AntiNEC

Wow, after that crazy reception, it was about time to get some rest. Nadu and I sped away from Naha for 2 days of relaxation.


We went to the Renaissance Hotel Resort which is by Onna. We went there in 2004 as well, it is the most amazing hotel we've ever been to. It cost us about $300 for a night there, which was actually one of the cheaper times. I think it went up to $400 the next week :p

The main reason we go there is for the food. They have about 6 restaurants, which we have heard are all amazing. This time we opted for the Okinawan BBQ. There is a grill on your table and the server plops down a huge plate of meat and veggies for us to cook. It was awesome, made even awesomer (that is now a word) by the singer and shamisen player who came to each table to play. Nadu requested a song which they played. It was great.










The next day we went to the Marianna Hotel which is close to the aquarium. This was a suprising place - the hallways looked like we were in a hospital or a mental institution. We braced for the worst as we unlocked our hotel room - and it was really quite large and had a great view of the ocean.





Before we had actually gone to the hotel, we went to my holy grail (in Okinawa) - the Orion Beer Brewery. Yay, free beer after the tour! I asked Nadu if we could go the next day, and every day thereafter. Her response was not favorable :p




That evening I wanted to go to a pub where they advertised a live band with shamisen and drums. We were a little lost, but we thought we found the place and sat down. After ordering, Nadu looks at me and say 'umm..this doesn't look like the right place'. Sure enough, no live band. But the food was really quite good, so we stayed a bit and ate.

We drove about 100 meters to the place we were actually trying to go to :P The live band started just after we go there. It was really fun, they started talking to Nadu, who informed them that she was Uchinanchu (Okinawan) which they were quite excited about. I guess that area is just full of tourists from mainland Japan, so an Okinawan is a sight. Near then end of their set, Nadu realized her mistake as they insisted that she show everyone at the pub how to dance Okinawan style! So everyone got on the floor by the stage and attemped to dance. Amazingly, some people even managed to stay standing after all the Orion beer consumed. Impressive!


The next day we drove home, but not straight back to Naha. I wanted to take the grand tour of Okinawa island, so we kept going north to the very northern point, Cape Hedo.




Then we went back south, stopping at a restaurant by Nago. This was something I was looking forward to for months - the restaurant served DOLPHIN. I ordered a dolphin steak, which came sizziling on a hot plate.

If you have never had dolphin, allow me to describe it. Bad. Very bad. It looked like beef, but it did not taste like beef. The smell was very strong, therefore it had to be cooked in mounds of garlic to mask the smell. And the meat was very tough. The taste is indescribable. Try it! :D