Pa and I were tired when we arrived Friday afternoon,
but a very pleasant woman greeted us in English with a Japanese accent, and one other.
Welcome to the Hotel Caffel Hina.
Turns out she lived in New Zealand for a time.
After reviewing our reservation, and informing us that tea is available 24/7, she patiently explained the rules of the house,
Only bare feet on floors 2 and 3 . . .
the most important of all.
She then handed us a pink bag with pajamas, slippers and a towel for the public bath.
Pa whispered, “We’re certainly in Japan now.”
It rained through the night and well into the morning. Which was ok. As Liam often says,
It’s nice to have a stay at home day sometimes.
And it was.
With the dining room to ourselves,
breakfast was leisurely,
more Japanese than American.
Returning to our room,
we changed into bathing attire and made our way to the third floor
where a young woman directed us to enter left,
and not right.
With no one to observe,
we educated ourselves on the Japanese way,
before showering
and immersion.
There’s much to be said for a two hour bath after breakfast and a nap following.
Thoroughly cleansed and rested, we wandered.
The Hotel Caffel Hina is a bit eclectic,
Andy Warhol a favorite,
the Beatles too.
(That’s Dammar in the middle, our server from breakfast. Being from Nepal, we had a wonderful conversation.)
On the second floor
is “The Maze”,
quite amazing.
And back on the third, an adult room,
no children allowed.
By mid-afternoon,
it was time for a massage.
If you’ve ever had a really good one, you know how easy it is to drift off.
Pa and I did, perhaps dreaming . . .
There she stood in the doorway
And showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor
I thought I heard them say
Welcome to the Hotel Caffel Hina
Such a lovely place
Plenty of room at the Hotel Caffel Hina
Any time of year
You can find it here
Welcome to the Hotel Caffel Hina
Wake you up
Just to hear them say
Such a lovely place
They livin' it up at the Hotel Caffel Hina
What a nice surprise
Bring your alibis . . .
Pa woke bemused. I, on the other hand, had Eagles on my mind,
Welcome to the Hotel Caffel Hina, such a lovely place . . .
even as the rain continued.
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