Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/08/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Peter, So, we've just got back from our trip to Okinawa, and Bangkok. I am glad to report that Okinawa trip was much better than we anticipated. The weather there was hot and humid, with rains on-and-off, as you mentioned. The Goya dish is great. IMHO, foods are more like Chinese than Japanese. We didn't even have any sushi while we were there. But we did eat a lot of pork dishes, and grill fish while we were there. Our breakfast were normally congee. :) The hotel's lobby has a lounge, with ample supply of awamori, and the local sweets which looks like a donut-hole. I think I gain 1-2kg just for consuming these. :) Besides food, the highlight of our trip was the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. It was crowded on a weekday. I can't imagine what weekends would look like. We also went to the near by arboretum - Tropical Dream Center (yes, I know, it is a tourist trap, but the wife would like to see it. LOL) It turns out pretty good with lots of flowers. We didn't have much time, so the rest we spent driving around. While we were in Bangkok, visiting my folks, there was a storm and it rained everyday. When it rains, it flooded. We spent at least 2-3 hours in traffic a day. I'll post some pictures from the trip soon. Thanks a lot for your information. We definitely will go back there. -Pasvorn On Sat, Jul 17, 2010 at 9:28 AM, Peter Cheyne <geordiepete211 at yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > Hi Pasvorn, > > now is really hot and humid in Okinawa and not where I would be headed in > summer. ?Still, you can have some fun there. ?I guess you'll be headed to > Naha, so ask about snorkeling off the coast there to the Kerama Islands. > ?They give you buoyancy ?aids if you can't swim. ?It's amazing there. > > Okinawan fare is not renowned as the best food in Japan. ?However, to try a > local speciality ask for goya chanpuru. ?I love that dish! ?Goya is bitter > gourd, a kind of bitter, knobbly cucumber that also grows in India. ?It is > cooked with pork and tofu. ?As for booze, awamori is famous in Okinawa. > ?It's made from rice, but rather than fermented like what you know as sake, > it is distilled, so it is a spirit. ?Some special local bottles have a > pickled snake inside. > > Dine at evenings in recommended izakayas, which are basically places to eat > and drink, often with local live music played on the sanshin, an Okinawan > three-stringed traditional guitar-type instrument. > > The folks of Okinawa, the former Ryuuku kingdom, are not the same as > mainland Japanese, historically and ethnically. ?They tend to be very laid > back and warm, and with the U.S. military still (controversially) there, > you'll usually find someone who can speak some English. > > All the best, > > Peter > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >