Day 27: 88 Temples (41,42,43) - Seiyo

I felt good today which after yesterday was nice.  I caught the 7:24am train back to Iyo-Miyanoshita Station.  I was on the train with a bunch of highschool students.  Interesting that the city kids take the train out to large schools in the country.  I walked past several country schools that were way too big for the small number of houses in the area.

The temperature has dropped in the last two days.  My jacket will finally be getting some use.  I had it on and off all day.  It rained lightly now and then.  The temperature was also up and down.  When the rain started making my shirt wet I put the jacket on.  I then had to take it off if I started climbing.  Then put it back on when it rained a little harder for ten minutes.  I was warm enough without it if I was walking and dry.  The sun did come out a few times.

Temple 41 was only a short 1km walk from the train.  I walked in from the small town and walked out on a mountain trail. There was some county road to Temple 42 and in an hour I had two temples and 5km logged.

The monk signing my book spoke perfect English and said he used to live in Los Angeles.

Soon I was back in the woods and on a serious 300m climb.  It was mostly wooded and some was so steep there was a chain to pull yourself up.  Then I started seeing snow on the ground.  I was sweating profusely.  At one point there was a section of trail that had fallen down the mountain. There was a ladder to help you get up and around the gaping hole.

When I got to top a gap in the tree presented an absolutely stunning view.

After carefully navigating the descent I was back on the pavement.  The trail was wet but not very slippery as the heavy rain last night flushed any loose stuff and left clean rocks.  I stopped and ate some rice balls at a Henro hut at the side of the road.  Some guy was napping in his car right beside me.

The way to Temple 43 was through the sprawl of Seiyo but the route signs kept me off the main roads so it was a nice walk.  Temple 43 was up a road.  Nice temple set back up in the woods.  It also had a wooded path climb exit trail.

I was now only 4km from my hotel with about 3 hours before 4pm checkin.  The other day I had walked past a curry place and I've had a craving since.  Google said the was a curry place near the train station and I headed for it.  Japanese curry, if you've never had it, is it's own thing.  Very little like Indian curry.  More like gravy on rice.  It hit the spot.

When I left the restaurant it was actually sunny and I sat in the sun.  While walking to the hotel the temperature dropped and when I got there is was quite cold.

I'm writing this a little early tonight because Mike is arriving on the 7pm bus and we are going out for dinner.  Hard to believe he has been gone for nearly two weeks.