First Camp Day in Okinawa

So first thing in the morning we had breakfast and then moved from Naha in the south to Nago in the middle north.

On the road we got our first glimpse of the ocean for that day. It was brilliant aquamarine and beautiful. There had been a typhoon not too long ago, so the atmosphere was still a bit overcast and unclear, but the beauty still could be sensed.

I love the jagged rock islands that one sees in the Pacific. I caught this one as we were zooming by in the car.

This is another shot I took from the moving car. You can see the mist in the air.

Next we headed toward our hotel in Nago. The main shopping street is lined with tropical plants and flowers and reminds me a little of Southern Mexico with its heat and saturated colors, despite the very strong sun.

These shots do not really do justice to the surroundings, but they give an idea of the atmospheric flavor.

It is wonderful for me as a Southern girl to see the tropical flowers and orchids.

While our host was running a few errands, I explored some of the inner shopping areas. Unfortunately many of the old family run businesses are disappearing and thus the inner labyrinth of shops and stores can be recognized as only a shell of its former abundance.

Here is a worker in his baggy pants, helping with some renovations.

This vegetable market had tiny women tending their wares. All the food looked so delicious that my companion and I were wishing we had access to a kitchen.

We waited on the corner in front of the tourist office, which had many brochures, but unfortunately nothing much to offer in English.

Some of the older houses could be seen in this central area of town.

When we got to the camp we got to meet the group and started with introductions.

You can tell the kids are a little nervous, but they were energetic and excited about going to camp.

The building is fascinating. A deco inspired building (?) that is only about 7 years old, it serves a as a nature center and has many hiking trails. They are a green facility and are very concerned about the environment.

This is the interior of the foyer. There was an exhibit of figures made from sticks in the back part of the hall.

The building is a quad and has an inner courtyard with balconies and an un-raked rock garden.

Here is a view from the side.

Students had an orientation session and then we started class all together in the third floor classroom.

After class we were all exhausted and so we took a quick trip to the beach to watch the sunset. I hate sunset pictures, but I always take them anyway. I feel obligated to put a few in even though they are never as impressive as the natural event that one has witnessed.



I invite the viewer to close his or her eyes and imagine a sunset in lieu of looking at the following pictures!



You peeked!

Finally there is one last picture of the hotel. The room is quite spacious by Japanese standards and very clean and enticing. My refrigerator needed defrosting (so I unplugged it for the evening, but other than that and the absence of a clock in the room) it is an absolutely perfect place to stay (wait until you hear about tomorrow's breakfast! (wink!))

I especially like that there is desk space! I was very happy to have a place to work!