Day 20: Naoshima and Shodoshima

Day 20: Naoshima and Shodoshima

QOTD:  If the 9am ferry goes, then they will have to send the 2:15 to get us, right?

Weather: mid to high 80s and very windy in morning, sunny and bright most of the day

Pics:  Breakfast, Rickey tied up in case of high wins, ferry tix to Shodoshima, taxi driver showing the right way to meet visitors, many pics around Shodoshima including THB in his Setouchi Art Festival Shirt and most importantly THB’s passport and stamps (quite an effort for 3.5 days)

Conflicting information this morning: E&J call down for the weather report and are told the ferry to Shodoshima is not running. DB spends quite a while talking to Yuko, one of the desk staff who speaks excellent English. The options are boiling down to: is the 9am ferry to Shodoshima going? If no, we stay on Naoshima today. Yes, then we go to Shodoshima and find out if the weather has cleared enough so we can take the 5pm private ferry back. If no, then find out if the public ferry at 2:15 will take us back. If no, spend the night on Shodoshima at a place recommended by our private taxi driver.

A tour of 15 (Chinese?) men in their mid 20s to mid 30s is there when the buffet opens up and thus we go around the meticulous few who are backing up the line to get our western style breakfasts. And, this is the morning that Yahoo decides to change their e-mail system (or did they just buy a version) to look like g-mail. At home, THB would have a big screen and hi-speed access to figure things out; here on slow wi-fi on the small screen, it is just very annoying. THB is easily annoyed.

Meet at the front at 8:28 and the shuttle fills up to the brim. Hop of the shuttle and find that they are selling ferry tickets to Shodoshima ($12pp one way), so we’re off. The private taxi driver is out front with a sign (see pics; the sign is an invention apparently unheard of by our private ferry driver on the first day; THB keeps the sign as a keepsake and refuses to bring up that regrettable event again) awaiting us, and as the day progresses, the weather not only clears, it becomes bright and sunny trending towards very hot. The typhoon turns into a typhooey.

During the day, we end up circumnavigating what is actually quite a large island, visiting an impressive number of art sites under the guidance of the driver (he’s plotted it out, we see 80% of the stamp locations and a few bonus spots as well).

Lunch at the Olive Garden (not THE Olive Garden; this island is known for its olives): pasta with mild pesto, toast, salad and a bit of olive oil for dunking, shared beer, $20 for THB and DB.

Many more sites in the afternoon, THB is wilting by the time it gets to be 3:45 or so. Around 4:45, our admirable taxi driver drops us at the pier, the Albatross with our young friendly driver arrives on the stroke of 5, we’re back at Benesse Park at 5:45, showered and at dinner at 6:30.

A two course meal of salad and fish for DB and pumpkin (or is it potato? Our waiter isn’t sure; it turns out to be pumpkin? Hard to tell, it may be a version we don’t have in US) and a huge cheese plate for THB that gets shared with everyone, wine and beer, $117 for THB and DB. Of note, after asking for water 2 or 3 times, the first glass is filled with maybe 3 ounces. Down it goes. May I have some more, please. On the second refill, THB is pointing out the top of the glass.

Our large bag is packed and “sent ahead” to our last stop at the Kansai Airport, safely tucked in at 9:15.