My Apologies

I am truly sorry that I haven`t spoken to you in a while. I`ve been busy. I finished walking the 88 Temple Pilgrimage several days ago and have been resting my weary bones in Saijo City and here Osaka with my friend Kumi. I`ve been fed and helped by so　many people in the last seven weeks it`s changed so many things about my way of thinking. About my way of thought. I truly believe that walking for over six weeks, sometimes 40 - 60 Km per day, through mountains, forests, rivers, sleeping with slugs, snakes and spiders the size of my hand, made me strip off the painful hurt I`ve been carrying for so long. Yous ee, I never believed that I had been carrying so much pain. It wasnt`t until week three that I realized that I was scraping away the shit and dirt I`ve held onto for the past four years. The walk has solidified my faith in the unknown, that if you give yourself up, truly give yourself up to nothing, to everything then everything will be alright. It`s been a tough trip so far, but extremely rewarding. I never felt right when I landed here at the end of April. Why? was the question of the day. BUt now I know that this is my life. This country, this exploration of something that I`ve decided to live my life studying and doing. And not just being the archaeologist, but by being someone who is there to get into the stram of things. I was supposed to be here with someone who I really loved and cared about. But those are simply images of ghosts now. It was hard but I`m done with that part of my life. I needed to walk twenty Km up a mountain, 20 down and get fed by complete strangers to realize that my life is bigger than one person. Anway, I`m in Tokyo tomorrow and am more focused. It`s still hard, a little lonely, but alright. . These are the following people so far that have been amazing and deserve to be thanked here, they fed me, helped me, spoke kind words to me, or just were cool to me. Especially some gave me a warm bed to sleep in.

Kobe oji-san (never got a name, the first person who really talked to me and cared)
Chiba - from　(from Tokyo - taught me patience)
Kinoshita sensei - the monk at Temple One
Nomura Yasuo - walked to of the most important temples with me 85 (when i had practically given up) and temple 88 the final one, we climbed the rocks together.
Oji-san Kamakura - my beloved old man who bought me ice cream and told me such amazing stories of his world travellers. A shame i never got his name. He walked the first time with his wife`s ashes on his back. I truly loved that　80 year old man.
Kaname and Machiko Morinaga- Awa City = this young couple took care of me after 88 fed me and we shared our love for music together and showed me the fireflies of the Misano River.
Ikenaga Family - Tokushima City - first people that let me crash, and we prayed together.
Arai Family - Saijo City - Never have I met more intelligent people, retired and well travelled. We met near Temple 12 and they offered me a rest in their town near the end of the pilgrimage. Amazing.
Fujimoto Yasushi - Physics learned and travelled the world studying. - Takamatsu City. He saw me walking and invited me to stay in his flat. We talked about education and good times.
Hiramine Takaharu - kid who I saw on a regular basis throughout the trip. And at Koya San. A good face, and a great smile.
Mom and daughter team - early on in the pilgrimage. The mother taught and inspired me to climb rocks and always try the difficult more rewardiing path.

That`s that. We`ll talk again. Tokyo tomorrow morning.

Peace