Step 1: Put Your Bike In A Box

This is going to have to be short, because the difficulties of blogging on the road have begun. I'm typing this while standing, using the one computer in my hotel's lobby. Not much fun, but the blog must go on! (Sorry, but pictures will have to wait, since I can only do so much.)

So here's the deal. It's just about midnight on the day before C2C begins. I'm in Fukuoka, at my hotel, and I'm heading to the airport in 6 hours. (In other words, I should be sleeping, not blogging!) In the meantime, Jody is on his way to Japan, right now, somewhere over the Pacific. He lands in about 5 hours.

The big news of the day, however, is that I have already overcome my first hurdle, namely, getting my bicycle (that I put in a box) onto the bus that brought me here.

See, public transportation here in Japan is not as bike-friendly as it should be, so the bus company actually told me that I would not be allowed to load my bike (that I put in a box) onto the bus.

Say what? Are you kidding?

At first, the guy on the other end of the line said, "Hold on." When he got back on the phone a minute later, he said, "NG," which is Japanese for "No good."

I don't have time to fill you in with all the details, but suffice it to say my plan was to ignore the guy and take my bike (that I put in a box) anyway. (What other choice did I have?) Except from that point on, I didn't speak any Japanese and my bike (that I put in a box) was a "work of art."

When the bus finally arrived, guess what happened? Nothing. The driver helped me load my box onto the bus and off we went, NQA (no questions asked).

Moral of the story: Don't take "NG" for an answer.

Yeah, so the next step for me is to arrive on time in Tokyo so that I can meet Jody and so that we can catch our flight to the place that no one knows, Wakkanai.

Assuming we arrive on time in Wakkanai, all we have to do is unpack our bikes, re-assemble them, figure out which way to go, and head on out.

Hopefully, things go smoothly.

I've even touched base with the couchsurfer who we are staying at tomorrow night to make sure he can still host us and he can. Yeah! He even gave me vague directions to his apartment (street names are essentially non-existent here) and told me the door is unlocked (I tell you, Japan is a safe place!), in case we arrive and he's not there.

Oh, and the weather for the next couple of days is supposed to be pretty good, which is also nice.

Last but not least, my room number tonight is 714, which is a great omen.

Does anyone (besides you, of course, "Choo-choo") know why?

I'll give you the answer the next time I get to blogging, kids.

Good night!