Salt of the Earth

Today we ventured out in the beautiful sunshine to explore Murasaki Mura. This recreation of a traditional Ryuku village was built as a set for a television show. When I read that, I expected some sort of plaster walled buildings and facades. What we got was a village made out of stone, that looks exactly like the castle ruins we visited a few weeks ago. The detail there set designers had was really astounding. Murasaki Mura is no longer an active set, instead they've turned it into a hands on activity center for pottery and crafts. Gabriella, Greg and I painted Sheisa Dogs.  They are traditional protectors of homes and businesses.  They come in pairs, a girl and a boy, one wards off evil spirits from entering the home while the other invites in good luck spirits.  After we painted our dogs we explored through all the other crafts offered. They had candle making, fabric painting, fabric making with a loom, beach art, karate, cooking, and a few more. We only painted the Sheisa because each activity was an additional cost.  Then as we wandered the grounds we passed a stable and Gabriella was able to say hello to a couple horses.  As we passed through a gate we spied the Gala sign and decided to check out the Okinawan Salt Factory. This place is special because they extract the salt from sea water using solar and wind power. In their factory they have huge turbines that turn and heat the ocean water in the tank evaporating the water and leaving the sea salt. Then they dry the salt in the sun, then over wood ovens. The process seems really involved, but it does produce a delicious salt. It tastes very clean. I know that probably sounds a little weird, but that's how I would describe it. We had lunch at their restaurant, it was delicious. I had a tasty Okinawan Soba plate, which included a huge bowl of Soba and a variety of side dishes including fried rice and soft tofu. Gabriella had a kids plate which came with a small bowl of soba, hot dog, rice balls, omelet, and a salad. Greg had pork pasta. After we walked off our lunch along the cliffs overlooking a beautiful beach we headed to the Zanpa Lighthouse.  Greg and Gabriella climbed to the top and took in the beautiful views. After their climb we explored the adjoining park and happened upon a pottery festival. They had a lot of beautiful pieces.  The picture above is of Greg and Gabriella in front of the parks giant sheisa dog. We were going to try to squeeze in some castle ruins, but it was already getting late and Gabriella was on her last legs. She fell asleep in the car, just as we pulled into our parking spot.