Beppu's hells and old friends

Beautiful onsen start to the day in Beppu, then a trip up the mountain ropeway which became a trip inside a cloud..Beppu is powered by geothermal activity, so steam gushes out of vents and chimneys and pavements all over town. We visited two of its hells - sulphur water bubbling up in bright toxic pools - ate food cooked in the sream ( delicious caramel pudding) and Eva and I finished up with a sushi kuru-kuru conveyor belt restaurant where they greeted us with Land of Hope and Glory and we fully indulged. Poor Rico drove us three hours through tropical rain down the green spine of Kyushi to Miyakonojo, where I lived 31 years ago, and after much difficulty and many phone calls we found Jack, Yoko, daughter Wendy and 19 cats...very strange and wonderfulRead more