Beirut

We made it! We arrived in Beirut a couple of hours ago and so far these are the words to describe a very vibrant, exciting city:

Hot and humid, crowded, honking, staring, traffic, colour, beautiful women (I`m going to have to watch dh...haha!), happy smiling people, gesturing, laughing, HONKING, bullet-ridden buildings (soooo many, I was surprised!), friendly, pollution, French, congestion, Did I mention the HONKING???

That`s it for now. Remember, we JUST arrived so the above really is just a first impression. I can`t wait to discover what our life will be like here.

P.S. Our serviced apartment is HUGE....we have 3 bathrooms.

SexyBack

Speaking of "SexyBack":

Okinawa!

Last week I went to Okinawa to spend time with my LSF* and other friends before we make the big move far, far away from Japan. It was so much fun that I felt like I was gone for two days instead of four! I sailed through the air high above the jungles of Okinawa:


I spent one night on the lovely island of Kume, a small island west of the main island of Okinawa. It only took 25 minutes to get there on our little propeller airplane. Kumejima is known for a few things, one of which are these rock formations that look like a turtle`s back that you can find at the aptly named, "Turtle Beach":



Our hotel:

We were so lucky that it didn`t rain the entire time we were there especially as it was the middle of the rainy season. It was grey and overcast but no rain!

Another famous aspect of Kumejima is a huge sandbar called "Hate no Hama" that is located on it`s southern-most tip. We took a boat out to it and spent the morning swimming and relaxing on it`s white sands. As you can see, it is a very beautiful place with gorgeous turquoise water and lots of coral. Not only that, the fish were plentiful and amazing to see...they practically swam into your hands!




And, I have to share with you the STAR of the entire trip. The K-man. He is the cutest, sweetest, most smiley baby you have ever seen. Just look at him! :)


Finally, what would a visit to Okinawa be without a fun-filled evening of karaoke. Yes, it was just my LSF and I. Why, is that weird? Don`t most people spend hours in a karaoke bar with just one friend?!? We planned on staying for one hour and then kept extending the time until it was 3am! We just couldn`t leave until we had perfected our duet of "Sexy Back" (Get your sexy ON!)! Too bad no one will ever get to see it. HA! I do, however, have some pictures of my LSF, aka "THE QUEEN OF KARAOKE!"...heeheehee:



*Lovely Scottish Friend