11:15 – A short distance from Hotel Miyuki Beach (our hotel) we drove up to the unbelievably gorgeous Manzamou Cliffs. Part miraculous view of ocean, part scene from the jungles of Jurassic Park, this place was beyond breathtaking. I had a lot of fun playing photographer here working with aperture and shutter speed (nowhere near in expert fashion but enjoying myself nonetheless) and using Ms. Pigit as subject matter once more. There was one area on a hill near the cliff that was basically a large crater and I saw the opportunity for one of those amazing Dragonball Z shots people have been doing a lot lately but by the time I found it everyone had basically already boarded the bus . . . so I bought a dress instead! It was a really pretty tangerine/light orange summery number that I cannot wait to wear back in the States. In continuing with the photog bit, I took to making my friends pose for me using the black and white setting on my camera. Pretty good huh?
12:00 – After narrowly escaping an accident with several
other busses we made our way to Ufuyah – a former residence and current
restaurant – where we lunched on traditional Okinawan cuisine. Unfortunately
for many, the rocky nature of the bus ride pretty much offset their appetites
so in favor of not getting sick we ate what we could and carried on. I did have
a chance to eat a really yummy ice cream called Blue Wave, a lovely pineapple
and Ramune flavored treat, and I purchased a nice little bottle of
pineapple/grape wine that I will be taking back to the States.
13:00 – The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium was one of the
highlights of the day. This awesome place offered many interesting marine life
sites for us to see. I must admit that of all the aquariums I have been to,
this one had some of the largest sea creatures I have ever laid eyes on. Huge
whale sharks swam languorously throughout the tank while large manta rays
seemed to fly like great majestic sea birds around all of the smaller animals.
Later on I saw live manatees for the first time, played with big sea turtles
through the glass of their tanks, and saw a dolphin show while snacking on yet
another tasty ice cream cone flavored with brown sugar and vanilla.
17:15 – Heading towards Meio University, we were greeted by
a student welcoming party and brought to the gym where we would be taught a
basic Eisa performance at their traditional dance workshop. It was very nice of
them to prepare this especially for us; they seemed just as excited to show us
their work as we were to learn. After they did their initial performance they
separated us into groups to play various roles in our own performance. Some chose
to play the small hand drum, others the larger drums you have to sling over
your shoulder, the last group being the dancers. The steps were fairly simple
but the hand gestures required much more finesse. All in all, the whole lot of
us seemed to be having a blast and I am glad that form of interaction was added
to the trip because it was so much more than your typical tourist venture. The students
were so kind and really made me feel more involved in a part of the Okinawan
culture.
20:00 – Our dinner was quite a surprise in that we had our own little BBQ session. Each table had its own burner where we could cook our meats and veggies. We had pork, chicken, corn, eggplant, cabbage, and some other delicious things to nom on. After a long day of traveling around, this was most definitely a welcome diversion.
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