Day 1 (November 22nd)
Laura brought along a bottle of champagne and we toasted to our trip to Okinawa in always classy plastic cups on the ferry from Awaji Island to Kansai airport.
The flight went fairly quickly.
When we got off the plane, the warmth was instant. The airport was filled with colourful exotic flowers. It was like someone saying 'welcome to paradise'.
We hopped on the handy monorail (the track goes over top of the city, and looks like a rollercoaster).
We were staying at a hostel called Cam-Cam, paying 800 yen a night. Unbelievable. But there was just one room, and two huge, three-story bunk beds. We were actually only given one sheet. Nevertheless, we were ready to party. So we hit Kokusai street?Naha`s entertainment hub.
Since it was a Wednesday night, it wasn`t so busy. We started out at a Canadian-owned bar called Paul and Mike`s. It was neat to be in an English-speaking establishment, but the place was filled with sad-looking, middle-aged men. We met an English teacher named Aaron. He offered walk us to a good club.
When we got there, the bouncer seemed uncomfortable. Aaron looked like a military man, and Okinawans are notoriously distrustful of those types. When I asked him if they were playing any hip-hop (my favorite), he said bluntly "No black". That`s all. Just "no black". I`m thinking, can you say that? When we inquired about what they would be playing the next few nights, he started shaking his hands in front of himself, saying "No, no, Japanese only".
The racism became even more apparent when Aaron tried to hail us a cab to take us to another club. We tried at least five taxis?every time Aaron leaned in, they just shook their heads and said `No, no` before he could even finish his sentence.
We eventually found a cab who would take us, and we went to a really fun club where we managed to dance until 5am.

Day 2 (November 23rd)
We woke up around 10am, after about four hours of sleep, since we are so used to getting up early. First thing we did was hit up Starbucks, and then we walked up and down Kokusai Street.
About the weather: you know when the sun is out and there is no cloud in the sky, and the temperature hits about 25 degrees Celcius and there is a very slight breeze, and it`s basically perfect? Yeah, it was like that every freaking day.

That evening, we decided to dine at an Izakaya so that we could sample the various foods Okinawa has to offer. After searching forever for a place with pictures on the menu, we managed to find one that was serving 100 yen beers. We hadn`t been planning on drinking that night, but how can you turn down 100 yen beers?
The food was amazing, as was the local Orion brew. We made it to bed relatively early. Laura a little earlier than me, as I had a brief run-in with the biggest cockroach ever.
I woke up freezing as I did not have any sheets.

Day 3 (November 24th)
Woke up at 8:30am feeling fairly refreshed (but still cold). Grabbed another Starbucks and headed off to catch a ferry to a nearby island called Tokashiki. There, we ate some curry at what was likely the only restaurant on the island, and hiked up a massive hill to a look-out, where we chilled and stared off at the sea.
I think it was on this day that we discovered that sheets and blankets were available in a supply area of our hostel.
That evening we went to Naha`s famous marketplace, where we were surrounded by pig`s heads (one had on sun-glasses, with his front hoof by his face in a peace-sign pose). Ridiculous.
The sashimi there was the freshest we`d ever tasted. It actually melts in your mouth.
We then sampled what instantly became my new favorite ice cream?sweet potato. I never knew you could make an ice cream out of a vegetable.
Our stomachs satisfied, it was time for some pre-dancing drinking. At this point, Kokusai Street was crawling with foreigners…mostly Marines. After a few drinks, we made our way to a salsa bar--Salsatina`s. While Kokusai Street had been crawling with Marines, Salsatina`s was swarmed by them. And damn could these guys dance!
As far as talking went…well, let`s just say they meant well. At one point, I was dancing with a Marine from Alaska. So I said "Oh that`s cool, I`m from British Columbia," because, you know, it sort of borders Alaska. So he says, "Oh so you live near Laura then!" Huh? "Ya well she`s from Britain," he says. That's when I realized that he thought Britain and British Columbia were the same place.
We barely had a chance to catch our breath between dances before we were dragged back onto the dance floor for more. We had no idea what we were doing, and it is very difficult to learn salsa when you are inebriated, but these guys basically just flung us around the dance floor all night. It was so much fun.
We stumbled back into Cam-Cam at about 5:30am.

Day 4 (November 25th)
We decided to check out an outlet mall outside of Naha. It was a bit of a trip to get there and not really worth it, but I did find a cute top to wear that night, so I was happy.
We wanted to try a hip-hop club, because that seemed the place to be in Naha on Saturday night (said the Marines).
We went to the same club that had told us `Japanese only` a few nights before, because it was recommended by some foreigners we met on the street (contradictions are a part of Japanese culture, I have come to realize). This time, we didn`t have any military-looking men with us, so we were allowed in.
The place was filled with thugs and scantily-clad Japanese girls. It was hip-hop alright, but hardcore hip-hop. Not my style. After a bit of uncomfortable dancing on the dance floor, Laura and I realized that we might have been the only white girls in there. We promptly left and headed for trusty Salsatina`s.
We got there around 3am, and we heaved a sigh of relief to see that it was a similar crowd to the night before. Tonight some of the dancers were really showing off--spinning and jumping and flying all over the dance floor. I was in awe.
Once again, we danced until 5am.

Day 5 (November 26th)
We were very sad to leave. Naha is such a fun city. But it was time, so we said goodbye and jetted back to Kansai. There, we discovered that our ferry back to Awaji had been cancelled due to bad weather. So, we had to pay more money to take a two-hour bus back. Nice welcome home, huh? I got in to my apartment at 11pm and it was freezing. I sat in front of the heater, hiding under my covers, wishing I was back in Naha.