MP3 track of the day:
Save your soul – Jamie Cullum
Weather: rubbish. The
clouds are back and rain falls every-so-often. The temperature is
good and the wind has died down.
I woke up
to the all familiar sound of the wind bombarding the building which I
found myself in. Having had the same 'wake up call' yesterday I was
used to it and knew that bad weather now, did not necessary mean bad
weather later on. I therefore laid on top of my futon until it was
time to get up.
I found
myself looking around my room (to make sure I hadn't left
anything) at around 7:40am. Satisfied, I closed the door and walked to the shed to hand in my
key and pay my bill. The smiling owner was there; last night she
forced food upon me again (tempura, which was delicious but
I think one of the items upset my stomach a little) and
I was glad that she didn't force anything on me this morning. She
was, however, busy preparing the other guests breakfasts therefore I
declined the offer of a lift and decided to complete the two minute
drive, to the ferry terminal, by foot.
As
I walked the weather still hadn't cleared up. I glanced at my watch
to see it read 8am; I then thought back twenty-four hours and
realised that the weather hadn't cleared up then either. Once at the
ferry terminal I was told that no ferries were leaving from here
however, the southern terminal was operating normally. I was then
handed a free bus ticket and asked to wait. At 8:30am I boarded the
bus bound for the southern terminal. At first the driver seemed to
have trouble selecting a gear; once he'd chosen one we were off and I
looked out of my window, at the sea and the mountains, reminiscing
about yesterday.
I
arrived at the southern ferry terminal one hour later. Fortunately
the bus had been coordinated to meet the 9:30am ferry departure to
Ishigaki. I got off the bus, thanked the driver, and boarded the
ferry. Due to only one ferry port being open, there were a lot of
customers; so many in fact that the company had to put on two
ferries. I sat down in my usual seat looking out into the ocean.Two
rows in front of me sat an elderly lady with a cute dog. I was worried
that the dog would 'bolt' as soon as the engine fired up and we were
away however, the dog was as good as gold and must be a local.
Ironically
this crossing had been the calmest I'd experienced within the
Ishigaki island chain. I got into Ishigaki town at around 10:10am and
headed straight for my accommodation. Being 10am I couldn't check-in
however, I could drop my bags off and check the bus timetable to the
airport. The upshot is that, tomorrow, the first bus to the airport
leaves here at 7:05am and arrives one hour later leaving me 55
minutes until my flight leaves. Being a domestic flight this should
be more than enough time however, even though a taxi ride could cost
3,000 yen (£20.00) I
still thought it was worth taking a cab and arriving much earlier.
With that set I checked my emails before walking back into town. The
time was 11am.
Even
though I hadn't had breakfast I still didn't buy food (save
a bit of cash) until lunch time.
I therefore walked around this 'town', finding little that interested
me, until lunch. Like most other urban settlements out here, 'run
down' would be the words I'd choose to describe it. I therefore
walked aimlessly around taking photos of this, that and the other
realising that 'hiring cars', on tropical islands, was the way to go.
Having hired three this holiday I have certainly been converted, as
you can do so much with your time.
It
was also as I walked around that I tried to sum up my trip to
Okinawa. Even though it isn't over (I leave on Tuesday)
I've thoroughly enjoyed my time. It is true that money for this winter
holiday has been tighter than it had to be (due to wanting a
massive holiday next summer)
but, on the whole, I can't think of anything (except eating
a little better) that I have
missed out on. The trip has been fantastic and I have seen a lot
however, currently I am very tired and so a 'rest day' would have
been nice. The islands are beautiful and there is lots to do; I'd say
the main island is good (and shouldn't be missed) but
it's the outer-islands which are Okinawa's gold mine. For me these
Islands have had a continuing theme running through them; family. The
populations are small therefore everyone seems to know everyone. On
each island I've met very friendly locals who I've talked to and eat
with. Sure the weather could have been a little better however, it
hasn't stopped me from enjoying myself (whereas the summers
heat may have). Overall coming
to Okinawa was an excellent choice and money well spent.
My
thoughts seemed to have taken up my entire walk. I had pretty much
seen the whole town and therefore, I found myself famished and
standing outside 'W&A' (again)
peering in. Having seen no better option on my walk, I went in and
ordered another chicken burger. As I took my tray I saw some people
I'd met on Taketomi-jima and so, I gratefully accepted their offer
for me to join them. We chatted about our two days apart and just how
good yesterday's weather had been.
After
dinner I was at a loss. I had nothing to do plus the rain was
starting to fall. Feeling tired I decided to abort the day. I bought
a few souvenirs which, buying them between 10am - 2pm, gave me 10%
off for some reason (I bought a photo book – the only one
on the entire island, postcards and two demon things which I've seen
around, however mine are painted). Once
done I headed back to my hotel to sit within the reception area to
read the news, rest my feet and try to get some energy back. The
time; 2:15pm.
At
4pm I could check-in. My room was on the 9th
floor therefore, once there, I discovered that the WI-fi signal had
ran out of reach. Slightly annoyed, after putting my stuff within my
room I went back to the reception area and wrote this blog while I
uploaded two days worth of photos. All was going well and by 8pm I
retired to my room, once more, to eat the left-over food from my
island trip.
So
tomorrow I depart my hotel at 6:45am to board a 9am flight to
Okinawa's main island. I shall arrive at midday and then I shall
check into the hostel before I go out and see down-town Naha (plus
I'll get a bit more shopping done; I need to buy biscuits for my
schools).
Tomorrow
will be a busy, and expensive, day; an early night is therefore more
than welcome.
Toodle
Pip!
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