A Bath In A Teacup

April 30 cont...

The bathroom at the end of the hall was 3 basins and a mens and womens toilet side by side. The womens had a traditional Japanese squat toilet and a western toilet. I was amazed that the latter was a heated whizzy one like the one in the Wheelchair bathroom the day before.

The bathing was downstairs and communal. I didn't feel up to that so I decided to have a sponge bath in my room.

My room consisted of a TV, phone, low square table with a duvet over it, then a table top on top and two cushions, a heater, water urn that had hot and cold options, a round bamboo box that had a tea set inside. One of the walls was screens. Another wall had a shrine area and, to the side of that, shelving . There was a small sun-room I could get to through more sliding screens. It had been a furnace earlier so I had left the screens shut however, it was cooler by now so I went in and pulled the curtains.

I made sure my passport and return tickets were hidden away deep in my pack because I knew the Monks would put me on the first plane back to New Zealand if they had seen me having a sponge bath out of a small bowl and a large tea cup while kneeling over the flannel sized towel! It felt kind of wrong and funny at the same time but I felt much better. I'm not sure if that was because of the notable reduction in travel grime or from giggling during the exercise to remove it.

Then it was all I could do to hold back the hysterics when, suddenly, I realised I had nowhere to rinse the dirty water!

I put on my yukata , waited by the door and listened for people in the hall. Feeling like a naughty nun, I shuffled discretely to the bathroom. It wasn't easy opening sliding doors, without spilling anything, with both hands full and walking in slip-ons that kept slipping off - but miraculously I did it without slopping, tripping or being sprung.

Before lying down to sleep, I put the heater on to dry my towel and flannel. I was very snug but during the night I had to turn it off. The air got too dry and the duvet was warm enough to camp in a mild snow storm...


TEXT...

EL to SW:

Your pack and I are staying in our first temple on Mount Koya. Haven't had to wear it until today - I'm sure my body will get used to it soon. Shikoku tomorrow...