the secret side of the north

I mentioned that I didn't know how much of my Wheel of Death weekend was appropriate to show through photo documentary on the blog. Ive decided that the friendly marines wont mind getting a little fame! A bunch of us went out to a military bar up north a few weeks ago. Most of the mixed drinks had very, very dirty names. I shall not repeat them here, but if you are curious, write me an email. Below you see the absinthe (not illegal here) preparation process, and smiling happy people.



Then there was death by pool stick. Christina offered to perform the ritual killing (despite not even playing on the team opposite the victim). This just proves what a good friend Chrissy is. Always willing to lend a hand. No shirking from the dirty business.

Good times, good times.
There was the tossing about of Amy, who I like to call Lil Slick (as always... who can resist tossing a small person in the air?)



And finally, there were some nice marines who decided to give a good show on the stripper pole. Hey, you would be bored too if you were stuck up north without a car.


These fellows were actually quite talented. I don't think its as easy as it looks. Right, so if you want to see marines on stripper poles, drink absinthe or cocktails with filthy names, get a pool queue through the heart, give Slick a toss, or attempt the Wheel of Death, then head up north! Nature`s not all they've got to offer.

Hiji Falls

Since my online photo albums still aren't working, this post will be just photos from me and Sandi`s recent trip up north. These photos are all from Hiji Falls. In the first photo below, you can see Sandi walking along the rotten wooden bridge next to the Falls.

There is a suspension bridge across a ravine on the hike to hiji falls. That sounds really exciting, but its quite a safe suspension bridge. Not like Indiana Jones or anything. Its about 4 feet wide and sturdy. However, the entrance and exit to the bridge are marked by exciting looking giant red gateways (below), which made it almost as good as Indiana Jones.

The first photo below is the view from the suspension bridge of Yonbaru forest.


Here is a baby waterfall that we found along the way to Hiji falls. And the second pictures is here by accident; its not from the Falls, its from the Bashoufu weaving place.


Theres me at the end of our great journey. I am getting sprayed by the waterfall. Yay! The end.

my sister Sandi

Sorry I disappeared again. My sister Sandi is here visiting me! She rolled off the plane a sickly mess of snotty tissues and germs. But like the trooper she is, this didn't stop her. The next morning we packed our bag and drove up to the far northern reaches of my island (ok, its like a 2 hour drive, not really that far) for a few days of exploring.

The first thing we did in Kunigami was hike to Hiji Falls. This is the biggest waterfall on Okinawa island. Its about a 40 minute hike. You may run across the occasional large puddle that calls for graceful jumpage.

Below is a photo of us (we are far right, shrouded in mystery and shadow) in front of Hiji Falls. If you aren't in shape (me) the hike will really make your calves hurt the next day. Beware the many many stairs of wood (some with rotten parts falling out of the middle, loose boards, or big holes where some poor soul who had gone before clearly twisted their ankle).

We also drove to Hedo Point, the furthest northern point of Okinawa island. Its a bunch of cliffs and jagged rocks that reminded me of Inismore in Ireland. But not as cold. The monument to Reversion is also found here. Reversion is when the USA gave Okinawa back to Japan in 1972 after having occupied the island since the end of WWII. Photo below.


After a full day of adventuring, we went out to the only izakaya in the teeny weeny town in which we had booked a hotel, and ate and drank of the local foods and beverages. Below is Sandi freaking at the idea of me eating a fried fish head. The next day, we went to see bashoufu (traditional banana fiber weaving) and to the Pineapple Park in Nago. Maybe Ill put up photos of those later.

Here is a picture back down south of Sandi with the shisa that guards my school. She wasn't entirely impressed by my school. Her main complaint was that it was filthy. You know Sandi and dirt. They don't jive.

She only came to school with me one day though. I think the usual routine will be for me to drop her off at the beach on the way to school (we did this today) and pick her up again at the end. Below, me and Sandi at the beach right next to my house where she shall spend her days (its only a 10 minute walk from home!)

That's a quick update for now, hopefully Ill be putting more photos and stories of her 2-week trip up as it goes along. But my stupid neighbors finally figured out how to password protect their wireless internet, and my computer at school finally kicked the bucket, so posting options are slim.

Kanakos Besuch

YAAAAAY! Kanako finally came to visit me in Okinawa. Kanako (for those of you who don't know) is my housemate from Germany, and probably the sole reason why I ended up thinking it was a good idea to go live in Japan. Yes, this is the woman that introduced me to the wonders of curry rice, Japanese cabbage pizza, and the staggering versatility of chopsticks (as a weapon, utensil, and emergency aid).

Snorkeling

Wednesday was a national holiday. It was the Spring Equinox -- a marvelous national holiday if there ever was one. The equinox always rekindles fond memories of Friends Ｍｉｄｄｌｅ School for me. Our Wild Writing teacher Henry used to give us each a cookie dipped in half vanilla, half chocolate. Clutching our cookies in one paw, we would dance around this pole outside and chant `equi-equi-equi-nox! Day and night! Half and half!` at the top of our lungs, until finally we were all danced out. And then we would eat our cookies. Anyhow. There was no dancing or cookies yesterday, though there was snorkeling and curry. We decided to head over to Sunabe beach in Chatan for the day.

Based on the exciting wetsuits that me and Yvonne are wearing in the above photo, you may get the impression that we are seasoned snorkelers who own our own equipment and glide without a care through the bottomless blue like fish in the sea.

Yeah, no. As was the case last time you saw me, big water is scary. I had to be given the safety snorkel with a special device to stop water from entering the top when a wave goes overhead, I tend to drift alongside close to the reassuring presence of my companions rather than swim about on my own, and when I do `glide` around it is hardly careless; its more of a graceless and feeble paddling frenzy that propels me along in a lop-sided circle intended as a straight line. Until I run out of steam, and then i just float without moving and stare at the coral. Alas, most of you will never get to witness me in flippers.

Ah, but snorkeling is glorious. It sure is another world down there. Okinawa has the second most diverse bio－marine life in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Once you stick your head in the water, there are dozens of types of coral covering the landscape. They are all different colors, shapes and sizes. Not to mention all the fishies. To the left here you see a picture of some soft coral (not my photo). The soft coral is my favorite, as it looks like its little feathery fingers are blowing in the breeze. According to my knowledgeable sea-faring island friends, a new species of coral has recently been discovered. Its walking coral. Yes! Coral that walks around. I imagine it with little footsies tottling back and forth, but in reality it probably looks nothing like that. Think about how many jillions of years coral has been working on evolving walking capabilities. I think we all owe coral a big round of applause.

My dad sent me a music box in the mail. I made it look creepy!

Nago and the Wheel of Death!

Last weekend I drove up north with some ii tomodachi. There will definitely have to be another blog post about our somewhat bizarre adventures out on the town Friday night (I'm still trying to figure out how much of it might be appropriate to put on a blog) but for now I shall post a more sedate entry about Saturday's exploration and THE WHEEL OF DEATH.

Despite the fact that I live on a tiny island, I never run out of new things to see and do here. Saturday we decided to drive out in search of the elusive Nago Castle ruins and the fabled Wheel of Death. Above and below, you see some photos of our hike in search of Nago Castle (which I think we failed to find in the end, though the jury may still be out on that one. If you haven't noticed, many of the castle ruins on this island are intangible. There are signs saying that they exist, but somehow one can never find them).


So you want me to get on to the WHEEL OF DEATH which is probably the only reason you're still reading this.........

ENTER THE WHEEL OF DEATH!

JETs up north are always talking about this fabled Wheel of Death. Descriptions were rather vague. From what I'd heard, I'd always pictured a large hamster wheel on a stark mountainside or ocean cliff in the deserted northern reaches of the island, upon which generations of drunken JETs had lost their lives trying to pass some right of passage. Running endless circles the night through after shot-gunning 10 beers, or some such nonsense. Well, it wasn't actually a hamster wheel. Nor is it on a stark mountainside. It's actually a playground attraction. Though in all honesty, this playground should have been called the Playground of Death. Seriously, I've never seen anything less appropriate for little people. Not only was the Wheel of Death deadly, there was an immense winding slide that ended mere feet from a short but steep hillside, a tire swing with a few wooden poles placed awkwardly within its swing range (ask Christina about swinging Paul's face right into one of these), and various climbing structures that looked like a parent's worst nightmare.

I suppose if we had arrived at the Wheel of Death at the stroke of midnight instead of on a drizzly Saturday afternoon, something terrifying and inspiring might have happened that would have caused the Wheel to live up to its reputation. The most that happened to us, however, was that everything fell out of Jeff's pockets and into a grassy grave below as he scaled the playground's impenetrable defenses. We decided the whole thing must be a trick thought up by local children to snatch silly gaijin's wallets as they flailed about in the web of ropes overhead. I have to admit, I began climbing through the wheel and decided to back out after about 1/5 of the way. It was a bit scary.

I imagine the wheel really would be a death trap if you were either of these 2 things:

1. under 8 years old
2. drunk and in the dark (no names my fellow JETs, no names!)

After following innumerous tantalizing signs pointing us higher and higher up the mountain to the Nago Castle ruins, we arrived at the top. Where we found nothing but a vending machine, a lot of asphalt, and a lookout tower. It's the journey not the destination that matters. Here's the view!

I Get All Excited

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! This post's for you.

So the art section of the Guardian recently advertised Nick di Fonzo's new book, "The Worst Album Covers in the World... Ever!" The first album cover on their sampling page really struck a chord in my heart. The year: 1983. The player: my soul-sister, Joyce.


Don't leave yet, it gets even better. This album includes a track called, "I get all excited". PLEASE listen to a clip of this song here. If it doesn't get you all excited, I don't know what will.

Happy u-aito Day!

It's come and gone! The famed second Valentine's (boys give to girls this time) of Japan. March 14 was White Day ( to be pronounced "u-aito day"). It has an English name, despite only existing in Japan. If anyone can tell me the origin of this odd holiday, I would be much obliged. Alternatively, if you can make up a really good story about where White Day might have come from, I will tell this tall-tale to my school. My fellow teachers asked me, of all people, where it comes from. Do I look Japanese? Why am I supposed to know that?

I received 2 packages of Duty Chocolate yesterday for the occasion, at any rate. This is chocolate that your male collueges are required to give you. The third male in the English department is this kind of crazy guy who never knows what day it is.

HAPPY U-AITO DAY, MINASAMA!

Botanical Gardens

One of the things I hate about this blog site is the fact that I can't have photo albums. Whenever I want to put up more than 2 photos, the positioning gets all tricky and the blog wants to squish them into some corner I didn't want, or overlap them, or tell me that they're lined up next to each other in my preview layout and then sneakily turn them into a vertical or diagonal salad in real life. So, how delighted do you imagine I was when Picasa Blog Albums began to be advertised on blogger homepage, for free blog photo albums? Very! Of COURSE, for some stupid reason the program refuses to work for me, repeatedly reporting errors in upload when it is 99% complete. grrr, grrrr, grrrrr!

I cursed the gods and refused to have anything to do with my blog ever again. That's why I've been gone for a few days. But I'm back! I still curse the gods, but I will faithfully and painstakingly insert a mini-photo album's worth of pictures here for you now, because I am a good woman who wants others dying of boredom at work to have something to look at.

These pictures are all of my weekend trip to the botanical gardens and yara castle ruins.