okinawa part ichi

okay. i seriously cleaned for THREE hours last night. it was a workout- there was sweat involved.

things i've learned about futons: you need to hang them outside to air out once a week or else you'll grow dani (bed bugs) who know no boundaries & whose bites (on your booty, back, boobs, everywhere) are huge and red and itchy for 2+ weeks. to get rid of these, you can buy a spray which kills all the bugs but then you need to vacuum your bedding/surrounding area to get rid of their carcasses. so that is what i did last night. plus 2 loads of laundry. plus delicious curry making. then i knocked out. true story.

anyway, onto more exciting things: pictures! from okinawa. these beaches are amazing! i know i'm a hawaii beach snob & am about to blaspheme all over the place but these beaches are nicer than hawaii's & there's NO ONE around at some. i like pretending (particularly while hiking) that i am one of the only people who have traversed the area-- away from all that urbanization, commercialism, etcetc. you can definitely do that on some of okinawa's islands. peaceful, untouched, serene. i approve. okay- less talking, more showing:

hoshizuna beach: iriomote island, okinawa
[all of the brightly colored fishes just come right up to you! amazing!]

kaijihama ie kaiji beach: taketomi island, okinawa
[most beautiful beach i've been to- with the exception of all of the disgusting sea cucumbers we had to navigate around]

yes, those are the only real beach pics i took [i'll put more up once i steal them from friends]. this was a cautionary sticker in the train- so cute the crab! trains everywhere should have cute crab warnings! "Be careful of the door[s closing]"

what the eff! ridiculously expensive mangoes (in all of japan, not just okinawa).

shisa- traditional ryukyu [native gov't/religion/peoples before China/Japan/etc colonized okinawa] mythological creatures. they're often found in pairs on either side of the front entrances of houses & other establishments and are thought to ward off evil. the shisa on the right is open-mouthed to allow good luck to enter and the shisa on the left is closed-mouthed to keep the luck in.

and of course, monchichi shisa

no adventure would be complete without engrish. the cute & well-meaning sign on the way up to our Sora House hostel in naha.
"Take cake that you don't slip on a rainy day." ^__^