Temple 34 - Tanema-ji
Temple 35 - Kiyotaki-ji
Temple 36 - Shoryu-ji
Temple 37 - Iwamoto-ji
Miles walked: 6
Stayed at ryokan Nimi near Temple 37
It started with the free lodging at Temple 33. We had a nice-sized room to ourselves...of course the bathroom was across the temple complex, but no different than a car campsite in America except for the gorgeous "Honda-do" and "Daishi-do" to walk by on the way.
Sleep was fitful on my noisy air mattress, but not horrible... I had electricity to charge my devices, had a non-connected iPad to read, no worries. I decided to leave a few things in the Tsuyado for other pilgrims due to the crushing weight of my pack the day before. These included:
A bottle of 50% juice that seemingly weighed 10 lbs
A USA cowboy scarf
Stamp book given to Laura (with pages ripped out)
A washcloth gift from temple 26
When we stayed at the Tsuyado at temple 17, there were many items left by pilgrims, so we thought this was appropriate. However, 15 minutes into our walk, a cab pulled over and a cab pilgrim asked if we had forgotten our stamp book. No, we said we left it on purpose, and she sped on. Thirty minutes later a car pulled up and one of the clerks at the temple came out with a shopping bag of the items we had "forgotten." We tried to explain that they were gifts to other pilgrims. We think she understood, but felt badly that she had spent all morning trying to find us to return the forgotten items.
We passed some hothouse tomato growers and Laura asked a farmer if we could go inside. Of course he felt obligated to give us each a tomato, right? Hmmm.
At 34, we met a jolly fellow pilgrim who made whirligigs. He gave us each one and we practiced making them fly. He kept giving me new ones, thinking perhaps My lack of skill could be improved by a new color? We decided we'd never make it to 37, which is very far, and which has many housing options, if we didn't start hitching again. So, we met another jolly soul who transported us the relatively short distance to 35. Okay. Just as we got out of the car, another pilgrim shoved a heavy bag of goodies at us. Crackers and candy!
Somehow, I don't know how, the same man decided to take us to temple 36. We kept asking if he was going there anyway and he kept saying it was near his home. He made calls, we think to his wife. We both worried we would be invited to stay over and that he was asking his wife. On the way to 36, he stopped and bought us each a giant lunch..sandwich, three croissants and two juices each!!! When we got to 36, he indeed was not going there, but I hope lived nearby.
It was here that I felt defeated...is my karma dwindling before my eyes as these beautiful strangers work so hard to care for us!
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