Wil Visits Okinawa!

I love it when friends come to visit me! It's such a great reminder of why I love being here and of all the fun places right outside my door.

Recently, I was lucky enough to have a friend from waaaaaay back in the day come to my lovely island. Wil and I met way back in Elementary School when we both attended the same church in Harlem, Montana.  Since then, we've kept in touch fairly often. First by writing letters (THAT long ago?!?), then email, MySpace, and now Facebook.

During his trip I got to revisit a lot of the places I love on the island, and also find a few new good ones!

First Adventure: Toyosaki Beach! 

I've only visited this beach twice before because it is not as close to my house as some 

other beaches and it is a little too manicured for my taste (only one small roped-in

swimming area?! Puh-lease)....

But they have extensive sidewalks and side roads.  Perfect for rollerblading! 

So I broke out my sweet blades, loaned Wil my bike, 

and enjoyed the perfect weather. 

 Doesn't he look pleased?

I love how clear and perfect the water is in Okinawa! 

Second Adventure: Blue Party! 

 Wil's trip coincided with the Blue Party I had planned as An Yang's going away and I was SO glad! He helped me soooo much with set up and tear down and got the opportunity to meet all the wonderful people I love in Okinawa.

Wil getting a drink...

from an amazing bartender. :) 

Making new friends!

And jamming with Max.

Third Adventure: Okinawa World, Mozuku Soba, 

Mibaru Beach

It took us a little extra time to get around the next morning, but we filled the rest of the day with adventure! First stop: Okinawa World and Cave Park! 

 Wil seemed to enjoy the caves and taking photos of all the different stalagmites. 

He's a bat!

Next stop: Mozuku Soba!

 This is one of the BEST places to eat... in the world. Mozuku is a type of delicious seaweed harvested in the water near the restaurant. This restaurant is extremely dedicated to the healthy, stringy stuff and include it in the soba noodles, the broth, the rice, the tempura, the salad, and even the desert. It's... amazing. 

Last Stop: Mibaru Beach

 We caught the last few rays of sunlight at the beach near my high school. 

Love the look on Wil's face. 

Frolicking happily. :) 

Fourth Adventure: The Great North

 First, we hit up the Pineapple Park. It is a great place to have some silly fun, 

learn all about pineapples, and stuff yourself on free pineapple samples: 

wine, cake, cookies... heaven. 

 Second, we went to the must-see Churaumi Aquarium. It is my favorite place to 

take guests, and so I've been there about ...Oh, a million times. <3 it.

I <3 Garden Eels. Kawaiiiii! 

Fifth (and last) Adventure: Naha! 

Unfortunately, I had to work most of the days Wil was here, but I was able to take a couple half days! One of those was spent in the Prefectural capital: Naha. 

Who doesn't want to pose with a decapitated pig in sunglasses?

Ramen!! 

AhhhAAahhh!

Naminoe Beach is kind of a joke. Just look at that view!
But it's worth visiting, if only for comparison purposes. ;) 

Naminoe Shrine was pretty sweet, though. 

And Wil got to experience the temple cleansing. We don't have a lot of actual shrines in Okinawa. 

We also stopped by Shuri Castle to take in the view and walk around the grounds for awhile.

 Our last stop was to a Kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi place. Wil is a very adventurous eater. He has some delicious Octopus in this photo.

Matcha (Green Tea) Ice Cream Sushi

Wil's giant pile of sushi plates, and his awesome face. 

Overall, it was incredibly fun to have my ole buddy here. 

I hope more and more of my friends come to visit. 

I want to be a tour guide more often!!