Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Hiking Some History

Mmmmmk I really need to finish my posts about our time at YYY already. Geez. I'm slacking.

Ok, so while we were out biking around the island we knew we couldn't pass up the opportunity to check out Mt. Gusuku. Well, I couldn't. Brad said he could take it or leave it due to us already being totally sunburned from the day before and already soaked in sweat in the ridiculously hot and humid tropical heat, but I wanted to climb it and so we did. Mt. Gusuku is a popular site and rises 172 meters high. For the Japanese, the mountain is a place to pray for safe navigation, health and harvest. The island received a battering during WWII and the area has a lot of history.




The walk isn't very long thank goodness, because it is pretty much stairs that go straight up.

View from the beginning of the trail




We got to the top and were rewarded with a 360-degree panorama views of the island and the ocean. We sat, rested and took it all in. And then Brad said he was glad we had done it. I was glad too! Quite worth it.

Brad about to reach the top
Made it, enjoying the view





Video from the top of Mt. Gusuku:



The Calm After the Storm

Ok, so the typhoon was uneventful. It passed us by with some rain and wind and that's about it. I think we've had worse thunderstorms than this typhoon. But, it was a great opportunity to have some much needed time with my girlfriends!

Monday, August 30, 2010

Batten Down the Hatches


My YYY posts and everything else currently in my life are being interrupted by Typhoon Kompasu. The CAT 3 typhoon should reach Okinawa by around 3pm today and winds of about 135 mph are expected. I'm not one of those people who genuinely enjoy dramatic weather such as tsunamis, tornadoes or hurricanes. I get nervous and anxiety ridden, but I know there is nothing I can do to prevent the weather. I'm pretty calm this time around. In TX when Ike was coming through since we were living on the barrier island I totally flipped out, documented all our belongings, made us evacuate, brought all my favorite belongings with us in the car... yes I overreacted (poor Galveston was hit instead of Corpus Christi).

Here on Okinawa there really isn't any place to go... so I've bought a few provisions like bottled water and a big flash light and rum. Lessons were canceled today at the barn, I'm worried about my horsies and the animals, but the Japanese instructor said he would be there to look after everything.

Brad went on a flight last week and was supposed to come back this Monday, but since the storm was coming he had to stay and keep the plane out of harms way. The planes have been evacuated, so a lot of the husbands have to leave their families here to weather the storm without them. I'll be spending the typhoon with my girlfriends and drinking that rum I mentioned earlier.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Hibiscus Heaven

We woke up the next morning at YYY Resort, enjoyed our breakfast at the hotel and then rented bikes to go explore around Ie Island. The island is very rural and we hardly passed any cars at all. It was so quiet and so relaxing to see wide open green places. We got to see the island, plus we got a workout at the same time.












Our first stop was the Hibiscus Garden. This was a garden overflowing with colorful and beautiful flowers. I could have stayed here all day! And bonus, it was free.









Time for another flower montage! Enjoy these hibiscus beauties!