A WELL DESERVED REST DAY

I woke up around 8:30am and ate the complimentary breakfast the hotel offered. It consisted of the usual toast, eggs, sausages, and potato salad. I had a easy ride ahead of me so I wasn't sweating it too much. Once I got outside, I realized that it was going to be another ride into strong headwinds. Poor Ueno-kun, he has a long ride back to his house in this. Once I headed out of Oita city, there was a nice wide cycling road alond the coast all the way to Beppu. It would've probably been nice on a clear day without wind.

Once in Beppu I checked into my hostel and headed out to explore the town like a real tourist for the first time this trip. I've been so busy riding and planning that I feel like I've missed a lot of chances to just get off the saddle and see things. I walked around the arcades and the train station area. I found a small ramen shop and ate there. I came back to the hostel and updated my blog and some other things. I went to a 100yen shop and bought a bike lock...just to be on the safe side. Ueno-kun told me he's had stuff stolen off of his bike especially near train stations.

Later on I got hungry again so I ate some stale rice balls I've had for a few days and went downstairs to the common area because my room on the 4th floor was freezing. Downstairs they had a bunch of brochures and magazines showing places to go around Beppu. I wasn't quite satisfied with the stale rice balls so I went to look for a gyoza shop that was recommended. This little tiny hole in the wall of a place is known for one thing only: gyoza. The only thing on their menu is gyoza and beer. You have to really know where this place is, otherwise you just won't find it...it's in this dirty little alley that you probably wouldn't venture into randomly. The gyoza was made on the spot by the lady and her husband cooks them in the back. Luckily it wasn't crowded so I got to sit right away, there were only 7 seats along the counter. I ordered the gyoza and waited while the cook prepared the gyoza listening to the sumo matches on the radio. The skin of the gyoza was so light, the folds so simple..they were quite tasty but not too filling. I pondered whether I should get another plate full but I figured I'd save my money for onsen later.

Once I got back I decided to find an onsen and found one right by the hostel called Yamada Besso. Once again I lucked out and there was an open rotenburo (outdoor onsen) for 500yen. It was nice to be able to bath outdoors gazing up at the stars, the sky was pretty clear and I had the rotenburo all to myself...afterwards I headed back to the hostel and set up my laptop in the common area where I started talking to a guy from Chicago. He was interning at the hostel as a staff for a month; in return he got free boarding so it's a pretty good deal. He invited me to the bar next door that was also run by the hostel. I told him I'd meet him in a bit after I finished up some things.

At the bar I got to meet a really international group of people; Irish, French, Lithuanian, and Japanese. We talked about our vacation and travels in general. While we were conversating, I was amazed at just how much English has become the standard language of the world. And yet, I felt dumb when I found out that the Japanese lady with us there spoke French, Spanish, Italian, and English! I should try to pick up another language soon, I thought to myself. Many of the people there had traveled quite extensively, I felt like I haven't really traveled as much as these seasoned travelers and it made me determined to make it a priority to travel more. We stuck around until past midnight and then we all parted ways.