Our journey lead from Aso-san to Kumamoto, from where we crossed over to Shimabara peninsula by ferry. At Unzen-dake campsite we met Kaoru-san and Fumiko-san from Nagasaki which invited us over for a beer at their campfire. An invite which we gladly accepted after the demanding ascent.
The next day we headed to Nagasaki. Like Hiroshima, the events of 1945 are still dominantly present in many visitor’s mind. Too bad, since Nagasaki formerly made history as a major trade port between Japan and Europe. Nowadays, the city continues to be attractive in many ways. Besides the memorial sites of the nuclear bombing we visited Dejima, a man-made island which deemed as the only trading post with westeners during Japan’s isolation.
The visit to the former Mitsubishi coal-mining island – “battleship-island”, Hashima, was partially cancelled. Torrential rain and the rough sea made landing impossible, therefore we just had a hasty glance on the ruins of Hashima from afar.
However, we will remember Nagasaki very well for two other reasons. First of all we run into a awesome bakery selling swiss bread and Engadiner Nut-cake☺. Secondly, even better was the repairing of Phils solar-battery charger. For that we were in need of a soldering tool, and since Kaoru-san had one, we were invited to dinner at Fumiko-san’s house. With the help of Kaoru-san, which spare no efforts and even went to buy a needed cable, we could repair the charger and enjoyed a wonderful evening with a delicious dinner. Truely unforgettable!!