Trip 2 - Day 6 - Aoshima to Ibusuki

Waking in the hostel this morning we were up and going early - so much so, we were on the bikes by 7:30am. Even with the early hour, it was already hot and humid as we pulled out of the carpark, and it remained so for the whole day. That's 5 straight days of hot weather now! We stopped briefly at the 7-11 for breakfast (despite Lucas vowing never again to do so) and I managed to scoff a cake, cold coffee in a can and a Vitamin-C shot before jumping back on the bike. Remember kids, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

Our plan for today was to ride the east coast of Kyushu south from Aoshima before crossing to the Minamiosumi port to catch a ferry across to our final destination - the resort town of Ibusuki.

The route for today, including the 50 minute ferry crossing.

The ride south consisted mainly of two roads, route 220 and route 448. Route 220 was a picturesque ride with rugged coastline on our left for much of it.

Magnificent coastal landscapes on the east coast Kyushu.

Similarly, route 448 had its scenic moments. But it also provided some superb riding with long sweeping corners and numerous chicanes. There were two occasions at least in which our enthusiasm may have gotten us pinged by the cozzers had not a convenient little old lady been keeping us reigned in as the milicents rolled past. As it was I can still report zero incidents!

As we neared the bottom of our southward journey on 448, we stopped off en-route at the Uchinoura Space Center. Here you can see a couple of rockets on display, as well as the launch pad used to fire them. Total geek-boy fantasy shit. Awesome.

Rockets at the Uchinoura Space Centre.

Very soon after, route 448 took us across the middle of the Kagoshima 'claw' and we arrived at the Minamiosumi ferry port ready to reserve ourselves a birth. What followed was half an hour of mr ferry dude trying to tell us that we could not, under any circumstance, pre-buy a spot for the 3 o'clock ferry, but if we were to be at the ferry terminal at 2:30pm he would guarantee us a spot. This seemed patently ridiculous and after endless arguing, convincing, haranguing and cajoling Lucas, amazingly, got him to agree to us pre-paying our tickets.

After all that, we didn't have much time left to go anywhere else in the hour that remained us, so we grabbed some drinks and waited.

Waiting for the ferry to Ibusuki

Soon the ferry arrived, we drove on, it sailed off, and we rolled out into Ibusuki ready and raring to hit the hot sand onsen with which Ibusuki is synonymous. We walked to the Ibusuki Saraku Natural Sand Bath, paid for our special yukata and neck towel and trundled down to the beachfront for our hot sand experience.

Special Yukatas are on and we're ready to be baked

The 'natural sand onsen' that followed was like nothing I've ever experienced before. You lay down in a depression that has been pre-dug and shaped by the diligent shovellers that stand ready at your burial site. An attendant carefully wraps your neck in your small onsen wash towel, and then proceeds to cover your whole body from the neck down in coarse hot sand.

Being buried alive

The sand is naturally heated by the volcanic activity in the area and, once covered, you begin to heat up very quickly. The weirdest thing is that you start to feel your pulse in your fingers, then hands, then feet, then arms, and pretty soon you feel like you are in a techno club being buffeted by the subwoofer as your pulse is felt in every extremity. The pores open all over your body and you start to sweat profusely from everywhere at once.

Buried in the sand all 3

When you finally can't stand the heat any more (Richard and I lasted 20 minutes, Lucas much longer) you rise from the sand like a zombie breaking through its burial mound. Your yukata is drenched with sweat and the sand is stuck to you. You then enter the special bathing area where the sand is washed off, you have a long soak in the hot and cold pools, and walk out feeling on top of the world. It's such an amazing feeling.

After our burial and subsequent resurrection, we went in search of dinner. A couple of doors down from the natural sand onsen we found a ramen joint. Maybe I was a little hungry, not having eaten since breakfast, but both the ramen and the gyoza I ordered were superb. The beer wasn't bad either, although I'm probably still too dehydrated to be drinking anything but water.

A well deserved dinner

Our hunger again sated, we finally sauntered back to our hotel very satisfied indeed and ready for a good night's sleep.