Places We Stay : Yufuin

For every trip to Japan, we try to slot in one onsen visit and indulge. A night at a ryokan may not come cheap, especially not for us who usually stay at business hotels to keep cost down; but hey! it's an experience. Just can't enjoy it too much, too often. ^^

Let's see :

2009 saw us visiting Nyuto Onsen and staying at Taenoyu Onsen. Lovely place. Very quiet though. Plenty of baths to choose from and they have private baths & mixed baths available. Now! Don't get too excited about the mixed bath. When we were there, the only other guests at the mixed bath was a pruny old man. Not exactly enticing to look at. Ahaks!

2010 had us visiting Bessho Onsen and we stayed at Uematsuya Ryokan. Bessho Onsen is awesome! There are so many interesting historical sites to visit here. If you like temples, holy trees and hot spring; this is a great place to visit.

2011 was Yufuin for us. A pretty modern hot-spring resort town, lined with cafes and boutiques.

Instead of staying in a room at a ryokan, when we decided to head to Yufuin last year we selected a cottage style accomodation instead. A very nice, modern cottage with two private baths (indoors and outdoors) for our own use at Yufuinbettei Itsuki.

A very understated entrance.

Raimie and Daddy enjoying the warmth from a table-top fireplace at the lobby while Mommy finish up check-in process.

Raimie choosing a couple of DVDs to watch.

The entrance to our cottage. The place has several cottages and we chose the Yamabuki in favour of its outdoor bath.

Too cold to sit outside!

A pantry at the entrance way. A microwave, a minibar and a thermopot. Perfect! Can't cook here though. But why on earth would I want to cook on my vacation??!

We were walked through all the facilities in the cottage by the staff. 

A very nice, modern loo. Automatic light switch upon entering, and automatic flushing too. And of course, heated toilet seat. Nice...

You bet I twiddled with all the buttons!

The indoor bath, with a view. The staff filled it up for us. The water temperature can be adjusted with the maximum at 40 degress.

The outdoor bath, perched on a small hill right beside our cottage. With fence and trees around the perimeter of our cottage, the bath is really private even though it's located outside. I absolutely love this bath!

Tried to have a nice "quality" couple time there, but Raimie kept interrupting us. Hmph!

Vanity area? Plenty of towels for our usage.

His & Hers yukata. No yukata for kids though.

Raimie enjoying a movie night. ^^

Nice, comfy bed. It was so comfortable, I overslept and only woke up at 7am! This is someone whose body clock usually made her wake up at 5.30am the latest!

Tucano's Brazilian Grill, Colorado Springs, CO

 
On Thursday April 5, 2012 Tucano's opened their 5th restaurant.  The others are in ID, 2 in UT and 1 in Albuquerque, NM.  A few days before there was a blurb on the morning news and I was excited to have a new and different restaurant that is not like the normal chain eaterys here. 

I didn't know what to expect when we entered but was pleasantly surprised.  The concept is a huge salad / pasta etc bar and meats / fish / veggies & pineapple served at the table, some carved from the spit it was roasted on.   

3 sided salad bar with the freshest, well stocked bowls.  Everything has elegant, printed labels which is some cases are very important identifying each goodie, like the Edamame salad!

Hard to see - sorry but the meat rods are on the bottom and the pineapple on the top right. 

Top sirloin hunks.  I had an outside piece and it was fantastic.  

Each place setting has a pair of tongs that helps the server remove the items from the skewers

Chicken hearts!!

There are probably about 12 different things served tableside including turkey wrapped in bacon, skirt steak, glazed ham, spicy chicken thighs, white fish with mango glaze (our favorite), brisket plus a few things we were not served.


The meal is sorta pricey for just a lunch - almost $14.00 per person so with ice tea and coffee and tip it was about $43.00.  For us that is alot for lunch for no special occasion.  

The Netherlands... In Japan

Another post on His Ten Bosch theme park. A glimpse of the Netherlands right there in Kyushu (and in Sasebo city to be exact).

Just photos. I'm having a block. I may have tons of photos that I want to share but laziness stopped me from researching about them or even fact-check. That, a start of a new training program to prepare myself for the Standard Chartered KL Marathon in June and a new Korean drama that I will absolutely obsess with; are all not helping me update my blog here.

Ski Keystone, Colorado

At the top of the 1st ski lift, looking west.

For spring break we met my son and grandson at Keystone Ski area, just east of SIlverthorne and Dillon, CO.  It took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to get there from our house.  The views when we got to the other side of the continental divide never stopped. 

The Rockies!  Most snow was melted but there was still some piled along the road.

Lots of twists and turns on those mountain roads.

View from our 3rd floor Quality In room looking SW.

2 gondolas passing each other over the road

On the way to the ski area, passing Dillon Reservoir

Snow fort at the top of the top.

Only 3 of the many, many trails.

We took another gondola up to another level. Elevation is over 11,000 feet above sea level

We were waiting for the boys to finish a run and these people were next to us.  It was her birthday and they buried the champagne in the snow to have it with lunch. What a neat idea.

We ate at the Summit House.  This lunch cost $49.00.  $8.50 for each slice and $4.80 for each soda.

Across the way to the SW is Breckenridge.  I counted over 30 trails. 

View from the gondola on the way down.

I said to Sean that looks like a paint brush smeared the snow and he said no it was the results of 2 avalanches. 

And the precious boy in all his gear after a full day of clear mountain air, snow, family & skiing!!!!

OLA: Visiting with Family and Friends in SC

the sprawling Southern retirement home of the Thiesings in Mt.Pleasant, South Carolina

view from their 3rd floor deck, witht he boat at the end of the walk

So we just left Florida after 5 warm winter months and are now here in Low Country USA…South Carolina… on our way to Nova Scotia for the nth reunion of the DUs, Bill’s high school gang. This is one of the several visits we will make along the way. Jim, one of the DUs, has decided to retire here to be near his grandkids. Erika, my darling niece who married the eldest nephew of Marty, her mom and my sister Julie’s husband (who passed on in 2009), has also decided to relocate here. Time for special visits!  

Carol walking on the boardwalk back to the house after our boat ride

a Nerd Clock, very apropos in Jim's home office

The Thiesings of Mt. Pleasant

Jim Thiesing just retired last year as Group Vice-President, Federal Operations of Jacob’s Engineering, a Fortune 500 company providing technical, professional, and construction services globally with 200 offices in over 25 countries in Aerospace and Defense, Automotive and Industrial, Buildings, Chemicals and Polymers, Consumer and Forest Products, Energy, Environmental Programs, Infrastructure, Mining and Minerals, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology, Refining, and Technology. Jim was primarily involved in its nuclear clean-up operations including the 3-Mile Island and the Oakridge facility.

spacious second level living quarters

Jim and wife Carol are obviously very comfortably happy in their sprawling 2-level 5,000 sq. ft. Southern home (yes with porches all around) that reaches out to where his boat is moored on the Toomer creek that leads into the Atlantic Ocean through Wando and Cooper Rivers.The 2 guest quarters, Jim’s office, the middle lounging area, and a recreation area make up the lower level while the couple lives in utmost comfort at the second floor. They decided to stay near the grandchildren (don’t we all?) and are truly a picture of shared blissful contentment.

Bill's fave banana cream pie
 baked from scratch by Jim's Carol!

Bill, Jim, and Carol were off to the beach early the following day for Bill’s 2-3 mile daily walk and her bike ride. Then the 2 friends fished  while the two Carols watched the quarterfinals of the Miami Sony Ericson Tennis Open (yes, we are both fan-addicts). What a grand vacation for Bill and me. Carol is a perfect host. Meals were always fine dining…from soup salad, entrée, and dessert! We could not have enough of the cola brisket slow cooked to perfection...and the shrimp pasta salad...and the chcken wild rice mushroom...and even the apple/ham/cream cheese sandwiches!!! But the killer was Bill's
banana cream pie, something he had been pining for for years! 

the co-pilots, Jim and Bill

Bill and Jim at Vickery's at Shrimp Creek
where we stopped for lunch on our boat ride 

The following day, all of us went for a lovely boat ride to the great Atlantic. We had a traditional Southern lunch at Vickery’s, a local favorite resto with its own dock, right before the bay. Back home, Bill and Jim went fishing again and the 2 Carols watched the last set of Quarterfinals. The next morning Bill and Jim braved the walk on the 5-mile loop on the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and then, sadly, we had to say our goodbyes. The stay was truly fun but we will see them soon enough in Nova Scotia, although it will not be at their lovely home!

the Ravenal Bridge, signalling that we had arrived at the Charleston Harbor!

Jesse and Erika with Bill while dinner was being readied

The Sellers of James Island

Erika is my sister Julie’s youngest child. She married Jesse Sellers, nephew of Marty, Julie’s husband who passed on in 2009. She now baby-sits two little kids while Jesse is in partnership with friends in a construction company. Erika was former Philippine Idol finalist and is currently expecting their first child in September!  I wanted to see first-hand the joy on her face! It was certainly there…perhaps permanently etched, after waiting for almost five years!

we have missed Erik'a snging!

We stored the RV for 3 days while we stayed with Jim and Carol but we wanted to show Erika how we camped so we booked at the Charleston KOA just beside the storage facility. We had Jesse and Erika the first night at the RV. Bill grilled pork loins and I made green beans and mushroom medley and simple baked potatoes for sides and some Italian bread with cream cheese chocolate cake for dessert! And of course, we set up the karaoke equipment so we could once again hear Erika’s melodious voice singing some oft-forgotten OPM (Original Pilipino Music)!

digging into the sumptuous Southern dinner!

The next night, it was Jesse and Erika’s turn to show off their culinary skills so we drove to their lovely, cozy home. Dinner was excellent Southern cuisine: grilled porterhouse steaks courtesy of Jesse, Kajing made extra special (we brought home the left-overs!) dinner rolls from Jesse’s family’s secret recipe, Caesar salad, and mashed potatoes. Oh for appetizers we had veggies and ranch and deviled eggs! Bill and I brought the couple nice oranges and grapefruit from Florida and a small box of Mexican mangoes from the Carolina Coast Flea Market, the state's biggest!.

Carol's turn to sing!

the four...happy together!

We ended the night singing karaoke favorites again and, though we wanted to linger on for we might not see each other again for another 5 years, we had to bid our reluctant  goodbyes. In the morning, Bill and I will proceed to a short vacay in the North Carolina Outer Banks! But surely we left with hearts full of wonderful memories.Visits to family and friends, especially this one to South Carolina early in the spring of 2012, are truly special! RVing makes it all possible for us.