fun things to do on Okinawa 
 north side

}Aquarium
}NEO park
}Manzamo (the place where 10,000 people sit together)

}EXPO park 
}motobu tangerine orchards
}hiji falls 
}hedo point 
}Nakijin castle ruins
} Okinawa fruits land

central part 

}Ikei island
}yomitan pottery village
}Ryukyu mura folk village 
}nakagusu castle ruins
}nakamura house
}forest adventure park

southern side 

}SHURI castle
}peace memorial park
}tsuboya pottery village
}Fukushu Chinese garden 
}Japan naval underground headquarters

   TTFN
 (Bethel)















 

Birds in our Backyard

Today we saw the Chinese bulbul.

We saw three on the fence in our backyard and in a tree just outside our yard.
We watched them hop around. I saw two fluttering their wings. This is what baby birds do when they want to be fed.

We think the two were babies or young fledglings.

Later, I was watching a bulbul for quite awhile. He would sit on the fence. Ocassionally, he would pounce on the ground near a grasshopper or a small butterfly. I also saw one with berries in his mouth. They were red and round and had a stem.

Yesterday morning we saw a Japanese white eye. They were on the fence and one was poking at the spider webs on the fence. It looked like they were picking the bugs or spiders off the webs to eat.

Local Produce is Almost Always Better

Before we came to Okinawa, a cynical military spouse told me that the produce was super expensive and not very good in Okinawa. That sounded awful, but then I considered that perhaps she was referring to produce flown in from the USA, and perhaps the value of the dollar at that time made a difference. I withheld judgment.

I am now convinced she never set foot off base. There are multiple roadside stands, farmer's markets, and Japanese grocery stores highlighting local produce that is both tasty and reasonable in price.

On Saturday we stopped by a roadside stand and picked up a fresh pineapple and some sweet potatoes. 

The pineapple was great; just what you would imagine a ripe pineapple just picked would taste like.

When I made the sweet potatoes, I discovered that they were purple! I love colorful food, but purple sweet potatoes made my night! I'm thinking a purple sweet potato pie might be in order.

We also passed a coffee farm. Perhaps I've found a source for local green beans to roast. I'll let you know what we find out.