Overnight, I received an email from Takahito with the two photos he took outside his shop yesterday. Thankyou Takahito 😊❣️
Today was to be a mixed bag. The first half was rural countryside, the second half urbanisation. I prefer the first half, but urbanisation is something hard to avoid cycle touring.
We had purchased some items for breakfast and headed off around 730 am. Our accomodation had a laneway at the side, and this is where we packed our bikes.
A conga line of school children passed by us, nodding politely. They were all extraordinarily well behaved. A teacher stood at the end of the laneway marking them off her check sheet.
The children walked in groups of four or five. Often the one at the front carried a flag.
We rolled down the hill and started what was going to be a shorter ride of about 67 km. The challenge would be a long climb and the busy city of Matsuyama. It was a cool 11c.
We started a short 3 km climb first through a narrow wooded valley. We passed through small villages with just a few homes and vegetable gardens.
The road narrowed.
The views backdown the valley are always worth the climb.
We ended up on a major road, and road a mixture of footpaths and open road. This bridge caught our eye reminding me of a longer wooden bridge over the Rhine River, between Stein (Switzerland) and Bad Sackingen (Germany).
Our longest climb of this trip was about to start. 11.2 km in length, average gradient of 3.8%. Here is our climbing graph. So we would gain 500 metres in the one climb.
We just pootled up and stopped several times for photos, conserving energy. We climbed through multiple lush valleys, with rivers alongside.
Another lovely home with their crop gardens.
Climbing you often wonder what the view will be like at the top. Great view of just how hilly and green Shikoku is.
The descent was far shorter, but steeper than the climb. It was exhilarating. We both commented that we would not fancy climbing up our descent.
Very soon Matsuyama was upon us. The largest city on Shikoku with a population in excess of 500,000. It is the capital of the Ehime prefecture.
We stopped and started heaps with red lights and crossings, and the plants at this house were very spectacular.
Our route took us right through this elongated indoor shopping strip stretches for over one km. I had a quick glance over 50 metres!
I walked into this small Japanese bakery. I do love looking at the different foods that are made and sold in other countries.
Leaving the mall we continued towards Matsuyama Castle which was first constructed in the late 1500’s. A bit like the story with Wakayama Castle, it has had significant portions rebuilt after damage over the centuries including the bombing of Matsuyama during WWII.
Once there, we realised we could not even push our bikes into the grounds, plus it was impossible to get a view in total from below. So I have ‘borrowed’ this one from Google giving a birds eye view!
Leaving the busier part of Matsuyama we headed for the coast. As we rode along the coastline, there were numerous man made harbours.
We started to feel excitement because for the next three days we will be out on some of the islands, and at this stage, the weather is looking good.
We are staying about 10 km north of Matsuyama in a small village Doteuchi that faces the Seto Inland Sea.
Our accomodation is a unit on the second floor. It is immaculate and well appointed. The bathroom and separate toilet have glass walls!
This is the view off the deck. The island to the right is Kashima.
After showering, putting on a load of laundry, walking to the supermarket to buy fresh supplies for a home made dinner, we headed up the sea front to the ferry terminal.
If we had a few spare hours, this could be a nice half day trip.
Heading back to the unit, fish flying high.
A local house being reroofed. No harnesses required here!
What a magnificent sunset to end the day.
Thanks for reading as we continue our cycle tour of Shikoku.
We awoke early, and it was not raining! However it sure was windy, per the forecast.
We had enjoyed our stay with Kenji who was a lovely, friendly, helpful guy. We also had the opportunity to meet the other guests. A couple from Paris, and two female friends from Germany.
Kenji had arranged our dinner the previous night from a local fishmonger, and it certainly was very fresh and tasty.
After bidding our farewells, we headed back across the Takase chinkabashi bridge. The Shimanto River would be the focus of our ride today, following its path through valleys heading to our destination Uchiko some 100 km to the north.
I think the submersible bridges are a great idea in areas susceptible to flooding but they are narrow. As we crossed, a car came up behind us and we stood by the edge to let is pass. I’m glad he held his line!
I found this video on the bridges that may be of interest.
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The river was flowing faster today, and was muddier, courtesy of the last few days heavy rain. Here are a few earlier shots of the Shimanto.
We thought this local attraction sign was well crafted.
Our first toilet stop was very scenic. Lush vegetation and a waterfall.
The roads varied today from narrow riverside, seemingly suitable for one lane, but in fact are two lanes, to national highway verges/‘pathways’.
The only hassle today was the wind. It was a very strong headwind and we both had some back tension, likely from holding the bike tight in the gusts. We carry Panadol!
Wind is crazy. The first few days we were heading south westerly, and the wind? South westerly of course, but maybe no more than 15 kmh. Today we headed north? The wind wanted to share our adventures and turned to the north, but more like 30 plus kmh. The forecast was up to 75 kmh gusts for the area.
But looking at the pictures, all looks serene!
An older man was tending his vegetable gardens. I love that aspect of cycle touring, watching people get about their day to day activities.
Proof that I occasionally sit on the front!!! 🤣🤣
Today we had over 4 km of tunnels, including our longest to date that was 1.92 km long. This is quite a new tunnel, with a great shared pathway. It is well lit, and is even brighter if you remove your cycling glasses!!
Features on the wall include regular signage indicating how far to each opening. There are regular SOS telephones and a few wider bays that a car could pull into.
We only had snacks for breakfast today and was keen to buy some solid food. Alas it was not here. But you could buy a beer in one of the vending machines.
More hills and rivers.
Tony noted this large map of Shikoku and we stopped to take a photo.
Then we saw a bike rack outside the business. The owner came out encouraging us to use his rack. I asked what he sold. One word had us. “Coffee”.
So we entered and this was at our table.
On the back wall this cute painting. I think it makes you smile 😊
We learned the owners name was Takahito. He was super friendly and chatty, telling us his father had established the business in 1987. His niece had done the drawings.
He showed us photos of some motorbike rides he’d done and was impressed that Tony used to sell Honda and Yamaha bikes.
When we left, he took some photos of us with our bikes in front of this dude. I explained how to find my email on this blog, so hoping he does and we can get a copy.
We took one with Takahito and me.
Arigato Takahito 😊
The stop at Takahito’s was very worthwhile. It was delightful to engage with him. We also had spare time. Check in was 5 pm. The headwinds had made slower progress but we were not fussed, just chugging away and preserving energy.
We continue to be amazed just how hilly and green Shikoku is.
Not all that glitters is gold. There are houses abandoned, seemingly beyond repair. What is interesting are the layers of straw under the old sheeting, presumably used as insulation.
Did you know we followed a river today?
Off the side of the road, there were so many waterfalls of various heights. I guess flowing more after the rain. We had ridden through many puddles today, and now with the wind, trees litter scattered, and a few rocks that had slidden down the slopes.
We arrived in Uchiko an hour early, but were let in. We are in hostel style accomodation tonight, with about 4 other guests here. Towels are not included! I needed to hand over 300 yen for two towels.
We have a room with a double bed, but there is a common roof and I can hear three men chatting. I hope they are quiet soon enough! I also hope I do not have one of my very audible nightmares otherwise they might have a night to remember!! 🤣🙈
At dinner we sat with an architect who lives near Mt Fuji. He is here to prepare plans for a public park over the road from the accomodation.
Wandering around the town there are such delights as below. Reminds me of someone….
The town of Uchiko became famous for the production of wax. Rich merchants lived in cream coloured houses that were rendered with a mix of wattle and daub mud walls.
This house is a few doors up from our accomodation and is rendered as described above.
This is our accomodation.
To summarise today….it was a fantastic rides and route. Despite the persistent headwind, we enjoyed riding alongside the Shimanto River for a good part of our 100 km today, through lush, green valleys with lots of waterfalls flowing.
Meeting Takahito invigorated us, as he was so positive and excited for what we were doing in his country and that he met us! He made our day. 😊❣️
I slept restlessly listening to the rain and hoping it would all blow over. I played through a Plan B and a Plan C. I got up at. 4.45 am to check out the plausibility of B and C.
We had another extraordinarily good breakfast and got ready to leave. It was a steady drizzle.
Once the bikes were ready we headed out across the red bridge adjacent to the hotel for a quick squizz.
To the right.To the left.
I noted this sign at the hotel, and could not agree more.
This is the ‘huge’ hotel sign we missed in yesterdays location confusion.
This sign led to our confusion, but all ended well and we had a good overnight stay, with two wonderful meals.
The rain was a heavy drizzle by now and we hoped that it did not deteriorate. The upside was that there was minimal wind and it was not cold. So getting wet was more tolerable.
The camera does not come out very often when it rains either, so less photos today.
We followed the Shimanto River from our accomodation for maybe 12 plus km. Here are a couple of photos. It is a pretty river, with lush vegetation.
We had over 2 km of tunnels again today, and this one was a bit of fun. for about half the length we had it to ourselves. I practised my best Freddy Mercury ‘ay-oh’ calls. They reverberated beautifully.
Hitting the coast it all looked a bit dismal.
This island has a shrine on it. Guess the pilgrims need a boat. In the photo you can just see the opening to the shrine path at water level.
Same island a bit further on.
This car and motorbike have been consumed by the creeper.
Today we stopped at a few Lawsons shops so I started calling the day Tour de Lawson. We had time to kill as the accomodation check in was 4 pm and we had a shorter day of about 77 km scheduled.
Lawsons have clean toilets, a wide variety of fresh food to eat, and this one had a coffee machine. It provided us shelter and we could watch some of the heavier rain despite the fact we were soaked.
Ride bikes, have fun, feel good!
Shimanto city arrived soon enough, another Lawsons to grab some food to take to our accomodation as it does not provide any food options, and is somewhat remote.
Red seems to be the favoured bridge colour. I must look into why.
In Shimanto City we were meant to turn right about 50 metres short of the bridge but decided to see what the road was like adjacent to the river. It was a great little road and we were able to follow it to our accomodation.
The full length of the Shimanto River is 196km. There are 47 submersible bridges. They are designed to withstand the forces of floods, which occur 3-4 times a year courtesy of typhoons.
A map showing some of the bridges
We had time to spare so decided to visit the first bridge. Curiously there was a security guard at the car park. There were about 6 cars there, in a car park that could take say a hundred.
As we rolled down to the bridge there was another security guard who indicated we could not ride on the bridge. We dumped the bikes and walked out, took our photos and headed off.
Imanari submersible bridge (chinka bridge)View from the bridge upstreamView from the bridge downstream
Closer to our accomodation these boats were moored alongside the rivers edge.
Our accomodation is over the Takase submersible bridge.
Looking upstreamLooking towards Takase
Thankfully the owner was willing to let us in early. The bikes are stored in his bike shed along with out wet gear and shoes hoping it might dry a bit overnight.
Kenji relocated here from Tokyo many years ago, buying this house and developing three accomodation rooms. Ours is made up of two rooms, both with tatami flooring (no shoes, sleep on the floor Japanese style).
Our windows look out on this lovely garden.
What a day. Certainly less than ideal riding conditions that make it all a bit slower, but it was actually enjoyable and refreshing. I think the fact that it was a Sunday helped, as the traffic was less than it might have otherwise been.
The weather forecast indicates tomorrow should not rain, but instead is talking about a northerly wind of up to 50 kmh. Guess which direction we are heading tomorrow 🤣. You just have to laugh and hope it all works out fine. 😊
Thanks for reading. I’m looking forward to getting to bed a bit earlier tonight as last night was later, and I got up earlier.
What a brilliant trip this has been so far. We have covered just under 400 km in four days. Huge cultural learnings, wonderful scenery, lovely people.
I slept restlessly listening to the rain and hoping it would all blow over. I played through a Plan B and a Plan C. I got up at. 4.45 am to check out the plausibility of B and C.
We had another extraordinarily good breakfast and got ready to leave. It was a steady drizzle.
Once the bikes were ready we headed out across the red bridge adjacent to the hotel for a quick squizz.
To the right.To the left.
I noted this sign at the hotel, and could not agree more.
This is the ‘huge’ hotel sign we missed in yesterdays location confusion.
This sign led to our confusion, but all ended well and we had a good overnight stay, with two wonderful meals.
The rain was a heavy drizzle by now and we hoped that it did not deteriorate. The upside was that there was minimal wind and it was not cold. So getting wet was more tolerable.
The camera does not come out very often when it rains either, so less photos today.
We followed the Shimanto River from our accomodation for maybe 12 plus km. Here are a couple of photos. It is a pretty river, with lush vegetation.
We had over 2 km of tunnels again today, and this one was a bit of fun. for about half the length we had it to ourselves. I practised my best Freddy Mercury ‘ay-oh’ calls. They reverberated beautifully.
Hitting the coast it all looked a bit dismal.
This island has a shrine on it. Guess the pilgrims need a boat. In the photo you can just see the opening to the shrine path at water level.
Same island a bit further on.
This car and motorbike have been consumed by the creeper.
Today we stopped at a few Lawsons shops so I started calling the day Tour de Lawson. We had time to kill as the accomodation check in was 4 pm and we had a shorter day of about 77 km scheduled.
Lawsons have clean toilets, a wide variety of fresh food to eat, and this one had a coffee machine. It provided us shelter and we could watch some of the heavier rain despite the fact we were soaked.
Ride bikes, have fun, feel good!
Shimanto city arrived soon enough, another Lawsons to grab some food to take to our accomodation as it does not provide any food options, and is somewhat remote.
Red seems to be the favoured bridge colour. I must look into why.
In Shimanto City we were meant to turn right about 50 metres short of the bridge but decided to see what the road was like adjacent to the river. It was a great little road and we were able to follow it to our accomodation.
The full length of the Shimanto River is 196km. There are 47 submersible bridges. They are designed to withstand the forces of floods, which occur 3-4 times a year courtesy of typhoons.
A map showing some of the bridges
We had time to spare so decided to visit the first bridge. Curiously there was a security guard at the car park. There were about 6 cars there, in a car park that could take say a hundred.
As we rolled down to the bridge there was another security guard who indicated we could not ride on the bridge. We dumped the bikes and walked out, took our photos and headed off.
Imanari submersible bridge (chinka bridge)View from the bridge upstreamView from the bridge downstream
Closer to our accomodation these boats were moored alongside the rivers edge.
Our accomodation is over the Takase submersible bridge.
Looking upstreamLooking towards Takase
Thankfully the owner was willing to let us in early. The bikes are stored in his bike shed along with out wet gear and shoes hoping it might dry a bit overnight.
Kenji relocated here from Tokyo many years ago, buying this house and developing three accomodation rooms. Ours is made up of two rooms, both with tatami flooring (no shoes, sleep on the floor Japanese style).
Our windows look out on this lovely garden.
What a day. Certainly less than ideal riding conditions that make it all a bit slower, but it was actually enjoyable and refreshing. I think the fact that it was a Sunday helped, as the traffic was less than it might have otherwise been.
The weather forecast indicates tomorrow should not rain, but instead is talking about a northerly wind of up to 50 kmh. Guess which direction we are heading tomorrow 🤣. You just have to laugh and hope it all works out fine. 😊
Thanks for reading. I’m looking forward to getting to bed a bit earlier tonight as last night was later, and I got up earlier.
What a brilliant trip this has been so far. We have covered just under 400 km in four days. Huge cultural learnings, wonderful scenery, lovely people.
The view out our bedroom window, through the glass. Rain was forecast, but was ok at this point.
Had another amazing breakfast presented in a series of smaller dishes and we carefully negotiated out way back up the shiny, slipper stairs in the one size does not actually fit all soft slip ons that you are required to wear.
I walk up sideways, as my feet are also longer than the tread, so probably a comical look.
As we left, the manager used his iPad translator to express his concern for us as rain was forecast. So far, the Japanese people have been incredibly nice and humble and wanting to help as much as possible.
The first part of the ride, some 30 km or so, was getting through Kōchi. We followed a series of shared pathways, and on the whole it was a good route.
We stopped and started a lot as there were many road crossings. At this one, Tony readjusts his gear.
An example of an excellent snared pathway alongside the river
Big cities have busy intersections. It was not always a matter of crossing at the lights. We had a couple of very steep overhead crossings to negotiate, pushing our heavy bikes up, then controlling the descent with the brakes.
This one was smooth, but steep. That’s me pushing, nearly at the topThis one is different again. Push the bike up the ramp, whilst walking stairs. This particular overhead crossing had four such arms, descending to your required corner,
In a small residential, mixed farming area we noted this beautiful blossom tree.
Not far away, this lovely couple appeared.
This was their view through the tunnel under the rail line.
By this point we had donned our rain coats several times for rain showers. Up in the hills heavy mist descended.
We passed through another two km of tunnels today. The longest was 983m long. There is an older tunnel to the left no longer in use. This tunnel was ok as it had the shared pathway through.
We eventually reached the coast, but the weather ensured less than ideal viewing conditions.
The longest climb today was 6.2 km. Yesterdays tough one was 5.8 km. Distance is less relevant than how much climbing you have to do.
Yesterday the climb averaged 7.9% for the entire distance. That’s not an easy climb. Today the average was around 4.6% so much more ‘doable’.
This is Tony’s bike computer showing the climb. He was 200 metres in, as indicated by the white circle. The colours on the grid relate to steepness. Red and orange are the worst.This is our ride data for the whole day. You can see the climb in question.
Climbing usually means great views. We climbed in drizzle. We took our rain jackets off as climbing makes you hot and you become a sweat box. We preferred the drizzle.
A few photos taken by Tony during the climb.
Looking back to the bridge we had crossed.
The climb had a name….Nanako Pass. It’s always a great feeling to reach the top.
Heading towards our overnight accomodation we rode alongside the Shimanto River. Our accomodation was well signposted…so we thought. Great road.
Arriving at what we thought was our accomodation, it turned out it was a day spa. I was very confused as I was certain I’d mapped this correctly. I had a horrible thought I’d totally stuffed it and was getting frustrated because the last 5 km it bucketed down, and it was still pouring and I was not keen to head back out.
After maybe 20 minutes of uncertainty, it turned out there were two adjacent buildings and only 50 metres away was a little sign saying ‘hotel’. Phew!!
Happily ensconced in another traditional Japanese style room, we both headed off to the day spa!! There is no shower in our room, you go to the onsen.
You wear your designated gown, strip off, enter the onsen, sit on a little bucket stool and shower, enter the spa, sit, soak, get out, shower again and wash your hair….then leave into another room where your towel is to dry and dress.
Tony progressed to the showering stage but chose not to go another few metres to the spa. The water is incredibly warm.
Dinner was at 6 pm. We approached three rooms with closed sliding doors. We were not sure which to open but then I saw this.
We had an incredible meal. We thought we were done after the first few dishes, plus our own little hot pots cooked next to us.
Then out came the tempura, then the salted fish, then the rice and miso, then the savoury custard.
Finally icecream turned up and we presumed that it was done!
A great day on the bikes, despite the weather. We are somewhat concerned about tomorrow as this is the radar. I sometimes wonder why we dry clothing knowing it’s going to get wet incredibly quickly.
The weather forecast for tomorrow is 4-6 mm each and every hour!
Hardest mattress ever, with a pillow that actually felt like it had woodchips in it, I slept ok! Looking out the window, this lovely view greeted me.
I had to show you these. Each place we’ve stayed has had different attire for us to wear, so I tried this on for size, and it was surprisingly comfortable. I felt like I was off to theatre to operate!
Breakfast was at 7 am and we got dished up these 10 courses plus green tea, and awful airline style coffee. The food was great, but too much, and I over ate.
Other guests wore those operating theatre pj’s to breakfast!
Back to our room and some of breakfast did not stay with me. I felt really pretty shite with stomach cramps. But we pushed on and headed off for another day.
Our bikes were where we left them, in reception.
Heading along the coastline there were some lovely vistas.
At this beach, the surfers were out. I did not see much surfing as the waves are pretty flat. Maybe they just sit and chill and chat with their mates.
Yesterday we had around 3 km worth of tunnels to ride through. One of those tunnels was super scary with a 30 cm lip for cyclists. I got off and walked as there is no room for error and if you deviate slightly, your off the lip and into the traffic.
This was our first tunnel today, and you can see there is a walking/bike path that does narrow considerably, but was ok.
Today we had a tunnel that was 960 metres long, no verge. So we put our front lights on and we already had our rear radar flashing and road through as fast as we could. Cars overtook us and were very considerate.
Our bike computers work off GPS so when in tunnels it cannot connect, thereby not acknowledging the distance. Today we did around 2 km of tunnels, so 5 km in two days.
We turned right away from the coast to head inland. Looking at todays route, you can see why. We cut off the coastal tip saving many km in reaching our destination. However, Shikoku is hilly and the trade off was a climb.
It started off nice and friendly, but that did not last for long .
We had a decent climb to do. 5.7 km long, nearly 500 metres ascent, with pinches over 12 percent. I still felt sick as a dog. Here is the first climb graph.
I recall saying in my first blog I was at up to 90% pre open heart surgery. I am not! I found that climb difficult today. More difficult than before. I think it is more like….65-75%.
I stopped several times to decrease my heart rate, protecting those coronary grafts. My back was behaving today so that was a bonus, and my knee coped. I just spun it up in my granny gear.
The vegetation was dense forest with steep drop offs. The road was very narrow.
Here I am at the pass, thankful that I did it, given what happened to me 9 months ago. My body has been brutalised, I have had life saving surgery, but I have recovered enough to make it! I was quite emotional as I did think a lot during the climb about my cardiac journey and recovery. I know not many OHS patients get to do what I have achieved. I still hate climbing 🤣
So we spent 5 minutes or so at the pass recovering and looking around. There are a series of walks.
I found this old sign leaning against the loos. No idea what it says.
What goes up must go down. The joy of the descent. Silly me did not notice my bike computer had paused and missed 5 km of descent data at speed. Ho hum.
Here is an interesting scene on a hillside. Quite a significant infrastructure which we were thinking to prevent a landslide??
I mentioned earlier the road is narrow. We had pulled over to let the truck pass us, and boom a car was heading up.
We watched this unfold with interest. The driver of the white car did a marvellous job. He was literally only cm off the barrier. They took turns moving a few cm until they were clear.
Moving on, we continued following this river, all the way out to the ocean.
I particularly like these few snaps of the river.
We found a vending machine in this village so stopped for maybe 10 minutes. I was starting to feel normal again.
As we left the village, we encountered this reptile. Not our first this trip.
The snake is a Japanese rat snake and not venomous unlike the mamushi which is venomous and inflicts numerous deaths in Japan annually.
Yesterday Tony was within cm of running over a rat snake. The snake doubled back and there I was on Tony’s tail. I let out a shriek, as I had visions of running over the snake and it getting caught in my spokes or chain or higher, my legs. Nothing happened, the snake survived, as did I.
We stopped to look at this snake today and it did not move. We gave it a wide berth and again it did not react. I reckon two minutes later it would have as we passed a car heading into the village.
Japanese rat snake
Back on the coast we noted the refuge tower. There are lots of signs along the coast warning which areas are subject to tsunami inundation. The refuge tower points to the hills.
Found some toilets so stopped here. Nice view from the seat.
By 1.30 pm I felt I could eat, so we stopped at a Lawsons ( like a seven eleven), and grabbed a few items. The older lady who served me reached over and touched my chest scar and said ‘heart.’ I said yes, and she put on a sympathetic sad face. Very sweet of her.
Tony noted this brute of a car. I’m standing there as a reference point. It is a tiny car.
Views along the coast as we approached Kōchi.
By chance, following the Kōchi Cycling Road. Misnomer of a name, as a lot of the route we went in today was footpaths, barrier wall roads, residential laneways and so on.
The route had a detour due to civil construction works, and took us past a rest area. This sign was on the grass, well would be grass if mowed, but it is protected for bees and snakes!
This is an example of a barrier wall path we were on. Well made and quiet. Volcanic sand beach.
Castle like structure high on the hill.
Our accomodation has a small onsen. No bathroom. No shower. You use the onsen.
So off I go in my robe, to be confronted by 5 naked females…my first mistake was the robe needed to be left in the first room not the onsen room.
Second mistake was I brought my towel with me.
Third….I hopped into the very warm water with these women who had no inhibition vs me 🤣😳🙈
I felt like the elephant in the room! They were all so…petite…
Then a lady maybe my age but larger came in.
I sat in the water wondering how long they’d all stay….one by one they left until it was me and the other larger lady.
I got out to wash my hair (special area) and she got out and we started talking. She was Japanese and spoke a little English and told me she’d been to Esperance (WA) and had held a koala.
I got back to the room feeling somewhat….still prudish. but I had ventured further that Tony. He did not proceed past the first room.
Dinner was eaten here. We’d paid half board. A beautiful dinner with far too much food again.
We went for a short walk to the suspension bridge by the accomodation. Lovely views of the river.
Today we rode 103 km. I climbed a decent climb and survived. ❣️
Tonight we sleep tatami room. Beds on the floor.
I did not tidy up for the photo!
Rain is forecast tomorrow. 96% chance, 45% chance of thunderstorms. Hopefully we can work around the rain, otherwise we will just get wet. One way of washing without feeling like the elephant in the room 🤣🤣🤣
We woke up super early today as we needed to board the 5.30 am ferry from Wakayama to Tokushima on the island of Shikoku.
Here is my side of the bed, and that is my bike. I do love my bike, but I’ve never slept quite that close to it before. 🤣
It was only a short 3.5 km ride to the ferry. I needed to buy bike tickets (I’d purchased ours online but the bikes I needed to do at the port).
We were directed to Lane 4, alongside the motorbikes and a semi trailer in Lane 5.
That’s me, waiting patiently. The little backpack has 3 bananas and a bun to share for breakfast.The ferry at the end of the building.Tony’s bike. The crew strapped it and placed wheel chocks.
The ferry is a decent size and the vehicle deck was about 3/4 full on the first crossing of the day. On board we sat in an area with tables and vending machines selling a huge range of drinks and snacks.
That is how our coffee came today, in a can. My caffeine connoisseur would be barista son in law Rory would be super unimpressed.
The sun was poking its head through as we left the port of Wakayama.
A few hours later we approached the island of Shikoku and the port of Tokushima. The crossing was very smooth with hardly a ripple.
Docked and we rolled off, following a criss cross of residential lanes to keep us off the main roads, but eventually they came. Hard to avoid in big cities.
We watched these young lads setting up for their baseball. Very flat and pristine pitches. Wonder how they keep the weeds out?
Flying into Osaka yesterday, we flew over Shikoku and was very curious about greyish looking wet areas. We now know what we were looking at.
In France it is wheat field after wheat field to support their habit of eating bread. In Japan, replace the wheat with rice fields. They are everywhere, jammed between homes, anywhere that is flat.
There is an intricate drainage system in place, with turtles galore. I did wonder how they keep the turtles out of the rice fields as I imagine the turtles would be a pest there.
The rice fields are just being planted out, and it is fascinating to watch. There are tractors that automatically plant the young crops.
Another thing that intrigues me are the number of cemeteries on hills. Shikoku is hilly so maybe there are not a lot of options given flat land seems to be taken by the rice fields.
For a period of time we followed this lovely river, the Naka.
Most villages have a shrine at their entrance.
Our bike computer told us we had 15 climbs today. There were a few three km climbs, but all were quite comfortable gradients.
Many were through heavily wooded areas above rivers, and the various shades of green were lovely.
We noticed a number of walkers doing the Shikoku Pilgrimage, where they walk (or cycle) to 88 temples. The standard walking route is 1200 km can take 30-60 days to complete. The white shirt, hat, staff is part of the standard attire.
Our route seemed to bypass food options so we were delighted to come across Noah’s Ark! Not sure of the name of this restaurant but I recognised it from a v-blog I watched by two Malaysian cyclists who stopped here.
After removing our shoes we were seated at a table that is low to the ground but has a generous footwell below it. Green tea appeared.
We ordered slightly different meals, as included some sashimi with mine. It was super delicious and all up very reasonably priced at 2900 yen ( about $35 aud).
I do find paying cash in foreign currency difficult without glasses to read the numbers….the magnifying glasses are on whilst I sort the yen out 🤣
My back was being quite tweaky after lunch so we stopped here so I could stretch it, surrounded by vending machines. They are every where .
We hit the coast around the Muroto Anankaigan National Park. Very picturesque.
These man made cement blocks are interesting, used to stop erosion. Reminded me of knuckles, the game that was played when I was younger…just a few years ago, but a giants version.😊
We are now in Shishikui, a coastal village. The washing is out drying, of course! A lovely view from our room. Dinner we lashed out at the Seven 11….I had a bag of salad and some pickled squid. Tony had a few nori rolls.
Breakfast is at 7 am. We will be there on the dot.
Today was a solid day of just over 100 km. It was about 50% footpaths of various construct and quality, 25% road, balance agricultural dirt and sealed tracks and residential lanes.
This is the longest day I’ve done on the bike since open heart surgery 9 months ago too. So thankful I have the opportunity to do these adventures. It will take my body a few days to adjust and adapt.
It has been a long two days, leaving Devonport 5 pm Monday, arriving in Japan 6.30 am Wednesday. We overnighted in Melbourne, had an early flight to Sydney with 90 minutes between landing and the international flight departing to Hong Kong.
We did see our bike bags in Sydney as we transferred by bus to the international terminal, by ours chance. We were pretty pleased as all that luggage had international connection tags.
We had an agonising 8 hour wait in Hong Kong leaving there at 2 am! We arrived in Osaka at 6.30 am this morning.
After showing our QR codes to immigration and customs, scanning our passports three times, finger printing and photos taken I join the queue to obtain a rail ticket.
It’s a long and slow queue and I’m tired. I get to the front to be told I’m in the wrong queue…..aaaagh. Fortunately no one was in the other queue a bit further up the way.
Two trains and we arrive in Wakayama at our hotel and it’s only 9 am, checkin is at 3 pm. For an extra 8800 yen (about 100 aud) we get to our room early (after eating tomorrows breakfast today, as they would not refund but would allow pre eating!)
Kensai airport is on the little island off Osaka (to the left of the O in Osaka on the map). We then travelled to Wakayama by train, and tomorrow Tokushima on the island of Shikoku by ferry.
We immediately hit the sack and slept for a bit over 2.5 hours feeling somewhat less tired than earlier.
Then it was down to business putting the bikes together. Tony does a great job and today had very little wriggle room.
Tony is wearing the pj’s issued by the hotel. Curiously I have noted people wandering around the hotel in them.
My job is to do the washing, cleaning what we wore on the plane, and hanging it up to dry. Hence why Tony is wearing the pjs.
You can see Wakayama Castle in the background.
Having noted Wakayama Castle from our window, once we were all sorted and showered, we headed off for a walk towards the castle.
We entered via this gate
Beautiful gardens surround the castle.
Our first animal sighted in Japan is….a turtle.
There is also a turtle basking in the sun on the small solo rock.
At the bridge entrance we were required to remove footwear.
The timber may look smooth, but in fact they are overlaid planks that hurt hurt feet longer than the plank width. So tip toeing easier.
The castle was built in the late 1500s as has been reconstructed a few times due to destruction. The last rebuild was more recent, with the castle razed during WWII.
Tony finds cats hidden away including this dozing feline.
We departed by the rear gate where equine activities used to take place.
We found our dinner at a supermarket in the railway station, adjacent to our hotel. Very yummy and reasonably priced. The sushi cost around $15 aud. The strawberries were sweet and succulent.
We also purchased some snacks to carry in the bikes. Needless to say, these are mine. Two of those packets Tony will have zero interest in. He has his own supply, the high sugar type.
I do love wandering around food shops in other countries to see what is on offer.
Years ago we acquired a reputation from our friend Helen, whom we met doing LeJog and then a French north to south ride. She told us she knew the Yaxleys had arrived (in Dover) by the windows.
We actually got into trouble at Cheddar (England) as the owner did not appreciate the ‘look’. 🤣
I often think of Helen and did today as we headed back to the hotel and saw this…..
Check the windows a few floors from the topClose up
Tomorrow we are booked on the 5.30 am ferry. We need to be there just after 5 am and ride there, so we will be up early.
We are going to hand over our luggage being stored here for a fortnight, then hit the sack.
It is 10 weeks since I joined the lifesaving, life altering, zipper club. I think to really understand the consequences you have to have experienced it first-hand.
Your life is not defined by your scars. To me, scars are part of the rich tapestry of life. Since the age of 18 I’ve worn a significant knee scar that has generated many questions and been a conversation opener.
Scar wise, my arm and chest scars are another badge of my life and what I’ve endured and worked through, and I am sure there will be many more conversations to be had.
The sternum scar over the top of where they use the bone saw to open your chest and retract it. The concept is pretty extraordinary really.The arm is healing nicely too – I do get pain in my lower hand but massage it heaps.
I caught up with one of my dearest friends recently. Despite staying in touch heaps, we had not seen each other face to face for ages. She was really self-conscious about some scars on her face, courtesy of sun damage and skin cancer.
She had to point one out to me, and then, yes it was obvious, but I initially did not see it – because I love her and our enduring friendship, and that graft does not define her, or our relationship. It is part of her story and her life tapestry.
In my lifetime I have now had 15 general anesthetic operations (including a life saving ruptured appendix operation where I was given only 24 hours (without the surgery) to live due to the degree of gangrene and peritonitis) and 16 procedures done under twilight sedation, and I know I have more ahead with my knee needing a total knee replacement, plus two feet reconstructions. My fingers remain in my ears and I’m going la, la la for a bit longer. More scars!
I am glad I have been through what I have. Apart from being a necessity to continue living and not dropping dead, it has provided me with a lot of other benefits. I have met some wonderful people in the process. I have discovered more people than I ever realised cared about me and reached out to me.
With lots of spare time to think and reflect, it has also provided me with a very clear-headed reality check on other issues that are not within my power to fix alone. Therefore, I will stop trying (and/or hoping) and give myself peace and acceptance instead.
Myths and misconceptions:
There have been a few and let’s address them as they both rattled me at the time.
Firstly, it has been suggested that I have cardiovascular disease as a result of having the Covid vaccine. Seriously!?! The facts are I had been seeing my former cardiologist for some 16 years due to an incidental finding on a lung scan back then – and it was noted that there were what appeared to be, possibly external, calcifications. I still have a copy of the original letter that cardiologist wrote that said – this lady is highly unlikely to be a candidate for cardiovascular disease (due to my fitness).
Even googling that link, I have not been able to find one that possibly links an exacerbation to cardiovascular disease – other cardiac issues, yes I found articles, but not cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular disease does not just happen. It takes years and years of development, and mine totally predates covid even being known about. Mine has likely developed over 30-40 plus years.
There are risk factors you can control and have influence over, and others you cannot.
I currently weigh 67 kg, have a BMI of 21, have never smoked, do not drink alcohol except on rare occasions, have a total cholesterol of 2.8 (as of a few weeks ago – the bad cholesterol was 1.1) and low blood pressure. I passed all tests including ECG, echo and stress tests without issue – but passing those means nothing really if they can hide the fact that you have advanced coronary artery disease.
I cannot escape my extraordinarily strong cardiac family history and disposition or the fact that I’m post-menopausal.
It was also suggested I would need to start eating healthier. Anyone who is close enough to me and can witness firsthand what I do and do not eat will tell you I am very picky (except when bike touring – I experience the local cuisine to the max). I eat low carb and the only dietary change since my diagnosis is cheese – I eat it rarely now.
I chose to reduce my consumption of red meat a few years ago after being required to project manage departmental support for a local regional abattoir. I saw, heard and smelt things I never thought I would, and the look in the cows’ eyes as they waited to be ‘processed’ was sad and pitiful. Personal choice. It had a profound impact.
I think that my blood tests, weight, BMI, blood pressure etc is testimony to the fact that I do eat healthy. I did not get cardiovascular disease due to my diet (per the specialists). It was my genetic disposition tied in with being post-menopausal.
Kicking Goals
I have completed a fortnight of work – part time but last week worked over 30 hours. I start at around 4.50 am as my mental clarity is strongest between then and 9 am (drug cocktail time).
I have completed 36 financial assessments in the first fortnight and sorted out $10 million in messy budget reconciliations (a process that took a few of us two weeks last year). I am delighted that everything balanced, and I nailed it in half a day this year- my brain is working ok!
Going back to work is part of my overall rehab and readjusting to normal life.
I need to juggle my daily cardiac rehab with work and balance it with my recovery. First two weeks went ok and physically I am feeling ok. On weekdays I spend 3 hours a day doing cardiac rehab. Weekends are around 4 hours per day. I have added in stretching and some light weights as my arms have suffered badly with being fairly useless appendages for 10 weeks.
This weekend I have kicked some physical goals too. My first cycling goal was to enter and finish the Trek 70 km Saturday event (with 5 climbs). I did it! Whoot woo – and got a great reception upon my return.
Today I rode 100 km – that was my second goal.
Both of these goals were riding on Zwift – not out on the road – as I still have sternal precautions in place but look forward to some cafe coffee cruises soon enough.
At the current rate, I am doing just over 500 km per week cycling – at week 10 – that is pretty cool and a huge confidence boost. As a comparison, I was doing around 1000 km per week pre surgery at 2.5-3.0 watts per kg. Currently I am pushing around 2.0 watts per kg.
I have written an article on using Zwift as a possible adjunct cardiac rehab therapy – Dr Ash is looking at using it for a medical journal article and for patients who have the capacity for ‘fast tracking’ rehab.
I have also established a Zwift Facebook support group for cardiac patients – and there are 48 members currently. One of those, a 35-year-old male had open heart surgery last week in Germany and we will watch his rehab with interest, as he purchased a recumbent bike to use on Zwift.
Goals
We will cycle tour again – in 2023. Subject to suitable travel insurance (as our current insurers will no longer insure me) I think I have found one that will – established for “seniors” (a concept I still have difficulty with at 60!) and will cover cardiovascular, cancer and a range of other preexisting medical conditions. Mind you, I think I am a far lower risk now than I was in May when I rode 3000 km in Europe with my ticking time bomb.
I have multiple maps in progress with a range of countries and ideas – the world is our oyster. We have toyed with redoing LeJog (UK), loops out of Paris or Amsterdam or Switzerland or Rome or Milan and so on! We will nail it and I look forward to sharing those blogs in 2023.
Thankyou
How can you thank the team that saved your life? I will be forever indebted to Dr Stephen Broadhurst (radiologist), Dr Nikhil Pal (cardiologist), Dr Ash Hardikar (cardiothoracic surgeon), Dr Katja Brede (anaesthetist) and their wonderful additional support and surgical teams for diagnosing me and their parts in saving my life – for giving me another chance to be a better version of me. To the nursing, medical, ancillary, catering and orderly staff at Calvary ICU and surgical ward and Erin my cardiac rehab nurse – thank you for your part in caring for me. To friends including Paul and Shaun for their professional support and knowledge.
The only man to have truly touched my heart – Dr Ash Hardikar.The message Ash sent me which I read and re-read to assure myself I am going ok.
The best way I can thank them all is to live my life to the fullest. I still have cardiovascular disease – there is no cure. I have rerouted cardiac plumbing that will require monitoring and maintenance for life – but that is a small price to pay for the privilege of living longer and having a heart receiving it’s proper quota of blood.
To my friends, family, work colleagues, neighbours, Trek, Zwift Australia and my extended Zwift family who chose to support me with visits, phone calls, texts, emails, sending cards, get well gifts, cooking food and hampers thank you. Your thoughtfulness at what was a horrific shock in my life has been very much appreciated.
To the 10,000 views of my blog on my website – wow! That just blows me away. 1800 views of my first blog alone! What started out with me a huge emotional mess to the strong and positive person I am today has been a massive journey and transformation.
Hugest thanks to Tony – for his love and support through this journey – as he has worried heaps. We are a team and we will continue to have exciting adventures – hopefully well away from hospitals!!
Final words
This is to be my last cardiac blog – I think lol…..I feel that I am at a point now where gains will be marginal rather than some of the quantum leaps I have made.
I am proud of me. I have always had a strong work ethic that I credit to Professor Bernie Einoder, the man who initially reconstructed my knee at age 18. He told me that I would get out of rehab what I put into it – I worked hard – 3 hours per days for 6 months. It took me 2 years to walk without a perceptible limp – and I have just reapplied those same ethics this time around.
I applied that work ethic post my ruptured appendix in 1999- that was around a 3-month recovery from the damage the toxins had done to my body.
At 10 weeks post having your chest cavity sawn open, your lung collapsed, heart stopped and placed onto a heart lung bypass machine, having three grafts stitched on, having your heart restarted, having your chest wired and pulled together – being able to ride 100 km is a pure gift of joy and way ahead of when I thought it might be possible. My first ride was in week 3 and was for only a few km.
The best reason to keep living. My two darling grandkids – I get to see them grow up a bit more.
Two weeks ago, Sienna turned 4 – yes I am in my dressing gown still.
Hugs and love to all those who have been a positive influence in my journey – it is not over, I will continue to evolve and grow with loving thanks to you all.
Bit dramatic? Bit offensive? Build a bridge….I’ve been a bit flatter the last few days and it made me smile.
I’ve plagiarised the title from Trek. I’ll get to that! Just thought it was a great headline grabber after reading it in their book this week.
I’ve had an interesting fortnight since my last blog. Not all a bed of roses as this rehab gig can be ‘a cranky bitch’ a phrase coined by an old high school friend Wendy earlier today.
I am making solid progress physically, building up to 5.5 km daily walks, and today 78 minutes sitting upright on my bike on Zwift. My walks are great along the banks of the Forth River and our lovely beach here in Turners Beach. Some recent photos.
Part of the new coastal bike path being constructed. This path will turn to the east and cross over the Forth River and head to Leith. It is a very exciting development locally.The Forth River, looking towards the mouth, Leith on the eastern shore.Our beach, looking east, low tide, towards the Forth River mouth, Leith on the eastern shore.Tony and Khaleesi, low tide, river mouth A great long beach at lower tides, looking east. This aspect is only a few hundred metres from our home.Looking west towards Ulverstone with Table Cape in the far distance
I saw my cardiologist who described my progress as way ahead of others similar age and stage. I think that is the benefit of my pre surgery fitness.
Tiredness and emotional fragility and residual aches and pains are my main gripes. Lack of concentration and poor memory too.
He tweaked my medications a little more beyond my cardio thoracic surgeon, to try and reduce the brain fog and dizziness a bit more. I have been tracking my blood pressure daily and it is consistently low, around 90/70.
In discussion with him and my cardiac rehab nurse Erin, I have started to decrease the walking and increase the Zwift cycling. My knee (advanced osteoarthritis, bone on bone) is playing up and not coping well now with the 38-40 km walking per week. I cannot not see the point in taking Celebrex just to walk an hour when I have an alternative cardiac option in my garage.
I am well overdue for my total knee replacement, and seriously, I am not in the right mental state to have that any time soon.
So I will reduce weight bearing exercise and increase non weight bearing. Sensible but then there is my bum! I still have to sit upright (ie not putting hands on the handle bars)
It hurts sitting up for long periods. We tried a recumbent option with a chair but less power output again vs bum pain….🙈😳
Concurrently with this issue I was feeling guilty that I was letting Trek down. I am a Zwift Trek Ambassador in Australia and leader backup the weekly Trek ride on Saturday. A 70 km, 5 hill climb event.
I had a chat with Trek’s Aaron who reassured me that Trek invest in people, all was good, and they’d help me however needed.
That led to a discussion on my bum discomfort and he told me he’d post me a saddle from an ebike, designed for more upright pedalling.
Boom. A parcel arrived with a bonus, socks and a Trek book.
The saddle is heaps better, tilted back. I can tolerate a longer time in the saddle.
The broader saddle is much better for being seated upright, no arms policy. Once I am able to weight bear through the arms I will likely swap back, and retilt the saddle forward.
The Trek book! Somewhat of a history book on Trek but also their business philosophies. I do love this particular business lesson : we love our customers and employees and work with some of the best people in the world. But we don’t works with assholes.
I think most of us can relate to investing far too much time with people like Tom in the story above. I try hard with many people and I need to learn to turn away from the very few Tom’s in my life.
Here is a much butt happier Sharron, courtesy of Trek.
In other news, I am a very goal oriented person. If I do not have goals, I tend to flounder. Two have been set in the last fortnight.
Firstly, we have booked to travel to Norfolk Island during our Christmas break for one week. Norfolk Island is a territory of Australia about 2.5 hours flying time east of Sydney.
There is a strong family connection as my great great…..grandmother was born there. A great story for another day.
The second goal. We are starting to scope a bike packing cycle tour. It will be impossible for me to get travel insurance now to include cardiac (silly as I am far far less risk than I was in May). We will go to countries where Australia has a bilateral health agreement. There are 11 such countries.
Again, another story, another day.
Thanks for everyone who has been in touch in the last fortnight. Your continuing encouragement is so very welcomed as some days are tougher than others.
The messages on Zwift, strava, Facebook and texts are so gratefully received. Your encouragement and care is not taken for granted and I am very humbled that you take the time. ❣️
yakkablog 