3 Az indulas

         Az indulas napjan arra jottunk ra, hogy tulajdonkeppen mar nehany napja utazunk, hiszen a bepakolt hatizsakjainkbol elunk, csupan a sajat lakasunkban. Azert nem mondom, hogy konnyu volt kilepni az ajton teljes menetfelszerelesben, bezarni magunk mogott, es bedobni a kulcsot a postaladaba. Es nem csak a sulyos hatizsakjaink miatt. Azert mielott kileptunk volna megalltunk a nappali szoba kozepen egy imara, egy olelesre. Indulas. 

Utra keszen

                Ma meg nem megyunk azert nagyon messze. A hivatalos hajo koran reggel indul, es a kikotoje tolunk messze van. Buszjaratok reggel het elott nincsnek, igy a mai nap keso delutani indulassal csupan Hazel es ferje, Chris lakasaig megyunk stoppolassal, naluk alszunk, es masnap reggel Hazel kivisz kocsival a hozzajuk mar joval kozelebb eso kikotobe. Kisse viccesen ereztuk magunkat mikor kialltunk az ut szelere stoppolni a lakasunktol nehany tiz meternyire, ugy felszerelkezve, mint akik mar legalabb evek ota utaznak. Negyed ora multan mar autoban ultunk. Egy batyo vett fel, akirol kiderult, hogy taxis, csupan ez a szabadnapja, mivel Japanban ma a taxisok napja van (itt ugy tunik, mindennek es mindenkinek van napja :). Hallva a sztorinkat, annyira felszinre tort belole a taxizas, mint szenvedely, hogy felajanlotta, elvisz egeszen oda, ahova igyekszunk. El is vitt kuszobig. Ami tekintve, hogy kb egy oras utrol van szo, es az o uticelja kb negyed orara lett volna, nem kis teljesitmeny.  

           A hetfo estet tehat meg Okinawan toltottuk csendes, finom vacsora mellett, kellemes tarsasagban. Hazeltol es Christol is elbucsuztunk mar korabban is nehanyszor, amikor azt gondoltuk, mar nem talalkozunk, igy kedden reggel mar csak egyszeruen elkoszontunk, mint akik csak egy kis kirandulasra igyekeznek. Talan jobb is igy bucsuzni. Szamunkra annyiszor bebizonyosodott mar, hogy az elet utjait, kanyarjait nem lehet kiismerni. Isten mindig valami mast, jobbat tartogat, mint amit mi tervezunk, jobb az, ha csak elkoszon az ember a kovetkezo talalkozasig. 

Igy lett ez a napsuteses keddi nap, 2013 augusztus 6-a, az a nap, mikor uj fejezetet nyitva eletunkben elhajoztunk uj kalandok fele. Tervek szerint 24 ora tengeri ringatozas utan erkezunk meg Kagoshima kikotojebe, ahonnan aztan ujabb hajout kovetkezik a nem annyira tavoli Yakushima-ig, ahol mar var rank valaki. 

3 Leaving

So that's it. Now I know from experience how fast one can disappear from a place and it hurts. There were things, some of my works, my surfboard and my car that was really hard to let go. It was good to hold on to Hunor in those moments. He sold my car and i sold his car. We tried to make it less painful for each other. And we exchanged lots of encouraging hugs in the process. There are the objects and there is the atmosphere you create by your lifestyle. An air. I would say if ours had a color it would be green and orange, it would smell salty like the sea with a bit of lemon and it would taste like carrots and sweet potato. It gently wraps our life, our actions and our belongings. And now it is gone. So far i feel disoriented without it. 

We put on our backpacks (which are way too heavy to carry around and i know as soon as we will be more seasoned travelers we will throw half of the stuff out) and went out to the main road to hitchhike our way to Hazel's apartment in Onna village. In 10 minutes an elderly man picked us up and as we told him that we had a home until abut 20 minutes before and we have just begun traveling right now, he offered he would take us all the way to our destination - to give a good start to our journey. It turned out that he was a taxi driver, giving us a ride on his free day. Well, it looks like we met someone for whom taking people to their destination is more than work, it is a calling. Lucky for us. Thanks to him, our trip was very smooth and we didn't have to suffer long under our overweight backpacks. 

with our first ride

We spent a relaxed evening with Hazel and her husband, Chris, watched a spectacular sunset from their window and ate good warm home food prepared by Hazel (with the addition of some fresh tuna for the special occasion from Hazel's father, Hunor's best fishing buddy). 

last sunset in Okinawa for sometime...

The next morning Hazel took us to Motobu port and we left the island by ferry, heading to Kagoshima. I feel blessed that we have spent the last hours together with Hazel, who taught me so much about Okinawa and got me into surfing. Having her as a friend has been a great inspiration. We swam together for long hours, painted walls and her car, made and sold accessories on the beach, snacked on veggies, learned slack lining and shared dreams and fears. She has the same wanderlust and a brave soul so she understood and encouraged me and made the transition as smooth as it is possible, I thank her for that. 

It felt very natural to leave silently, long after all the crying and the goodbyes. Right now it does not feel like a dramatic change, but more like slowly and silently disappearing from a place, like clouds carried away by the gentle southern wind on a blue skied summer morning.

clouds on a blue skied summer morning...

2 Waiting

So it looks like we have started traveling a week ago but we haven't moved yet. On the contrary, we have become more immobile, having sold cars, bicycles and all the wheels we had. It's strange and a bit confusing too to live off a backpack in our apartment and to be confined to walking distance on an island we have explored so well during the years. 

We still haven't given up on leaving Okinawa on a sailboat, so our daily program is to get our bags and the apartment ready to leave anytime and head down to the marina in the afternoon to ask around for sailboats leaving north. Having done it for four days in a row made me a bit skeptical about it. Mostly we get the answer "noone goes that far". Or very rarely "oh, there was a boat leaving just yesterday!". As Hunor puts it, it feels like the boats sneak out behind our backs from the marina.

waiting for a ride at ginowan marina

we had the best sunsets while searching

there's hope :)

I try not to lose my spirit but time works on me. I mean, I am not used to sit at home for days. I don't really contact friends either, it's had enough to say goodbye once… also, it seems wise to have some time for myself, to prepare for this new way of life mentally too. But then the doubts rise: why do i want to leave this island that has given me so much? once we leave, why don't we head back home to our loving family? Why don't we settle down and have children instead of starting to wander? Will I be able to pursue a career one day? Will I forget my Japanese, my dancing or my film skills on the road? Will I be able to stay disciplined and focused? 

The only thing i know, I am doing this because this is the next step. However frightening and unpredictable it looks, this is what i need to experience. We have been dreaming about traveling for years and years. I think i have started dreaming about it when i was 14, and i tried to do every small thing, and bring every small decision to bring me little by little to where i am now. It is just scary when a long awaited dream comes true, since it very rarely is as we imagined it. I think i will have a hard task learning to live with my imagination on this trip. I don't want to stop dreaming, since all i create is from my dreams. But i want to learn to make a difference between dreams and daydreaming. Dreams nourish the soul and help to move on and to be active and creative. Daydreams do the opposite. They steal the present moment and make it harder to accept reality. 

I was daydreaming a lot about leaving Okinawa on a sailboat. The answer is NO. However hard we tried, we haven't found a boat. So we are heading for the ferry to leave the official way (still not in an airplane though…) And i have to fight my disillusionment and to get unattached from the net of daydreams i wove around it. I wanted a miracle, something grand, something extraordinary to reassure me I am doing the right thing. It might have to do something with all the Biblical stories of Gedeon and Abraham and Moses I grew up listening to. Before their big moves they always got incredible signs and were reassured by God that it will be tough but eventually everything would be OK. That's what i expect. I only see God in the excitement of miracles. But if i want to be on my road with strong feet, i need to learn to see God in ordinary situations. 

Sunday afternoon, Hazel and Chris our best friends took us out  on their small sailboat for an afternoon sailing. This way at least we can say not all our efforts and hours spent in the marina were fruitless and we got to sail - even if for just a few hours. Dreams are not in vain.

1 How this all started?

Not long after we had decided to leave this amazing island in the beginning of August, we were invited on a powerboat heading to mainland Japan with a Swiss captain. I was excited at the idea of leaving Okinawa by sea, although the departure of the boat was 26 July - 10 days earlier than we originally planned. The next week felt like an insomniac's dream. We were packing boxes at nighttime, seeing friends, running around offices and selling our stuff in daytime - I bet everyone knows this who has ever moved from one country to another. The peak of it was the day that started with a garage sale (literally it was a living room sale since we don't have  a garage) in the morning, we closed the shop in the early afternoon and headed out to our farewell party where I had a three stage dance show to perform. But it all went well, thanks to the enlivening energy of our best friends coming to say goodbye to the garage sale and to cheer us at the party. 

The day before departure we got a phone call from the captain letting us know he is leaving a day early - that evening. We freaked out and started to stack everything in our backpacks, but at the same time Hunor mentioned to him that we only want to ride with him halfway, to the island of Yakushima. Hearing this, he got furious and there was no way to talk to him anymore. Simply because after swearing and shouting he just hang up on us several times. It was the moment when we decided we have to let this boat go and find something else (well, we never heard back from him since then, so we were not the only ones who came to this conclusion...). Two minutes after the decision was made we were both fast asleep, exhausted after a week of fast forward packing. 

Adding to all that, it was the day of my 30th birthday. When i woke up after our 3 hour nap, i had a headache and i felt totally burnout. Maybe race dogs might feel the same when at the end of the race they realize they were running after a plastic rabbit. I felt disillusioned and to tired to come up with a new plan. I wanted to celebrate, to start the thirdX with something grandiose - but at that point a birthday cake and a smile would have been enough to comfort me. As always, Hunor did everything to get me out of the private mudpool i was sinking into. We went to have ice cream (and pretend it's a birthday cake) and then to drop some stuff at the Cruzado's (my best friend, Hazel's parents). Aaaand… the Cruzados awaited us with a real cake, candles and all, a delicious fish dinner and warm encouragement. 

birthday ice cream

They were my birthday angels for sure. After leaving their house we decided to go north, join some friends camping at Cape Hedo, the northernmost point of the island. It was past midnight when we got there and they were surprised to see us there for sure. The next morning we had a long snorkel in the clear waters, Hunor caught more than enough fish for all of us and i have seen a sea turtle swimming by (good omen, they say).

hunting buddies

the catch

The following day, thanks to my friends who are always ready to have some fun and let us borrow their boards we had the chance of going out surfing at Teniya, one of the most picturesque surf spots on the island.

Teniya beach

So after all it seems my birthday present were some beautiful extra days on Okinawa. Good snorkeling, good surf, spending time with good people. Getting some sleep, pack and prepare properly for the big move. We haven't moved, but i feel like the third chapter of my life did start on my 30th birthday. We are on the road, 2gether. We will start walking it soon.

1 Keszulodes a nagy utra...

             Hosszas vivodas es tanakodas elozte meg a dontest, hogy pontosan mikor is es hogyan hagyjuk itt ezt a szamunkra oly kedvesse valt szigetvilagot. Osszessegeben mintegy ot es fel evet toltottunk Okinawan es a kornyezo kisebb nagyobb szigeteken. Ennek eredmenyekeppen rengeteg elmeny, emlek es baratsag kot ide minket. Valahogy meltokeppen szerettunk volna bucsuzni itteni eletunktol. Nem a repulogep rohanasaval, hanem inkabb a hajozas sokkal emberleptekubb szemlelodesevel, ahol a fizikai sebesseg nem gyuri maga moge a lelek lassubb haladasat. 

          Okinawa legnagyobb vitorlashajo kikotoje a lakasunktol mintegy tiz perc setanyira talalhato. Adja magat a helyzet. Ismerosoktol, internetrol mar regota ismeros a "boat hitchhiking" azaz a "hajos stoppolas" fogalma. Milyen jo is lenne, ha talalnank valakit, aki vitorlashajojan elvinne minket, es igy indulhatnank neki eletunk kovetkezo fejezetenek, mely alapvetoen az utazasrol, uj nepek es kulturak megismereserol szol, meg talan sok egyebrol is, amit ma meg nem is  sejthetunk. 

egy szep katamaran - sajnos nem indul mostanaban

elszant hajo-stopposok

         Kijeloltunk hat egy hozzavetoleges idopontot, hogy mikor is lenne jo legkesobb elindulni. Tekintve azt, hogy japan vizumunk szeptember vegevel lejar es a Japanon beluli terveinkhez korulbelul ket honapra lenne szuksegunk, idealis esetben augusztus elso napjaiban indulnunk kell. Erre az idopontra koncentralva szep lassan el is kezdtuk lakasunk felszamolasat. Hirdeteseket adtunk fel ertekesebb holmijaink eladasara, interneten, telefonon probaltuk megtalalni mely targyunkat ki tudna leginkabb hasznositani, tovabb hasznalni. Mindekozben persze egyetlen alkalmat sem mulasztottunk el, ha az idojaras engedte, rogton kint voltunk a termeszetben. Teodora leginkabb szorfdeszkajaval, en pedig szigonypuskammal. Jo ido pedig boven akadt, mivel nyar kozepen vagyunk, gyakorlatilag minden nap, ugyhogy a keszulodesunk, pakolasunk meglehetosen lassu tempoval haladt. 

             Kenyelmes temponkbol aztan egy telefonhivas zokkentett ki. A mar emlitett kozeli vitorlashajo kikotobol hivott fel az egyetlen szemely, akivel mar ugy jo fel eve osszeismerkedtunk. Patrick tapasztalt hajos, svajci szarmazasu es evek ota ott el a vitorlas kikotoben sajat hajojan het eves koruli kisfiaval. Nagyon sok idot nem toltottunk meg vele, de az alatt a nehany alkalom alatt, mikor egyutt vacsoraztunk a hajojan, vagy csak ugy lementunk hozza tarsalogni kemenyfeju, meglehetosen ontorvenyu, de alapvetoen joindulatu fickot ismertunk meg benne. Julius 18-an azzal a hirtelen kerdessel hivott fel, hogy akarunk-e vele hajozni. Kapott ugyanis egy munkat, miszerint egy hajot kell elvinnie az uj tulajdonosanak Okinawarol Shikoku-ra ami nekunk tokeletesen megfelelo utvonal a Japan foszigetek fele. Hirtelen ert a hivas legfokepp azert mert mar 26-an penteken indulni szeretett volna. Mivel azonban annyira beleillett az altalunk elkepzelt kepbe, rovid hezitalas utan ugy dontottunk, vallaljuk, hogy szuk het nap alatt eladjuk, elajandekozzuk az osszes holminkat  osszekeszitjuk a postan hazakuldesre szant dolgokat, kiuritjuk es kitakaritjuk a lakasunkat es pentekre ket hatizsakkal keszen leszunk az indulasra.  Hogy ez mennyire komoly bevallalas volt, igazan csak a kovetkezo napokban derult ki. Elso korben le kelett mondanom a julius vegeig vallalt munkaimat. Aztan az elozoleg mar nagyjabol megszervezett bucsuestenkre kellett koncentralnunk, ahova osszehivtuk minden baratunkat. Erre az alkalomra raadasul Tahiti tanceloadas is be lett igerve Teodora tanccsoportjaval. Volt mit intezni boven. Delelott lakasunkat vasarterre alakitottuk vegkiarusitas jelszoval, ahova sokan el is jottek, jonehany holmink meg elment. Delutan-este pedig tanceloadas, bucsuest. A kovetkezo napokban meg ejszaka pakolas, nappal intezkedes, bucsuzkodasok.

minden elado!

megy a naci

valamikor pihenni is kell :)

 Mar-mar feladtuk volna, mikor ujabb lenduletet adott, hogy Patrick az indulast kitolta pentekrol vasarnapra, az idojarasra hivatkozva. Ily modon nagyjabol mar el is keszulodtunk mindennel, mikor szombaton del korul felhivtam a masnapi indulast egyeztetni. Ez is donto telefonhivas volt. Mikor megemlitettem neki, hogy terveink annyiban valtoztak, hogy nem mennenk vele a teljes uton, hanem egy korabban utbaeso szigeten elbucsuznank tole, teljesen elvesztette az eszet. Mint kiderult, szamitott arra, hogy a hajo vezeteset megoszthatjuk, igy amig o pihen, addig is haladhatunk. Megbeszelhettuk volna a dolgot, de reszerol megszunt a kommunikacio. Tobbszori hivasomat is karomkodva lecsapta. Ebben a helyzetben gyors es egyertelmu volt reszunkrol is a dontes, nem akarunk egy percet sem a nyilt tengeren tolteni valakivel, aki ennyire nem kepes uralkodni magan.  

           Jo dontes volt. Ez mar abbol is erezheto volt, hogy a nagy rohanas, hajtas utan fellelegeztunk, megkonyebbultunk. Es mivel nagyon faradtak voltunk, rogton elmentunk aludni.  Ami pedig ezutan kovetkezik, minden perc, minden nap ajandek. Erdekessege a dolognak, hogy mindez eppen Teodora szuletesnapjan tortent, amire egyaltalan nem jutott energiank semmivel sem keszulni. De a dontes, hogy hagyjuk Patrick-et elhajozni nelkulunk, a szuletesnap unnepet is elhozta vegul. 

zsibvasar

mindent eladtunk... (aa nem is, csak vicceltem...)