28th August 1991 Day 39

The Diary
The rest day. I don't call sitting in a coach for about 8 hours a rest. Up early for the 2.5hour journey to Mt Fuji. Stopped at a Japanese motorway service station for 15mins which was only 15mins less than we stopped at Mt Fuji. The coach drove us virtually to the top from where we couldn't see the bottom because of the cloud cover. This made it seem like a small hill.  

The day trip so far had been marred by the self-centred xenophobic rantings of a boring pratt by the name of Benny Goodman (seriously). He thought he was funny but he was upsetting quite a few people on the bus. I forgot to say big-mouthed in my adjectives. He should have stayed at home and watched it on TV, as he obviously would have been happier. God knows how he could say that Roma 87 was better organised and less of a rip-off than Tokyo.


After leaving Mt Fuji we had another long drive to a hotel for dinner. They must have just emptied a few airline trays onto plates and they had us out quicker than McDonalds. Next stop Hakone, where we were whisked up a boring hill in a cable car, down again and onto a ferry for a 10min boat ride. On the boat was Dave Buzza, ex-school mate of Plinty's, ex-Lufbra and in the GB marathon team. This was the third time on this day trip that we'd bumped into him and about 6 times during the week. Why couldn't we bump into Katrin Krabbe ?

Back on the bus, quick stop at a fish shop (not a fish and chip shop) and then onto the station to the bullet train. On the train I was sat next to the syrup and we talked about Melbourne 60, Tokyo 64, the World Vet Champs and horse racecourses of Yorkshire. Actually, he was quite interesting. But I was more interested in his syrup. Bad. Bop was sat with three schoolgirls but they soon all fell fast asleep. Maybe it was the Alex Higgins cue action.


In the evening the boys had another night on the piss. The same story, easy to find a drink with a meal then the struggle to find somewhere that would just let us drink. Eventually found a bar that was like the inside of a pirate ship and got pissed. Chatted to an off-duty policemen and on the way home passed the drink-induced unconscious suits in the park.


2011
Plinty - see http://gazoz91.blogspot.com/2011/07/whats-it-all-about-then.html. The groom. 


Racecourses of Yorkshire ? 1. Wetherby 2.err...can't name any others. Ripon maybe.


Alex Higgins cue action. Mark Knopfler's guitar technique. Bop's standard chat-up lines. Hence his success with the fairer sex. Not sure how he lured Denise but she must have been into snooker. 


In my Dow Corning years the Pirate Bar became a favourite haunt. Looked, creaked and smelt like the inside of the Black Pearl.. Or was it the Black Pig ?


The moral of the story ? Don't go on an organised coach trip.