JAPAN….ISLAND HOPPING/FOUR BITCHES AND WATER BUFFALO

I am going to write as though I will be able to post.  I am not sure what is going on, maybe it isn’t Japan and its just awful internet!  Shame on Azamara!

We spent one day island hopping near Okinawa and one day ww11- ing in Okinawa.

The three island day was a total hoot.  It was a really looong day.  We firstly hopped on a bus for a five minute ride (and with Spod ‘hopping’ on a bus is just a euphemism) then we hopped onto a really fast long people mover boat that tore across the sea for about 30 minutes.  The first Island had interesting beaches and ancient communities.  We walked all over.

Then onto a bus and over a bridge to another island where we hopped onto another type of boat and floated up a river for six miles..through mangroves.  Had a bit of a run in with four hags from California.  They were my age but acting like Housewives of Belair.  They were all decked out in jewelry and make up and thousand dollar garb.  They thought it was chilly and tried to keep the boat man from rolling up the plastic,  barely see through window coverings.  ‘Its cooold” they whined.  Each time he tried they would go “No no no no”.  Finally I piped up, not so nicely, “We need them rolled up so we can see and get pictures!  We can’t see with them down and I don’t think we all paid a ton of money for this...not to see and get pictures!”  So he rolled them up!  haha.  Now the cows are shunning me every time we are in the same area...thank God.  It was truly amazing and beautiful...took waay too many pics.

We then hopped on the bus and drove over a huge bridge to yet another island, a tiny one.  Waiting there were water buffalo pulling wagons that would hold about ten people.  So on we climbed and off we went over the water.  God we all were laughing so hard.  Our buffalo decided it was time to take a giant              dump ....honestly it was sooo funny!  On the other side we were led through a beautiful park/garden to a huge restaurant and we were served a beautiful delightful Japanese bento box lunch.  It was unbelievable!  So many little yummy treasures in that box.  Of course we got seated with a bunch that wouldn’t eat most of it, turning up their collective noses.  Seaweed, unknown fish, peanut tofu, seaweed soup, local rice, pickled tofu and radish, pork belly...all so delicious.  Spod and I licked our boxes.

It was simply a great day.  Yesterday we were all over Okinawa visiting World War two sites.  Very sad.  The Japanese headquarters were built underground, entered by 100 steps down a tunnel.  I don’t know what the heck I was thinking but not even half way down the steps I panicked and had to retreat, rapidly!  I spent a lovely hour in the park and met them all at the bus later.  What a baby!

Now its an at sea day and I just had my hair done.  This guy was way better than the last hairdresser I had on a ship!!! But a certain conundrem has arisen.  I will write about that next post!  TTYL