At two o’clock in the morning, 30 hours after arriving in Kathmandu, we were on a bus speeding (literally) towards an airport at Ramechhap. The four hour ride took us along some truly unnerving stretches of road hanging over cliffs and fording rivers. At dawn we suddenly found ourselves in a world of tourists at a small, remote airstrip. Catching a flight at a small airport ...
Nepal 2019Last year’s trek in the Annapurna region was such a great experience that I have returned for another trek. This year we are three. My nephew Matthew is back for some more well-earned beer at altitude, and we are joined by my old friend Bruce, who walked a portion of the Appalachian Trail with me two years ago.This year we are hoping to walk ...
Ruth: Until today we had one incomplete page in our henro stamp book, the one reserved for Koyasan. This morning we took two trains, a cable car and a bus and arrived at the final resting place of Kobo Daishi: Koyasan. I say resting place, because to his followers he is not dead but has been in a state of deep meditation since the 9th ...
Gordon: Today was our 55th and final day of walking or cycling. We have covered a little over 1300 kms, as measured by the English language guide book, though our actual mileage was probably about 1500 kms. We also visited all 88 temples on our first circuit, and 23 temples on our second. The total of 111 temples sounds quite auspicious. The storm yesterday was ...
Ruth: Thank goodness for these henro huts that are sprinkled along the route. As I write this I am sitting in one watching the first of the colossal monsoon rains sweep through. The news this morning said that Shikoku would receive up to 200 mm of rain today and I am beginning to believe it. When I spotted this lovely shelter I was filled with ...
Ruth: I would like to think that the reason I feel calmer and more serene is that my efforts on this pilgrimage are having an effect, that the hours of slowly pedalling around this beautiful island have helped me to stay present in the moment and let other concerns wash away. This is definitely part of the answer, but I have another theory as well. ...
Gordon: Temple 12 was unfinished business for Ruth. It is the first significant challenge on the Shikoku pilgrimage, and Ruth had been obsessively strategizing about it for weeks before we arrived in Japan. In the end, she and Geraldine took a taxi to it on our first encounter. Seven weeks of cycling later, Ruth is feeling much stronger and she wanted to cycle up. ...
Description Ryōzenji , temple number one on the Shikoku pilgrimage, is the beginning, end, and now the beginning for us. Unlike all the other pilgrimages I have done, Shikoku is a circle and people can start and finish anywhere, with the goal simply to visit all of the temples. After reciting the Heart Sutra at 88 temples before returning to Ryōzenji, I have been ...
The view from the ridge Gord climbed Ruth: Yesterday Gord and I climbed from the seashore to the Temple 88 on the Shikoku pilgrimage. I cycled on the road while Gord took a trail that climbed much higher. Before the big climb we met at the Henro Museum where we were each given a henro ambassador certificate (the equivalent of a Compostela on the Camino) ...
Gordon: Despite its industrialization and massive cities, Japan still has a rich diversity of vegetation harbouring a lot of wildlife. Some of the animals we regularly spot include carp, egrets, herons and cormorants. Some days I have also seen literally hundreds of turtles in ponds and slow moving rivers. They are mostly red sliders, some as large as dinner plates. Despite their slow-witted reputation ...