Miyako and Okinawa - "Happening Days"

To get to Miyako-jima from Ishigaki is a little hop of about 70 miles. Our flight was only a half-hour, blink and you miss it. This was our plane.

I promise that we booked our hotel based on good reviews and not just because the name was "Allamanda". All Amanda, all of the time! It was actually a wonderful place to stay and we had a very comfortable villa within walking distance to the water.

From our hotel, we could access a really nice walking path that took us through the "jungle" on a loop around a small peninsula.

The well-maintained path led up to a really spectacular viewpoint. We could tell that there would be some amazing snorkeling right from the resort.

If you ever have the chance to stay in Miyako-jima I highly recommend the Allamanda Imgya Coral Village -- we loved being able to walk right down to the water and snorkel the reef.

But we knew there was better snorkeling on the reefs further out, so we booked a boat tour for Monday morning. Monday was the least windy day for the four days of our stay in Miyako. Our tour started off great — it was just us and the crew, practically a private tour. Our captain took us about forty-five minutes offshore to Yabiji Marine Park. 

It was an incredible reef, one of the best I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. The variety of corals were all so healthy and unbroken, and we saw many species of fish that we’d never seen before. We even got to see another sea snake slithering around the reef. It was an unbelievably memorable snorkel trip! 

It soon became even more memorable though, because the wind picked up and the boat’s engine couldn’t power through the waves. Eventually the engine went completely kaput and we were adrift and getting blown out to sea. Luckily the water wasn’t very deep and there was a sandy spot below to throw out an anchor. It was dicey though, and it evoked PTSD flashbacks to memories of our time living aboard S/V Solstice (Kevin kept murmuring “that’s why we bought a boat with two engines..."). Anyway, the captain hailed another larger snorkel boat to come and pick us up while he and one of the crew waited for a towboat — it was a very dramatic rescue where three of us had to swim to the other boat since it was too risky to raft up. We made it back to port safely, and our rescue boat was generous enough to share some video footage of us from their drone (which I’m sure Kevin will include in the blog video). 

One of the crew was rescued along with us -- she had been feeling seasick with the wind and waves and the captain had thought it best for her to go ashore with us. Because we'd had to swim to the rescue boat, we left in a bit of a hurry. Kevin wisely had our dry bag with all our gear, and in the scramble to leave we had made sure to put her cell phone in our dry bag but she'd forgotten to grab her house and car keys. She also did not have any shoes or a change of clothes. So the three of us arrived back at the marina, and we realized if we went back to the hotel she'd be stuck there waiting in the sun with no idea when the captain would be back because the boat was being towed to a different part of the island. She was so nice and we didn't want to leave her sitting all day with nothing, so we convinced her to at least come with us in the rental car and get something to eat for lunch. We ended up spending most of the afternoon eating poke and having a great conversation. Even though I'm sure it was stressful for her (she spoke really good English and kept saying that it had been a very "happening day"...as in an "eventful" day). But I hope we were able to take her mind off being temporarily homeless and shoeless for a few hours until the rest of the crew came back to bring her stuff.  

Whew! After such a "happening day", Kevin and I wanted a "nothing-happening day". So on Tuesday we drove to Yonaha Beach and rented some beach chairs for the day to unwind. It was great.

We got there early and had the entire beach almost to ourselves for the first hour or so. The sand was powdery soft and the blue water stretched for miles. It was an amazing and relaxing day.

Later that night, we headed to a club called the Funky Flamingo to watch a Japanese rockabilly band. They sang songs in both English and Japanese. Their act was so fun -- they played hits from the 50s and had so much energy they got the whole crowd up and dancing. 

On our last evening on the island we went out for soba and shabu shabu (hot pot). We always joke about how hot pot restaurants should be cheaper because it's just soup and they make you cook the food yourselves. But this was surprisingly rich and flavorful broth so everything was truly delicious. My compliments to the chef!

We would absolutely go to Miyako again, and despite our narrow escape from danger, I was sad to leave it. But we still had four nights in the island chain, this time on the main island of Okinawa. After an uneventful flight to Naha Airport, our stay started out in style, at the luxury Halekulani resort about an hour north of Naha town. 

We had booked here with a credit card perk and received an upgrade to one of the nicest hotel rooms we’ve ever stayed in. It had a wraparound porch and sea views from every window. Ah, this is the life!

We were planning to switch hotels mid-stay and Kevin contacted our next hotel to arrange a snorkel tour for Sunday morning. Somewhere, our guardian angels were looking out for us because the tour operator replied that snorkel tours on Sunday would be canceled due to the "approaching typhoon". Wait...what typhoon?! That was the first we’d heard of Typhoon Jangmi, scheduled to arrive on the island on Monday — the exact date we were supposed to fly to Taiwan to catch our flight home. This put us in action mode, and we spent the rest of the afternoon in our luxury suite rescheduling our flight, canceling our Okinawa hotel, and booking an extra two nights in Taipei -- yet another "happening day" for sure! We unfortunately missed out on another very nice credit card award stay at the hotel we had to cancel, but at least we knew we would make our final flight home from Taipei. We stopped by the Intercontinental Hotel's beach to see what we’d be missing out on - it was a pretty nice beach but not worth missing our flight home, let alone enduring a typhoon!

We arrived safe and sound in Taipei on Saturday (in an ironic touch, the weather was absolutely beautiful for both takeoff and landing). And we explored Taipei's Zhongshan District which reminded us a little of Tokyo’s upscale and bustling Ginza district, "scramble" pedestrian crossing included.

We managed to get a table at the famous Din Tai Fung restaurant for a delicious dinner of soup dumplings (xiao long bao). One of these restaurants just opened in Scottsdale, but I think the menu (and prices) will be a bit different. 

Meanwhile we kept an eye on Typhoon Jangmi, and as it turned out, it caused the Naha Airport to close entirely. Flights for both Monday and Tuesday were cancelled. So coming here to Taipei a couple days early was definitely the right call - otherwise we would have been stuck in Okinawa during the storm and also missed our flight home to Phoenix from Taipei. 

We had booked our final night at yet another swanky credit card point hotel so at least while we wait around to leave for our flight I can finish writing the blog in a luxury balcony suite. Never mind that our balcony just overlooks other apartment balconies with rusty A/C units and laundry drying on the lines. I won't include a photo; instead here's what the hotel looks like at night (I've concluded that in general everything in Taipei looks better at night). What a whirlwind of a trip this has been (with more "happening days" than we would have liked at the end) but I think we are both looking forward to coming home! 

Ishigaki, Okinawan Islands

From my first glimpse of Ishigaki from the airplane window, I knew it would be something special. 

We saved the Okinawan Islands for the last leg of our trip, so that we could relax and unwind after so many adventures in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. Well, technically Okinawa is part of Japan, but it was once an independent domain — the Ryukyu Kingdom — until the 1870’s. 

It definitely feels different from mainland Japan here — while still very Japanese in language and etiquette, there is much more of a laidback and fun-loving vibe here.

We rented a car, and since Kevin had to endure the craziness of driving back on Jeju Island, I thought it was only fair for me to have the fun of driving on the lefthand side of the road on this leg of the trip. (I did end up getting pretty good at back-in parking, which is how it’s done in Japan). Meanwhile Kevin could enjoy riding along as the passenger for once! 

Anyway, having a rental car allowed us to really explore the island during our six-day stay. I was mesmerized by the turquoise and ultramarine blue hues of the sea, peppered with coral heads. This is the view from Hirakubozaki Lighthouse, on the northern coast of the island. 

Unlike the Hawaiian archipelago, which was created by volcanoes, the Okinawan islands are predominantly made up of limestone. Since limestone is so porous, it can be easily eroded by the elements which creates dramatic cliffs and caves. Just south of the lighthouse is Sabichi Cave, which is a pretty substantial cave with lots of stalactites, stalagmites, and other formations. 

Even though it was hot and a bit muggy outside in the sun, the temperature in the cave was a lot cooler (although still humid). You can walk through the length of the cave for about 20 minutes before exiting onto a nearly deserted beach. 

The beach looks out over the East China Sea. You can’t see it from the beach, but Taiwan is just 170 miles away as the crow flies. Surprisingly, Ishigaki island is closer to Taiwan than it is to the Okinawa main island. 

From Sabichi Cave, we hopped back into the car and drove to the eastern side of the island to see the views from the Tamatorizaki Observation Platform. On this side of the island, you are looking down the coast with a wider view of the Western Pacific. 

Another great spot for blue-water views is Kabira Bay. This gorgeous mangrove-lined bay is an iconic spot on the island because the clear water is so many hues of blue. You can’t swim here due to strong currents, but there are glass-bottom boats that will take you out to look at the sea life.

The Okinawan Islands are one of the world’s “Blue Zones”. Not because of how blue the water is, but because of the longevity of the local people — they eat a very healthy diet full of superfoods with lots of nutrients and antioxidants. And they stay very active right up into their 80s and 90s due to their healthy lifestyle. We’ve been able to try a few of the superfoods including: beni-imo (purple sweet potato), goya (bitter melon), and umi-budo (sea grapes). Surely eating like this for a few weeks will add years to our lifespans, right?! Unfortunately we have counteracted that by also eating lots of fried foods, noodle dishes and sweets. At the Kabira Bay food truck stand we had some Blue Seal Beni-imo Sweet Potato Ice Cream, does that count as a superfood or just a super-junk food?

Thanks to the rental car we were able to go to parts of the island and snorkel on our own. We particularly liked Yonehara Beach.

But we also really enjoyed going on a guided snorkel tour around the Blue Cave area, which would’ve been harder to get to without a 4WD vehicle. Our tour guide, Yuki, was great - very enthusiastic and full of energy. 

The coral reef here was in such good condition, teeming with iridescent fish and brightly colored corals! 

The water was crystal clear and our group even saw a couple of sea turtles as well as a venomous sea snake! Luckily we all lived to tell the tale. (Sea snakes are among the most venomous snakes on earth but they are notoriously shy and never swim up to humans. They only bite if you mess with them.) It was a great day out on the water!

In fact, we had such a great time with our guide Yuki, that we signed up for his Night Jungle and Stargazing Tour later that night. 

Our walk took us through the dense jungle vegetation on the far western, less-inhabited side of the island. On our walk we saw the nocturnal Habu viper. (Less dangerous than the sea snake, but still something to be avoided!) We were grateful that Yuki had given us tall rubber galoshes to protect our feet!  We also came across another nocturnal creature — the coconut crab. In this picture you can really see the indigo blue color — it almost looks fake but I assure you it was real!

Out on the beach we all turned off our flashlights and were amazed by the limitless expanse of sky and starlight above us. Kevin and I were very glad we took both of these tours to experience the natural beauty of Ishigaki. 

Speaking of Habu vipers, one "must try" on the island is Habushu sake - a liquor made by infusing awamori (a local distilled spirit) with herbs, honey, and a whole snake. The alcohol breaks down any venom, so it's safe to drink. We tried it at dinner one night. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think it counts as a superfood unfortunately. Oh, well. Kanpai!

The main industries on Ishigaki are agriculture (they grow sugar cane, tobacco, pineapples, mangoes), cattle ranching, tourism, and fishing. As I mentioned, the island has a very laid-back vibe and it isn't yet over-developed. There are only a handful of resorts on the island and unlike Hawaii none of the resorts are high-rises (yet). It is kind of how I imagine the Hawaiian islands would have been like in the 1930s. 

We were so glad we included Ishigaki as a stop on our Okinawan itinerary. It was a magical place with just the right combination of water activities and scenic beauty to completely charm us. Hopefully someday we'll make it back here!

Seoul - Lights at Night

We had six nights in Seoul, the South Korean capital, and we hit the ground running. Even though the weather was warmer than expected, we took a long walk on our first afternoon and rode the cable car up Namsan Mountain for a great view of the city. 

In the evening, we had signed up for a food tour. We had a great group of people, including an Italian woman from the tiny town of San Cassiano in the Alta Badia region of the Dolomites. She was surprised we had heard of her town, let alone spent a week there. 

We tried many South Korean dishes at the Gwangjang Market, including:

• Mayak kimbap (like a maki roll, veggies rolled in rice and wrapped in seaweed)
• Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)
• Kimchi and Gogi Mandu (dumplings filled with kimchi and pork)
• Kalguksu (Knife cut noodles)
• Nokdu bean-dae-dduck (Mungbean Pancake)
• Gogi-Wanja (Meatball Pancake)
• Kkwa-bae-gi (Twisted donut)
• Makgeolli (Korean traditional rice wine)
• Soju / maegju (Beer)
• Yakgwa (Korean Traditional Cookie)
• Bibimbab (Mixed rice with assorted vegetables)
• Ddukbulgogi (Korean Beef Soup)

I was surprised to be able to handle the spice level of the tteokbokki, they were really spicy! I probably wouldn’t order it on my own, but it was good to try a small amount!

At the last stop of the evening, we were seated around a big table and our guide Jacob taught us some fun Korean drinking games with beer and soju (rice wine). It was good that we’d had a little alcohol because then he brought out the next courses — Yuk-heo (Raw Beef), and San-nak-ji (Live Octopus). I would never have tried either of these if I wasn’t a little tipsy! The worst part was that the octopus was cut into pieces that were still wriggling! We had a hard time picking it up with the slippery metal chopsticks!

South Korea is the destination for all things skincare-related, so on Wednesday, I treated myself to a luxury facial at our hotel spa. Afterwards, we headed over to the National Museum of Korea. I should say that we went there for a dose of culture, but really we just wanted to do an activity that was air-conditioned (did I mention that Seoul is very hot an humid this time of year?) Luckily for us the museum was cool exhibit-wise as well as temperature-wise. 

In the evening, we tried to go see the illuminated light show at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The DDP is a futuristic, spaceship-shaped building that has gallery space inside and a rooftop park. Supposedly the light show goes for ten minutes on the hour, but we arrived early and waited until at least 8:30pm, but no show happened. We’ll just have to look it up on YouTube, I guess!

In search of more lights at night, we went to the happening district of Eulji-ro. Even on a Wednesday, this place was lively with loud music and lots of young people having a few drinks. We didn’t go into any of the bars, but it was worth checking out just for the atmosphere. 

Thursday morning we ventured to Gangnam, on the south side of the Hangang River (“Gangnam” literally means “south of the river”). This area was made famous by a K-pop song “Gangnam Style” that came out about a decade ago. The video featured the singer doing a funny dance that looks like riding an invisible horse. Apparently the city of Seoul thought this was worthy of a commemorative statue. Oppa Gangnam Style!

Gangnam is a very trendy and affluent district in Seoul. The Starfield Coex Mall and Convention Center is just about the pinnacle of what I like to think of as “Asian mall culture” — integrated malls that have boutique stores alongside grocery stores, food halls, arcades, and other useful places that Asians head to as a one-stop shop for pretty much everything in their daily lives. This mall even has an amazing library where patrons can lounge in one of several coffee shops and read any book or magazine right off the shelf (multiple languages are available but mostly the books are Korean). To be honest there were more people here just taking photos for instagram than reading, though. 

Also in Gangnam, we visited the beautiful Bongeunsa Temple, which has a huge Buddha statue but also these really interesting and colorful guardian paintings on the gates. 

For the first three days of our stay in Seoul we were at the Shilla Hotel and our room was on a high floor so we had great views of the Namsan  Seoul Tower changing color at night. 

On Friday morning we took a stroll through the cafe-lined walkways of the Ikseon-dong neighborhood. This area of hanok-style houses was built in the 1920’s and is now a blend of cute cafes, restaurants, and shops. 

Our second hotel in Seoul was in the more central Jongno district, so we were really able to get out on foot and explore. The Cheonggyecheon Stream is a lush pedestrian oasis that runs right through town. There used to be a highway built right over the natural stream, but it was torn down in 2003 and turned into a recreational green space. For this weekend, it had been transformed into an outdoor public library. 

While wandering through nearby Gwanghwamun Square, we noticed a large gathering of traditionally dressed South Koreans writing large-scale calligraphy on posters and posing in front of the statue of Sejong the Great (a king from the 1400s). 

Walking through this part of the city at night is a good way to experience the old alongside the new. The glow from the billboards lights up the sky, and traditional lanterns add some warmth and refinement. 

This weekend was the Lotus Lantern Festival, a celebration of the Buddha’s birthday. But wait, wasn’t his birthday back in April? Why, yes, at least according to Japan. Here in Korea they celebrate it in May. Korea uses the lunar calendar to calculate the date, but Japan switched to the Gregorian calendar during the Meiji Era and fixed the date to April 8. Luckily those of us who celebrate Christmas can be 100%-guaranteed certain that Jesus was absolutely born on December 25th, right? I guess time is truly a construct. 

Okay but back to the lanterns! The festival is centered around the Jogyesa Temple, and the temple was all decorated on Friday night in anticipation of the weekend’s events. 

Lanterns of all shapes, sizes, and colors illuminated the temple and surrounding buildings, including the Central Post Office. 

From Jogyesa, we ambled back down to the Cheonggyecheon Stream and were delighted to see people actually relaxing and reading the books in the library pop-up! Books were free to check out, and you could rent a reading lamp or book light for a very low cost. 

Saturday was a busy day of sightseeing. We started by exploring the Gyeongbokgung Palace, including the elaborate changing of the guard ceremony. 

The guard-changing ceremony was just the right mix of camp and tradition to be very entertaining. It was set to traditional music, and soldiers waved flags and swords around while shouting commands. In addition to the brightly colored costumes you might be able to spot a fake beard or two in the photo below. 

Speaking of having fun while dressed up in costumes, we saw countless couples and even whole families wearing hanbok attire. 

After seeing the palace we joined a guided tour of the Bukchon Hanok Village. This is another well-preserved area with traditional Hanok houses. Unlike some of the other historical districts, many of these homes are still residential and there are signs posted reminding tourists to be courteous and respectful of the full-time residents. 

The Lotus Lantern Festival was the reason we timed our visit to Seoul for these dates, and Saturday night was the main event - a huge 3-hour parade of lanterns, lights, and music. 

There were hundreds of floats and lanterns. Some were very simple, but others — like this fire-breathing dragon — were more elaborate. 

On Sunday, the festival events continued with music and dance performances and hands-on crafting booths around the Jogyesa Temple. There were also information booths about Buddhism and even a recruiting station for folks who might want to try life as a monk. I would have loved to craft a lotus lantern but unfortunately I don’t have room in my already-stuffed suitcase. So we settled for posing with some lanterns for a photo—I’ll have to pack the memory instead!

We enjoyed our time in this clean, vibrant, and modern-yet-traditional city. Gahm-sahm-nee-dah—thanks for the wonderful memories, Seoul!