Shikoku Pilgrimage

 

We walked on Highway 55 all day. We felt safe when walking on the roads because of the wide footpaths beside most of them even in the many tunnels.

After the first few kilometres we took advantage of some clean toilets with a big sink to have a wash and change clothes before continuing on our way feeling refreshed.

 

 

 

 

From a high bridge we watched sea eagles soaring then diving amongst the fishing boats in the clear water below.

 

 

 

 

Although we received another offer for a bath, we felt clean enough.

There were a few more henro walking in both directions, one doing it tough in bare feet, carrying only a plastic bag.

 

 

 

We crossed from Tokushima Prefecture into Kochi Prefecture. Whales visit the coast here.

 

 

 

 

On a hill beside the highway we passed 2 ladies selling citrus fruit but big bags of them, too heavy for us to carry. We were called over by the first who gave us as osettai a large bag of oranges. The other one then gave us some yellow oranges with thick white pith and told us something we did not understand. Around the corner we sat down to eat all the fruit so as not to have to carry it.

 

Not 5 minutes down the road, a little bent over lady called to us from across the road to try her fruit. She upturned 3 orange crates for us to sit on and proceeded to show us how to eat the yellow oranges by peeling off only the skin and eating the soft white pith as well as the delicious sweet orange. After we had eaten 2 (already full from the previous lot) she began on the grapefruit and got quite a laugh as we tried to eat that pith.

Setting off again, we didn’t get very far when another walking henro crossed the road to give us 2 more oranges (we suspect he did not want to carry them).

While having lunch, a car henro also having his, came over to us with 2 bottles of drink and 2 plastic cups. He thought we were quite a sight and took our photo.

We were so thankful for everything we had received.

 

 

 

We put up the tent out of sight on a black sand beach and went to sleep with the waves crashing onto the shore.

(33.4236 N 134.2237 E)