Port Visit

We finally got to pull into port a few days ago on the 16th. It was such a relief to be on land again; we hadn't got off the boat since we left on the 27th of November last year. We ported in Naha, Okinawa, where we were able to get a few supplies, walk around and explore the area for 2 days, and just get away from the boat. It was so great -- I didn't realize how much I missed being able to have some freedom until we stepped down the gangway.

The sunrise was beautiful over the harbor as we entered. Physically & metaphorically, it was the best I've seen.

Our first day in port consisted of going to the NEX and restocking up on essentials. While we were waiting for the bus to take us from Camp Kinser to Camp Foster, we walked along the shore which was littered with trash. Someone had even discarded an old television. Is this a sign of the future?

That evening, we ate dinner in a restaurant that is literally in a tree. Fake as it may be, it was still quite an experience to be perched up over the harbor while eating dinner. The food was not so hot, though. There wasn't much appetizing to choose from: things like raw cod liver, bowels of something, chicken cartilidge, and pig ears just didn't spark my interest. I'm not exaggerating, either -- it was like a menu at a feed store. Anyway, after this, Amanda and I walked down to Kokusai Dori Street, which is Naha's version of Bourbon St. The gaudy neon lights made it seem like a full-on casino. This went on for miles, and we walked most of it that night, stopping in shops and taking pictures of the most interesting attractions.

Something unique to Okinawans, (and perhaps all Japanese, I don't know for sure), is 'habu sake.' It is made with the venom of snakes, and as you can see here, they pickle the entire snake in the jar. The effects are said to be much like absinthe, and one shot can knock you off of your feet. I think the price alone is enough to knock you down -- yen to dollar right now, just move the decimal over 2 places...These bottles are ranging from $400 to $600...and we saw some up to $800!

The gal I was shopping around with is Amanda, who is my roomate out here. We've become friends during the trip; she's turned out to be an exceptionally kind person, and a great roomate.

The next day, we decided that we would walk to nearby Camp Kinser where the closest phones were so that we could call home. We didn't think it would take very long, as it had only seemed like a few minutes ride by car the previous day. Two hours later...we finally got there, sweating from the muggy weather outside. We spent another couple of hours in the open foodcourt, calling people to see how things were going back home.

My grandfather is doing better in some respects, worse in others. It was really great to finally get to speak to my family without constantly worrying about the conversation dropping over the tenuous satellite connection. He actually recognized who I was, and we had a pretty good conversation, which was a relief from the previous developments to his health. I'm anxious to get back to the States so that I can have a reliable means of communicating with him.

After our phone calls, we gave in and called a taxi to take us to Shuri Castle, which was the Ryukyu Kingdom's central place. This was the ruling class from all the way back in the 1400's up until the late 1800's. The castle was impressive, and the workers were busy creating wooden and straw figures which lined the walls leading to the gates. These figures were adorned with flowers of various types and colors, giving them life.

We also witnessed a traditional Japanese fan dance, which was given outside of the courtyard entrance of the castle. Two women would enter the stage and perform a synchronous dance. We later spoke to one of the castle workers who helps to coordinate the dances, and she insisted on us telling everyone we knew to come visit the castle and to come see the dances. So if you're ever in the neighborhood, make sure you stop by.

Here is where the king would sit & look out to his people.

Here's a model photo of how the courtyard would have looked during a gathering.

After touring the castle grounds and surrounding areas, we walked around the park for a little bit, goofing off.

Later, I pulled the map out from my backpack and we began to walk in the general direction of where we thought the monorail was located. We must have looked lost because a woman approached us outside of a minimart and asked where we were trying to go. Her English was slightly broken, but she was fairly easy to understand. She proceeded to give us detailed directions on how to make it to two separate stations, depending on our final destination. Once she felt like we understood, she departed in the opposite direction across the street. As I was waiting for Amanda to use the bathroom, this same woman walks back across the street, grabs my arm, and says, "I will take you there so you do not get lost." We tried to protest her generosity, but she wouldn't hear it. She entered the store before we left and spoke with the worker, who followed her outside with two extra umbrellas, presumably for us. She ended up walking us all the way up the stairs into the station, which was about 3/4 of a mile away, telling us about her town and her people all the way. Once inside, she made sure we knew which stop to get off on. She even showed us exactly how much it would cost and tried to give us the umbrellas so that we would stay dry. Before she departed, she made us promise that if we were to get lost again, we would ask any Okinawan for directions because she said they were good people. We said goodbye to Naomi and boarded the monorail headed for Kokusai Dori, where we planned to have dinner. Once we got off, we headed to the main street, but we weren't sure whether to take a left or a right. Once again, we were approached by another Okinawan lady who asked where we were trying to go. She pointed us in the right direction, and then waited there on the corner while she watched us cross 2 crosswalks to make sure we had gone the right way. She missed her light because of this. I was impressed by the Okinawans we met.

We wound up our day by having dinner at a Japanese restaurant that required us to remove our shoes and sit on the floor on cushions. We were given a table option, but when in Japan...So I ordered a salad, which I have a habit of doing when I don't know what's on the menu other than by the pictures. I didn't know seaweed was salty. If I wanted that, I'd go down to the beach and just open my mouth underwater. It was ok, but I was really wanting some sushi. I swear, the last night in port I'm going to make it to a nice sushi joint.

That was it for our port visit. Now we're back out.