Oh The Things You Can Buy

On the way back from our weekend excursion to Sesoko Island, we stopped at one of the rest stops between Nago and Naha.

In addition to ice cream, hot dogs, candy, and chips, we found the most interesting things to buy...

US rest stops have nachos topped with velveeta. Okinawan ones have fried gutted fish... can you ever imagine a 10 year American kid asking for this?

How about some dragon fruit?

Now this is what I'm talking about. Hey mom, I want a pet beetle! But you promised...

What interesting things have you seen at rest stops?

Did you ever take cross country road trips with your family? My family had crazy adventures all over the States. Read about my road trip adventures here.

Superhero Powers

Here's a question for you:

Sitting on a crowded plane about to embark, have you ever fantasized about snapping your fingers and instantly arriving at your destination?

What would it be like to have travel superpowers? Check out my latest post on my travel blog...

Only Boring People...

Over the weekend, we had a serious case of island fever.

Okinawa is so small that it's sometimes easy to feel that we've already exhausted all the possibilities.

Aquarium? Done.

Kokusai Street? Oh, so many times.

Zipline? Checked off.

Even lesser known excursions, we've done them all.

Whenever I start feeling antsy, I remember the saying, "Only boring people say they're bored."

It always whips me into shape.

We can't expect life to deliver new experiences; we have to create them.

So, Sean and I headed out on a little road trip to see what we could uncover ...

We went north and decided to finally drive across the bridge to Sesoko Island. We've been up here before and just never bothered. How many times have you passed a new path, wondered where it led, but never took it?

We found a lovely beach with beautiful water. Seriously, how can a person ever feel bored in a place like this?

Look at this water. I love seeing the gradient of colors...

I'm the kind of traveler who sees a long line of people waiting for something, and I step in line too just to see what the fuss is about. Driving around Sesoko, we noticed a congregation of cars and that was enough for us to park and walk. We followed the shaded path into the most peaceful garden cafe

Cafe Fuu was such a relaxing oasis. We ordered a watermelon shake, made with local fruit, and a caramel chiffon cake.

The cafe dog aptly named "Cheese" (for the delicious pizzas they serve), when he wasn't resting in the dog house, made his way from person to person lapping up attention.

Stayed tuned for part 2: Okinawan Rest Stops. If you thought some rest stops in the States were strange, check back to see the fun things you can buy at an Okinawan one.

Directions to Sesoko Island: Head north on the 58 or the expressway, and you'll see signs for Sesoko once you get to Nago. Follow the signs and drive across the bridge. The beach is to the right side just under the bridge. You'll have to drive straight and then follow the road around to the right to get to the beach. The island is tiny, so don't worry about getting lost. There is an admission charge. You will also see signs for Cafe Fuu once you drive onto Sesoko.

What Do You Know About Sushi?

Growing up in the deep South, I detested fish.

I think it's because I never really had good fish there. Most of it was deep fat fried, frozen fish sticks, and the occasional McDonalds fish fillet sandwich.

In fact, I never attempted to eat sushi until I was 28 and living in San Diego. I fully expected to abhor it. I reasoned that if I couldn't stomach cooked fish, why would raw fish be any better?

I was so wrong, and I actually love sushi and sashimi now.

But given my late introduction to it, I didn't know much about how to eat it properly. Now that we're two years in Japan, I've gotten lots of schooling from friends.

What's your sushi awareness? Head over to my other blog, and read my latest post about how to eat sushi. You might be surprised by some of the rules...

How Not to Hike in Okinawa

We're under the 1 year mark of our time left on Okinawa, and we resolved to get the most out of our time on this tiny island as we can.

That's why we decided to go hiking over the weekend. Fresh air, ocean views, and jungle atmosphere. We randomly chose a trail without too much thinking (always a good idea), and set off.

Our intentions were in the right place, but we soon realized we were less than prepared for hiking in dense jungle. We were wearing flimsy shoes, the kind you might go rafting in. In my black cat coffee tumbler, we had about 3/4 cup of water. And somehow we forgot to take our cell phones.

We have inadequate water, footwear, and orientation, but look, I'm wearing my chandelier earrings!

Due to recent rains, the trail was really muddy, so there was a lot of squishing and sloshing around. I slipped a few times, but didn't fall in the mud. We also had to grab onto bamboo poles to hoist ourselves up over tricky areas.

The path was also quite overgrown and there were interesting things to look at like the purple UFO looking mushrooms growing on the sides of trees (no picture, sorry) and yellow and black striped spiders, butterflies, and praying mantis.

Also, we each separately contemplated the chance of seeing a habu snake too, local to this island and very poisonous. However, neither of us brought up the subject of snakes to the other, hoping to keep the outing calm and panic free.

There was a point that we thought about turning around, unsure if we were heading towards anything worthwhile.

But we finally came upon this lookout point.

... where we had to take a series of photos gazing out, being goofy, and pretending to jump...

Oh yes, bug bite counts. Me: I counted 35. Sean: none. What is up with that?

We chose the trail from a hiking list compiled by the Schilling Community Center. If you live in Okinawa, check out the list here.

A Little Touch of Bollywood in Okinawa...

Ever since I saw "Monsoon Wedding" years ago, I've been a fan of Bollywood films.

So, imagine my excitement when I heard that a Bollywood themed restaurant actually opened in Okinawa. Of course, we had to check it out over the weekend. The interior decor is funky, purple and black. There are pictures of famous Indian performers on the walls. Finally, there was a large flatscreen showing dance numbers from popular Bollywood movies.

The food was good too. It looks like we ordered 4 of the exact same curry, but in fact we have chicken tikka masala, dal, mutton, and keema curries.

We took photos of ourselves doing our best Bollywood dance moves, but I'll only show you this one, which is my reflection in the gleaming silver mirror top table.

Bollywood Dreams is located within building A of the brand new entertainment complex Depot Island near American Village. The lunch sets including 2 curries, naan, salad, and iced chai cost about 1,100 yen (~$11 US)

When the Husband is Away

Sean is working hard on a project abroad, and I have quite a bit of free time to myself these days.

How have I been spending it? Well, let's see...

1)A chocolate cupcake binge (going on day 4 now)

2) Watching "Last Days of Hitler" programs on the History Channel

3) Making these videos...

Check it out here. You'll become addicted too...

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

I was tempted to create a video for Lord of the Dance, but that one verges dangerously close to the truth of the spontaneous dance breakout sessions we have some nights.