Tokyo 2007: Okinawa

Helllllloooooooo!

I just got back from Okinawa with the darkest tan I've had in my life! But then again, I've spent all time outside in hot sun, snorkeling and DIVING! This is really something I've been dreaming about my whole life, and I'm so happy that I finally took the step to do it. My diving buddy, my darling Maxime, and me made a great team. I'll tell you though; going through all the skills you need to know in case of an emergency (sharing air with your buddy, take your tank and all the equipment of under water, take of your mask in stingy saltwater and put it on and empty it on 18 meters depth) really made med NOT want to dive. The first couple of breaths that I took under water was so horrible that I could not understand how ANYONE could be a diver. But now I am one too... hihi.. The thing that changed was the first dive we did without doing any emergency skills. We just went down, quietly. Slowly floating around on a nice depth of 16 meters, following a sea turtle and avoiding sea snakes. Just very calmly checking the underwater life for about 50 minutes. Fantastic!

When the diving course was done, we traveled up north to IeJima. A very quite countryside Island, almost entirely covered by farms and fields. We rented bikes and stayed at a very friendly hostel. We were almost the first guests, since the hostel opened that very months. We enjoyed a week of friendly staff who drove us around the island, showing us the best secret spots, where we went on bikes later on.

The best part of Ie Jima was the hidden beach we found. No people, only Max and me and some friendly fish.

The weather was fantastic all the time. We did not notice any typhoon, even though typhoons are very common for the season. It was not until we went back to do two last dives before returning home, that the typhoon, with three days of very heavy rain, came.

The last dives was around a cave area called Cape Maeda. The rain was very heavy that day and the staircase of 100 steps heading down the cliff, to the entrance diving point was flooded. It was no longer a staircase, it was a waterfall. It was a little bit scary to walk down and especially back up, with a 20 kg diving equipment on our backs. After 40 minutes swimming under water you are fantastically tired. The sight down at 20 meters, looking up on a surface that was marked by thousands of raindrops spearing the water, was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Okinawa Guesthouse in Naha.

Cheap little sobaplace on Iejima.

Looots, and looots of water. Okinawa is hot!

And it is impossible not to get tanned and be smiling.

Lots of fun stuff that you can find on the beach.

Naha airport in Okinawa. Still dressed to be in air conditioned rooms...

Bicycle ride in countryside of Iejima.

Failing to take a hugging picture with the camera timer...

Succeeding to do so!

On the train, enjoying the view.

Going down from a high cliff.

I met a little man on top of a mountain. We talked (in Japanese) and I fell in love.

Max and my PRIVATE beach on Iejima.

Someone is watching me... maybe not as private after all...

The most beautiful beach I have ever seen... PARADISE!

Not so tanned yet, studying hard to pass the stupid Naui test (which I did! :)

Ishigami san and papa san posing happily.

Ishigami-san, Rika-chan and Max on tide-(less??) grounds.

I'm collecting shells as usual.

Discussing World War 2 with Ishigami-san on top of a mountain on Iejima.

Sekkusu o shimashou! (English: let's have sex!) Even Japan has some grafitti.

Hamby Resort, Chatan, Okinawa. Cheap place to stay if you like free rice and eggs. We managed to come up with lots of different varied breakfasts at this place; eggs and rice natural, eggs and rice with soya sauce, eggs and rice with salt, and Fried eggs and rice... Luckily there was a pretty descent TexMex place around the corner.

The last fantastic dives on the course was at Kerama Islands with colorful coral reeves and lots of fishes (and sea snakes.....brrrrrr) Max on the boat, dressed in wet suit.