In the arse hole of nowhere...fun times!
Trip Start
Aug 06, 2009
1
74
151
Trip End
Dec 01, 2011
Where I stayed
Aso Little Asia Hostel
Aso-san, Kumamoto, Japan
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Sunday 5th December 2010
Aso San, Japan (By Danielle)
Our card worked at the local post office of all places, so we were back on track with money!!!! Yippy! We headed to Aso Central to make our way up the Mt Aso and the 5 peaks – a semi active volcano. It was such a beautiful day – sunny and crisp!
Part of the hike was closed due to toxic gas or something bizarre like that so we got a bus half the way and walked the rest. Getting to the top of the crater/caldera was cool all this steam billowing out of this random spots. There was no red hot lava – to Rob's disappointment) just bubbling hot greeny-blue water/algae, so I’m told!
First thing we noticed was that we were the only westerners there – no joke – most of the tourists were Chinese, brought in by the bus load! I got a taste as to what it might be like in China – they stare you out of it! Japanese are polite in there curiosity and you rarely catch them watching you but we were totally looked at here, so I just started saying hello and I guess that made it easier! Well, I would stare too if in a sea of black hair up walk these two blondes!!
By the evening we made it back to our 'middle of nowhere’ hostel – beside it was an Onsen! We said to each other to take our time, this was our first real Onsen experience. They are separated male and female baths – you strip off totally and head in to the bathing room and sit on a little stool and wash off first (loads of stations against the wall with a stool and a bowl for throwing water over you) then you soak in the hot spring and dip back and forth between the hot and cold pools – or you can go outside and be sitting in a hot spring in the freezing cold! So much fun!
Back at the families home we waited to be called for dinner! A family and local event!! We sat on the ground around the table with the owners and their four kids, with Bob the Builder and with a few other auld lads that were staying at the home stay too – beautiful meal, loads of little dishes or various pickled things and root veg and of course rice. After that everyone scattered off to bed! Early start tomo!!
