We moved into a cabin first thing this morning which was great as it was starting to drizzle and supposed to stay that way. It did mean we were less inclined to go out and do anything but we eventually ventured out to cycle to the top of the island (Cape Sukoton).

It was a blustery day again but we got to the Cape, explored a bit, had a coffee and sampled the local produce. Kelp seems to be the main industry here, you can see it being dried in big batches along the coast. Also seafood, especially Kina seems to be particularly popular.

It's definitely fun travelling with Elsie. People are so surprised to see her pop up out of the buggy and we hear "Kawaii" (cute) a lot! So after she had charmed a few tour buses we took off along the high road. Shane wanted to take a supposed detour on the map but it was a bit overgrown and the wind was howling so fiercely on that side of the island I was terrified we were all going to be blown away. So we took the road along the top which was still blustery but also beautiful, so many flowers. We are pretty close to Russia here (about 100km) which apparently is visible on a fine day.

On the way into town to find somewhere to eat, Elsie fell asleep and we stumbled across a local fair with food stalls, kids games and plenty of locals. Elsie slept on through all the noise, even when the shrine moving procession arrived (a few of them very drunk). A lovely couple bought us some lunch and chatted for a bit, and we spoke to some of the young ones from the procession too.

Elsie finally woke up and joined in a little although still a bit hesitant after such a long sleep. It was a neat way to spend a couple of hours just watching and talking to locals.

Later we went to the beach despite the light drizzle. This is the first place we have seen white sand, plus crystal clear blue water. If it had been a hot day a swim would have been definite.

All in all, a pleasant, cruisy day, very much enjoying the luxury of our cabin tonight, even if it is just a floor (3x3m approx).