The Secret Vacation Part 1: The Ferry

For Memorial Day Matt had a long weekend, so I decided to plan our first vacation off the island - and keep it a secret! Matt was given a packing list and directions to the Motobu port where our vacation began. Our ferry only left once a day, so we arrived promptly at nine, purchased tickets, and climbed aboard the largest boat I have ever seen!

The bottom half of the ferry was cargo. I wasn't sure what to expect on the boat when I saw that we were sharing our ride with livestock!

Our fellow passengers. Bulls!

We climbed up stairs that were attached to the side of the ship. We went up at least two stories before our tickets were taken and we were allowed inside the ferry which reminded me of...

A super swanky hotel!

The information desk.

The grand staircase.

The convenience store.

While the ferry did have some tables and chairs, most of the passengers found the sleeping rooms. You slipped off your shoes before you stepped onto the carpeted area. Mats were laid out on the floor with one blanket and pillow per mat. Matt can sleep anywhere on anything, but I decided to forgo the common pillow and used my backpack as a cushion for my head. We had a nice nap as the ocean rocked us to sleep.

Check out my next post to discover where in the world we had arrived when we awoke!

The Okinawan-Themed Theme Park

Although we are smack in the middle of rainy season right now, we decided to brave the weather in order to visit Okinawa World. It is a theme park in the style of a traditional Ryukyu village. There are vendors demonstrating historic crafts such as glass blowing, weaving, and beer brewing. The biggest draw for us was the Gyokusendo cave which is Okinawa's largest cave.

We started the day at the Cave Cafe which is just outside the park. Beverly had read about online, and hands down it is the coolest place I have ever purchased a coffee.

Once we entered the park we were given a schedule of the shows. There is an Eisa dance show which is a combination of dancing and drumming. In addition to the drums there is a lion dance with two men acting as one lion that was my favorite! The character acted more like a giant dog with wagging its tail and biting the rear end of an unsuspecting audience member. After the show we toured all of the old-fashioned buildings with the traditional crafts.

Lastly, we entered the cave through a long hallway and metal staircase. Although the day was rainy, I thought we would be sheltered underground. However, due to the increased rainfall this month the water had risen in the underground rivers and drops of water from the stalactites kept hitting my head. The cave was huge, and the metal walkway for tours only explored one third of the total area! The stalagmites and stalactites that had taken so many thousands of years to form were amazing! I thought the whole park was a really neat place to represent a historical Okinawa.

The Koinobori

We could not help but notice the beautiful koinobori right outside the base gate in early May. They are flown to celebrate Children's Day, traditionally Boy's Day, which falls on May 5th. The koinobori are wind socks in the shape of fish that are hung outside every home as well as over the Tengan river that flows right outside our tower. The carp is a symbol of strength based on a Chinese legend in which one fought its way upstream in order to become a dragon. Therefore, they represent the future strength of the boys in the family. A large black carp represents the father, a red carp represents the mother, and all following colors represent the sons of the family. We loved the rows and rows of flying fish fluttering in the breeze.

Our tower, one of many.

The Lily Festival

The Okinawans host many festivals celebrating the blooming season of various flowers. We had already attended the cherry blossom festival in January, but May is the time of year for lilies. We decided to spend the day traveling to Lily Field Park on Okinawa's neighboring Ie Island where the festival was being held. Our friends met us that morning and we set off with plans to catch the ferry at 11 am...but then we hit traffic on the expressway. We decided to stop and have lunch and just catch the ferry at 1pm...but then there was a wait for the best burger joint on the north side of the island. It was worth the wait! Especially since the restaurant was on the beach and we simply admired the view and found hermit crabs until a table was ready. We were not able to get onto the ferry until 2pm, and the last returning ferry to Okinawa was at 4pm! We had a very short time to get to the festival.

The view from the beach while waiting for a table.

We found so many hermit crabs!

Finally! We made it to the ferry!

On our way!

When we reached Ie Island we realized the lilies were on the opposite side of the island. We were told the shuttle had stopped running, so we grabbed a cab. The driver got us there...quickly. She took shortcuts though tobacco fields ignoring all stop signs. About two minutes later she dropped us off at the lily festival. There were rows and rows of white lilies stretching down to the ocean. Past the white lilies were straight lines of every kind and color of lily imaginable. The air was fragrant with a breeze coming off the water. We could only enjoy the flowers for about an hour before we had to head back to the ferry. The shuttle was still running after all, so we hopped on the bus in order to make the last ferry off Ie Island and back home.

The Cafe with a Cave

My friend and I went on our own adventure while our husbands were at work. I had read about Cafe Gold Hall which was described as a cafe that was connected to a cave and bonsai tree garden. I was intrigued, so off we went to eat lunch at the cafe with a cave!

We stepped into the cafe that was completely furnished with petrified wood. The tables were ancient tree stumps topped with glass, the stools were carved wood, and the walls were lined with amazing wood carvings. We were the only ones in the cafe at the time, and we gleefully explored the whole room snapping pictures with our phones until our food arrived. After we ate and paid for our meal, we were handed a map full of staircases and arrows to show which way to go through the rest of the building. We were guided to the first stairwell, and on our own we descended into the unknown.

Because most cafes have carved dragons and birds around their doorways. 

Taco rice and caramel latte. Yum!

We passed rooms filled with more wood carvings as we went down staircase after staircase. The walls turned into limestone, and sure enough we entered a cave with all of the stalagmites and stalactites that you would expect. There were even lit pools with dripping water. The cafe used the cave as storage for their alcohol that was still fermenting. We did not stay in the dark for long, because after a few cave rooms the next part of this crazy restaurant was outside.

Scary habu sake!

We stepped outside into a beautiful terraced garden full of statues and waterfalls. Among all the blooming flowers were intricate statues, tiny coy ponds, or hidden shisa dogs. There were the statues one would expect in this part of the world: a coy fish, a smiling Buddha, and a small stone pagoda. The one exception was a giant Statue of Liberty replica that looked out into the ocean. It made me feel very welcome as an American, if not somewhat confused. 

Um...thanks?

After more rooms filled with wooden carvings (we couldn't help but wonder where they got all of these carvings, they looked expensive), we finally reached the roof where they kept the bonsai tree gardens. There were rows and rows of different species of bonsai that had all been meticulously pruned and wired into the correct shape. I have no idea how many hours it took to care for so many plants.

Cafe Gold Hall was amazing, and it was only around eight dollars to explore the gardens and cave. I am not sure how they collected so many interesting objects or built a cafe on such an interesting location, but I am glad they did.