Apparently, the villaĀ from the film Under the Tuscan Sun is available as a vacation rental. At only 1,828-3,142 euros per night, I’d say it’s a total bargain š
Okay, so maybe I’d need to round up a fairly large posse of pals to go in on it with me. But seriously, look at this place. To die for!
Nikki & Chuck were off to celebrate their 4-year anniversary in China.
Alas, Typhoon Vongfong, the “largest storm on Earth in 2014” had other ideas (the blue dot is Okinawa.)
It’s a good thing it’s so fascinating to track, because it gives me something to do at home when I should be at the Great Wall of China right now. Currently, it’s a hypothetical “Category 6” super typhoon, with a cloud span that would cover the entire United States. It is comparable in size and power to the typhoon that struck the Philippines last year. Good thing Okinawa is much better equipped to handle such a storm!
Honestly, I am amazed we still have power. Of course that could change at any moment, as the storm creeps closer…
It should peak in another 6-9 hours. While I am disappointed our trip to China is kaput (for now), it is quite cozy to be hunkered down in my concrete bunker with Chuck, my kitty cats, and my ridiculous new Hello Kitty slippers.
Seriously… I don’t even like Hello Kitty!
So many mini-adventures in the month of September! Since it’s been a while since I last blogged, I’m going to give an abbreviated version of the month’s highlights. Then at least I can be all caught up and start afresh when I leave for CHINA at the end of next week š
1. Miyagi Island & the “Hidden Beach”
I had heard a lot about this little spotĀ about 20 minutes and a bridge away from where we live. For me, it fell short of expectations. Granted it was low tide, but the large-pebbled sand was unusually harsh on our feet and the water was mostly seaweed and murk. It’s too bad we don’t have our snorkel gear and special ocean shoes yet, because that’s what I hear Miyagi is truly known for. Still, it was by no means a wasted trip. There were some lovely views, interesting rock formations, and the ride down was an adventure in and of itself.
2. Southeast Botanical Gardens
Not a very exciting name – and nothing of particular note to share about it – but a pretty place, nonetheless. The gardens are expansive and lush. Chuck kept commenting how he felt like he was in Jurassic Park! Highlights included feeding the capybara, giggling withĀ the spider monkeys, and having zen moments in the lotus garden š The giant spiders lurking at random corners though… not so much!
3. Okinawa World
Okinawa World is one of those places that’s mostly gimmicky cultural theme park, but with some really cool surprises – like canoodling with the “lucky” white python above. We hung out with pythons, habus, and boas, and lived to tell the tale. I even tried habu sake, albeit inadvertently (I thought it was some fruity plum wine!) Chuck tried the much safer sugar cane juice. We also toured the 300,000+ year-old Gyokusendo Caves, which were truly awe-inspiring. The low point was touring the “zoo” of sorts, especially when I saw the mongoose. Poor guy was going nuts in captivity.
4. Ziplining at Forest Adventure Park
I don’t think much needs to be said, except that I faced my fear of heights with admirable gusto (if you ask me.) Just watch the video…
5. CATS – as always š
New babies at Uken Beach means both joy and sadness for this girl. I’m pleased to say that more have survived this month that I originally thought, though a couple are missing… I like to think there are more survivors than usualĀ because of my high-protein visits!
And then there’s my own precious little fur babies, loving each other hard – as you can see in this pic. They are endlessly entertaining. So far, there hasn’t been any blood. I think they both secretly love it!
The Huffington Post is launching a series showcasing wisdom from around the world — traditions, daily rituals, philosophies, and lessons of history particular to each country — featuring a post each day, translated into English, from one of itsĀ international editors. I loved the first in the series, onĀ how the French can inspire us to love life. For instance:
“In 2010, the French gastronomic meal was added to UNESCOās Intangible Cultural Heritage list, which honors cultural traditions.”
I can totally believe it!!
“In 1982, Franceās Culture ministry had the crazy, brilliant idea to tell everyone in the country to go out, play music and dance for one night. Happening every first night of summer, the āFĆŖte de la Musiqueā is now one of the greatest nights of the year.”
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Food, music, and dancing. The French really do have it right. Read about the other 4Ā cultural and philosophical tidbitsĀ here!
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Check out my friend’s new blog about her experiences as a marine biologist, fitness instructor, surfer, and world traveler! You won’t regret it š
āThe joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.ā ā C. McCandless
This past weekend, I met Chuck in Manila for a few days of exploration. It’s a strangeĀ city full of contradictions, without as much to offer as many other cities in the region, but it was fun to visit. I wouldn’t recommend anyone go out of their way to see it necessarily, but I’m glad we went since we are more or less in the area. I didn’t bring the fancy camera (woops), so all my pics are iPhone shots, but you should get an idea of what it was like. š
First off, I was really surprised that English was the default/primary language over there. While I was waiting at airports, I did all this research on some basic Tagalog phrases, and ended up using zero. All the signage, food menus, and advertising areĀ in English. The live band we saw sang in English, too. I know the Philippines has a long history of occupation from European/American forces, but I think I was surprised because no one really speaks English on Okinawa, so I expected the native languages would be more prominent elsewhere, too. I’m not complaining, since it made for a much easier experience in many ways.
Anyway! I spent my firstĀ full day in Manila being a pampered poodle, since Chuck was still working. I relaxed poolside in the morning, then treated myself to a massage at the gorgeous, Thai-themed Devarana Spa. After lunching with Chuck, I ventured on my own for someĀ truly high risk shopping.
In my defense, Chuck has done nothing but brag about the amazing shopping in Manila (specifically the uber-trendy Makati District), AND the Jimmy Choo’s were on sale. Still… I am mildly ashamed of this embarrassing display of conspicuous consumption.
Saturday was devoted to historical and cultural exploration. We focused on Intramuros, the oldest district and historic core of Manila. It was mostly destroyed during World War II, and hasn’t fully recovered since.Ā BecauseĀ the Philippines was a colony for so long, the architecture and ambiance is very old Spanish and Roman Catholic. We visited Fort Santiago (the old citadel), walked in the footsteps of Filipino national hero Jose Rizal, and explored the rather morose San Augustin Church.Ā We saw a lot, learned a lot, and sweated aĀ wholeĀ lot, and we had a great time doing it (hover and click on an image to view caption.)
Our evenings, in contrast, were spent indulging our love of food, cocktails, and socializing. Both nights we walked to Makati and enjoyed a Thai meal the first night, and a Filipino mealĀ the second. We sampled tinapa rolls, baked tahong with cheese, sisig, duck basil fried rice, garlic chicken, and I even tried coconut milk, straight out of the nut! Both meals wereĀ great, but ultimately not that memorable. I’m not sure if that means we aren’t particularly Filipino/Thai food people, or if we just didn’t get the best samplesĀ of it…
One evening, we stayed for live entertainment at a bar called NUVO, where the band sang mostly American and Western songs and we were served colorful marshmallows as a free bar snack (rather than peanuts!) I thought that was adorable.
The most striking thing about Manila, however, is the incredible wealth disparity on constant display. Most cities have their rich sections and their poor sections, but in Manila, both are jumbled all together in a rather disarming way. I took the following picture from a perch in Intramuros. You can see the high rises and nice apartment buildings – looks like your standard city!
I glided my iPhone lens mere inches to the left, and snapped a shot of the shacks in the very same neighborhood, and then captured another shot of the street nearby in touristy Intramuros:
Of course, as some of the only white/American individuals in Intramuros that day, we wereĀ easy targets for the beggars and panhandlers. We do have that in the U.S. as well, but it felt different ignoring and walking away from those in Manila. It’s a unique brand of poverty all its own, and very sad indeed.
In sum… Manila is both beautiful and dirty, rich and poor, trendy and traditional, all at the same time. Compared to other places I have visited in my life, it certainly provided a different window into the world around us.
One of my goodĀ friends from the U.S. is half Japanese. Much of her family still resides in Japan, so she had long planned to spend a couple of weeks this May and June visiting the country.Ā Luckily, I was able to meet her and her husband for a weekend in Osaka. It was off to a great start when I realized that my airplane was pink:
Peach Airlines, you’re adorable
We spent Friday night and Saturday mostly in theĀ Shinsaibashi district. It is very much as you would imagine a large Asian city – lots of bright colors, large signs, trendy indoor shops, and gaudy figures. We ate a lot ofĀ yakitoriĀ (fried meat on skewers) and I even tried chicken heart (off someone else’s plate, of course… I am not brave enough to order that on my own!) Honestly, it wasn’t half bad. The one food that I did not try and should have was the Osakan specialtyĀ takoyaki, which is basically a round, fried octopus fritter. Yum? Anyway, I do apologize for the lack of food porn photos!
Saturday evening we visited Osaka Castle, which was one of my favorite attractions. It played a major role in the unification of Japan in the 16th century. During World War II, the arsenal became one of the largest military armories, employing 60,000 workers. Bombing raids targeting the arsenal damaged the main castle tower and killed 382 people. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to go in, but I found it to be strikingly beautiful. I also loved that the grounds were populated with fat lazyĀ cats š
Following our excursion to the Castle, Alisa and I enjoyed a night out with some of her friends. We enjoyed peach shisha, mojitos, and mostly American music (which I found interesting)Ā at a Shinsaibashi loungeĀ known to be a social hub for the international community. Many nationalities were represented there, though I was certainly the only white American girl in the building!
The next day was logistically interesting, but quiteĀ memorable. We rode the train for an hour before arriving in picturesque, ancient Nara, the land of temples, shrines, and Bambi’s. There were deer everywhereĀ –Ā in parks, on temple grounds, in busy shopping areas – just waiting to be fed with a pack of biscuits you could purchase for less than 200 yen. As an avid animal lover, I was completely delighted by this.
Then of course, there were the temples. We only had time for two, but I feel like they were the main two. First we visited Kofuku-ji Temple, established in 669 by a wife wishing for her husband’s recovery from illness. It was an important center for Buddhism and retained influence over the imperial government, even by “aggressive means” in some cases. Ā The second was Todaiji Temple, which is dated back to 729 and serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism. It currently houses the world’s largest bronze statue of Buddha.
It was sweltering outside, and since we had checked out of the hotel already, we had to tote all of our belongings with us, but the sites (and the deer!) were completely worth it. All in all, a wonderful weekend in Osaka!
Not everything about this past weekend was depressing. During the “up” times, Chuck and IĀ ventured out twice to explore some local Okinawan attractions. The first was Fukushuen Gardens in Naha, which is actually a Chinese-style garden establishedĀ to honor the relationship between China and the Ryukyu Islands (of which Okinawa is a part.) The relationship goes back over 600 years, and as I have noted in previous posts, there is quite a bit of Chinese influence here.Ā 
The gardens were lovely and expansive, even if the water was rather sickly green. I particularly enjoyed the large waterfall, the numerous turtles and fish, and the gazebo-like structures scattered about for relaxation and shade. Of course, there could always be more flowers! I told Chuck that when we are older and richer we can have a garden like that… so long as we get a professional landscaper to do all the work, since I have a brown thumb! š
The second trip took us to nearby Katsuren Castle, which is only 25 minutes from where we live. In fact, we could see our Tower from the top of the Castle! Now, when I say castle, I actually mean ruins. There isn’t much to the place, but it makes for a fun excursion nonetheless. It dates back to the 15th-century, when a lord named Amawari reveled in its golden era. It is perched on a magnificent hill with a simply stunning view of the ocean and the village below.
Side note: it’s really interestingĀ to see how the Japanese manage their tourist attractions. There were quite a fewĀ occasions where I thought to myself, “This would NEVER fly in the U.S.!” Case in point, the fact that there is no railing on the top of the castle (note the lower left corner photo of me standing on the ledge in the above collage.) There were a number of high-risk areas in the Fukushuen Gardens, as well – gaps in walkways over water, slippery stones, etc. Not that I mind.Ā I actually really like that there is no added hindrance to the beauty of the sites. But in my American mind, I could only think of the lawsuits that could come out of places like these. The accidents! The children! Oy vey.
Anyway, here are some more shots of Katsuren Castle and its surroundings.Ā I kinda want to go back for a romantic late-night picnic someday. It was completely unsupervised š
Nestled in the more sparsely populated Yambaru area of Okinawa Honto is the beautifulĀ 26-meter Hiji Waterfall. Chuck and I woke up bright and early on Sunday morning and drove 1.5 hours northĀ to make the hike. The approximately 2-mile trailĀ incorporates steep climbs, wobbly suspension bridges, and sharp turns, and my calves are truly feeling it today, but who can complain when your ultimate destination is this stunning display of nature?
…Seriously. I felt like I was magically transported into South Pacific the musical,Ā frolicking inĀ Bali Ha’i with Cable and Liat. Such a lovely place to spend a lovely morning, and I am glad we did it before the extreme heat of summer arrives.
After working up a bit of a sweat, we made our way back to the car and drove a few minutes in the opposite direction to visit Okuma Beach. Any time I Google “Okinawa beaches”, Okuma is the one that truly dazzles me. Since we were in the area, we had to pay it a visit, even if it was a bit cloudy and chilly. It is a Japanese resort area in part, but we were surprised to see that the U.S. Air Force actually has command of a large chunk of it, as a “recreation facility.” Chuck and I are both not sure how we feel about the military spending money to run the place, and honestly, I had hoped for a more unadulterated, local beach, but none of this changed the fact that Okuma is absolutely beautiful and I will most certainly go again when the weather warms up. Even with the clouds and wind, it was just perfect – and the sun managed to peekĀ out once or twice!
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Last night, on the eve of our big 3-year adventure in Japan, a good friend gave us a beautifully written card:
“Chuck, when you proposed to Nikki – could either of you imagined how the next years would lead you to Japan? Surrounded by cherry blossoms, your decision that day led you down a path that could never be known to either of you in that moment.”
Ironically, last night was the 4-year anniversary of our engagement, which took place the midst of DCās Cherry Tree Festival (albeit in a quieter part of it!) Now, we are headed to the land that gave us those cherry trees, starting a new phase of our lives across the world.
We have had a fantastic time here during our break. We spent quality time with family, friends, and the city we call home. We celebrated our democracy with a private tour of the Capitol, honored our history with visits to the Air and Space, Natural History, and American History Museums, and just plain had fun by trying new restaurants and enjoying respective girlsā nights and guysā nights out and about town (with a side trip to New Orleans!)
Now, I am simultaneously excited, nervous, and a little bit sad as I prepare to fly to the Far East later this afternoon. I will miss everyone, and I am sure I will have moments of nostalgia, but Chuck and I both have a sense of adventure that will ensure we make the very most of our time in Japanā¦
“ā¦I hope the same thought applies to the time in your new home – letting things come one day at a time, knowing that the next adventure is right around the corner.
Actually, scratch that – youāre living the adventure today!ā
Wildflowers & Whimsy 