DAY 4:
The first destination was Sea Glass Beach. It is about an hour and a half away. As we got close, our GPS took us on a dirt road through what looked like sugar cane and then stopped. So we drove around and ended up getting out at what I think was a fishing port.
Went for a nice little walk
This was cool. I have seen this a few times in various places around the world but here is ocean water (light brown) pushing up on the beach and river water (dark brown) flowing in from the right. They don't mix all the way at this point which I think is really cool to see.
The favorite discovery here was the numerous hermit crabs along the rocks and shore.
Japanese fishing boat (I think)
We walked along a sea break (to our left was a Japanese navy vs marine base) towards this little island to see what was out there.
Answer: A family Urn
Before we hit the road we shared water from the vending machine. They really are like any other vending machine but these things were everywhere in Okinawa - seemingly on every other street corner.
Making friends with the local watchman
After arriving home I dropped the girls off for some unstructured mess-making, coloring, reading time and I drove back to the car rental place to talk to them about the car (more on that later) and to my delight, on the way home I found the missionaries teaching people on the streets. Awesome.
After a disappointing meal of Ramen (much lower quality), we tried to make it up to ourselves by eating the local Okinawan ice cream: Blue Seal. It really was good but quite expensive. It did bring joy so I guess it was worth it.
LAST DAY
We woke up early and went straight to the local beach. The rain was sprinkling on us but it was very pleasant. Kids had fun playing for a few minutes. As soon as I find the pictures I will add them here.
After packing up the car, before going to the airport we went to see Nakagusuku Castle. Also built in the 1400s, there are no structures left but the walls remain and while not as big as Machupicchu in Peru, it was on-par in terms of enjoyment to visit. As such, I took a ton of photos so just bear with me.
Bright sun, I feel your pain, Hazel.
Large open grass area out back (the tour is set up to bring you in the backside).
Model to help provide a frame of reference. We came in from the left and are standing on the large open grassy field.
The walls were built out of a porous rock of sorts. Volcanic smoothed over? Over the years you can see the erosion and now the walls are really rough which allows more plant growth. I think, for this reason, it was not re-discovered until the mid-1900s; no one could see it much akin to Machupicchu
Decent-sized walls, 20-25 feet high.
Charlotte was not mad, just a poorly timed picture.
Girls discovering a snail.
Japanese discovering our children and wanting pictures with them.
They still let you climb up on the walls which was great. The lovely breeze from the sea and a great view.
Grandpa Nielson would be proud. Zachary stopped to contemplate the nature of each small rocky and dirty detail. A future archeologist?
As pictured below, this area at one time had a lot of structures, probably made of wood and long since gone. It was excavated in the '70s-'80s.
Enjoying some shade
Hungry and ready for a nap.
This last section (or first if you came in what they think was the original way) was a religious center with gardens and these stone pillars surrounded by rock circles. The plaques said they were places of prayer and again referred to the Priestesses in charge.
Outside the back wall, there was a forgery. The well we visited made mention of its use for the guards here. They also mentioned parts of the walls were expanded in the 1600s for the guards.
And this is a modern-day curiosity. This privately owned section of land is a giant rolling set of buildings all connected, not inhabited. Wish I knew what it was meant to be. A failed business endeavor?
One last view
And an added expense to the trip. We (meaning me) backed into a pole on the first day we were here. In my defense driving on the right side of the car was strange.
Last-minute souvenir shopping which sadly was left on the plane. I guess our house is not meant to be lucky.
Fun trip.
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