A Glance back at Okinawa

I've been traveling the Okinawa Islands since April 23rd now. My Goal? Cycle as many islands as I could. I ended with 7. Could have done more but I am satisfied. Plus, I was buggered. It's been amazing beyond words can say! Never seen so many beautiful beaches all clustered together. The only thing lacking is the hordes of bikini babes. The beautiful scenery makes up for that I suppose. So if you get the chance to come here, this is what I suggest:

1. Don't go to one of those big resorts and get pampered and driven around everywhere and so on.

2. Do it by bicycle or scooter, if you can.

3. Take your time. Spend 2-4 weeks if possible to soak up the peacefulness of your surroundings.

4. Bring your snorkeling gear. There's plenty of islands that have a good diversity of marine life and coral.

5. If you're into diving, there's schools of hammerheads, whale sharks, an underwater city that's a big mystery in the winter and manta rays in the summer nearby.

6. Definitely go to Iriomote Island via. Ishigaki Island. It's too bad they canceled the ferry service so you must fly to Ishigaki first, but if you like nature, it's worth it. There's nothing but rivers leading to waterfalls snaking through the mountains. At the estuary there's always mangrove trees which shelter an assortment of life. You can go kayaking up one of the many rivers, snorkel offshore, or just lay on one of the gold sand beaches.

Now I'm in Naha waiting to start the 3rd leg of my journey in Japan. The 1st being 3 months of working as a snowboard instructor in Niseko, Hokkaido in the north. I will start in Osaka. Buy me a motorcycle and see where the road takes me. Sounds like an adventure.