Drokpa Journal

I arrived in Tokyo on July 16th after having spent just under 2 weeks wandering around Norway. Once I get some spare time I’ll upload those photos and write the travelogue, as this one is just a quick update, though I will say that I loved Norway - my kind of place.

On the morning of the 17th Rhona and I caught a train to Tsuruoka, where we spent the following day doing a day hike. We next proceeded to the base of Mt. Fuji, and set out hiking from the base on the morning of the 20th. After climbing for 8 1/2 hours, and 2600 meters, we spent that night at about 3400 meters. We opted to bypass being on the summit for sunrise the following morning, as it was a 3-day weekend here in Japan and there were waaaaaaay too many people on the mountain. Instead, we set out at about 5:30, and reached the summit at 6:30. In keeping with history I once again picked up something on the summit, though it was infinitely more enjoyable this time around. I strayed from tradition and the pulmonary edema, and instead opted for….a future wife! I knelt down, popped the question, and she - possibly not thinking as clearly at 3800 meters as she would be at sea level, said, “Yes”. I love it when a plan comes together…

I figured I’d better get moving since we essentially have our honeymoon already in mind - a mad gallivant around the world, performed in 6-week chunks. We’ll start next year in Japan, and then move on to Central Asia, eastern Europe, Middle East, possibly some of Africa, Baltic States, trans-Siberian train across Russia, and wherever else the wind blows us. Stay tuned…

Since Fuji we’ve hit a few smaller towns, and have been fortunate enough to see a couple of festivals. The one last night in the old post town of Tsumago was the best, as it was very intimate, with only a few non-villagers in attendance. It was great! We’re currently killing a few hours before the sumo tournament starts here in Nagoya, so I’m looking forward to that as well.

Anyway, just thought I’d actually post some news shortly after it happened - a novel concept I know.

Hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll update when I can.

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