北海道自転車旅行：Jul, 2nd

We originally planned to goto Otaru (小樽) by bus or train on this day. Yet, our British roommate told us there's nothing interesting except sashimi (さしみ) there. I don't know if that's true, but we got up too late that morning, and feel that the price and time required isn't worth it if we set out late. Thus we didn't go, and got a free day looking around Sapporo, and buying clothes. From a day in Sapporo yesterday, many friends find the wind in this northern city freezing cold, and was already wearing thick coats; while the people find it a nice and cool summer day and are wearing shorts. I am some where in between, also mostly wearing shorts, occasionally putting on a shirt. Yet, as we will be goting to the highest mountain in Hokkaido: Daisetsuzan (大雪山), we are anticipating low temperatures and thus decided that we haven't brought enough clothes, and set out to buy more.

We went to Moriwayama (藻岩山) in the afternoon. A short ride to the edge of the city, brought us to the high point that is famous for a great night view of Sapporo. Yet we've got a date to have dinner with the friend from Hokkaido university, thus we could not go in the night. The road up the mountain is far away, long and steep; yet the other option, cable car is quite expensive. We decided to take the cable car one way up (600\), and walk down through a natural reserve forest pathway.
The cable car ride is fun and smooth with a great view all the way. A free shuttle bus then takes us from the cable car station, which is half way up the hill, to the oberservery on the top. The view there is wide and spectacular, we could even see the suburbes and citys next to Sapporo. As all tourist spots, there is a shop selling related stuff, expecially merchendise of the cute mountain mascot: も〜りす(mo~ris). The walk down hill took us through a forest full of wild life. I expecially love all the birds I saw along the way. Yet some of my friends rather sing, talk, and laugh loudly as they walk, scaring away everything in the way. Thus I walked faster, keeping a distance ahead, to enjoy the sound and air of great mother nature.

Dinner with the friend from Hokkaido university, was the most famous dish of Sapporo: ジンギスカン (gingiskan BBQ), which seems to be lambchop Mongolian BBQ. Of course it tastes great, not only the meat, but also griled eggplant and konyaku. Yet everything is so expensive, in tiny dishes, except the huge bowls of rice.

As the price of youth hostels are still a little high, we camped in some corner of the beautiful campus of Hokkaido university (excitingly, we are not sure what people might think when seeing tents in a campus). A start of our vegabond-like camping life in this unfamilier foreign country.

In the night as we went to the Hokkaido university hospital to find a toilet, I was reminded of research life in a lab in a university hospital: all the exciting discoveries and fun experiments that I was doing just days ago, and all the great friendly mentors and lab mates. Here I am, tempararily giving up a lifestyle that I love so much, in exchange for a less stressful life wandering in another country.
July 1st: 札幌 << | >> July 3rd: 岩見沢