't bring an umbrella. I hopped on my bike and made it up to school and when I came out after class it was raining.

Crap.

Kindly, Jeremy lent me his umbrella. It was a little on the small side though. Jen and I had plans to go get our re-entry permits today. It didn't seem that far away so I said we should walk. Big mistake.

We got underfoot (after being stalked by Sam for a bit) and it started getting colder and wetter. We walked for probably 40 minutes trying to find this place. By the time we got to the building our shoes were sloshing and our coats were as waterlogged as our boots.

So we get in there and it's all warm and cozy. We pull off our wet jackets and pull out our passports and forms, and they tell us that we have to go back outside to go to the post office (which we passed on the way to the building) and purchase a special stamp. LAME. Totarry rame.

So we put back on our cold jackets and slodge back outside and guess what happens. It starts to sleet on us. SLEET! It was cold enough for the rain to freeze into happy, painful little stones of ice. Awesome.

The return trip was pretty miserable too. The closest train station to the building was on the Keihan. The Keihan doesn't connect to the chikatetsu line that runs under Karasuma-- the line that's closest to where we live. So we took a train and then had to walk for another 20 or so minutes to get back home. We got a little goofy.

The only thing that kept me cheery on the trip is the awesome pictures of Senryu making their new drums. I felt like a proud Mom today showing off pictures of her children. I showed those pictures to everyone.

That and singing "Singing in the Rain."

So it was a pain in the butt, but we have our re-entry permits! It's even more official now! Weeeeee

So now I have to go study for my last two finals and I'm home free.... literally!

Can't wait to see you all!

Love until later,

Caitlin D.