Day 18 - Leaving the lodge

The lodge we stayed in was the most expensive but also the best of the whole trip. We had two huge rooms plus a large bath. Also as in almost all Japanese style lodges there were two long thing rooms where most places have a coffee table and soft chairs, but here there was nothing. We used the space to store our packs and dry our clothes.

Shortly after we arrived, they announced dinner and we went down to the first floor and ate at tables in a large room with all the other guests. After dinner, I decided that I should put some newspaper in my shoes because they had gotten soaked in the rain. I went to find the man who had met us at the door to get some old newspaper. When I finally located him and asked for the old newspaper, he said that I did not need it because he had already done it. I thanked him and went back to the entrance and found my shoes on a shelf. Sure enough, they were full of crumpled up newspaper and had already dried out some. The service in some hotels and lodges is incredible. And the best part is that you are not expected to leave a tip. In a truly good hotel, the people will refuse a tip if it is offered.

In the morning the rain had stopped, which was lucky because we had to cross the parking lot to another building for breakfast. We got going fairly early and were greeted by a beautiful fog over the landscape.
However, the fog soon burned off and we could see the mountains.
On one of the mountains there was an amazing sight. We were never close enough to get a good picture but you can see it on the left side of the peak in the center of the picture. It is a European style castle. Actually it looked very British, something you might see in England.
A little further down the road we had another surprise - a Chinese restaurant that two pagodas as part of its landscaping. The metal platform is the second floor of a parking lot.
The road curved around the Castle Mount and we got closer but never too close. It remained a distant illusion, like most things in life.