Day 3 - Rejuvenating day at Fuefuki-shi - Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan

D3 - 21 September 2018

Japanese cum International style buffet breakfast :)

Started my third day by having Japanese cum International buffet breakfast, which was included in the hotel rates. Loved the plate they provided to put the various dishes separately (see the photo above). And before moving on to the main topic, let me share few things that I found interesting in the restaurant and hotel that I stayed at in this post.

Card provided by the restaurant to 'chop' the table - Hotel Gracery Ginza - Tokyo, Japan

In Singapore, Singaporean usually 'chop' their table at hawker center or food court using tissue packet. But there, they used the card above as it wasn't uncommon for Japanese and other guest to dine alone.

When the blue card was presented on top of the table, it meant the table was free. And once the guest decided where to sit and in order not to let other guest occupying their table while they were walking around taking the food at buffet counter, they just had to flip the card up and changed the status of the table to 'occupied.' Wasn't it convenient? And as a guest, I would feel very much comfortable leaving my table to take another round of food.

'No room make up' gifts selection at Hotel Gracery Ginza - Tokyo, Japan

Next, was the above card. The housekeeping staff placed it on top of the bed so that guest would notice once they went inside the room. However, I took it for granted - ignored about the information that they tried to convey and just placed the card on top of the table without even had a look on it :D Well, I thought it was just a normal card informing the guest that the minibar items displayed on the card would be available upon calling the staff at receptionist. I only knew about the card's purpose when someone mentioned it to me the next day. Hahaha... :P

You could read the information on the picture clearly there and for me, I found it very interesting lah, the way the hotel tried cutting their operational cost and at the same time, they could give some rewards or souvenir back to the hotel's guest. Something to learn for hoteliers!!! ;)

Add-on facility provided by the Hotel Gracery Ginza - Tokyo, Japan

Next one was the item above. Well, our room size was quite small actually, typical Japanese hotel. Only limited extra space available for walking. Despite that, they still squeezed in such a small sofa at the corner of the room. My roommate tried sitting at the sofa upon our arrival and felt kind of weird why the pillow provided was hard to lean on, very unusual. Therefore, that time onward, we did not use the sofa much.

Until again, the last day of my stay, someone told us that 'it' was actually a back massager (an instrument or device designed to massage the body). Lol!!! How unobservant I was, wasn't I??? Could miss out many things from inside the room. Unbelievable!!! :D

Typical Japanese umbrella - transparent one!!! :D

The rain continued since the day before. Luckily I always prepared an umbrella with me so I was pretty protected from rain and sun wherever I went. I did not know about you, but I found it very interesting to see Japanese using the transparent umbrella (see the photo above). They only had the long umbrella with stick for this type of material and if I was not wrong, the price was quite affordable. I had seen them using it since my first visit back in 1989 and was still very much awed with it :)

Fuefuki-shi location in Japan's map (Source: Google map)

We took cab to Shinjuku Station where we would take our JR (Japan Rail) train to Isawa-Onsen, which was located at Yamanashi prefecture. The station was pretty big with many exit gates on it. Just take note, in the case you came separately with your travel mates, be sure to tell the cab driver which exit gate you wanted to be dropped at, because if you were dropped in the different one, you had to walk one big round (inconveniently - since you carried the big luggage with you) to reach the right one, and it happened to me. Luckily I met the security staff who could speak English and able to tell me the best way to reach.

Bento shop at Shinjuku station - Tokyo, Japan

One thing I loved in Japan train station was that they had many shops selling Japanese bento (a single portion take-out or home-packed meal usually packed in a box). They allowed food and beverage to be consumed inside the train since the journey was pretty long when traveling to other city. But most often than not, the food served was cold. Those loved hot food might not like this concept.

Mouth watering bento display selection :)

The above was displayed and available for sale. They were lovely, weren't they? There was even Shinkansen lunch box mainly prepared for children or for foreigners where they could keep the box as souvenir :) Japanese were very meticulous in preparing their dishes. I was often amazed by their patience and passion. For them, the look and color combination of the food was important. It was not only to look presentable, but also to taste good!!!

Snacks for short period traveling in Japan :)

Since I just had our breakfast buffet at the hotel and our train journey would only be a one-and-half hour ride, I got myself an onigiri (a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes and often wrapped in nori/seaweed) with chilled milk tea while my roommate having sandwich and hot green tea. We both had baumkuchen cake as a snack as well :)

Enjoyed my train ride from Shijuku, Tokyo to Isawa Onsen, Yamanashi :)

I got a window seat so I could enjoy the scenery better. It was still raining but the view was still beautiful! :)

Ryokan Kikori - Fuefuki-shi, Japan

Once reached Isawa Onsen station, we took a cab to the hotel called Ryokan Kikori - a traditional Japan hotel mostly made of wood, designed like in old samurai era. It was two-storey high. The hotel rates included breakfast and dinner. One person rate was around S$250 per night (it meant a room for 2 would cost S$500 per night).

Inside the traditional Japanese hotel room - Ryokan Kikori, Japan

The room was actually very simple. It was a tatami base (a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms, traditionally made using rice straw to form the core). During daytime they would put a table and low-seat chairs in the main area (see the above picture), and at night (after we went for dinner), the room would have already been set up with futon (Japanese bed). The rooms were divided using paper sliding door, typical Japanese set-up, which you could often see on TV (or Doraemon cartoon series) :P

Ichifuji grape orchards - Fuefuki-shi, Yamanashi prefecture - Japan

We put our luggage and soon headed to the main destination of this trip - Ichifuji grape orchards :) Grapes were in the season!!!

Grapes, grapes and grapes!!! :D Love Japan!!!

This area was famous and perfect to grow grapes, be it for consumption and also for winery. These were the two types of grapes and their trees were quite different. The tree as you saw in above picture, consisted of one tall tree with so many branches on top and grew so many grapes on it, while the one for winery was short one and planted many at each row.

Japanese grapes tasted very different from any other grapes from other parts of the world. I had never eaten such a delicious grape like this before. Only then I understood why some people would deliberately visited Japan yearly just to indulge themselves with it!!!

Muscat or Pione??? Both were equally nice!!! :)

The size of the grape was quite big (even bigger than my thumb). Its meat was firm, but tasted sweet and very succulent. It reminded me the taste of the grapes gummy that Japan usually produced. So now I knew where the grape taste came from.

The green one that I was holding was Muscat type. 1 kg was sold at 2,500 yen (S$31.25). There were different types of green grapes available though, but the best one that this orchard offered and the most expensive one was this type, and amazingly, no seed inside!!! In Singapore it was available too in supermarket. For 350 gr grapes, it cost S$35 or for 1 kg, it cost around S$85 (the price was very expensive due to air-flown transport and other import cost).

The purple color one was called Pione. It was similar type with Kyoho grape. The texture of this grapes were different with Muscat. Its skin was thick and the meat was melting in the mouth. This one with seed though. But still, pretty nice. I loved it too!!! :) 1 kg cost 1,250 yen (S$15.60).

With the Ichifuji grape orchards' owner :)

The shop provided service to send grapes to other city in Japan too. You just had to tell the owner which grapes, how many kg, when and where to send, and they would calculate the postage cost together with the grapes cost right away. Apart from fresh grapes, they were also selling grape jam, grape juice (in bottle - from L'Orient winery) and sweet dessert wine (also from L'Orient winery). We bought them altogether for the consumption in the hotel :)

Apart from the grape samples that they gave away, we had more grapes and took it as our lunch. Wow!!! I never had grapes as lunch before! Hahaha.... So I was very grateful for that!!! Thank you!!! :)

More grapes at owner's orchards near her house - Ichifuji orchards in Fuefuki-shi, Yamanashi prefecture - Japan

After finished having grapes lunch and done with ordering thing, the owner brought us to her grapes orchards, located near from her house. She said the grape season was usually last only for 3 months in a year. We came at the right time!!! Well, the trip was planned only to eat this actually :D So, it was perfect!!! :)

Persimmon!!!

At the road junction near to owner's house, there was this persimmon tree belong to somebody. There were many fruits on it. Amazingly, the fruits were intact on its branch like what you saw in above picture. I mean, if this tree was located in Indonesia, all the fruits would have long gone hahaha... When I saw it, my evil mind was even saying, "Why don't you pick some secretly and put them inside your bag??" hahaha... especially when the price of persimmon was expensive in Japan (1 piece cost 500 yen or S$6.25). But I managed to get rid of that mind :P So imagine those people who stayed around the area! Their integrity level must be very strong! Hahaha... Heads off to Japanese!!! :)

Isawa Onsen Spa - Ryukan Kikori at Fuefuki-shi - Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

We went back to hotel. There was still some time before dinner time so we decided to soak ourselves at the hot spring water pool that the hotel provided. The hotel had 2 places to soak. The above picture was taken at the other side of the building. The one I went to looked pretty similar, except for the pool shape, which was bigger and covered fully.

Just like other onsen (Japanese hot spring) spa, they usually provided similar facilities, such as: rattan basket to put clothes (guest had to be naked inside the pool area - only small towel was allowed and usually to be put on top of the head), bathing area (guest had to shower before and after soaking; all amenities like shampoo, soap, and  conditioner were usually provided), dry room (place to do your make up, dry and comb your hair, etc. plus resting place - foot massager was sometimes available). Some place even had sauna.

I soaked myself in. The water was warm with temperature ranges from 38 to 42 degree Celsius. It removed all the tiredness from the body and loosen up the muscles. You would feel a little lethargic afterwards, but it was common. I wore kimono (provided by the hotel) after that, which would then be worn continuously until sleeping time.

Traditional Japanese dinner at Ryukan Kikori - Fuefuki-shi at Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

Dinner was served at 6 pm. It was 8-course of traditional Japanese dinner serving variety of food from seafood salad, chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), cold tamago (Japanese sweet egg), cold soba or buckwheat noodle, fried cuttlefish ball with raw chili, steamed sliced pork meat, and finally the dessert - grapes jelly with whipped cream. All tasted so delicious and I finished every bit of it :)

Around the hotel with their olden time decoration - Ryukan Kikori at Fuefuki-shi - Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

With full stomach, it was only suitable to have a walk and little exercise inside and surrounded the hotel. The hotel had an alley where they kept many antics from olden times, which brought back many memories from the past :) So, still wearing the beautiful kimono, I did not want to miss the chance by clicking many pictures with it :D

Outdoor view - Ryukan Kikori

Guest was allowed to walk outside the hotel with their kimono too. They were even provided with geta (Japanese wooden slipper). The weather was a bit cool and you could see the mist derived from the steamed hot spring water from underneath the ground. It was so nice!!!

Beautiful full moon at the night sky - Fuefuki-shi at Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

The surrounding area was quiet and peaceful. At the back of the hotel, there was a river where you could have a peaceful time walking on its side with full moon up there accompanied your journey.

Grapes feast one more time to close our relaxing day!!! Yay!!! :)

After returned back to hotel, I gathered and had hearty chit chat with the rest, finishing the second bottle of the wine and munching on grapes once again to close our relaxing day sweetly :) Felt very grateful for everything and thank you to you know who you are for making this trip happened!!! Stay tune for the next post!!! Keep reading! :)

My First Audio Book - "Friend Request" by Laura Marshall

Friend Request by Laura Marshall

Well, I found out about this book title from somewhere (I forgot where I saw it before). Had been searching it tremendously from the NLB (National Library Board) Apps - from e-book, audiobook, to the physical book from different libraries across Singapore, and it was ALL unfortunately, unavailable. I even thought of buying it, so that after finished reading it, I could pass it on to someone else. However, it was even not available at the bookstore! It was all sold out!!! Oh my... how could that be???

Sigh... I had no choice but to click the "Reserve" button on the NLB Apps. I had to pay S$1.55 for reservation fee as I could no longer wait and let my mind lingering around, made me feeling really uneasy of not getting it on hand. I didn't know what made me craving for it though until I had to reserve it (which I tried to avoid in any case). Perhaps, I was tired of living my own life and wanted to escape from it and live into someone else world for a little while.

Reading quote (Pic source: Google.com)

One day after I successfully reserved the book online, I clicked the book title under the search area again, just for fun. And guess what??? One audiobook for this title was available!!! 

Oh my!!! But... audiobook??? I was hesitating for a while. I had never tried the audiobook in my life before. I was wondering if I should borrow it.

"There is always a first time, never try, never know!!!" 

That was kind of my principle in life so I decided to borrow and try it once.

"Let me experience how to read the audio book," I said it to myself.

Without waiting any longer, I clicked the "Borrow" button, and download it to the OverDrive Apps on my phone.

Immediately, I put the earpiece on both ears and started listening it.

First Audio Book Experience - Friend Request by Laura Marshall :)

Well, it felt like someone was reading a bedtime story for me. A woman read the content of this book. Sometimes she had to mimic the man's voice or kid's voice to let the reader know who was saying what (conversation by different persons). The reader read according to the punctuation marks the writer put, and with emotions. You could feel it with the different high and low tones, fast and slow speed, and with some pause or breath in between.

The story was started with the Facebook's friend request by Maria Weston - a schoolmate who had been missing over twenty-five years ago - to Louise Williams, who had kept a terrible secret related to her missing. Maria was last seen the night of a school leavers' party and people believed her to be dead. With the school reunion arranged, Louise was forced to discover the truth about what really happened.

Despite the story supposed to be heart-stopping and thrilling, all the reader's efforts to make the story interesting, was kinda fail as I was still easily feeling sleepy when listening to it. Hahahaha... And I fell asleep for many many times!!! Lol!!! Perhaps this would be the best remedy if one day I could not fall asleep! Hahahahaha...... Kidding :P 

Sleepy face zzz... (Pic source: Google.com)

Well, I think that was also because I was having my period. It usually made me exhausted and tired without any reason though. It was in fact, it was good to listen the audiobook in such situation, as what I needed to do was to lie down on bed and to close my eyes. I did not have to hold onto the book, fold my arms, and flip the page. I did not have to tire my eyes from the glare lighting behind me too or from the phone (in case of reading e-book).

Overall, I enjoyed it so much!!! Such a great experience!!! And by the time I had finished reading it, I received an email from NLB stating that the book that I reserved was available for collection :D I had no choice but to go down to the library I chose, paid the money, and collected the book that I had finished reading ^^"

10-Day Silent Meditation Retreat at Suan Mokkh - Part 3

Wat Suan Mokkh International Dhamma Hermitage

In this post I will share with you what you will expect during the registration day.

1. Transport to the retreat location
As early as 7 am there is a pick up truck that will bring you and your luggage from the Suan Mokkh Monastery to the International Dharma Hermitage.  You just have to pay THB 20 for the service. It's about 1.5 km distance and if you choose to walk there, it will take you about 20 minutes to reach.

The two information board for women and men - International Dhamma Hermitage

2. Registration - Read and think before decide to join
Upon reaching the place, a volunteer will welcome you. She or he will ask you to read the info pasted on the board. Once finished, collect the booklet and a form from her. Read it first all the terms and conditions regarding the retreat. When you finally decide to join, only then you fill the form up.

To note: Most of the instruction is done in writing since we are going through the silence retreat. And they have notice board with different information updated everyday.

3. Interview 
Someone will interview you afterwards and if you have any question, you can ask them.

4. Pay registration fee
When interview done, proceed to pay the registration fee of THB 2,000 (SGD 82) and exchange your passport with a room key from the staff.

Ladies bathing area inside dormitories :)

5. Borrow necessary stuffs
You can borrow sarong (for women) used for taking bath and dipping inside hot spring, and also plastic water bottle to store your drinking water, for free.

6. Deposit your stuffs
Get ready all your stuffs that are required to be deposited such as: any electronics and things that can create disturbance to your peaceful mind (mobile phone, camera, tablet, laptop, mp3 device, books, diary, alarm clock, watch, etc.), money and valuable stuffs (accessories), etc.

To note: It's not necessary to deposit your stuff immediately. If you still want to use your mobile phone, you can store your stuffs afterwards, as long before 3pm. There is mobile charging point available at the area.

Emergency contact (Source: Suan Mokkh IDH)

7. Tell your family the emergency contact
You may want to inform your family back home the monastery's email address, fax number, and website address, and tell them to mention your name and room number in case there is any emergency news that required you to know since there will be no way to contact the outer world throughout the retreat period.

Space provided outside our room to hang dry the mosquitoes net, blanket, sarong, clothes, etc.

8. Go to room (dormitory)
With your key, proceed to your room. Women and men live at separate dormitory, located side by side. Collect the blanket and mosquitoes net from the room mentioned. It's advisable to dry them out under the sun before using. If you want, you can also hang the straw mat before using to kill the germs.

The meditation hall 5 where we gather most :)

9. Collect stuffs used for meditation and 'chope' your seat with it
Go to Meditation Hall 1 and take the cushion, pillow, and wooden chair and choose your seating location at the Meditation Hall 5. Put those stuff above the 2 base layer provided. It will be your fixing seat throughout the 10 days. Again, men and women is divided into two sections (left and right).

10. Select your chore (daily work duty)
Don't forget to go back to registration area (or it's better you do so before getting into your room), to select the chore. There is list of chore available for both men and women, also the details of how to do it, when, where, using which equipments and cleaning materials, etc.

For example: washing toilet at dormitories, at meditation hall, sweep floor outside dormitory, burn the rubbish, clean the foot bath, wipe table after breakfast/ lunch/ tea break, etc. Everyone has to choose at least one. I chose the simplest one though :P

Dining room :)

11. Wash your own utensils after dining 
Breakfast (8 am), lunch (12.30 pm), and tea (6 pm) are available on registration day. Men and women are seated separately. The food was divided into 2 sections, put in between the eating tables and chairs.

You have to wash the bowl, spoon, and cup (all made of stainless steel) yourself at the back of the dining area. There is instruction in writing on how to wash your utensils properly. They apply the water saving way so we won't wash it in running water. Instead, after throwing the rubbish inside the bin provided, we took little water to scrap the dirt from the bowl, move to next sink to apply soap using sponge, and rinse twice at next two sinks beside it. We then put it upside down at the shelf next to it and let it dry naturally.

Metal lantern provided :)

12. Provision shop is available
If you forget or do not have enough stock of toiletries (soap, shampoo, tooth brush, tooth paste, body powder, face soap, etc.), washing powder, mosquitoes repellant spray, mosquitoes balm (applied after being bitten), candles and matchstick (they provide metal lantern in each room to lighten your road at night), notebook to record the lesson, even shirts and pants (the recommended fisherman pants are available), do not worry. There is a small shop available at dining area. Take note on the opening time though as it is not open everyday. Only during registration day, day 1, 2, 3, and 6, and only at certain timing (not whole day).

Schedule on Registration Day (Source: Suan Mokkh IDH)

You can take a nap, stroll around the area, go to Chaiya or nearby place, or have chit chat with other fellow participants (while the silence has not yet begun), before the retreat is started. Follow the timetable above, take note of the time and place of each activity. Map is available at the board or just follow where people go :)

The natural hot spring for women :)

At 4 pm the retreat is officially started. They bring you around (orientation/ boundary tour) afterwards. After tea, you can try the hot spring. I was surprised with it!!! It's so natural!!! Was exciting with it!! ;)

At 7 pm we finally started to get serious. Soon, the silence retreat was officially started. Insects and mosquitoes sound were the only accompany afterwards. Will share with you how I felt in next post!!! ^^ Stay tune!!! ;)

D2 Iceland - Golden Circle at southern part of Iceland

Hveragerði Geothermal Park - South Iceland

We started our day by cooking the fresh eggs inside the stream of hot springs for 10 to 12 minutes at the Hveragerði Geothermal Park, a 45-km drive from Reykjavik. The egg tasted so delicious and thoroughly boiled! :)

Cafe Restaurant that used geothermal heat for cooking at Hveragerði

It was amazing to find the town like this where the hot spring's geothermal heat was used for cooking (outdoor kitchen), baking bread, space heating, laundry, and even greenhouse.

Beautiful nature at Þingvellir National Park - Iceland

Beautiful Þingvellir church and fissure from afar at Þingvellir National Park - Iceland

From there we headed to Þingvellir or Thingvellir National Park, the first national park in Iceland and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a site of historical, cultural, and geological importance in Iceland - so called a must-visit destination in Iceland!!!

Þingvellir National Park - Iceland

It lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. It was also the site of the world's oldest parliament, the Alþingi,established around 930 A.D, and location where Icelanders celebrated their independence from Denmark back in June 17, 1944.

Erupted geyser at Strokkur - Iceland

We had a short lunch break at "Geysir,"which means geyser or hot spring. There were few cafes available there. At the opposite, it was the site where we could watch the erupting small geyser, the place name called Strokkur, which erupted every few minutes. It was harmless though. People could just stood up surrounding it and watched it amazingly!!! Great experience!!! :)

First tier of the Gullfoss waterfalls - Upper part

Second tier of the Gullfoss waterfalls - Flow to the bottom creating splash like rain :)

From there we went to see Gullfoss, which means 'Golden Falls,' a breathtaking two-tired waterfall that dropped 32 meters into a long, narrow canyon.

Full view of Gullfoss waterfalls or Golden Falls - Iceland :)

The full-view of the Gullfoss would be as the picture above :) It was beautiful, wasn't it??? :)

Gullfoss - Iceland

There was a stone memorial to Sigríður Tómasdóttir, who determined to preserve the waterfalls and threatened to throw herself down into the falls in protest against the foreign investors who wanted to transform it into a dam for a power station. Fyi, my friend and I had to wear the raincoat as the falls' water splashed into us as we passed by the area. It was a wonderful exposure to keep walking up and see the upper part (first tier) of the falls. Simply beautiful!!! :)

Fridheimar Greenhouse

From there, we were brought to Friðheimar or Fridheimar Greenhouse, a place where tomatoes were grown inside there all year round through the long dark winter under the artificial lighting and using natural hot water from underneath. They opened small cafe or restaurant serving various food and beverage products using the tomatoes that they grew, such as: tomato ice cream, tomato and apple pie, tomato Schnapps, and so on.

Icelandic horses' stable - Fridheimar, Iceland

Other than doing horticulture inside the greenhouse, they also bred Icelandic horses at the stable nearby and offered demonstration of the famous five gaits of the Icelandic horses. They opened up the stable for us to have closer view and we could touch and have selfie with them as well :D Free coffee/tea was served while watching the performance.

The Gaits of the Icelandic Horse - Pic source: Fridheimar

The Icelandic Horse show at Fridheimar, Iceland :)

"Whether on the farm or for overland transport, the horse has been the trusty companion of the Icelanders down the centuries, and even today farmers ride into the highlands to round up their sheep in autumn. In modern times the horse has become the Icelanders’ favorite leisure companion. The Icelandic horse is a small, sturdy breed, famed for its five gaits: in addition to the walk, trot and gallop, Icelandic horses may have the tölt (a smooth run) and skeið (flying pace). Four- and five-gaiters are prized." - Source: fridheimar.is

Stracta Hotel in Hella, Iceland

After such a long day, we were finally brought into our hotel - Stracta Hotel - located at Hella in South Iceland. Since there were 3 of us, we were given the Studio Apartment room, which cost double from the usual Standard Double room. There was kitchen facilities and bathrobe provided as well.

Wonderful dinner at Kanslarinn Restaurant at Hella, Iceland

It was up to us where we wanted to have our dinner at. Some chose to eat at the hotel's restaurant. Some ate their own food brought from Singapore, e.g. instant noodle. And few of us chose to eat at the Kanslarinn Restaurant located just opposite of the Stracta Hotel. It was one of the recommended restaurant by the Trip Advisor - coincidentally. My friend's dad and I had fish with boiled potato, rye bread, and salad; Mom ordered lasagna; my friends had fish and chips; and my dear father ordered the tenderloin horse meat steak.

Excuse me? Did I type wrongly? No, I didn't. And yes, he ordered the tenderloin horse meat steak for his dinner. When I read through the menu available, he immediately told me that he wanted to order that. When the food came, everyone was trying it. I was hesitant in the beginning as I loved horse, not as food, but as they were. My friend convinced me trying it as it tasted delicious, even more delicious than the beef steak. So I asked my dad for a bite, and true enough, the horse meat was really delicious!!! It was tender and juicy. The chef should have cooked it skillfully to serve up to this standard. Well done!!! So, if you happened staying nearby this restaurant, go and try it for yourself!! :)

Soaked ourselves with hot tub under the full and bright moon and stars :)

We finished our dinner and walked back to the hotel. Some of us met up again at the outdoor hot tub provided by the hotel, just outside the restaurant. It was cold outside at night but the water was warm at 38 degree Celsius and it felt so shiok to soak ourselves in it after such a long day!! Moreover, we were blessed with beautiful full and bright moon plus thousands of stars above us!!! Our day was ended beautifully!! We had a peaceful, warm, and beautiful sleep afterwards. Recharged and ready for our next adventure in Iceland!!! :)