Cycling in Japan 2016 - Goodbye to the cycle gang. Hello Hakodate

7 Sep - We woke up early on Wednesday morning and met everyone for breakfast. It was fittingly impressive for a last meal together, although I pretty much stuck to toast. Last chance to eat unidentified bits of sea creatures ! Iona and Col had presents from New Zealand for our guides and Iona also sang them a song in Maori, taking them for their hospitality. She did very well and I could tell they were suitably impressed with the sentiment and delivery.

From there we said goodbye to Ernie. He said he was a typical lone wolf during his travels, but that he'd enjoyed our company immensely. Jolly good. Dai and Tats took us to the airport via a shopping stop to try Triplesso iced coffees for the last time. Then we were at the airport and waiting for our flight to Sapporo.

The flight was uneventful and we negotiated the train station on our arrival and boarded our Hakodate train like we were born to the system.

Ha ha.

Anyway, we did get to Hakodate, a 4 hour train ride, without any hassle. On the way down the coast we saw an impressive old volcano with a hole blasted off of one side. We found our hotel within 100m of the front door of the station. When we checked in, we found that Dai's instructions that we wanted a triple bed room turned into us wanting a triple bed. No wonder Iona was confused when she checked in and the reception person made sure she understood the bed was 2.2m wide. She just nodded, completely unaware.

When we stepped into the room, we all snorted in laughter. Fortunately we could separate my bed and undo the domed together duvet and tuck in sheets. Otherwise I'd pity the poor person that got the middle position. You'd die from heat and claustrophobia.

After a quick chat to my mother, who miraculously saw me online moments after I got onto Wi-Fi, we were off to explore the streets of Hakodate. We went up to the old warehouse district then wandered the streets to the cable car. Iona and Col helped a chap in a wheelchair up steep streets.

The Hakodate cable car was heaving with tourists. It was dark by the time we got to the top. And it was so busy that it sucked the will to live from all three of us. But I hit upon an idea to venture into the car park and we found some space to enjoy the view relatively unimpeded. The squid boats lit up the bay but the stars were not so obliging as the day's light clung on over the silhouetted hills of the harbour. Still, I turned on my sky map and found mars and Saturn easily enough and scrutinised the sky where ursa major and minor were. Convinced myself I could see Cassiopeia.

Lights of Hakodate

Back down after a long queue and off to Lucky Peroit for a hamburger on Dai's suggestion. I didn't mind my odd bacon and egg burger. It was a lot more palatable than the thought of eating the squid and crabs swimming in tanks outside other restaurants. Or even the poor large octopus slumped into the end of a tiny glass prison.

Burger on its way, nothing in it that was very recently alive

Back to the hotel and a good sleep. To Tokyo by bullet train tomorrow!