2 April 2025 - Day 31 - Towards the mountains - 25,5 km

When I woke up, the rain was pouring, again. Can I please stay in bed and just wait for the sun to come out before I leave? No? Okay then… Breakfast was really good, as always. Then I decided against unpacking my whole backpack to exchange my trail running shoes against the other pair that’s supposed to be waterresistant and that I prefer on hiking trails. The rain will certainly stop any moment.

Jay had intended to walk my way so we could meet on the road but then I got a message from Josée who was staying at the same hotel as Jay that she would like to join me/us. Of course I was happy to see her again so I walked in the direction of their hotel which was on my way anyway.

Once I got there, Josée and I talked about the main question for today: tunnel yes or no? It is another long tunnel of more than one km with no sidewalk and a lot of traffic. Rather scary! The alternative: a hiking trail over the mountain, possibly in the rain. I was still in favour of the tunnel but Josée made me change my mind. And then she made me unpack everything to switch shoes…

Thank you Josée! You were right, it was a good decision. So we left quite late, way after 9, but today’s stage was going to be short (max 21 km). Jay had finally decided he would do some sightseeing before walking on so us two women were on our own.

We were happy to be walking together again after such a long time and had lots of things to talk about. The rain had almost stopped and when we got to the decision point (tunnel yes/no) we both opted for the mountain pass.

It was steep, the trail was not easy in some parts but we both made it rather well and it really was a beautiful walk. I was happy about this decision. We made a few short breaks and then we finally walked into the town of Ozu. Josée’s hotel was in the center but mine was at the very end of town so I had 3-4 km more to walk.

As we walked through the narrow streets of Ozu we witnessed a spectacular attack! Two girls were sitting on a covered terrace in a narrow street eating an onigiri (rice-ball) when I saw a red kite fall from the sky flying towards the girls. Then I heard the girls screaming and saw the kite fly off with an onigiri in its claws while the girl looked at her empty hands! What a daring attack! Josée and I looked at each other and laughed surprisingly! Funnily enough, Josée had told me a similar story just this morning!

I then left Josée at her hotel and continued on a busy road through a long commercial area for what felt like ages until I finally reached my hotel for the night after more than 25 km. There is no restaurant at the hotel, but I was so tired that after checking in and having had a short break at my room I just walked to the nearest convenience store to get something to eat in my room and came back right away.

I took a shower, ate my perfect dinner and did my daily video call with my dear husband. Now as I am writing these lines, my eyes are tired and I guess that’s it for today.

Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow!