We started our vacation by taking Haru to my friend Rita's house. She and her kids agreed to watch our dog so we wouldn't have to put her in a kennel. Plus since their dog is stuck in the states for another month they were needing a puppy fix. Haru had played with Rita's kids before so she was completely comfortable hanging out there.
The next morning we got up and moving right away. We decided to take the Okinawa Expressway to Okuma after hearing so many people say the highway took forever to get there. It was amazing (you are going to hear that word alot!) to go from crowded buildings to open jungle so quickly. Naha and central Okinawa is so full of people, cars and busineses that there is no open space, but once we got a little away from the base there was nothing by jungle!
The expressway ended once we got to the town of Nago and we picked up Highway 58. I love driving this highway on the northern end. It runs right up the coastline so close to the water and the views are incrdible. We stopped at a Family Mart store to pick up a few snacks. Lyle and I shared one of the MANY varieties of cold coffee offered here, Blendy (YUM). We also tried out some new snacks. One was a banana shaped twinkie like bar, except instead of cream filling it was filled with a thick banana flavored paste. And in keeping with the healthy japanese snacking, very little, if any, sugar. We also tried a pancake rolled like a crepe filled with honey, some cookies and some snack cracker balls. I understand now what my brother Rick was talking about when he said strange aftertaste. The fishy ones were Nasty!We got to Okuma at about 11 am. Unfortunately our room wasn't going to be ready until after Noon. we all got back into the car and headed for one of the other sites I wanted to see, Hedo Point.
Hedo point is the Northernmost point on Okinawa. The view were breathtaking from the cliffs edge looking over the ocean. Both Chris and Stephanie found it necessary to go as close to the edge as possible. I had to walk away! After taking a bunch of pictures we went to the snack stand for a little ice cream lunch. We decided to try taking a road that was marked "scenic view" before heading back to Okuma.
I was driving but had to stop when the "road" became no wider than a bike path down the side of the mountain. I backed up to the parking area we had just passed. Turns out this was the scenic view:
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We got the picture so time to head back. My vote was to turn around and go back the way we came (it seemed safer), but Lyle was certain, after seeing the view, the "road" came out right where we wanted to be. So he drove, I rode white-knuckled, the kids laughed hysterically. At one point the road appeared to drop straight down, they thought it was funny when I screamed.
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Fortunately Lyle was right and the path turned right onto the highway to Okuma. I had had enough exploring so we went back to get our room.
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Our suite consisted of a living room with 2 pull out couches, a bathroom and a bedroom with 2 queen beds. Plenty of room for us all to spread out. We unpacked, changed and headed for the beach. We spent a couple hours on the water then hired a boat for a banana boat ride.
A Banana boat is a large inflatable raft. Riders sit two wide on tubes and hold onto a rope handle. The driver tows the raft behind a speed boat. His job is to make us all fall off!. Chris bounced out 6 times, Stephanie only 4. They claim they did it on purpose. Lyle and I stayed on the whole time! By then we were all pretty hungry and tired so we went back to the room, changed and went to the dining room. This resorts food and service are incredible. We all ate WAY too much, so Lyle and I headed out for a walk while the kids watched a movie. We were all in bed asleep by 9:30! Tune in later for a recap of Day Two
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