Three months flew by since the England warm-up, and on 15 September 2022 I set off for the final test event, the Sahara Challenge!
For the Sahara Challenge itself, the best place to look is here.
This time my uniform is a T-shirt one of my supporters designed — a fusion of brush lettering reading “Otsusho” and illustration.
Japanese people at the airport and Japanese people abroad struck up conversations over it — “that’s a lovely shirt!”, “oh, are you taking on some kind of challenge?”
The last England warm-up had taught me how the weak yen had driven prices up so high that even eating out had to be rationed, so this time, from the list of things I was glad to have brought last time, this again, of course —
when a flight is delayed, or trouble strikes and every restaurant and shop is shut, having something you only need hot water for is a real saviour — a warm soup, a Japanese flavour, was pure comfort, so I brought a bit more this time.
And the one thing I absolutely cannot travel abroad without — cucumber, and Moroheiya miso.
You can buy cucumbers abroad too, but nowhere makes the combination of Japanese cucumber and this miso. So five of them, without fail.
They do not keep well, mind you, so they are usually gone by the time the outbound flight lands (laughs). People have asked me “are you even allowed to bring vegetables?” — and as far as I have checked, cucumbers seem to be fine!
So —
this time the flight runs from Kansai Airport via France (CDG) to Málaga, Spain. Roughly 22 and a half hours in total.
On top of the usual extra time to avoid the fighting in Russia, the route that normally goes anticlockwise flew the reverse way, out towards the Americas.
I would love, once in my life, to try one of those wide seats — but I always fly economy, saving every yen.
The number of travellers has picked up a good deal, but being able to sleep absolutely anywhere is one of my better qualities (laughs).
This warm-up runs twelve days and 4,700 km, the longest rally I have ever taken on.
On top of that, nights under canvas and coping with huge swings in temperature — thinking “please let me come home alive”, there is no way I am going to let a long haul in a cramped plane cabin get me down.
Today’s menu was gyūdon! The sandwich for a snack along the way, the nibbles, the wine — all delicious.
About ten hours in, the sunrise out the window was so beautiful I had to grab a photo.
This, apparently, is above Iceland! Watching the video you could see drift ice below, everywhere.
Nearly fifteen hours into the flight now, my seat is starting to ache a little, but France is close.
The journey is far from over! Two hours to the connection at Paris CDG, and then two and a half hours on to Málaga, Spain.
I will pick this up in part two!
As chaotic a traveller as ever, I sincerely hope this turns into a journey we can all enjoy together!