Reggie Thomson’s Diary

I was too tired to continue hitching at 3 a.m. I found a place to sleep inside the terminal. I was rudely awakened by an official looking gentleman, probably a captain or someone of high rank. I asked him the time and was told seven a.m. when it was only 6.15. I went and sat by the T.V. area, watching for the weather. It seemed to be fair in Aomori.

I walked following the road signs for the expressway and Hirasaki. When I got to a Sunkus convenience store, I bought some chocolate with my remaining 140 yen. The lift to the next town was slow in coming. At nine, I went back into the store to draw some money out of the ATM. I could have saved myself 105 yen in bank charges by finding a Mitsui-Sumitomo bank in town. I didn’t realise quite how hungry I had become. I must have used up lots of energy climbing the mountain in Hakodate. I checked the calories on my purchases. Chocolates with peanuts at 545 kCals for 100 yen seems to be the best bet - other than pure sugar. There was another long wait. I gave up, and decided to walk to the beginning of the expressway. I was still hungry, and had another stop at a village store on the way.

The first lift was going as far a Hirosaki. I chose to wait at the expressway entrance, hoping for any lift going north that would get me to the service area. Nobody stopped. I began to count who was going in which direction. About 75% were going towards Aomori. Finally, I gave up here, and hitched into Hirosaki. I was dropped at the corner of the main, free highway. I set my sign to the next village, and it wasn’t too long before I was on my way to Owani.

I walked back a little, thinking I might head for the service area on the expressway. However, I found a shop with some cheap bananas and free tea. I watched the truck picking up the poles for showing where the edge of the road is in snowy conditions. That would have made a good end-of-winter photo, had I thought about it in time.

Finally, I got a long lift all the way to Iwatesan Service Area, before Morioka. I think I slept for most of the time. I got out at the service area. I had thought about going up to a Lake in the mountains beyond Morioka, but was told that the snow had already melted. This year it is quite warm.

A bus driver gave me a lift to the next services. He was almost as surprised as I was when I immediately got a lift with a truck. So, I soon found myself in Chojahara services. A final lift took me to Kunimi services just before Fukushima. I was too tired to continue hitching, so sought a place to lie down for the evening.

I was up in time to see a beautiful sunrise. I left my rucksack in the terminal building. It’s a pity I wasn’t on the top of the mountain. I could only find a harbour that had lots of litter floating in it for the sunrise photo.

I watched the weather for Hokkaido on T.V. It seemed it was going to be a good day. Never mind - I’m heading for Aomori. I filled in the form and went to the counter. He asked me for 1800 yen. I thought that the price was 1400 or so. It turns out that there is another company which sails at a different time. Since I would have to wait four hours until 11 a.m., I thought I should just wait until the 11 p.m. night sailing and do some photography around Hakodate.

So, after checking the local weather (there might be some clouds around Hakodate), I set off for the two hour walk back into the centre of town. There were a few port shots on the way, and a curious squid monument. I told myself to lookout for squid symbols after this, but I forgot. Maybe there weren’t any. The clouds began to obscure the sun. I nearly turned back for the 11 a.m. sailing.

I kept on. At the old quarter of Hakodate, I put my rucksack down in the entrance to a museum that is no longer in use. I was able to wander round freely, though occasionally I worried about it. I found a Co-op in town and bought a loaf of bread, some corned beef that is mostly horse, and a bar of ice-cream for energy. I think I should have gone for the cheaper chocolate. Back at the disused museum, I ate my lunch. I had to go to the toilets in the cable car terminal to find drinking water.

I started climbing the mountain despite the blocked road and signs saying no entry. Several cars seemed to have the keys to the gate, and I met a few people walking down, so I guessed it would be OK. It was fine. The view from the top was great. I found somewhere to recharge the batteries, and left my bag alone while I was off taking photos. I discovered that I had mislaid my lens cloth at the ferry terminal. I always wrap my glasses in the cloth and place them in my camera bag while I sleep. That will cost me almost a day’s “salary” to replace.

Some girls from Yokohama wanted me to take their photos on their cameras. We chatted a while and I let them choose a namecard - it’s my way of showing the photos that I take. Downstairs, I browsed through the professional photographs on postcards. Then, I just hung around until sunset.

The arrival of the tour groups signaled the time to go out and get my sunsets and night shots. Again, I just left my rucksack downstairs. There was an announcement about how crowded it was, and that one should be careful of one’s possessions. I guess someone had spotted my rucksack. I reckoned it would be OK, but went downstairs from time to time to check.

The moonrise (or when the moon broke through the clouds) added the final touch to the typical view of Hakodate. I took most at one or two second exposures.

I allowed myself two hours for the descent, but was down in under an hour and a half. There was snow on the road at some points, and it had turned icy. I had to be careful. There was time for some shots of buildings that were lit up. The shot of the old public hall was improved by a car that parked briefly on the road nearby, illuminating the stones of the walls.

Finally, there was the two hour walk to the terminal. It wasn’t a terminal - just an office with some seats and a vending machine. I slept a little on the seats. When the gents came to take me onto the boat, I had to collect everything and put it all in my bag.

I took my shower straight away, then went to the sleeping lounge. There was no point in doing any computer work.

Margot’s previous guest had posted back the spare key, so I was able to stay in the apartment, and do some more work on the diaries. I updated the homepage. Someone else is interested in the photographs and has contacted my by email. It takes a bit of time sorting out these, but someday this may be my bread and butter. Perhaps I should put an order form on the web.

I set off after lunch, dropping the key back into the letterbox. The snow has started to melt and the roads are now clear. I didn’t have long to wait at the highway entrance before I got a lift to Tomakomai. Actually, the gentleman had a bit of time, and took me to a lake with swans on it. They were friendly and used to being fed.

Then he drove me to Lake Shikotsu. I was just in time for the sunset. I think I am short of photographs of Japanese mountains in winter. My original idea was to get to Lake Toya, but it was too far. Lake Shikotsu was great.

It took two rides to get back to Tomakomai. I stopped at a bus stop to hitch, since there was a place to pull into. If I didn’t get a ride, I figured I would be able to rest there. However, there was already a homeless gentleman inside. I started walking. There were several short lifts to places on the way. One longer lift took me to Mori, within forty kilometres of Hakodate. It was past midnight and I was very sleepy. I chose to continue hitching. Eventually, I got a ride into Hakodate with a gentleman who doesn’t have a job.

I only have a little money - enough for the ferry and a meal. I decided to climb Mt. Hakodate to see the sunrise. I bought a bar of chocolate to give me energy, copied a map, and set off.

Along the way, the moon and stars began to disappear behind some clouds. It didn’t seem to be worth the effort of several hours of climbing if I couldn’t guarantee that the sun would rise. I turned back.

Walking through a park area, a lady approached. I didn’t understand what she was saying. I thought she was asking directions, so brought out my map. She soon disappeared, leaving me a bit puzzled. Maybe she was a prostitute, but it is uncommon to be propositioned in Japan.

I walked several hours to the ferry terminal. My backpack is very heavy because I had left some extra items at Margot’s when I went round Hokkaido. I eventually made it there by about four in the morning, and fell asleep in a seat, resting my head on the rucksack.

There are lots more CDs to try out in Margot’s collection. I worked my way slowly through them. I also managed to get some of the diaries done, but they are far from up-to-date. It’s not really a chore, just that it takes a long time. Some days, like today, don’t really have much to distinguish them from any other day. It takes as long to write them immediately afterwards, as it does to recall the events of three weeks ago, except that I write less the longer I have had to forget things.

The bandage is a little awkward. I take it off when I’m typing. It isn’t particularly painful, and I can get by without using the middle finger.

It was porridge with bananas for breakfast. Then Margot drove to the Shin-Sapporo Bible Church, where she is the worship group leader. It had snowed heavily during the night - about 20-30 cm. The car had to be uncovered before it could be driven. There were about fifteen minutes spare before the service began. I stayed outside to take some photos of the church, and the nearby park.

It was a normal church service. I tried to take some photos, but soon I was asked to move to the centre of the row. It might be troublesome to the people behind if I took photos from there.

I met some folks after church while we ate our meal. A Canadian guy was interested in the photos. Someone offered to take me to a hospital. A few other people came, too. This counted as a hitch, so I asked them to write in my visitors’ book. There were several forms to fill in at the hospital. I wanted to know how much it might cost and a figure of about five to seven thousand yen was mentioned. It would be below the £50 excess for an insurance claim. Margot had given me 10,000 yen in cash in case I needed it. I had brought my computer with me for those waiting periods.. I was able to get some work done.

On the first examination, the doctor squeezed my finger to see if it hurt, then sent me round the X-ray department. I waited there for a short while. The X-ray was only took a moment, and I was handed an envelope with the print a few minutes later. The doctor pointed out a small fracture on the side of my middle finger. A nurse put a support under it and wrapped it in a bandage. I checked that it would still fit into my glove - essential if I am to continue with my travels. It does. I should have taken a photo of my first ever broken bone! Fortunately, it should heal naturally given rest, I was told.

The actual amount I had to pay was 12,450 yen. My £50 excess is about 9,000 yen. I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I think I am supposed to get in touch with the insurance company if I have any claim to make. However, a phone call to England could easily cost 3,450 yen - making it not worth the effort.

I walked back to Margot’s house. On the way, someone came up to me. He said he had come from Shibecha. I guessed he was asking for money. I’m down to 1200 yen or so. I bought some food in the Lucky supermarket. Chocolate is out of the question.

Margot offered to let me keep the ichi man yen (10,000 yen). However, it’s not my policy to let others take responsibility for my follies. A fractured finger and a dented wallet is a way of learning to look after my body, and not make rash decisions, just as replacing something lost or broken is a way of reminding me to take care of all my property.

Margot and a friend went to the evening service at church, but I stayed at home to get on with the computing. I can use other fingers when I type. She doesn’t have a T.V. so I am catching up on my music.

I was able to do some work on the computer in the morning. The first stage is sorting out the photos to choose the ones I like. It was sunny first thing, but I wanted to do some work before I went out for some photographs. When I did eventually go out, with the son, it soon began to snow heavily. The snow was too deep - I was sinking up to my thighs. We turned back and to the warmth of home. It’s a pity. I usually like to try and find some local beauty to please my hosts. Later on, the sun broke through the clouds again.

There was some quiche for lunch. The lady had lived in England for a while - indeed they had met in London, I think. Hence the English food. The gentleman returned from his work around two, and then drove me to the expressway entrance.

The snow has begun to turn into slush. I wanted to put on my leggings and raincoat, but didn’t wish to put the rucksack down on the wet road. There were several dark clouds in the distance that seemed to be heading my way. I got a lift before they arrived - all the way to Sapporo.

In a service area, I picked up a copy of the motorways of Hokkaido. I could see that the best place for me was to be dropped at the next parking area, Nobetsu. So, I was there at five thirty, just as it was getting dark. I put all my clothes on in preparation for the long walk ahead. Then I set off for Margot’s. I still hadn’t managed to get in touch with her. I tried phoning several times, only to get an answering machine. The machine replies within two rings, so sometimes I tried to ring to get attention, and then ring again to see if Margot would pick up the receiver. It didn’t seem to work - and for all the ten yens that I was saving - sadly, I managed to leave my telephone card with about 500 yen left on it in one of the telephone booths.

I walked all the way to Margot’s flat. On the way, I found a Daiei near Shin-Sapporo for my evening meal. Margot was in, fortunately, when I arrived. I was too tired that evening to do much work. Margot had eight hours of free time on her internet connection, so I used about an hour to upload my latest photos. While doing so, I checked up on finger ailments. It seems that it is unwise to do self-diagnosis on any injury to the finger bones. The strong recommendation was that I should get to a doctor to have it examined.

I gave the double CD (Canada plus Japan in Autumn/Winter) to both the family who put me up and the photographer. Then we set off for Abashiri. On the way, we stopped at another place where the swans were swimming in iceberg infected waters. I felt I didn’t wish to hold up my driver too long, so didn’t take many photos.

We also called in on another person who organises tour groups. Actually, the photographers that I had taken pictures of at Bekkai had been on a tour organised by this company with my driver as the tour leader.

Finally, I was taken to the prison in Abashiri. It’s on the junction of the main road to Asahikawa. I bought some food for the journey in the convenience store and waited at a safe place to hitch from.

The first lift was with a Russian guy, who found it easier to speak in Japanese rather than English. He buys second-hand cars to export to Russia, and had to call in at a few tips on his way. He negotiated with one dealer on the price of a car, but later told me that it was too expensive.

There were several lifts to Kitami. From there, two girls in a flashy car gave me a ride to a hot-spring resort, Onnenoyu, where they worked as waitresses - or so they said. They were wearing short skirts, and the expensive car made me wonder whether they were really waitresses. They took me to a “drive-in” - a parking area with toilets and a few restaurants. There, they went up to a truck with a Sapporo number-plate and asked if he could take me. He made some excuse about going much later, but it was clear he didn’t want me. I thanked the girls for their efforts but went to the main road to continue hitching.

A couple gave me a lift. They were surprised that I was hitching and taking photos. When we got to Sounkyo, they stopped so that I could take some snaps of the Ice Sculpture festival. Of course, I took much longer than they had imagined. I wanted to see everything. There were Ice shrines, Ice steps, Ice houses, Icicle corridors, and at the end, an ice slide. I decided to give it a go: I picked up a piece of cardboard, put the camera safely in its bag, and sped down. It seemed too fast, so I put my hand out to slow me down, though to no avail. Fortunately a wedge at the bottom brought me to a safe stop.

I went back to the car and was inside before I noticed that the middle finger on my right hand was slightly cut. I held it to the window to keep it cold. “Perhaps I had sprained it,” I thought. The couple suggested I could stay at their house for the night. Since I hadn’t yet been in contact with Margot, I accepted. They took me to a supermarket first. A friend who worked in drug store gave them some cool pads for me. I cut them in two and wrapped one round my injured finger, with a small flap linking to the ring finger for extra support. They seem to work quite well. The gentleman is an architect, and has designed his own house in the woods near Asahikawa. The house isn’t completed, but has an interesting layout and will look splendid on completion. We had a delicious meal together. Later, we went to a local public bath - I think there was a problem with the pumps for the bath in the house. They also offered to wash and dry all my clothes.

I think I need a colder sleeping bag. Once again, I missed the exact moment of sunrise by just a few minutes. By the time I had rolled up my sleeping bag and stuffed everything back into the rucksack, the sun was a few degrees above the horizon. It wasn’t a bad place for the morning photos, though. Actually, looking at my first shot of the day, the sun had been behind cloud up till then, so I wouldn’t have had a sunrise over the ice floes.

I was able to get very close to some of the icebergs near the harbour, and was tempted to try and get on one. However, I sensibly didn’t succumb to these foolish ideas.

There seemed to be a bit of headland round the corner, so although the signs warned of a closed road, I started walking, The road veered away from the coast, and while there were things to photograph in the beautiful snow and sunshine, I decided to start hitching. The road signs said it was seven kilometres to Cape Notoro, and it would be a shame to miss the good light.

A gentleman went past and waved. I thought he was saying “no,” but then he pulled over. He turned out to be a professional photographer, and seemed to like the photos on my namecard. He gave me some of his postcards of Masshuko Lake, and suggested that I could come with him for the day.

The ice floes around the cape were amazing. It felt like I was closer to the North Pole - I could walk there if I wanted. I rushed round, worried that the clouds were blowing in. They quickly passed, though. I took some photos of other photographers, and of the lighthouse. The occasional bus-load of tourists came for their quick snaps.

We drove along the coast, stopping to take snaps at various points along the ice-filled coast. My driver was amused to learn that I had slept outside. Last year, the temperatures had hit -30 Centigrade. At one point, he let me run down to the shore, clambering over the sea defences to get as low as I dare for one photograph. It was quite slippery, and I’m not sure the iceberg I chose benefited from the low angle.

For lunch, we met up with another friend who was the stationmaster at a small nearby railway station and ate noodles in a new, brightly-painted restaurant.

The photographer wanted a shot of a train emerging from a tunnel. He found the road to the overlooking hill and we waited. Suddenly it appeared. I shouted, “ah - kita, kita!” (It’s here!) since the photographer wasn’t quite behind his camera. I think he managed to get his photo. I waited until the train fully filled the frame before taking the picture. It’s a pity the train was diesel, not steam. I tried using my 4x digital zoom to take a picture of the Aurora ice-breaking ship, but the quality drops off rapidly.

Next stop was a community centre for the town of Shari. The gentleman was the judge for a photography competition. Several hundred photos, perhaps even a thousand, were spread on desks in a large hall. It was very interesting to see the sort of photos that were entered. Most were normal snaps, a few taken at times when the light was exceptional. I was asked for my opinion a few times, but felt I ought not to influence a decision in any way. One photo that I found great wasn’t even shortlisted. It was a row of tall trees that seem to be a symbol of the area. The photographer had put the closest tree right in the centre of the picture. I would have been tempted to put the tree to the right, but I liked the photograph. Perhaps my judgment was more based on what the picture seemed to be saying to me, rather than photographic elegance.

The decision process was quite lengthy. I wandered round the building. It was an interesting blend of natural wood and boldly-painted girders. As such, it attracted my attention and so I decided to take some photos. The intricacies of the woodwork were difficult to show, but the overall effect was very pleasant. I respect architects who have the ability to coordinate contrasting forms, colours, and textures in to harmonious coexistence. I am apt to select only unifo rm colours or shapes. The front room of my house in Cambridge is pale yellow, with dark yellow highlights.

We drank some coffee with the community centre boss for a while. I think they were discussing some form of Omiyage (gifts) and the suggestion of a CD ROM came up - it is cheaper to produce than a calendar or telephone cards. They took a look at my CD.

The sun was already dropping in the sky when we set off. There wasn’t time to get to the coast. I wasn’t quite sure what the professional photographer had in mind to photograph, so we passed several trees that I thought might give a good sunset image. By the time we reached the sea, the sun had gone. I took some photos of the tracks of an animal - probably a fox - perhaps returning home.

The question of where I wanted to go to tomorrow arose. I thought I should hitch to Lake Shikotsu, but perhaps the roads would still be blocked up. In the end, the gentleman phoned his friend and we went to his house for the evening. Their young children were somewhat shy but pleasant. I gather they are learning English at school and kindergarten. We had a delicious meal.

> The friend showed me some of his photos of local plants. Seeing the whole photograph, I thought they were interesting, though not exceptional. Later, though, I saw the cards he had made by choosing only a small part of each photo - the animal or flower. I was impressed at his ability to see the beauty of the part when photographing the whole. That is also a remarkable skill. My photos are framed for the boundaries of the lens. It would be useful if Canon put in the grid lines for composing horizons, and allowed a variety of ratios of photos (4:3 or 3:2 or panorama) by shading out areas of the screen.

I suspect it was a sliding door that woke me up at 1.30 a.m. The guy next door was still watching T.V. I couldn’t get back to sleep. Tapping on the diving wall didn’t make any difference. The T.V. switches off automatically after 30 seconds if there is no signal. There was no one downstairs to assist. I pulled my bedding out of the room and found a place away from the noise. There, I slept until about 5.30., when some folks opened their sliding doors upstairs. I went back to my room, thinking I might be able to argue that I hadn’t spent the full night in the room and trying to get a discount.

I did a bit of computer work first thing, but it was a beautiful sunny morning outside. Watching the weather forecast, I took some photos of the TV and the road conditions. It’s too difficult to remember everything I need. The road I will take to Tsurui-mura wasn’t mentioned.

I paid the full amount, and went on my way. However, when I got to the road to Tsurui-mura, it was blocked. The workers were letting some people through, but I didn’t ask if the road was completely blocked. I returned to the road to Kushiro. It’s a pity that I wasn’t able to use the beautiful sunshine to take photos of cranes, and that I had paid over 4000 yen to come to a place I didn’t need to pass through.

I took some snaps on the walk out of Shibecha. A Christian guy gave me a ride towards Lake Toro. The next gentleman was going to Tsurui via Kushiro. It was ideal. I was dropped just by the Tsurumidai observation field.

I took lots of photos before the clouds finally appeared and made further photography difficult. There were several other photographers around, and buses of visitors would turn up regularly. I couldn’t get any shots of the birds in flight. Only a few flew directly overhead. Also, most of them were the other side of the field. I used my polarising filter. The snow was so bright that often my eyes would run. It was a difficult assignment.

When done, I hitched towards Abashiri. Two ladies took me into Tsurui, and tried to arrange a forward lift for me, unsuccessfully. I bought some food at the supermarket, and when I had finished, went into the Koban (police box) to check that the road over the mountain to Abashiri was reopened. It was.

A couple who spoke English very well gave me a lift to their town, Teshigaka. They had spent some time in New Zealand, I think, and now they import goods from Asian countries to sell in a small shop. They wanted to take me to Lake Masshu, but the road was blocked by snow.

A family took me to Abashiri. They dropped me at a place where there were many hotels, some as low as 2000 yen. However, a gentleman had spotted me with my sign for Abashiri. He offered to take me round the town. We went to all the “sights,” - the coast, the Aurora Ice-breaking ship, the top of the hill. There were some interesting igloos on Lake Abashiri. At one point, he called out to a dog, and gave it some food.

Finally, we returned to the station. I was able to do some computing for a while. I was a bit disappointed with my photos of cranes - they are underexposed. Maybe I shouldn’t use the polarising filter. I often have to raise my glasses to squint as the screen to see if the exposure is correct. Photographing the snow is quite a strain on the eyes.

I buttoned up before venturing out I wanted to go back to one place where I thought I might be able to get a sunrise photograph of the ice floes. It was about an hour’s walk. Some young guys were practicing their snow-spinning and show-off techniques in noisy cars. I found a place to sleep, but was worried that the cars would be revving all night. They went soon afterwards.

In the morning, I was taken to the road towards Nemuro. As I walked along it, I came across a grey telephone, so went in to connect onto the internet. There seems to be a problem with my homepage - Japan in Winter and Korea return me to Canada. I wasn’t able to sort it out at the time.

I continued walking in the snow. It was a four-lane road, with large banks of snow separating the footpath from the road. The footpath was covered with about eight inches of snow. I didn’t rate my chances of getting a lift very highly. However, a couple stopped They were going to Nemuro.

The lady was an English teacher with ECC and spoke a little in English. She had a class at one, but when she phoned the school, it seems that the class had been cancelled. So, they took me to Kiritappu marsh. The observation hall is closed on Tuesdays, which was a pity. Maybe I’ll return in summer.

From there, we went on to Cape Kiritappi. By now, it was blowing such a gale that I was almost unable to stand up. I thought of walking out to the lighthouse, but there was such a narrow path on top of the high cliff that I feared I might be blown away by a sudden gust. It was very difficult to take photos anyway, and my lens cap had even been blown off the lens. I went back to the car and we drove to the main road again. If I had thought about it early enough, perhaps we could have taken the coast road to Nemuro.

There was a small shop by the junction where I had lunch. Then, I stood near the crossroads. It wasn’t snowing, but the wind was blowing very hard. I got bored, so started walking. However, the wind often caught the freshly fallen snow and blew it over the road. It was difficult to make progress, and I was hard to see in the blizzard. I returned to the crossroads.

A couple gave me a lift into Kushiro. On the way, though, the sun broke through the clouds around Akkeshi. The driver was on the phone, I think trying to arrange the next lift for me to Tsurui-mura. It was a few minutes later before I could ask to be let out. A few minutes in a car can easily be an hour walking. Indeed, I walked for almost an hour and a half taking photos. Even then, I wasn’t quite sure I had reached the place which I had passed earlier.

I then got another lift into Kushiro and stood on the road to Shibecha. A gentleman stopped. As it became darker, the wind became stronger. We were following another car, but suddenly it nearly stopped in the middle of the road. The wind was blowing so much snow, that it was almost impossible to see. We overtook the car, but sometimes we, too, almost came to a rest. It was very difficult to proceed. Finally, I was let out by the station in Shibecha.

I looked around for suitable shelters, but didn’t find anything. In a supermarket, I stocked up on energy (dark sugar bars). I went into a hotel, but it was fully booked, and only pointed me in the direction of another. It, too, was booked up, but the lady kindly phoned round and found an empty room. Another gentleman was also looking. He offered to take me there.

The room would cost 4,200 yen without any meals. However, it was a hot-spring hotel. I decided to take the evening off from work, and didn’t even bring out my computer, except to recharge its batteries. I watched some more of the Olympics, but generally flicked through the channels.

Downstairs, I went into the bath, but discovered that I needed to bring my own soap with me. I returned to my room. It was a pleasant wash, with two baths - one considerably hotter than the other. However, when I was cooling off in the changing rooms, I suddenly began to feel strange. I figured it was probably because I had taken too much of my sugar earlier on. I lay on the bench, and after a while began to feel better. Hmm. I need to be careful.

I watched the TV for a bit longer. The gentleman next door was still watching TV. I pulled out the aerial on mine, and allowed the hiss to create enough background noise to dr own the voices from nearby. I was soon asleep.