I went to Okinawa!!! I
met a couple friends from training and we got a triple occupancy hotel
room. Big comfy beds, clean
sheets, clean shower, balcony I could actually use, great view, air
conditioning. It was great!
It
was also fucking HOT and humid! I
got off the plane and had to wait a little while for my friends and I had to
wash my face and re-apply my makeup b/c my face had melted off. I also discovered that there are
A&W’s aplenty in Okinawa and they have THE BEST FRIES IN JAPAN!!! I was in
heaven. These are not the same
fries back home. I happily waited
for my friends amidst potatoes and ketchup :)
When
they did show up, we took a short taxi to our hotel and set up camp. It was nice and spacious and very
comfy. Then we planned our
trip. In the lobby was the usual
help desk for tourists and we were able to book a tour for the next day. It included the Churaumi Aquarium which
EVERYONE recommends. It also took
us to a butterfly observatory, pineapple park, and glass-blowing house. We started pretty early and spent a
couple hours listening to an audio-guide about various Okinawa places and
picking up people from different hotels. Finally, we got to the butterfly place, had a small lunch of
udon noodles, and saw the sights.
It was really pretty and very tropical. The overcast, rainy season made it feel especially tropical
– especially when your clothes stick to you and you feel like you’re inhaling a
bucket of water every time you breathe.
Anyway,
the butterflies were pretty and we got come great pics. My friend was also freaked out by them,
which was pretty funny. He
high-tailed it outta the butterfly house quicktime! :)
On
to the aquarium. It was nice, big,
had a dolphin show, HUGE tank with 3 whale sharks, stingrays, various fish,
etc. Really it was like any other
aquarium and I actually prefer the Yokohama Sea Paradise Aquarium better. BUT this one was cool for a special
reason. You can go to the top
level and look down on the ginormous tank. It was very Deep Blue Sea (great movie, Samuel L. Jackson,
sharks getting smarter. Watch it –
it’s on TBS every weekend). When I
got there one of the whale sharks was right under the surface of the water and
you could see it so clearly. They
also have the plexiglass floor to stand on. Freaked me out and I had to work up to it but it was great
and so cool! Then we spent hours
buying souvenirs and were late for the tour bus… :)
Then
on to the Pineapple Park!!! This was the highlight of my trip!!!!! The park offers a pineapple cart ride
so we had to take it. It’s this
cute, yellow cart with a big pineapple on the top. It’s automatic and had an English voiceover explaining the place. The cart moved and we went through this
very lush and tropical area with flowers, pineapples, and greenery. It was very Jurassic Park! No lie! Try it!
And
the pineapples!!! I had no idea they grew from the ground with little sticks in
the bottom. And they are sooo
tiny. Just perfect mini pineapples
no bigger than your thumb along our entire route. Toooo cute! Eep! They actually sell the little
pineapples at the airport as souvenirs.
They last about 2 weeks and you can’t eat them.
Then
we got to eat fresh cut pineapple samples, try pineapple wine (yum), a
pineapple/lime drink (YUM!), and try several pineapple cakes. It was great. I ended with soft-serve pineapple and mango ice cream.
Then
on to the glass-blowing house.
They had a demo for us as we got there and it was amazing. I love glass blowing and this took me
over the top. This guy came with a
blob of glass and started rolling and pulling with pliers. We were trying to guess what he was
making b/c we really couldn’t tell.
He works so fast and seemed very arbitrary. Then all of a sudden – BAM – it’s a fucking horse!!!
Complete with mane, hooves, and teeth.
Seriously? We were all flabbergasted. Then he took a piece of paper and
touched it to the horse and – POOF – up in flames. That thing was still crazy hot. And then we bought souvenirs :)
The
next day we went to the pool and did some shopping in Kokusai-Dori. It’s the international area but really
I didn’t like it. The clothes were
very outdated – even the high-end stores.
Everyone in Okinawa is more laidback and don’t worry so much about
appearance (not like Tokyo). But
it was nice to walk around. I was
super-hungry so I bought a hamburger from McDonald’s and they are a little
different. The meat patty is
REALLY flat. It fit the bun
circumference perfectly. Strange…
And we had a great steak dinner.
It was a heavily nautical-themed restaurant. Everyone had cute uniforms and the décor was dark wood with
lots of “boating” stuffs. And they
cooked the dinner in front of us.
We ordered cool drinks and got to keep the cups. I got Shishe (sp) – the guard dog, I
think. I love him. Our chef was nice and kept us
entertained. He tried this neat
little trick to flip the meat and pepper shakers and stuff. It would have been so great if he
hadn’t failed… hahaha! Anyway, we
ate waaaayyyyy too much, had a great time, and had to take a cab home b/c we
were all waddling and couldn’t walk anymore. Good times.
My
final day I spent in the airport.
My friends’ flight was earlier and I decided to go to the airport with
them b/c I didn’t want to go back shopping anywhere in case I missed my flight. Big mistake. I had A&W and bought sooo many things. Souvenirs mostly but still. Stuff I did NOT need. I could barely carry them.
All-in-all
it was a great time and I love spending time with those guys. I’m so happy I went. I definitely wanna go back when it’s it
not rainy season to enjoy the beaches and explore some more. Someday…
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