The Northernmost Point

We took a road trip to Cape Hedo, the northernmost point of Okinawa where the cliffs meet the Pacific Ocean. To get there we took the expressway until it ended in Nago- the last large town before the island gives way to mountains covered in jungle. We had a ways to go just following the signs until we ran out of road to continue in the same direction. We watched the waves and admired the monuments before eating our picnic lunch and starting the long trip back home.

Since Yoron Island is visible in the distance we found a matching sea bird from our first vacation there!

My favorite monument declared for peace in four different languages. We later saw one in New Zealand!

The Sunday Snapshot

The cutest cookie in the shape of a squirrel- an exotic animal in Japan!

The Daytrip to Ie Island

During one of our weekly brunch at the delicious Seaside Terrace, Matt and I conversed with one of the lovely waitresses, Yuika-san. Upon learning I had the weekdays free, she invited me to meet her at her second job on Ie island while the lily festival was in full swing. Since I knew Yuika would be working, I invited Alex to accompany me to meet my new friend and travel by ferry to Ie island. We traveled during Golden Week, the first week in May in which every day is a different Japanese holiday. The traffic was not horrible, but the parking at the ferry was! We kept getting turned away by men in orange vests until we were directed into a hotel parking lot up the hill and across the highway from the port. Time was running out, so we ran down the hill, paid for two tickets, and sprinted onto the ferry as they were pulling up the anchor.

The ferry has multiple levels and a garage to transport your cars. 

I told Yuika to look for my tall friend in the crowd of people from the ferry. Not only were we the only two foreigners on the ferry, Alex has bright red hair and stands a full head taller than me. Yuika found us easily and told Alex, "You are tall!" 

Yuika offered us her car to see the lily festival across the island, and while I was floored by her generosity I was more comfortable taking the bus. So off Alex and I went to the festival. Really there were only a few food tents, but we enjoyed eating a picnic lunch overlooking the ocean and attempting to capture the bright colors of the flowers with our iphone cameras. 

After a few hours we took a bus back to the port and confirmed our return ticket. We distracted Yuika from her work (it was a family business, so they did not mind) and talked until it was time to board the ferry. We were turned away, and Yuika translated that the ferry was too full! Fortunately the next one left an hour later. As it turns out I am grateful we missed that ferry because Yuika and her little friend were able to show us this really awesome cave site on Ie island. 

We had so much fun in that extra hour! I am so grateful for friends old and new and adventures with them. I know we will see Yuika again for brunch next weekend!

The Sunday Snapshot

The koinobori are out to celebrate Children's Day!

The Sunday Snapshot

Classic Okinawan shisa dog guarding from a rooftop. 

The White Temple

During our Thailand trip Matt and I visited one of Chiang Rai's most famous attractions, Wat Rong Khun, otherwise known as the White Temple. While most other buddhist temples are gold, seemingly Thailand's favorite color, this building is unique by being stark white. While Wat Rong Khun is a functioning prayer site, it is also a privately owned art exhibit. The views expressed by the artwork seemed to more from the artist's point of view than the Buddhist religion. Although Matt and I had previously visited Buddhist temples in Japan, we were left constantly confused about the rites and customs witnessed in this specific Thai temple.

Me in my church-appropriate dress thinking I was ready to go!

Our confusion began with simply attempting to enter the temple grounds. There were turnstiles, but no apparent ticket booth. There were people at the entrance who stopped us, indicating we needed something else. They spoke to us in English, so we nodded and walked away. Matt asked - "Did you catch what they said?" Me - "No, I hoped you did!" We were flummoxed, what were we missing? We tried entering again, only to met by yelling "Too short!" We figured out the problem- my dress was too short! In order to enter the temple grounds we first had to rent a scarf that would cover more of my legs. We were not the only ones with this problem- many foreign women also rocked the white skirts. We easily found the booming business of scarf rental across the street and were able to finally progress closer to the temple.

NOW I'm ready to go!

Not only were the buildings and sculptures bright white plaster, they were also inlaid with mirror pieces to produce a glimmering, mirage-like effect. The message seemed to be that that modern, pop culture led to hell, and that guardians protected heaven from their influence. I could be completely wrong - but we absolutely saw Batman's decapitated head and Wolverine's hand emerging from a pit of hell.

Although there were some creepy elements, the buildings were really a thing of beauty with insane amounts of detail. We admired as much as we could before the hazy heat got to us and we had to find our taxi again.

The Thailand Trip

A temple-guarding dragon we passed in Chiang Rai. 

Since Matt and I received orders to leave Okinawa in May, we knew we only had the time to go on one last trip. We wanted to go big, so we took three different plane rides to end up in Chiang Rai, a small town in northern Thailand. We wanted to see the White Temple (which will be the next blog post), and the cost of living in the rural part of the country was very low. As a result we were able to afford a very luxurious resort for our three night stay. Before I describe all of the luxury and fun we experienced, I want to remember that no matter where you stay travel always is accompanied by unexpected surprises. Matt and I had to sit in separate rows on the full flight to Thailand, my luggage reappeared wet and smelling of fish at our final destination, and though I packed for the appropriate number of days I had to find laundry services after I sweat through all of my outfits days early. After the heat and smells and strangers I was ready for our resort, and it was so worth the trip!

We stayed in a villa at The Legend in Chiang Rai. They greeted us with flower necklaces, a cold towel, and juice from an unknown fruit. Inside our room we had water and fruit and flowers everywhere. They even replaced the daily flowers in the soap dish. I didn't even know soap dishes required fresh flowers! Outside we had a PRIVATE POOL that we used every day due to the sticky heat. I think I'm forever spoiled now  - "What do you mean I don't have a private pool and soap dish flowers!?"- me at every other hotel I stay at from now on.

We did occasionally leave the resort. We went shopping and sight-seeing which was always interesting not speaking a lick of Thai. The hotel would book a taxi for us and tell the driver where we wanted to go. The taxi driver would show us where they parked at our destination so we could find them when we were done. We paid per hour for the taxi. I'm sure the driver would have preferred we sight-see longer, but after a few hours Matt and I would be red and sweaty and have to retreat back to the pool. The taxi was necessary for longer trips, but just going to the city center for dinner our favorite way to travel was by tuk-tuk. It's basically a motorbike with a covered two-person seat in the back. It roars and putters down the back streets, and the wind through my hair from the crazy driving was always refreshing.

The view from the back of the tuk-tuk. 

The walking street where I purchased floral Thai pants and an embroidered clutch.

The clock tower that performed a musical light show on the hour. 

Our favorite cafe on the Kok river. 

Our visit to the Choui Fong tea plantation on a hot, hazy day. 

Honey lemon iced oolong tea!

We loved our resort and all of our short trips in and around Chiang Rai!