Going to Hell(s) in Beppu

Yesterday I went to the ofuro early and was treated to a spectacular view of the waning crescent moon in the eastern sky just before and after sunrise. The moon was a thin crescent with the morning star (Venus) about two moon diameters above the left horn of the moon. It was a peaceful sight and I felt privileged to observe it from the hot mineral waters of the bath. Incidentally, on the way out I asked one of the attndants what temperature they keep the bath. He said they blend the hot water from the springs with cool water to maintain a temperature of 40-41 degrees celsius (104-106 F). It didn't feel that hot to me but I took him at his word.

After breakfast we headed for our first hell, the Umi (sea) hell where the water is a cobalt blue.

Umi (ocean) Hell. The bamboo pole has a basket of eggs suspended
from the rope. After cooking they are available for sale in the store.

Nearby I saw a little waterfall trickling down the hill next to an old moss covered stone lantern. The maple leaves aren't turning color yet but a little later many Japanese will go out to the parks and hills just to observe the fall colors (koyo, autumn leaves).

On this trip I'm trying out my new selfie stick (thanks to Sue & Kesti)

Next stop was the Tatsumaki (Tornado) Hell where a geyser erupts every 30-40 minutes. The sign says the water temperature is 105 degrees Celsius (221 F)

Nearby some of the ladies in our group took advantage of a foot soaking pool guaranteed to rejuvenate tired feet.

We visited the blood pond hell (Chi-no-ike-jigoku) and bubbling cauldrons of mud and finally had seen enough so left the hells to Dante and moved on to the nearby monkey mountain.

But first we stopped for lunch at a combination souvenier shop and dining area. Their specialty was noodle soup but there were other dishes to compliment the soup.

Our driver parked the bus and we walked over a suspension bridge across the main highway, caught a monorail and rode up to the area where the monkeys are fed.

Monkeys grooming. They appear to eat the lice they find

We were warned not to stare at the monkeys eyes since they take that as aggression and also not to chew anything. The only close call we had was when one of the monkeys stole our guide's iPhone. The staff blocked his escape up a rock wall and he quickly dropped the phone. Fortunately it didn't land in a nearby puddle so other than a few scratches it was fine.

Back at the hotel I noticed they had put out a new flower arrangement in the lobby. The aroma of lilies was noticable across the first floor.

Dinner tonight was in the buffet room. Similar to the breakfast buffet, there were western and Japanese selections. I had an appetizer of foie gras followed by sashimi, nigirizushi and more sashimi. There were probably 80 or 90 selections but I was still full from lunch and besides I had to save room for green tea ice cream and strawberry ice cream with lots of fresh berries chopped up in it.

When traveling it's hard to resist eating too much food but I'm trying my best.