5480Y tour bus for shiretoko national park
2900Y bus back to jr station
1542Y random eats and lunch
1900Y ramen dinner
[14600Y] 2N at royal inn
105Y choc wafer
Day 17
the tatami beds were super comfy and cooling i didnt want to get up. but breakfast was at 7am. we were late though. had a typical japanese set breakfast but we didnt appreciate the extremely salty raw fish roe and the nadou, which is a japanese speciality. the entire set would have cost at least 2000Y outside cos there was salmon and all. halfway through breakfast we all went outside to admire seagulls having their morning gathering.
the original plan was to pack up first and walk around the area to take photos of turtle rock and the view but it started raining. we left the hotel at 9.30am and the kind lady drove us to the utoro onsen bus station. it was still raining and we contemplated just skipping the shiretoko tour entirely to catch the 9.30am bus leaving for the jr station. but just as our car reached, the bus pulled out so we had to take the tour.
God was really with us as we prayed for the weather to clear. at 10am we boarded the tour bus with a really lively japanese commentary by a female tour guide. first stop was the shiretoko pass where we were supposed to be able to see the peak and the pacific ocean frm up above. but it was shrowded by clouds so we had to imagine the grand scene.
thereafter, the weather really cleared and we had a great time taking pictures at shiretoko five lakes (out of which 3 were closed due to bear activity). the only bad thing was the many many insects tt seem to follow wherever we go. the scenery was breath-taking as the sea merged with the sky in the horizon. sometimes u cant even tell where the water ends and the sky begins. we both agreed tt this is an excellent place to bring our parents to nxt time. even better if we could self-drive cos this would allow us the freedom to stop and take pictures whenever we wanted to.
the entire tour lasted till 1340 and we had to catch the 1400 bus to the jr station to get the 1514 train to kushiro. but we were totally famished. upon reaching the bus station, we chionged to get food. there was this small minimart where we found 98Y 500ml drinks which usually go for at least 130Y elsewhere. grabbed three bottles immediately. contemplated buying food frm there but decided to check out 7-11 for their bentos and hot food. got great buys and we were pleasantly surprised when the cashier brought out a lucky dip box. by God's blessing we got a free Hagen Daz cookies and cream ice cream.
the long story is, while we were at the Five Lakes stop, tobias was really hungry and he wanted to get a 300Y cone but he decided not to. and me, while i was at the minimart and also 7-11, i was looking at the wafer ice creams, contemplating whether or not to get it. well, it seems like God knew what was on our minds. and He knows tt if we were left on our own, we would never have chosen a Hagen Daz ice cream which is ex over here. so we're both really grateful tt He blessed us. and He even knew which flavour is my favourite. while we were enjoying the ice cream, we cldnt help but praise God at how amazing He is.
enjoyed the rest of the random food on the bus ride to the jr station. had the oyako don at the station itself. tt was surprisingly good for packed food. am now on board the 3hrish train ride to kushiro. this is a local train and not extremely comfortable. will update on the rest later.
(later)
reached kushiro which seems pretty desolate really. by 7pm 90% of the shops are closed. we tried to have a real jap dinner but had wayy too much trouble communicating and understanding the jap menu so we gave up and had ramen instead. the kushiro ramen uses fish soup so it tastes different frm what we're used to have. the char siew was also not very well done cos there were fatty parts in there. overall, not too satisfying. its 17 degrees over here. a far cry frm the 35 we had in kyushu area. love the climate here. hotel's great. self-drive tml!
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