A Curiosity Ride

The historical center of Hiroshima is undoubtedly The Peace Memorial. Large crowds of people flock to the memorial site daily to mourn and learn more about the first atomic bomb on 6th August 1945. Visiting the related Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is a must. Despite a long queue, I did not want to miss out this opportunity. And it was worth waiting for. One could spend hours in there - there are dozens of photographs, animations, artifacts, narratives and drawings by survivors and much more. Particularly the permanent exhibition “Reality of the Atomic Bomb“ was very disturbing. The hallway is dimmed, you see horrible photographs of burned torsos and read through all those stories of victims and survivors (taking photos was allowed). There’s absolute silence except for the few people crying. It is absolutely dreadful to see what mankind is capable of. I think there is not a single soul leaving this museum whose heart is not touched. All in all, the whole experience was very powerful.

Having digested the museum visit, my stomach was ready to try the local dish Okonomiyaki which Hiroshima is known for. It is basically a Japanese pancake with noodles, cabbage, eggs, onions, cheese and whatever toppings one fancies. Exactly what a hungry cyclist needs. Luckily, I was seated right in front of the chef where I could watch him preparing the food. Behind me, I had dozens of Junior High School students. As so often, I was the only Gaijin - the only non-Japanese - and was thus more or less the center of attention. So, I started a conversation with a few students which was quite amusing.

It was already dark when I left the restaurant and high time to find a safe place for the night. Google Maps is very convenient in that matter. I found a good spot on the outskirts of Hiroshima. So, I cycled there my last kilometres of the day. I had just passed by the last house and was maybe 50 meters in the woods when I heard loud noises from the side of the road a few meters ahead. Out of the blue, a bear appeared on the road 10-15 meters away from me. The bear was so terrified that he ran off right away back into the woods. I just saw his big butt vanishing between the bushes. I stood there frozen for a moment. When I realized what happened, I instantly turned around my bike and cycled back to the city. Okay, safe heaven. WOW! Now, that was an adrenaline rush. That came so unexpected and certainly I was as terrified as the bear himself. I couldn’t stop laughing for many minutes. Not the kind of bear encounter I was hoping for.
I calmed down and cycled a few kilometres further to another park. I pitched my tent, read my book and fell asleep. Surprisingly, I slept very well.Read more