Zipping Through the Treetops

There aren't too many things that are more exhilarating to me than flying. I can't tell you how many daydreams I had as a child, pretending I had wings, which may explain some of my slight obsession with zip-lining! So, maybe getting fitted into a harness, clipping yourself to a metal cable, and trusting nothing but a caribeaner clip to keep you from falling hundreds of feet down to the depths of the forest isn't exactly the same thing as flying, but it sure is a freeing experience - and the closest we can get without planes (or wings for that matter)!

Forest Adventure Park is a zip-lining and ropes course that is actually a chain in Japan. They have a few parks in mainland, including one at Mt. Fuji, and we have the privilege of having one right here on our little island of Okinawa as well. In fact, the park is in a town called Onna, which happens to be only about a 20-25 minute ride from our house! While the cost to get in is not cheap (Y3,500/person - close to $40/person) the experience is totally worth it! We drove to the office where you pay, signed some waivers, and parked the car. Then, a shuttle took us on a drive up into the forest, past lush pineapple and sugarcane fields. Once we got dropped off by the shuttle, we still weren't at our destination - we did a quick little hike deeper into the forest until we got to the beginning of the course.

The view from our starting point

Before starting the course, we were helped into our harnesses. These things were no joke - when I say tight, I mean TIGHT! We were then given a short lesson on how to use the caribeaner clips on the course by a guy who didn't speak much English. Come to think of it, the only thing I really remember him saying in clear English was "safety first" - reffering to the second safety clip we had on our harnesses, which ended up having us all repeating "SAFETY FIRST!" all day to each other;)

Anyway, after our completion of the practice zip-line (which took all of about 3 minutes), we were off on our own! No guides, no staff watching us, just us on our own to go at our own pace, which was really nice. The course is basically a bunch of different zip-lines that are connected by other bridges, ladders, ropes and obstacles that you have to traverse in order to get to the next zip-line. There is also a lot of hiking up stairs between obstacles, so it was quite the work-out for those who haven't been doing our cardio lately...me... Anyway, I'll let the photos and videos speak for themselves...

Harnesses

We went with our friends Nick & Amanda

Matt getting suited up

Our "instructor" showing us how to use the clips

Us trying to figure out what he's trying to show us about using the clips

Me up on the practice course

Nick on the first real zip-line

Matt getting accross one of the net bridges (more wobbly than it looks, people!)









Check out this clip of Matt on the zip-line:

This one was more wobbly than it appears as well - especially when Matt is shaking it from the other end

Amanda & I

Looking down...

This part was so neat - a bunch of different ladders and obstacles all attached up in the sky - you can choose which way you want to go!

View of the gorgeous ocean from the top of the course

The craziest part of the course was called the "Tarzan Swing" - you climb up really high, attach yourself to a rope, jump off the platform, free fall for a bit, then swing into a huge, upright cargo net that you need to grab onto and climb up in order to get onto the next platform! The free fall was the scariest part, but it ended up being the most awesome part!

Check out this clip of me doing the Tarzan Swing:

Check out this clip of Matt doing the Tarzan Swing (he was holding the camera while jumping!):

Check out this clip of me getting across the rings (MUCH more difficult than it seems!)

The whole course takes about 1 1/2 hours to complete, but, I say the price is worth it, because you are allowed to go through and do it as many times as you like (that is, if you still have energy left after the first or second time). We ended up going through twice, and my upper body was all kinds of sore the next day!

'Till next time!

-C

Come Rain or Shine

Living in Okinawa during the "rainy season", we've been through some very bi-polar weather. It may be clear blue skies with steady sunshine one minute, and a raging downpour the next! One of these very days, Matt and I found ourselves starving and running for cover into a new cafe (well, new to us) called Cactus Cafe. The place is quite small, but really trendy and comfortable. The decor is incredibly eclectic, natural and the cafe definitely has a 60's feeling to it... this could be on account of the two long-haired guys that work behind the counter and give off a sort-of "Japanese hippie vibe"... just saying... Anyway, the cafe just exudes relaxation - maybe it was just the sound of the rain on the roof and the feeling of sinking into big comfy arm chairs to dry off and have something warm to eat, but I can't help but get a cozy feeling when I walk in.

The best part of the Cactus Cafe - did I forget to mention the food?? They serve the best warm, bagel sandwiches! You get to pick the type of sandwich and type of bagel you want it on, then they make it and deliver it to your table. The guys kind of take a while to make the sandwiches (sort of a part of the chill atmosphere), but they are totally worth it! We've been to the cafe twice now, and so far we've tried the BLT, the Grilled Chicken, the Salmon & Cream cheese, and the Prosciutto & Cheese!

Here are some photos from our second time to the cafe - the original photos happened to be on my iPhone that was taken awhile back, so I ended up losing those...

The hot sandwiches come individually wrapped in paper

This has become one of my favorite places to grab a bite in Okinawa - glad I could share it with you all:)

-C

Take a Hike

As children, my sister and I went on countless (and I do mean countless) camping trips with our parents. Many of these trips involved hiking through forests - sometimes on paths, sometimes without paths. They were always one of my favorite parts about camping, because I loved getting to follow my Dad as he made his own way through the forest to explore instead of just staying on the marked trail. And these weren't just some wimpy hikes, either - I was climbing up rocks, crossing rivers, chopping down trees... okay, so maybe this is mostly my childhood imagination here, but I'm telling you - they weren't just your average nature hikes!

So, I like to think that I pretty much get my love of hiking from my Dad, and now that we're living on a sub-tropical island, I'm all about it! I recently found a list on the internet stating all of the hikes (easy to difficult) to do on the island - there are 17 - and my goal is to do each one before our time here is up!

Enter: Hiji Falls - one of the mid-level difficulties on the list. A few weeks ago, we had a beautiful Saturday, nothing to do, and a yearning for some hiking and waterfalls! I'd heard a few rumors that this hike was on the "tougher side", but that really didn't scare us at all. Hiji Falls is about an hour and a half drive north of where we live, so we planned on spending the day up there.




When we got to the starting point, it was clear right away that it wasn't exactly going to be the rugged, natural hike that we had been hoping for - we paid about 400 yen each to do the hike, and it was clearly marked in the beginning that there would be no leaving the path. Not that it was too much of an option anyway, because they had the path blocked off in such a way that you really couldn't venture off even if you had wanted to. We also weren't allowed to swim in the waterfall or river at all, which was a little bit of a bummer for us as well (we had come equipped wearing our bathing suits!).




Beside the strict guidelines to be followed, we had a great hike! While I found it to be a great calf-workout, I wouldn't necessarily call it "tough". I could, however, see how it could be horrendous to attempt with kids, because the "trail" is more of a series of steep, up-and-down staircases rather than a dirt path. Unless you want to carry little Sally the whole way, I wouldn't recommend it for parents!

Some little falls in the beginning of the hike

We got some great views on the suspension bridge that you have to cross about half-way to the falls

Looking down while on the bridge at the creek below

One of the steep staircases on the trail

Yeah... watch out for those falling rocks!

They actually had a point along the trail where you were able to get cell phone reception - I mean, this was really "roughing it"!

Looking down another one of the steepest staircases on the hike

Getting closer to the falls!

Just a few Giant Centipedes!

Me in a tree

Made it to Hiji Falls!

The hike (round-trip) took Matt and I about 2 hours - including the time spent just standing around and looking at the falls, and even though it wasn't as rugged and "off the beaten path" as we would have preferred, it was still a great hike, beautiful waterfalls, and an experience I'm glad to have had while on island.

After our hike, we had to re-fuel, so we decided to go out in search of a restaurant I had heard of that was in the Hiji Falls area. The place is called Pizza in the Sky, and it is supposedly a little difficult to find. They weren't kidding - if it wasn't for reviewers giving their own directions online, we would NEVER have found it! The directions are something like: Take 58 to 74. Turn right at the fork in the road (by the way - this was NOT a fork!). Go under a bridge. Turn right onto the third gravel road. Pass the house that has a sign for "coffee" in the window (there were multiple houses with this sign in the window), and you will see a house on your left - that is the restaurant! Hmmmm... Anyway, what a cool place! It is basically in a large house that has a very open wrap-around porch attached to it. The restaurant almost has a very natural/hippie vibe to it. Everyone eats at low, Japanese style tables inside the house, on the porch, or at tables in the "backyard" lawn. And they don't call it Pizza in the Sky for nothing - the house is on top of a large hill (or small mountain - not sure what you would call it) and the view of the island and ocean below is amazing! We were there around sunset, and it was so gorgeous and peaceful!

View of the indoor seating area and wrap-around porch

We were seated out on the porch - as you can tell, Matt fits perfectly at the Japanese-style tables;)

Our menu written on a Japanese fan

We ordered the pizza of course! Side note: there is no choice of toppings at Pizza in the Sky - you get whatever the toppings are that day. Our's was sliced sausage, green peppers, onion and corn - yes, corn! It was amazingly great!

After dinner, walking around the "lawn"

View from the restaurant

Thanks everyone for following! Miss you!

-C