Okinawa pt 2

Well it was my birthday a few days ago and a group of us went out for a nice dinner. More on that in another post though. More importantly, I got an email from my dad saying that my mum had been admitted to Vancouver General Hospital with a blood clot in her leg. My dad assured me that everything was OK but I was still quite worried. I was very relieved after talking to my mum and doing some research on the net about blood clots. Luckily our family doctor was very 'on the ball' and properly diagnosed it. Thanks a lot Dr. Ng! I called mum the next morning and she said that she was expecting to be released in the next day or so.

This little shock made me realize that I haven't seen my parents in about a year and a half. Far too long. So I've decided to go back to Vancouver in March during my next school break.

With a feeling of great relief I'll now continue and, hopefully finish, the tale of our wondrous visit to Okinawa.

Okinawa, Day 3:

December 31. We were supposed to do a few more dives this day but the sky was very overcast, windy and raining lightly. So with a show of great intestinal fortitude we bravely weaseled out of it, promising to go the next day. So we spent the next few hours relaxing in our hotel room.

Japan, the land of twin beds.

Yukiko & her luggage take a break.

Trying to maintain my English reading skills.

With a look this innocent you know Yukiko must have done something really bad right?

Our little, hard working camera.

Diablo 2. Always better when you play during a holiday.

In the late morning we took a bus to the Body House (バーでハウス)spa. For only 3000 yen each we could relax in the rejuvenating, invigorating heated mineral waters. There were also various jet spray stations that massaged your head, feet, and all places in between. Unfortunately the experience was ruined a bit as there was a real assembly line feel to the place. You had to do all the stations in order. Everyone revolved around the pool in a big line. A helpfull timer on the wall alerted everyone to when 1 minute was up and it was time to move on to the next station. If you were late an old lady behind you would invariably grunt to get you to move on. Still it was fun, and the outdoor jacuzzi had a great view.

Entrance to the spa with our bus behind it. These next few outdoor photos were taken the next day when the weather was much better.

The main pool in the background.

View of the spa from the beach. The outdoor jacuzzi is on the balcony.

Something I really liked in Okinawa were the Shisa (シーサー), or guardian lions. Most homes and buildings had them at their entrances. They are very similar to the giant Guardian statues found at gates to major temples throughout Japan. Like the temple guardians, the Shisa always have 1 lion with an open mouth, 1 with a closed mouth. These Shisa are guarding the Body House Spa.

Close up of the Shisa.

Pretending to relax in my after-spa Yukata. Actually we had to rush out after this picture to catch our bus back to the hotel.

Our favourite little Okinawan restaurant.

New Year's special in the Hotel lobby. Toshikoshi soba (年越しそば）which would literally translate as long life soba noodles. A special New Year's Eve meal.

We had intended to go for dinner at a nearby Jamaican Reggae bar we had spotted earlier in the day but laziness got the better of us and after a late lunch we spent the night in our room drinking Okinawan Orion beer, and shikwa chu-hi. There were also 2 major MMA shows on TV (K-1 and Pride) so we did the traditional Japanese New Year thing, drink and watch TV. Ok the traditional thing should include a trip to a Shinto Shrine but hey we aren't perfect.

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Happy New Year!