I'll take you in my backpack

9/30/12 The typhoon has passed, but not without leaving some pretty incredible damage to my immediate surroundings (and the rest of the island). I ventured out (had to find an appropriate exit to the hotel since the main lobby was completely blocked off) onto the property and then walked down and around Comprehensive Park (all in all about 4 miles). Took some photos of the damage and destruction as well as some more pleasant photos along the way...enjoy!

9/29/12 Welcome back to Okinawa...today's welcoming committee is none other than the Typhoon Jelawat. Jelawat was successful in making sure that I had sustained a natural disaster on each and every single one of my overseas assignments. This was is my first typhoon (Present tense because we are currently waiting for the back (and more powerful) half to come through. In the process of the typhoon the hotel lobby glass was blown out, we lost power, my toilet water was moving around like crazy, the building was shaking, no power=no AC=no bueno, and there was some water leakage into the hotel. What I was looking forward to most (being cooped up so I could catch up on sleep and fight the jetlag) was actually the exact opposite of what happened. Taken from my balcony-lobby destruction (hotel staff says these have never broken) The winds started to really stir up in the middle of the night (between 1 and 3 am) which is precisely when I lost my ability to sleep. Awesome, just whe...

9/19/12 That's right, it's that time again. Back to the land of paper cranes, perfect pedicures, fantastic people, and beyond amazing food. In the last two years, I have spent more time living in Okinawa than I have anywhere else. Crazy. I remember preparing for my first trip there. There were so many things going through my head. I was determined to see each and every landmark that I had so proactively researched online and in my travel book. I brought that same travel book with me in my carry on and referenced it throughout the flight. Bound and determined to leave no stone unturned in my upcoming adventure. I was squished in a coach seat for the entire duration of the trip, got minimal sleep (a product of discomfort and excitement), and was miserable for the first two weeks due to jet lag. I anticipate the jet lag being the same, it hasn't failed me yet, but the rest of the trip will be much different. This will be my third time to Okinawa, fourth time to Japan. ...