Ishigaki Island-Day One

Departure time was 8am sharp, so my wife and I arrived at the airport around 7:15am. It is only a domestic flight, so 45 minutes is more than enough time. We checked two bags, and luckily both of the bags were under the weight limit of 20kg. But just barely!!! A few more kilograms and we would have had to pay an extra fee... =Not happy!

After checking the boarding time and the gate number, we grabbed a quick bite to eat while having a coffee. We got to the gate(which was the farthest gate from the security check!) about 10 minutes early and boarded the plane. Because we reserved our seats too late, we couldn't sit together, which was a shame. I got an aisle seat, and she sat in a window seat in the row in front of me.

The flight to Naha was smooth with no turbulence. We arrived a few minutes late, about 15 minutes after the E.T.A. (=expected time of arrival), but we made our connection and arrived at Ishigaki Airport at around 11:50am. Btw, we flew ANA which is my favorite airlines in the world!!

We rented a car, so one guy from the rental car agency, Orix, picked us up at the airport and then drove us to the Orix Office. After filling out some forms, finishing up the insurance paperwork, and inspecting the car for scratches or marks, finally we got in the car, a black Mazda with one of those new "remote control keys," and off we were.

We headed straight to get some lunch! We were famished!! (After all, our last meal, a Subway Avocado Sandwich was ONLY 4 hours earlier). Thanks to navigation, we found the restaurant in no time! (As I have said before, the car navigation system is truly a great invention!!! Without it, I would be completely lost every time because my sense of direction is about as bad as it gets!!) We both ordered Soki Soba, which is famous is Okinawa. Basically, Soki Soba is soba in a hot, soy sauce-ish broth with marinated pork "spare ribs" on top. If you want a more detailed explanation, google it!! I like Soki Soba a lot, and I hadn't eaten it since the last time I was in Okinawa which was last year. And this restaurant's Soki Soba was delicious!! So I was satisfied. The we walked off the lunch by taking a short stroll and left for a beach to go snorkeling. It took about 10 minutes to get there from the restaurant. Then we put on all of our gear. We have it all!! Fins, rubber shoes, rubber gloves, a mask and snorkel, a long-sleeve insulated shirt and pants(actually I don't have the pants, only my wife does) and life jackets! The life jackets were my wife's idea-she is really into safety!! But as the proverb goes, "Better be safe than sorry!!!"

First of all, the beach itself if beautiful!! And quite big! Long! The moment I set my eyes on the white sand and aqua water, it became one of my top three favorite beaches!! And the water wasn't so cold either. And the fish---there are so many different kinds of fish, all different sizes and colors. I don't know so much about the names of fish, but during this trip I thought that I should learn a little...In all about 2 hours of snorkeling and about 1 hour of talking to a nice guy I met on the beach. Besides us, he was the only other guy on the beach. His name is Dr. Y, and he is also from Osaka. What a coincidence!

Around 5pm, we said good-bye to the beach (but we would come back a few days later) and set off for the hotel to check in.

We stayed at Karuizawa Club, Hotel Ishigaki Jima. It was VERY NICE. The rooms were huge and clean and had a nice balcony and view. FYI, when I go on vacation, I rarely watch TV. Instead, I prefer to spend my time quietly while relaxing time on the balcony. And the service, all of the staff, were extremely friendly. I honestly can't say enough about the staff!! Plus, a very nice breakfast buffet every day, and one dinner, was also included in the fee. The hotel also has a nice hot bath, cold bath, and sauna room which I took advantage of every day. To say the least, we really liked the place and definitely recommend it!

After an hour of R & R in the room, we went out to dinner. Mr. Y recommended a restaurant with live Okinawan Music (one guy played the "sanshin", which is like a banjo, and another guy whistled, and everyone-the guests- dance!!). The food was good, and the atmosphere was very fun and "Okinawan." We had a great time there too!

It was a great day, and a great night, and I passed out on the bed the instant I got in the room...I was exhausted in a good way!!!

(Please note: I have a feeling that Day Two~Day Fives blogs are going to be much shorter!!)