注★これは昨日ビルが船酔いで動けなくなる前に撮った写真と文章です。



For the first time on this adventure, I'm eating at a restaurant! I think my body and brain need some good tasty protien. I was so hungry that it wasn't until after I gobbled down my cheese hamburg, miso soup, hot dog, egg, rice, and salad, that I thought to take a picture. So in place of the food, here's me at Gold On restaurant - with a full belly, and oh so happy!

今回の旅ではラーメン・ラーメン・ラーメン・不思議創作料理とお米・ラーメンの順番での乏しい食生活でしたからね、うきうき外食です。

This is Katsuya Nishimotohida san. We met last night at the dormitory in Ishigaki. We woke up this morning at 3:15. We got up at such an hour for two reasons. First, the mosquitoes were relentless last night. Second, we both had to catch the 6:15 Hiryuu Ferry to Naha, Okinawa. We're riding in that ferry now, and we will be for another 7 hours. Total ferry time Ishigaki to Okinawa - 14 hours.Here in this picture, Nishimotohida san is enjoying some pizza. We both bought breakfast from COCO convenience store and ate our meals against the outside of the store, on the street. I was shocked at how many people were out and about at 4:00 in the morning. They were mostly young people, in their 20's or 30's. Everyone seemed rather bright-eyed for such an early morning. Then it struck me - being the only island among the Yaeyama archipelago with a multitude of drinking/boogying facilities, by default it was THE party island.While we took breakfast, we were "entertained" by two young, restless and drunk men on a scooter. They buzzed this way and that on the bike, beeping it's whimpy horn and hooting and hollaring. They repeatedly rode past a policeman standing at his patrol car. They drove on the wrong sides of the roads and up sidewalks at top speed. They even made a point of being more loud and obnoxious as they passed the policeman, so as to razzle him. But all their efforts were in vein. The lawman seemed completely unphased by all the reckless dissobedience. I guess the police on Ishigaki just can't be bothered by such immature insobordinance, what with this being the very laid-back party town that it is.All the while, Nishimotohida san and I just ate our food looking on half astonished, half disgusted. Nishimotohida san being the super nice guy that he is, shared large chunks of his yakitori (fried chicken) with a little black stray cat.

ビルのひと時の旅仲間のにしもとひださん。どんな漢字か分かりませんが、沖縄ではよくある苗字だとか。ビル曰く「スーパーナイスガイ」の西本飛騨さん（こんな漢字？）
この時は石垣から那覇までのどこかでストップしたみたいです。
沖縄の島の人たちは、の～～～んびりしてて、すごいリラックスモードらしい。

Here is where it all went down. Mr.Green (leaning against Coco) was whitness to it all.

西本飛騨さんと、彼が焼き鳥を分け与えた野良猫と。





Hello ferry, my old friend. I've come to ride on you again.All aboard going aboard. Next stop's Okinawa!

そして乗り換え後、那覇へ向う・・・。

A bit after 8:30 pm and the ferry has finally arrived. What you see here is in fact not a scene from Mad Max, though it sure seems like it! Dozens of scragley looking guys (Japanese and foriegn) on motercycles, scooters, and bicycles of all sorts, reving their engines and balancing their two-wheeled homes. Over the past 9 days I have discovered this very interesting subculture of psuedo-transient cycle freaks, and I am a part of it. I don't know how to feel about it. I never really liked being part of any group. And quite honestly, I think we're all a bit overly self righteous. I met another cyclist who left his wife behind working - mind you, he is 57 and retired. He apparently collects pretty big money from his pension now, and I heard he even owns a jet. I'm not here to judge anybody else. It's just that meeting guys like that and hearing their tales reminds me of the less noble side of myself. I haven't been feeling very good about myself for the last few days. I constantly think about my own wife Atsuko, whom I love dearly. She is back home working hard everyday, and I'm out trying to live out my fantacies of being Indiana Jones. I have been sleeping outside ferry terminals and have watched little old ladies and men scrubbing bathroom floors and going about their daily work, while I ride my bike and grow a beard. It's only been 9 days, but I feel disgusted with myself. Things started out great. Just the last 3 days or so have gotten me a bit down. I've met many great people. There are so many very friendly folks out there. Still though, I have REALLY been missing my Atsuko, my family, friends, and my job. Basically I miss it all.
The ferry ride from Ishigaki to Naha was not at all fun. The sea was angry all the way. The ship was swaying and swaying and I had slept through lunch. An empty stomach and rough seas are not a good match, and I hope never to let myself get into that kind of situation again.The second half of the journey (7 hours) was complete suffering. I never vomitted, but felt like I would at any moment for 7 hours. All through this "darkness", Nishimotohida san was there looking after me. He comforted me and brought me water and blankets when I couldn't move. He was as good a friend to me as anyone ever could have been.
Sorry for bringing you down with all my sorrowful tales of woe, but this is just how I'm feeling. I guess I just miss a familiar face and a warm bed. Tommorow will be a new day!

ビルにしては珍しく考えてますね。
私の周りでも「なんで一人旅に行かすの許せる？」とか「仕事辞めて旅行？！信じられへん」とか、ビルの性格を知らない人にはよく言われる。確かに家族でない第３者だからこそ、ビルの自転車旅行を心から応援できる人がいるんかもな～とも思う。そういう立場だったら、間違いなく大応援すると思うし。ビルが仕事を辞めてしまって、アイレやBMCとかプライベートの生徒さんからの定収入がなくなり、ビルが旅に出てる間はビルサイドからの収入はゼロどころがマイナスになったし、当初の予定より資金が必要になってしまったし・・・。旅の準備をしてる時は「パァ～～～～～\（＾－＾）/」とウキウキ張り切ってたビルの裏で私や家族は、遠隔地用の保険証を用意したり、旅の前に自転車屋さんとか病院に電話したり。働き盛りでお金を貯めたい時になんで？自己中やなって思ってたこともしばしば。しかも交通事故にあってすぐに計画続行するか！「この機会逃したら次はない」みたいな。
実際、ビルの家族＆私の家族からの大反対の結果、ビルは今回の旅行を決行しました。最初は６ヶ月って言ってた旅を２週間×3（沖縄・富士山・北海道）には妥協してもらいましたけどね。

それでも既にスタートしてしまった旅なので、思いっきり楽しんでは欲しいし、健康で頑張って欲しいとも思う。

今回はビルがダークに来たので、私もダーク返ししてしまいました　（＊＿＊）