The weekend adventure was a great one indeed. Started on Friday, Gia and I drove up to Takikawa where Sandra lives, and stayed over there. After a very late night jam session, we finally got to bed, only to wake up early the next morning to get ready to go to Sonkyo. Anita met us at Sandra's, and then we were off to Daisetsuzan. Definitely a must see for mountain lovers. On our way there it started to pour buckets of rain. So when we got to the camp ground we were relieved to see that they had cabins that we could rent. Tenting in a typhoon is never any fun. And so with the accomadation out of the way, we went to see what we could do in the little hamlet of Sonkyo. Which meant, walking around little shops and eating, finally get bored enough to venture to see the waterfalls in the rain. And then being so cold that we had to go to the onsen....had to...uh huh. So we played in the onsen (I am still sporting a very large purple bruise on my thigh from it), nothing like playing naked with your friends. Afterwards we found massage chairs and treated ourselves to 15 minutes of automatic pleasure. Oh yeah. The rain had stopped when we left the onsen and so we went on a very short hike, only an hour, before going for dinner. Yes, more eating. We finally got back to the camp ground with the promise to get up at 5am for hiking. 5am comes, we hear rain, we go back to bed. 8am rolls around, and we slowly drag ourselves out to join the sunshine. Drive to the Sonkyo hamlet and the rope way. Get on the rope way, then hike for a few minutes to the chair lift, and up we go, half way up Mt. Kurodake. The rest of the hike we had to do ourselves, and I was playing, skipping from stone to stone until it was my turn to carry the heavy backpack filled with all our stuff. Then it was like dragging my body up. But we got to the top, enjoyed the view, froze, and then climbed back down. All in all it took just over 3 hours. After that it was back into the car for yet another long drive back home. Leaving at 1pm, and (even taking the expressway and driving 140km on it, and yes everyone else drives that fast on the expressway) dropping Sandra and Anita off in Takigawa, Gia and I got into Kimobetsu at 6:40pm, and had a dinner engagement at 7pm at the Kanaya's. So Gia jumped into the shower, I washed up using the sink, and off we went, for sukiyaki, sushi, cake, and of course kareoke. After being stuffed full, we left at 11pm, and I collapsed into my bed only to face hell Monday in the few hours between.

It has definitely been an adventure and tonight me, Gia, Leticia, Megan, Yukiko, Machi, Hiroki, and a few other people are going to go play in the Rusutsu resort. Night rollercoasters and fireworks. Oh yes people, good times.

Love love love to you all.