Today I rented a 125cc Yamaha Scooter for the month. Upon finding out that the cheaper 50cc bikes didn't allow for a passenger, I opted for this larger one. They tried to explain that they didn't have any available, but they had a whole showroom full of brand new ones! So I ended up with a brand-new shiny scooter. It literally had 0km on it when I got it. All I needed was my international driver's license accompanied with my Canadian Driver's license. Both, of course, need to be motorcycle licenses (they don't need to be for a 50cc.) We also rented two sweet helmets, and they threw in a pair of punk goggles for Ana.
My celebrity status increased even more after passing crowds of cheering school children on the way to pick up Ana from school today. We headed out for a "quick" spin before meeting all the foreign teachers in the area for the usual Monday night Ramen meet-up. After leaving the country valley, we went through some twisty mountain tunnels to get to the coast. We breathed in the salty air as we zipped along the coast while the sun set over the ocean. Yes, Japan is the land of the rising sun, but on the Izu Peninsula, we have a west coast. A few marinas and an extra large shipping boat later, I unanimously decided that a little sign pointing towards the mountains that read "Heda Pass" was the only way to go. This was the stuff motorcyclists dream of. And hey, a scooter is kind of a motorcycle. Switchback after switchback, thick mountain mist rolled by, as we ascended. Suddenly, we were surrounded by thick jungles of bamboo and the sound of hundreds of tropical birds. These were impeccably clean roads, partly covered by a canopy of greenery, and empty of any other vehicles. Leaning into the steep corners and smiling ear to ear, we owned the mountain.
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