Tomorrow, at last, the day the challenge starts!
The curtain is finally rising on the adventure I've waited so long for.
Yesterday, our entry car, the 1929 Buick, arrived by ship too, and every entrant's car now stands lined up in front of the hotel.
The organizer's red support car adds even more color to the scene.
Just thinking that this huge journey is finally about to begin makes my heart race.
Looking back, five years of preparation led up to this single day.
There were times I ran into hardship, into headwinds, times it genuinely hurt,
but the support of so many people always kept pushing me forward.
That encouragement passed from person to person like a real, physical baton, and this time, instead of a support T-shirt, I carried everyone's feelings with me on a flag.
This flag and these charms are what hold us up.
Being backed by this much encouragement is genuinely the pride of our Japanese team.
To everyone who has cheered us on — thank you, truly.
Today exists because you were there for us.
This adventure is a genuinely extraordinary experience, and it comes with real danger.
I carry the handicap of fighting cancer too, but I mean to bring home every scene I see, everything I feel, everything I gain, as treasures of this life.
Today, from the morning, we were caught up in car maintenance and checking 37 days' worth of luggage, buried in final preparations.
Peking hit brutal heat, with the temperature climbing to nearly 38 degrees.
Because of China's local regulations, driving on public roads isn't allowed until the actual start day, so not being able to do an adjusted test run stings a little, but everyone pulled together in the heat, working through the vehicle inspection as one.
About 70% of our luggage is spare parts and repair supplies for the 1929 Buick.
In case anything goes wrong, we split the maintenance bags into four,
each with its own list so we can tell what's inside at a glance.
I put together a one-minute video of the preparations, so please take a look.
37 days! And this is everything we packed!
The weight of the luggage is honestly considerable, but we prepared generously so we can handle whatever trouble comes up. Since it's almost all one-off parts with no replacements available, we prepared with real care.
Tomorrow's departure is at 5 a.m.
Unable to stand the heat any longer, I took off my work clothes for the first time in a while and took some photos in my regular clothes, and somehow they turned out kind of cute (laughs).
Today we had an early dinner, and enjoyed “malatang” at a nearby food court.
It was a little different from what I had on day one, but I still love this dish.
A little glimpse of the eve-of-the-event scene
Alright, tomorrow the great adventure finally begins.
18 May, day one starts. Look forward to it!
To be continued…