Eggcelent Adventure

I know that the egg puns are starting to get boring, however this one makes a lot of sense. Saturday was a shopping day. Earlier in the week I hurt my back so I was unable to spread out all my shopping throughout the week.  Therefore by the time Saturday rolled around we were all out of fresh groceries. Also we needed to stock our typhoon kit since typhoon season officially started May 1st.  Our last stop of the trip was the Mini Mini Egg Zoo. I'm absolutely sure that is not the actual translation of the store but that is what I like to call it because it describes the establishment perfectly. At mini mini you can buy eggs and see a menagerie of animals that boggles the mind. I know that you are doubting my description so allow me to list the animals that we saw on Saturday.  Here is the list in no particular order: a cow, ostriches, emus, donkeys, monkeys, a wallaby, parrots, macaws, peacocks, a llama, chinchillas, an armadillo, rabbits, ducks,  2 ponies, a small herd of goats, and enough turtles to drown the island in turtle soup. The place is full of animals of all shapes and sizes.  The question in my mind is "Where did all these animals come from?" Some seem easy to explain, they came from local farms or pet stores. Others like the 15 peacocks and the wallaby seem hard to explain. I know they aren't found natively in Okinawa.  I suppose it's best not to wonder, it's just nice to enjoy seeing all these seemingly happy and well taken care of animals. Did I mention that the mini mini zoo is free? Yep, no purchase required. They do sell eggs at this zoo, which is why we go there. The zoo of animals is a surprising perk. The eggs are fresh brown shelled eggs from a farm just down the road. Apparently the actual store is too full of zoo animals to actually house the working egg farm. We buy a couple of dozen and I find that 2 dozen lasts us about 2 weeks. The eggs are delicious. This is the first time in my life I've had fresh eggs, meaning eggs bought from a farm and not from a supermarket. I can definitely tell the difference between a fresh egg and a supermarket egg. I could wax poetic about egg being the perfect food, but I'll save that for another day.  The mini mini also makes delicious cream puffs. We didn't buy any this time because the cream puff line was a little long and I had other grocery items in the car.  I'm sure next time I'll pick up a couple of cream puffs for dessert. 

Butterfly's Forever

This post is really really late.  We went to the Ryukjo Butterfly Park and the beach on Monday.  Greg had the day off and he was able to go with us. We've been wanting to go to this park for a long time.  It was a very small park and we were able to walk through it very quickly.  It was a very cute park there were lots of different butterflies flying around throughout the gardens. They had a specific building where you could put on bright red hats and walk through the enclosure.  The butterflies are attracted to the bright colors and will actually land on the hats or clothing. They were swarmed around fake bouquets and on the red hats. After we'd seen most of the park we stopped for a cool treat. After much deliberation Gabriella decided on a blue hawaiian snow cone. It was delicious and refreshing. 

Our next stop was lunch at the beach. We headed up the road to Emerald Beach. Emerald Beach is part of Expo Park which includes such other attractions as the Aquarium and the Tropical Dream Center.  The beach is wonderfully equipped with covered benches, lifeguards, shower centers and floating platforms located in a net protected lagoon. The sand was rough and full of coral, but was still fun to play in. Gabriella and Greg headed out into the water and walked all the way out to one of the platforms. They enjoyed playing in the water and I was told that the water was warmer than the air so it was very comfortable.  We stayed for a few hours, ate our lunches and played. On the way home both Gabriella and Greg fell asleep in the car, luckily I was driving. 

A little Okinawan Education

Sunday we had originally planned to head out to the beach but the weather was not cooperating so we decided to take in a museum instead.  We actually went to 2 museums, the Okinawan Prefectural museum and an Art Museum.  The art museum had some amazing sculptures and a lot of interesting photographs. I think we are spoiled by the LACMA because I expected a wider variety of art. The prefectural museum was amazing. Before we entered that section there was a "hands on" area where Gabriella put together a horses leg bones and I helped to build a rock wall puzzle. We could have stayed in there for much longer, but the main museum awaited.  As you enter the museum the floor is clear plexiglass, underneath you is a model of the ocean floor.  We were able to see all the animals that live in the local Okinawan ocean.  Once we passed into the rooms we realized that they were organized by category. The Natural History section had 4 skeletons of ancient man and a variety of animals that lived and still live on the Ryukan Islands. We moved onto the Architecture area and the arts and crafts section.  They had amazing examples of textiles, building materials and pottery.  My favorite part of the museum was the tradition section.  It had a lot of interesting relics from the war and the time before and after the American Occupation. It gave us a lot of information and history and I think we are smarter than we were before we went there. 

Beach Bash

Memorial Day weekend was in full swing on Saturday. We headed out to the Kadena Marina for their Beach Bash. We arrived early and were able to enjoy all the activities before the crowds arrived. Our first stop was to the bounce houses. Gabriella got to try out all 3 bounce houses, her favorite was the monkey themed bounce. Once the bouncing had been completed we headed down to the beach, where Greg and Gabi donned their swimsuits and headed out in a kayak. It was the first time ocean kayaking for both of them. They both really enjoyed it and thankfully no one ended up in the ocean. After the kayak ride Greg and Gabi played in the water and on the sand. It was a hot day and we made sure we were all slathered in sunscreen. We treated ourselves to a buffet lunch at the Seaside Inn, it was yummy.
We were invited to dinner at Greg's Japanese intern's house. We were treated to some delicious Temaki. Which is hand rolled sushi, we did the rolling ourselves. It was a real treat to have a traditional japanese meal in a traditional japanese apartment. Nori, Akiko and baby Uto (all their names are probably spelled wrong) were delightfully patient with our questions and horrible temaki making. Nori even entertained us with a traditional story using a japanese card story. We learned the origins of Anpanman and a traditional Japanese fable. Gabriella even entertained everyone with some of her school songs. It was a lovely evening and we can't wait for them to come to our house for some quesadillas.

Toguchi Park Playdate

Gabriella and I joined a new playgroup here on Okinawa. We found it while surfing our favorite website Okinawa Hai. Friday was our first playdate, we met at Toguchi Park, which is close to the Tori Station Base. The park had amazing tide pools which were completely accessible since it was low tide, however the rocks were a bit treacherous so we just headed to the playground. We met a lot of new friends. All the kids had a great time going down the concrete slides and climbing the rocks to get back to the top. We snacked on PB&J and lots and lots of Juice boxes. It was raining when we left the house, but when we arrived at the park the rain had stopped and by the time we left it was hot and sunny. Gabriella and I both got a little too much sun, but we didn't let a little sunburn stop our fun. The playgroup was a huge success, we are looking forward to next week at Araha beach. 

Another Milestone

Today was Gabriella's last day of preschool. Her school year is unbelievably short, finished before Memorial Day.  She had a great year and she certainly learned a lot. I had hoped to meet her new teacher, but wasn't able to. Next year Gabriella will go to school 5 days a week. She received a book from her teacher that she wants to learn to read by herself before school next year. One of our summer activities will be learning to read.  Now that we have all this free time we are considering what sort of activities we should be doing. Personally I think karate would be really great, but I'm not sure of the age groups they have here. I wouldn't want her blocking kicks from 7 year olds. Swimming classes will start in the middle of June and if all goes right she and I will be in the pool together for 2 sessions. I'm hoping it will help her gain important water safety skills and some basic strokes.  If she really likes it we may sign up for all 4 sessions. We are also hoping that ballet will start again soon. We missed the performance for this year and she was disappointed at not being able to wear her costume.  I know one thing for sure, it's going to be really hot here in Okinawa so we will be spending massive amounts of time trying to cool off.  I imagine we will be using the inflatable pool and the slip and slide a lot. 

Eggcitement in the Kitchen.

Yesterday was a school day for Gabriella so a hearty breakfast was very important. However, instead of mommy making the breakfast she did it herself.  Gabriella made her own eggs.  She received an adorable little skillet as a birthday gift and she was anxious to put it to good use. We only had one broken egg during the preparing of breakfast.  The break did happen in dramatic fashion, it slipped out of her hand, bounced off the trash can and exploded when it hit the floor. We both froze staring at the mess on the floor then I cleaned it up, assuring her that messes happen all the time. She was relieved that she wasn't in trouble and went on breaking the other eggs and scrambling them. Then the moment of truth, the heating of the butter and the stirring of the eggs over a hot stove. She performed wonderfully and the eggs were delicious.  I look forward to more cooking lessons in the near future. 

Undersea Adventures

Sunday was a day seemingly devoted to Ariel, Gabriella's favorite stuffed toy. The day started with church, which Gabriella was able to bring Ariel with her. Even the priest commented on her bringing her toy to church.  After a quick trip home to change and eat we headed north. Our first stop was what I've termed the 10,000 man loaf. It's a huge field with an overlook where Okinwan's gathered.  Gabriella was able to get her first vending machine ice cream at the loaf. Our next stop was the Busema Undersea Observatory and Glassbottom Boat tour. The boat tour was amazing, they tossed fish food out of the boat and soon there were schools of fish to look at through the glass. Gabriella really enjoyed seeing all the fish in their natural environment, we saw puffer fish, blue sea stars, and lots of other species. After the boat tour we walked to the end of a long peer to the Undersea Observatory. We walked down a circular staircase below the surface of the water. Once down there we were able to look through a variety of portholes to look at all the undersea life. The highlights were watching a clown anemone fish (Nemo) brush himself against the anemone and a huge sea snake going up to the surface and then back into the rocks. It was a little claustrophobic down there so Gabriella and I headed back to the surface before Greg. Once we were back up top, we fed the fish using vending machines conveniently located on the peer. After our undersea exploring we had a wonderful picnic lunch under some beautiful shady trees.  A delicious and educational day.

Okinawa World

We finally made it to Okinawa World on Saturday. We were thwarted on our first 2 attempts. The first attempt we ran into an marathon, literally. There were people running around the car as we inched our way towards any place we could turn into to get off the road. The second attempt was when my parents were here and my grandma passed away. The third time was the charm and we arrived without a hitch.  Okinawa World's biggest attraction is a cave. The cave is the second longest cave in Japan. It is gigantic, however only a small section of the cave is open for visitors, about 900 meters. We walked through the watery cave passing all sorts of amazing stalagtites and stalagmites. It was truly an amazing place, it really looks like the mine ride at Knott's Berry Farm. Greg and I kept saying that it looked so fake like a movie set and yet it was 100% real.  Once we emerged from the cave we walked through a fruit garden.  I must say that when I move back I really want to grow a vanilla tree in my backyard, they smell divine.  Okinawa World also features a glass blowing factory, bingata making area, pottery village and much much more. We had lunch at the Nanuto Brewery, Greg was able to try their beer selection.  Then we watched an amazing Eisa drum show. The final stop of the day was the Habu museum. The Habu is a very poisonous snake native to Okinawa, it's used in a variety of medicinal products and in awamori (okinawan whiskey). The museum had a lot of interesting facts about the Habu and snakes in general there was also a small children's museum where Gabriella could touch a mongoose and a snake, she opted to touch neither. The final activity of the day was the Habu show. We saw a Habu attack a balloon, race a mongoose, crawl around a stage and Gabriella and Greg got to hold a python. The day was a great adventure and we learned a lot about Okinawa. 

FIsh Foot

I'm going to have two posts regarding yesterday. This part is the more exciting of the two for me personally so I'm going to write it first. I finally got to put my dead skin filled feet into a pool with tiny fish to eat them clean. The Dr. Fish were available at Okinawa World.  We had just finished having a snack at the Nanuto Brewery restaurant and there it was. I considered it for a while and decided to take the plunge with Gabriella. I must say that the whole treatment was really inexpensive, only 500 yen (about $5) and I can only assume you could keep your feet in as long as you could stand it.  Once we paid we slipped off our shoes and socks and I plunged my feet into the delightfully warm water and was immediately swarmed by the tiny sucking fish. Gabriella was very hesitant to put any part of her body into the water but eventually she placed her hand in and by the end of it all her feet finally made it in the water for a few minutes.  The feeling is hard to describe, you can feel them nibbling and sucking your feet. There are hundreds of them doing it all at once. I managed to keep my feet in for about 5 minutes all the time coaxing Gabriella to try it and trying to keep myself from squealing.  Gabriella was more comfortable putting her hands in the water, so she could touch the fish. Once we'd had our fill we toweled off and felt our skin. My feet were a little softer, however I would probably have to go daily for months to get all the calluses off my heals.  I would definitely do it again, in fact there is a place across from the base that offers it. Maybe Gabriella and I will head over this week to see the Dr. Fish. 

Everything is just Beachy

Friday was a beautiful day in Okinawa. After a morning of errand running and fruit purchasing Greg was home. Since it was such a pretty day we decided to pack up and head to the beach. We chose Sunset Beach, which is located right across from our base. It was still hot when we headed over there so sunscreen was a must. The beach wasn't crowded but there were plenty of people to watch.  Gabriella and Greg went into the wading pool together, it's a very shallow area, so no one worried they were going to get their hair wet.  Gabriella worked on some sandcastle towers, although the sand was not ideal for sturdy building. We plan to work on it over the summer with many more trips to the beach.  Greg surprised us with an ice cream snack, it was delicious. I had chocolate fudge, Greg had strawberry and Gabriella had her favorite Beneimo (okinawan sweet potato). After we washed the sand off we headed to dinner at Sushi Zen. Greg discovered this place while we were off the island.  It is americanized sushi, meaning lots of delicious rolls.  The Japanese have delicious sushi, but they don't traditionally make rolls.  This place has at least 40 different types of rolls, we sampled 5.  The corona roll was delicious, fried calamari in a sushi roll. After filling our bellies we went home. Dessert consisted of cream puffs from the mini mini egg zoo. After a quick shower Gabriella fell asleep during her bedtime story.  It was a great day. 

Back in the Saddle Again

We've returned to Okinawa fresh faced and relaxed from our month in California.  It was a harrowing journey that included 2 planes, a bus, 3 airports and a taxi. I'll share that story another time this morning I'm feeling more reflective.  

It was beautiful here yesterday afternoon. Gabriella was able to go to school and reconnect with all her friends and teachers. She only has 2 classes left and she's thrilled to be the last share bag girl of the school year.  I was able to finish all my shopping while she was at school. I visited my favorite fresh veggie market, mini mini egg shop and stock up on essentials from the commissary.  

I'm turning over a few new leaves here in Okinawa. First and foremost I'm going to get more out of living over here. More going to the beach, more sushi, more walking and playing with Gabriella and Greg.  I'm also going to do more caring, both for myself and my family. I'm starting this morning. I'm up early so I can make a hot breakfast for Greg, today it's blueberry muffins. He's lost a bit of weight in the month I've been gone and I'm determined to make sure he's eating at least 2 square meals a day.  Gabriella and I are going to start going to the beach to explore, she loves looking at shells and dipping her toes in the ocean.  The most important thing is caring for myself,  which will include more pedicures and perhaps a massage or 2.   After all we will only live here once I should take advantage of it.