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And the second part of this story entails what I did all day Saturday:

I climbed a mountain. Yes, you could even say I made a pilgrimmage of sorts to a temple near the summit, all the while complaining and whining, with me and Marguerite threatning to throw Ping off the mountain.

We set off around noon and took the train west for an hour, leaving the city behind until all that was left were trees and small houses. We get off at the last stop on the line and arrive in Takanosanguchi.

The little village at the base of the mountain was charming, full of people and stores selling cheap souvenirs. But I will admit I was sorely tempted to buy some- apparently THE place to buy souvenirs is in Akasuza. The mountain train had a lot of people on it and didn't look too steep. I thought that I, in my limited physical ability, would be able to do it. But I am not exxagerating when I say that 10mins in I was huffing and puffing. The trail was steep and very rarely evened out so you never really got a chance to rest. It was hot and humid so I was sporting a bandanna to keep the hair out of my face and off my neck and a baseball cap to keep the sun out of my eyes since my sunglasses broke. Attractive? Not really. Once we arrived at the 1/3 mark I knew it would be worth all the effort and pain. But still, Marguerite and I kept a running dialogue as we detailed how we would kill Ping, hide his body, and noone would ever find him again. Ping and Chang were in the army for a couple of years as it is mandatory in their countries (Singapore and Korea, respectively) so they had no problems. Hyden was in the navy, but he and Norman work out everyday so they were fine. We joked that we should have brought Richard Simmons along for inspiration, him and his spandex glittery shorts and big hair.

Several points along the way Hyden set up his tripod and took group photos. The temple was really cool- I got to purify myself and had my fortune done (which indicated bad luck- i shouldn't travel, enter a competition, or lose something- screwed!). Once we got to the summit we (meaning me, Marguerite, and a little bit of Ping) struck Rocky poses, sung Eye of the Tiger, and shouted "ADRIAN". I think we may have scared some people.

After we completed the 4km ascent we headed down, got back the train, and then went to Kichijoji to meet Norman and Marguerite's friend for dinner at a revolving sushi restaurant. Me,not being a big sushi eater, ate the cheapest meal I have had since being in Japan 430yen. YAY! We walked around for a bit before someone said we should go to a nearby park. i really didn't want to go, instead wanting to go shopping or walk around the entertainment district. I mean really, a park has trees. So did the mountain. How many freaking trees can a person look at in one day?!

Then again I had been hiking all morning, was sweaty, and wearing a shirt and shorts and carrying a large backpack, quite different from all the extremely well dressed and groomed Japanese out on the town that night. So maybe going to a park, away from people, was a good idea...

But it turns out only half the park is wilderness- the other half has street musicians, peole having picnics at night, hanging out in large groups. On a day when I didn't smell so nasty, I would love to just sit in that park and listen to the musicians. We walked pass a very humourous rendition of "Stand By Me" and Marguerite and I joined in.

More walking and then back to the station where we cheated the gates at our end to get home cheaper followed by grocery shopping, and then into bed at 2am this morning. I slept in until noon. It was beautiful.

But my quads still ache a bit, but that pain is very small sacrifice for how much fun I had this weekend. Today being Sunday, I slept, did the laundry, and made a really good dinner of BBQ chicken, rice, and fried egg.

Now, I should do some homework...