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.

Nepal Spice Kitchen - Curry Shack on the Beach

We found a new resturant that we can walk to from our apartment. The whole walk is along the seawall so the views of the ocean are amazing. The resturant has 4 tables, a stove and a sink. The food is different everytime so we are guessing they do not use recipies. We like the curry and the nan (flat bread that we can watch them make).

Here is a picture of how Grant gets to the resturant. We think it is a 3 mile round trip which is quite the bike ride for a 3 year old. He loves it and is very good at riding the whole way. The resturant is near pirate ship park so we make it a date for the whole family.

This is how Will gets there. Since they do not have high chairs, Will sits in our lap. He likes to grab whatever is on the table and put it in his mouth. He is getting tastes of curry, rice, bread...he is a wiggly little boy. He is also a very happy little boy so he always grabs our food with a smile on his face.

Merry Christmas

Our first Christmas in Okinawa has come and gone. It didn't feel quite the same without the cold and snow that we have come accustomed to in Minnesota. We will have to settle for sand instead of snow!

We had to go with a small artificial tree this year. Santa still was able to load us up with presents though, along with a lot of gifts from our families back in the states. Duane's brother decided to give us a 5:30 am wake up call, so we started the day early. Grant was so excited to see all of the presents.

We had brunch at our apartment with a few friends. It made it feel more like Christmas to gather together and enjoy food and fun.

Santa sure did a good job filling up the stockings. Grant and Will love their new "Cars" pajamas that they got from Grandpa and Grandma.

Grant and Will have been playing with their new toys. Will really enjoys his new rocking toy with sounds and lights. Grant has to ride it sometimes with him.

Most of the Japanese people are now wearing hats, mittens and jackets. Grant still doesn't mind stripping down to his diaper and swimming. We do get a few weird looks, but if they only knew how cold it was back home they would understand that this weather is perfect for us.

Nakagusuku Castle

Sunday was beautiful and sunny when we went to the Nakagusuku Castle ruins. This is one of the best preserved, in its original state, castle ruins in Okinawa. It is located 160 meters above sea level with steep stone cliffs that offer a natural landscape for a castle site. From the castle ruins you can see panoramic views of both the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea which were amazing.

The castle was built in the late 1300's and was completed in 1440, at which time the lord of Zakini-jo, Gosamaru, moved his residence to this castle. The walls are built of hand carved limestone.

There was a Japanese ceremony being performed with dancers and drummers while we were there. It was very cool to be able to walk through the ruins while listening to their traditional music.

The views from the ruins are amazing. You can see several islands off in the distance along with some very traditional Japanese temples along the hillsides.

We've still been exploring several parks on the island. They have large "roller-slide" parks that Grant loves. Mom and Dad went down this one a few times with Grant, but couldn't keep up with his pace and decided to watch him go down from the top and bottom. You can see Grant climbing the hill instead of using the stairs like the other kids.

You can see Grant's head peeking over the edge of the blue slide if you click on this picture and enlarge it.