Sayonara Fuji Eco Park...

We are back in Singapore now... And Sunday's departure from Fuji Eco Park was not the easiest.

It was raining extremely heavily, and Bjorn lost his mobile phone... and it just felt that we only just arrived, got to know the people, the land, the animals and we're leaving already. It was all too soon.

We were showered with so many gifts from the wwoofers. We got a fantastic powerpoint presentation from our Taiwanese friends that I will use to show all my family and friends what we got up to in the last 10 days! The Swedish girls folded us a cute tulip flower and a swedish flag, Non wrote us a very impressive english postcard... and Haru... her tears were so touching, and she gave us a little hamster stuff toy which I have named 'Umeno', which mean plum fields and also Harus surname...

We then travelled back to busy city Tokyo, and almost immediately, I could feel my spirit closing into a shell inside me. Not that I didnt enjoy the city lights, the great food at the restaurants and all. But the more distractions I have in my life... the less time I will have to listen to my own heart. Maybe there are those that can easily retreat into their own space and world amidst all the chaos. But I know I need to be surrounded by peace to find my own peace... I mean, look at how long I took to write in this blog again! Being home in Singapore feels comfortable, but I feel incredibly lazy here.

Here's a photo of the 'Rice pack' they made for us for our journey back to Tokyo... So cuuutttee! Coz they know I always get hungry... hehehe. Its rght before we devoured the delicious rice to find a gorgeous plum right in the middle. YUMMMY!

Thank u Masa, Waka, Haru, Non, Aki, Ringo, Miyuki, Elin, Sussane, Shinco, Daichi, all the rest of the chicken, the 2 sheeps, the insects, the weeds, the herbs, the flowers, the woodchips and of course Mount Fuji... for this amazing experience.

The final photo in centre house

Shinco, our pampered pet hen...

Kami (i think) the naughty sheep!

Here's a link to their blog: http://blog.goo.ne.jp/fujiecoparkvillage - And guess what... Ume has written a lovely entry about us in Japanese! I love u guys... :) :) :) I will use google translate to see what you've written...

Here's a little rhyme I wrote for their blog..... I thought I should share.
I used to write poems alot in secondary school... and then, lost it somewhere between the hormornes stopped raging, getting boyfriends, and starting work. I wanna start again...


I have been searching all my life for a place
Let me meet nice people and live life at slower pace
Over the mountains was paradise as far as the eye can see
Voices in my heart was calling out to me
Everyday we work, play and learn something new
Feeding the hens & daichi the dog to name a few
Untold stories we wwoofers share with each other
Joking, cooking & witnessing the chicken murder
Its a magical place where flowers and weeds alike grow
Even shinco, the injured hen get to give life another go
Could this be heaven on earth, yes i would say
Oh rest assured we'll be back to Fuji eco village park one day!

We're here in Mount Fuji Eco Park!

Yeah!! We have overcomed the comforts of Singapore and made our way to Japan! Bjorn and I are sitting here, in the centre house of Fuji Eco Park. Just outside our door, is the spectacular Mount Fuji. The weather has been shit and rainy and grey, so we havent gotten a full view yet, but we have the next 10 days for the great mountain to show.

We've actually been in Japan for 6 days already. Holidaying luxuriously with the in laws in downtown Tokyo, and hanging out with our friend dakai every evening at random Izakaya places downing sakes. Tokyo's buzz is mad! From the high tech toilets, the super fantastic service, efficient train systems and crazy television shows. We had a fab time, and were honestly, a little scared at this stretch of our trip where we know some comforts will be taken away from us. But to our delight, this place is no ghetto. Comfortable futons to sleep on, spare wellington boots for us and hot water.

Have gotten to know some fellow wwoofers here... all of which I will describe in time as I get to know them.... but on day one, it was fantastic helping out in the kitchen. I learnt to make garlic soya sauce, japanese cabbage pancake, and rice balls (the triangle shaped ones). Delightful! I just know thta we will take out more than what we will imagine out of this experience. Already, cooking and helping with our fellow japanese wwoofers is something beautiful, something money cant buy.

Its almost 11pm now, and its pitch dark outside except for the almost full moon, and we're going to hit the sack. Nitzzz.......

For now, I'll leave you with a photo of the Fuji eco park. Thats the centre house where we cook, eat, wash, pee, poo, talk, read, chat, and watch the gorgeous mountain ahead.