Come Away with Me

The long way home

The bus i usually take home from work at 4:16pm stops running during the winter break as students do not have to come to school for 2 weeks.

Instead i would have to take the next bus at 4:46pm. Or hitch a ride home with one of the teacher but that would mean staying in school till 5pm.

Though a little chilly, the weather was generally very fine yesterday so i decided to walk home for a change. I figure i could do with some exercise too. Winter is not a good excuse to derail all forms of physical activities!

It's not really that long a distance from school to home, about 4km. The only challenge is the numerous uphills along the way. But oh well, with every uphill there will be a downhill right so with that in mind, i took on my first time challenge of walking all the way home. (actually it's my 3rd time but the previous occasions, i was picked up halfway by people i knew who happened to be driving past and insisted i get into their cars :p)

Below are the MANY shots i took along the way. I hope you enjoy these pictures as you 'stroll' home with me : )

A view of my school as i walked upslope.

The beautiful seaview when i finally got up the most treacherous slope of the entire walk.


A zoomed in view of the sea. Wanted a close up of those 2 boats floating in the middle you see.

The sea hadn't look that calm and blue for a very long time now and i just couldn't help stopping every now and then to take in the beautiful sight and to breathe the fresh air.

Nature abounds on this little island...

Little sideway stopover. See the bald trees along the way? Those are cherry blossom trees. Come spring when the sakuras are in full bloom, the island will be transformed into a garden! Am really looking forward to spring time already : ) But that would mean that it's time to leave the island soon :( What an emotional dilemma...




As you can see from the pictures, there are hardly cars on the road and trust me, i didn't wait till when there were no cars to take any shots :p

The first spot since leaving school that is flat enough to have a settlement of sort. This is where many of the students at school live, a place called Onarao.

These are some rather typical looking houses on the islands. There are some modern looking and concrete ones but some of them look really traditional and old don't they? Can you spot the zinc one amongst them? Many of these families actually have small plots of land where they farm their own sweet potatoes,vegetables and even mandarin oranges.

Moving on, I was still on elevated ground when this shot was taken. Can you spot the cemetery in between the hill?

A closer view of the cemetery. If you see carefully, it is built just next to the road.There are many of these small cemeteries all over the island, in fact there is another one very near my house. Somehow, these Japanese cemeteries do not feel as eerie as Chinese ones do. I was kinda spooked initially whenever i walked past one but had since gotten used to it now. Instead of individual pictures of the deceased, Japanese tombs simply bear the family surname which perhaps explains the reduced spook factor. In countryside places where people are still pretty conservative, it is still common practice to be buried at the family grave when someone pass away.


On the left: The bus stop where my students will alight at Onarao. You must be wondering where is the bus stop, haha. The little box like thing with the blue and red stand next to it! :P On the right: A very steep staircase leading to all the houses you see in the earlier picture. This is the general feel of the place here, it's like a maze at times with plenty of slopes and staircases around. Till today, i am still 'discovering' new and hidden staircases as i walk around the neighbourhood.

Finally i've walked to level ground and near the waters now. These boats belong to the local fishermen who return once a month to their hometown for a break after having been out in the sea. 30 years back, Narao was once a thriving fishing town and was way much livelier than what it is today. As it is in most parts of the world today, the waters have been overfished and these days, the fishing scene was but one-tenth of what it was in its heyday.

From here i walked on for another 15min and finally it was home sweet home.

You see the small block of white building with 3 units in a row? That is my little kampong apartment/house, somewhere in the middle of a hill. My unit is the first from the right, the one with yellow curtains on the 2nd floor. Welcome welcome! :)

posted by テレサ @ 1:47 PM