Temple: Sekkeiji – the last zen temple on the route

Dedication: Jeff and Megan are a couple I met through Ed. Jeff has Huntington’s and is a researcher into the disease. He has incredible determination and is an inspiration to me, and I’m sure hundreds of others. Megan is an artist and is really talented. They are both great fun to hang out with round the pool in Palm Springs or at parties in Brazil. They have beautiful twins as well. I’m thinking of you at this quiet Zen temple.

Picture: I’ve been racing this cyclist for days. We keep passing each other and giving each other ossetai of sweets and breasd. He’s a taking it easy and enjoying each day. I need a lesson in that at the moment!

I got here at the end of a crazy 42km day to find a real party going on. I had just made the last ferry with seconds to spare so almost ended up in a park in the rain. Pierre was here, Stephanie and Yohanan had reunited and were going to a bar, and a monk dressed in black with a fur tail was settling in for the night as well. We all had fun eating and chatting and I got a lesson in meditation positions (in Japanese) and how to keep your spine straight from the black monk. He’s in training and is doing the walk 20 times continuously. He is walking in crocs hadn’t had a single blister. My feet are covered!