Virtual Symposium--There's a First Time for Everything - First domestic solo trip
Virtual Symposium--There's a First Time for Everything
First domestic solo trip
My first domestic solo trip was pretty late in life. Actually in 2020, just before all hell broke loose across the globe. It looks like I briefly mentioned my trip in HNW--the 459th . . . Glamour/Boudoir, but never actually wrote about the trip.
My birthday happened to fall on a Friday, so I decided to book a birthday trip and spend a couple of nights in Hokkaido. I went to Asahikawa since I wanted to visit the zoo there. I also had time before I had to catch the evening flight back, I also booked a horse trekking tour. Of course, I made reservations for a birthday dinner at a bistro that served local beef.
It wasn't one of those trips where I had to get up dark and early. I landed in Hokkaido late afternoon. I had to take the bus from the Asahikawa airport to Asahikawa city center, where I was staying. The hotel I was staying at was was right across from the Asahikawa Station. I was greeted by a line of cute little snowmen in front of the station. There were also a shopping mall and ice skating rink at the station. The shopping mall was convenient for scoring local wine and munchies. The skating rink happened to open that weekend and was free to use. It got dark soon after I checked in but I had a bit of time to explore before I had to go to the bistro I made a reservation for my birthday dinner. It took me a bit to get my bearings, but I found the bistro.
My original plan was to have steak, but I saw a special on the menu, beef cheek meat simmered in red wine sauce. Man, did I make a good choice! The meat was so tender, it practically melted in my mouth! It was so good! I told the bistro that it's my birthday when I made the reservation and I got a complimentary appetizer plate. I ordered a nice house red to go with my meal. I even got a complimentary dessert plate complete with sparklers. I really enjoyed my meal there. The bistro was warm and cozy, the staff were all friendly, and the food was amazing. This bistro is definitely a place I'd recommend to anybody going to Asahikawa.
Breakfast next morning was from the bakery at the mall next to the station. I took the bus from the station to the zoo. I got to the zoo a bit early since they opened a bit later in the winter than the times I saw online. I roamed around a bit and found my way to the main gate up the hill. I got a nice view of the area from higher ground. I also saw that it was -10C. Brrrr! Of course, I was bundled up in a knit dress, cashmere sweater, down vest, fleece pants, It was easy to tell which visitors were out-of-town tourists by the shoes they wear and slipping and sliding in the snow. Yours truly ended up on her butt once, but to my defense, I was going downhill. Some exhibits were closed, but there were still plenty of animals to see. The giraffe was pretty goofy and the penguins offered quite a bit of entertainment. There was a penguin march and they were so cute waddling down the lane being ushered along by the zookeepers. I pretty much stayed at the zoo all day, heading back on the early evening bus.
Dinner that night was Asahikawa ramen. This is another first, trying ramen from this region. Every region has their own version of ramen. I went a popular ramen shop. This particular shop put burnt oil in their ramen. It was . . . interesting . . . I can't say I made a great choice with this shop, despite it being the most popular shop in the area.
My flight was in the evening, so I had time during the day to do something. I chose to go horse trekking. There was a ranch a few train stops away. I arranged for them to come pick me up at the station. When I got to the Asahikawa Station the first day, I saw a cute one-car train and was thinking to myself that I'd like to ride that. Well, I got the chance to ride it since the station I was going to was on the one-car train line. Kewl. The rancher spoke pretty good English. Turns out that he got his ranching know-how when he was living in Texas. He was surprised to get my booking in the dead of winter. He told me he doesn't get many tourists coming his way during that time of year, especially one who didn't need riding lessons. He did have a family who came for a riding experience where their kids were lead around the paddock. I went on an hour-long horse trekking tour. The horse knew the drill, so all I had to do was sit in the saddle and not fall off. It was fun, tho. The ranch owner dropped me off at the station to start my trip back home. I stopped by the hotel to pick up my bags, then hopped on the bus to head for the airport.
The flight back was uneventful. I had a good time traveling solo for the first time on a domestic trip. This trip kicked off my interest in domestic travel (domestic meaning Japan since I live here).
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