Our Lady of the Shrine

We came down from the spectacular volcanic mountains of Aso, for the most part a nice downhill ride with panoramic views, stocked up the food panniers and found a lovely camp spot overlooking a wide waterfall and alongside a small shrine. I was busy cooking tea when I became aware of gentle movement around the shrine. A tiny elderly lady, her long skirt showing under her work apron, was ever so slowly and carefully tending to the flowers, plants, prayer tabs and lighting candles. She then proceeded to water the plants, using the larger one of five ladles sitting on a bamboo rack over a trough of springfed water, seemingly unaware of our presence, but at one point our eyes met and I nodded respectfully, which she returned, before carrying on with her tasks. Intent on the cooking pots, when next I looked, she was coming towards us bearing two bottles, offering them to us. Her wizened face was covered in a big smile as she spoke in Japanese, which could only be welcoming or inquisitive.We responded, "We are from New Zealand" "Ahh NewZealadia" Her face lit up even more as she handed us her gifts and then used her whole English vocabulary in one burst "Japanese Whisky" thrusting the two small bottles in my hands. We smiled back and forth at each other trying in vain to communicate but after a few minutes she bowed, we bowed and said our "Sayonara's". I watched as she shuffled off over the causeway above the falls, turned onto a narrow track beside the ripening gold of the wheat fields and faded from my sight.