I slept well for the most part, but did wake up a few times throughout the night. When I did, I noticed quite a significant pain in my left ankle in addition to the sore spots I already had. I was not impressed. When I woke up for breakfast, I was in pain and it took effort just to get up and walk across the room. Despite that, I changed clothes and went to the dining room for breakfast. It was cold but warmed up with a pot of tea and miso soup. Again, the food was delicious. The staff member on duty was an older man, so he only spoke minimal English. I used what Japanese I knew to tell him I’d be resting today due to my knee being bad. He told me to wait and went into a room to retrieve some medicated pain patches for me, which he insisted I take. I thanked him and retired to my room to rest a bit more and do some reading and Internet surfing to pass the time. Around 11:30, I tidied myself up to go out and find something to eat for lunch and maybe find a drug store to find some anti-inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen. Being a nurse has its advantages: I know my medications. I brought Tylenol with me, but it doesn’t really have anti-inflammatory properties. I used Google to map out some drug stores. Unfortunately, the two closest to my inn seemed to be permanently closed for business when I got there. I hobbled further to the next one, which turned out to be a Chinese herbal remedy store. Not exactly what I was looking for. At that point, I was in quite a bit of pain and wanted to rest. There was a McDonald’s nearby, so I limped over and got something to eat. My appetite was still not the greatest, though it was nice to sit down for a while. After lunch, I contemplated phoning for a taxi and asking them to take me to the nearest drug store, but knew my Japanese probably wasn’t good enough for that. So, I decided to try one more place and if that failed, then I’d call a taxi. It was slow going, but I finally found a place called Kirindo, which was labeled as a “health and beauty store” (in English, no less!). I went in and found some ibuprofen (thank goodness I learned to read katakana a year ago, as “ibuprofen” in Japanese is the same word simply written out in katakana). Nearby, I found some heating patches for sore muscles and joint compression wraps/splints. I picked up a heating patch and a knee wrap and an ankle wrap. They were expensive altogether, but I figured it would be worth it if it helped the excruciating pain I was in. Upon returning to my inn, I rested and promptly took some ibuprofen. I contemplated my next few days. If today was any indication, I was probably not ready for Temple 12 yet, even if I took the bus, as it still required a 5km uphill hike. I also didn’t want to impose on the ryokan staff any longer, plus I was really wanting to sleep on a Western-style bed. Futons are comfortable enough but difficult to get up from with the joint problems I was experiencing. So, I booked 2 nights at a hotel in Tokushima again. I figured that the bus to Shosanji would be leaving from there, anyway. And, like Jack, I’d try to ditch a significant amount of weight from my backpack. As sad as I am to not be able to complete the pilgrimage the way I wanted to, I still would like to complete it if able, even if it means using alternate transportation while my legs heal. Post-Pilgrimage Thoughts: I learned how difficult things can be when you can't speak English in a little rural town in Japan. Closed businesses, things being far apart, a lack of English signage...all were difficult, made even moreso by my awful knees. The pain this day was severe and just walking maybe 100m was difficult.
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My name is Marianne and this is my journal about that time I decided to complete the 88 Temple Shikoku Pilgrimage. It was both the most difficult thing I've ever done and the most amazing thing I've ever done. It was truly an experience of a lifetime. Archives
August 2017
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