Today I had an opportunity to race the “world’s fastest fetus” in the pool, and I have to report, the fetus won – big time! Even at seven months pregnant, Mary can blaze through the water no slower than our college days. I think it’s safe to say her child is destined to be a fish!

After my beating in the pool, Charlie and Rico took me on another bicycle tour of Okinawa. But this time we rode out of town toward another island – Ikei Island.

Ikei is a very quiet and peaceful island connected to Okinawa by a series of bridges. I happen to love riding over bridges, so I especially enjoyed this ride.

Starting in the hustle and bustle of town, we passed Japanese children on their way to class, and listened to the school bells ring (I swear one was chiming along to the Beatles “Yesterday”). We passed the remains of an ancient castle, and stopped to admire the view from the long bridge that connects the smaller islands to Okinawa.

We climbed one of the steepest roads I’ve ever ridden, but the view from the top was more than worth it!

The turquoise water along the coast was stunning,

And the final bridge leading to the island was equally beautiful. (Isn’t it funny – I’m actually riding on the correct side of the road in this pic!)

The view from the beach at the tip of Ikei was absolutely incredible! It was hard to believe we got there by bike!

Once back in Okinawa, Mary and I had a great time playing around in the Japanese photo booths. The camera automatically make your eyes huge and will even let you “touch up” the pics with fun designs and airbrushing. The end result is hilarious!

Another highlight of the day was sampling Japanese donuts. Turns out they are just as delicious as the American version!

Today was my last full day in Okinawa, and while I’m sad to leave, I have had the BEST time here. I’ve caught up with old friends and made some new ones. And I feel like I’ve really experienced a whole new part of the world. I’ll be leaving the island with so many amazing memories. And if only I could figure out a way to take some of this gorgeous weather back with me, everything would be perfect! Sayonara!

{ 0 comments }

Today, and every day, I am extremely thankful for all the amazing people in my life. My family and friends near and far make my days so much more enjoyable, and I can never really express enough gratitude.

This year, I got a special Thanksgiving treat when Mary and Charlie’s friends, Rico and Kerri, leant me a bike so I could tag along with Charlie, Rico, and some other super-cool Marines for a scenic ride around Okinawa.

At first, riding on the left side of the road felt really weird, and I was super focused on just riding! But eventually I relaxed a little and took in the sights.

Our ultimate goal was this lighthouse at Cape Zampa:

The route we took was absolutely gorgeous! At times I was riding with the ocean on my left and sugar cane fields on my right! It was surreal! We stopped a couple times to check out the view and the waves crashing onto the cliffs below!

We passed what has to be the world’s largest Shishi:

And I couldn’t pass up a pic of these massive paper mâché pigs and bull outside an Okinawan Meat Company:

It was quite possibly the most scenic ride I’ve ever been on – and am so grateful I had the opportunity to go!

I was also very thankful for the amazing Thanksgiving feast Mary prepared! Shamefully, I was too busy eating to take any pics, but the meal was EPIC in every way! And with Mary in the kitchen, you can rest assured the dessert was equally impressive!

{ 0 comments }

Many, many, years ago, the good people of Okinawa were terrorized by the venomous Habu snake. There was only one way to fix the problem – bring on the Mongoose!

Today Mary and I ventured into Okinawa World in search of my long-torso brethren. The park features a Habu vs. Mongoose show, and I was pretty excited to check it out.

First we got familiar with the Habu. With only 12 inches of plexiglas and a few schoolchildren between myself and the snake, I was a little nervous.

But that was just the start – the trainer put the Habu in a cage and purposely made it mad! It was terrifying!

And if the Habu wasn’t scary enough – the next snake was a Cobra!

The Cobra hissing may haunt my dreams for the next few months.

Finally – out came the mongoose! Since actual Habu vs. Mongoose fights are considered inhumane, we got to witness a new type of battle – a swim race!

My picture isn’t the best (I was too busy cheering) but the Mongoose CRUSHED the snake in the swim! Woo hoo! Go Mongoose!

The winner got dinner!

The loser got made into sake!

Seeing all those ferocious creatures made me surprisingly hungry, so Mar and I grabbed a tropical fruit plate snack. And it was delicious!

We closed the day with traditional Japanese Bingata cloth painting. Mary was happy to paint with bright colors. I was happy there weren’t any snakes in the art studio. And we both appreciated taking our shoes off, sitting on tatami mats, listening to relaxing Japanese music and doing a little art project. Can’t wait to see how my tote bag turned out!

{ 4 comments }

This morning I made a HUGE mistake – I agreed to go for a run with Mary’s husband Charlie and his friend Rico. And I learned that Marines have two speeds: fast and CRAZY FAST! I was determined not to act like a total weakling in front of two Marines, so despite a lot of huffing and puffing, I managed to hang on for dear life. And I felt so good post-run, I suppose that wasn’t such a bad decision after all!

Lucky for me, Mar and I had a relatively relaxing day planned. The day kicked-off with a trip to Cocok Nail Salon, where I got the most amazing pedicure of my life!

From the complimentary ice tea, to the ocean view, to the thousands of intricate nail designs to choose from – I was in heaven!

I went with a pretty blue/green pattern, and Mar chose a bumblebee motif to match her upcoming baby shower theme. So cute!

Next we decided to grab some lunch at a Japanese Hippie Bagel Shop. I admit, I was not expecting to hear Phish and see an employee with floor-length dreads at a Japanese restaurant! So much for stereotypes!

But the atmosphere was great and the food was delicious! The bagel on the right is actually an Oreo bagel, which might even give the trail mix bagel from BB’s in Atlanta a little competition!

I closed the day with a visit to the pool where Mary coaches. The pool heater wasn’t working, so the crowd was unusually small. But the kids who were there were all smiles (even the one without a wetsuit!).

And Mar was right in her element on the pool deck!

Thanks to a little pampering (I am on vacation after all!) I’m feeling re-charged and ready to take on new sights tomorrow!

{ 2 comments }