Saving an afternoon

So after a morning of fog and rain in the mountains, we considered our options between just staying in rooms and reading, or trying to find something to do at a lower altitude that wasn't so weather dependent.

Now Clarissa fancied the idea of visiting hot springs which we had down for towards the end of the holiday, but a bit of internet searching suggested there was somewhere decent within driving distance, so off we went.

About an hour down winding mountain roads we arrived at what was a spa hotel. We ignored the single sex nude pools indoors (all empty) and went for the communal outdoor pools. I say "communal", but there was no communing to be done. We were the only people there.

And there were only three such pools. One was an open air pool, which was unheated, and therefore chilly. but an attractive setting as you can see below:

The other two pools were heated from the hot springs. One was too hot to comfortably stay in for long. The other was even hotter.

As I was taking this, Thibault called out to Clarissa "Clarissa, there is a dirty old man trying to take photos of you". Thanks mate. Its called art. Or photo journalism.

Anyway, somewhat to our surprise we spent a couple of hours there.

Since we were in the vicinity, Thibault suggested we visit a large Buddhist centre nearby. This was an incredibly good move. A stunning spot.

 The little garden was just gorgeous and tranquil.

And the Temple itself was stunning - in a simpler interior than one expects for a Buddhist temple, but also everything was on a bigger scale.

We managed, at the second attempt, to find a decent restaurant on the way back for dinner. The decor was, well, very purple.

But the food was good, as you can see.

But the thing we found on leaving, and indeed while looking out the window, was that this restaurant was in moth central. Never seen so many in one place. Where is a bat when you need one?