Island Hopping (by car)

We spent Saturday exploring a few of the outer islands on the Pacific side of Okinawa that are accessible by car (bridges). We were able to drive to Hamihiga Island, Henza Island, Miyagi Island and Ikei Island.



The weather was great and the boys enjoyed walking around on the various beaches.



These pictures are from a small fishing port on Hamihiga Island.

The hermit crabs were Grant's favorite.

The pictures below are of a secluded beach we found on Hamihiga Island. We had fun looking for shells and throughing rocks into the water.

The next few pictures are from Ieki Island. The water was very clear and we saw several fish with amazing colors from up on the rocks.

We ate lunch at a cafe attached to a sea salt factory that we stumbled upon on Miyagi Island. The food was great and the view from the outdoor seating was amazing.

Here is a picture of our new car, a Honda Stream.

We drove through several farming areas. Below we were able to see some people harvesting sugar can by hand.




Duane and Grant also went and got their hair cut together at the on-base barber shop.

Iwakuni

Duane spent the week up at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni helping out the branch dental clinic. They don't have any specialists stationed at that base so when patients need specialty care they have to wait until the specialist comes to them. The weather was different from Okinawa. It was snowing when he arrived.

He flew up on a small jet that seated 7, but there were only 3 people on the flight along with 2 pilots. The flight took a little over 2 hours. The base is right on the water and is surrounded by mountains. Very beautiful, but the weather was chilly.

The days were busy and long at the clinic because they had several patients that needed to be seen. At night he was able to get off base to eat dinner.

The clinic director took him out to dinner one night at the "Chicken Shack." It was a really neat restaurant that was up in the mountains. They had amazing chicken that they grilled on big outdoor fire pits.

Another night everyone in the clinic went out to dinner at a "sushi-go-round." Duane was daring and tried a few unusual things: pureed crab livers and pancreas. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. The green tea ice cream was very strong.

He came home Friday night and was happy to get back to warm weather.

Okinawa World

We went to Okinawa World this past Thursday when Duane had the day off from work. It was cloudy and rainy, but it was still fun. It is located on the southern point of the island. It has several attractions.

They make Habu Sake in one building. This is touted as being the Okinawan Viagra. It is sake that is made along with the venomous habu snake that is found naturally here on the island. They offer free samples. It didn't taste as bad as it sounds.

There is also a 1200 meter cave that you can walk through. Alot of the pictures didn't turn out very well due to the dim lighting but here is one of the better one's we were able to get.

They have a snake building that was probably Grant's favorite. We were able to see alot of live snakes and reptiles. We got to take a picture with a large python. Grant got to feed a mongoose, which is a predator of the habu snake.

Grant thought the the gecko cage was cool because he was able to play with the lizards for about 10 minutes.

There was also an area that you could hold a few snakes. Will thought it would be a good idea to take a bite out of this one. Sandy wasn't thrilled and the snake holding was quickly stopped.

Grant didn't try to bite the snake but he did think it was fun to hold the snake.

We spent most of the day wandering through the complex. lots to see and do.

Had to finally post a pic of the traditional Japanese toilets. Yes these are basically holes in the ground. An adventure is around every corner, even in the bathroom. Well, just use your imagination!

Finally, here is a pic of the sunset this week along the seawall when we went for a walk. The weather has gotten cooler, but nothing like back home.