Spring Time in Okinawa

Spring has sprung in Okinawa and the signs are everywhere! The sun shines between the rain showers. The temperature is consistently in the 60's. The flowers are blooming and the bats are taking flight!

One of the fun things to do in the spring time in Okinawa is to see the cherry blossoms. Though we missed the official festival, Mike, Rusty, and I headed north to Nago to see the cherry blossoms and enjoy the beautiful weather. The hills outside the city are speckled with pink bursts of color, but the trees are even more beautiful up close!

Mike, Rusty and I walked through the park, looked at the trees, and took in the scene. It was so nice to have time together exploring the island!

On our way back to the car, we saw this little guy enjoying the view of Nago City from his own perch in a cherry blossom tree. This is an Okinawan bat known as the Ryuku Flying Fox. They are quite large and have a face that does resemble a fox!! They eat insects, fruits, nuts, and apparently cherry blossoms!! They hang from the trees but can climb through them like monkeys! They are fun to watch but scary to have fly over your head at night.

Another fun trip taken this week was to the sunflower fields. The word "fields" doesn't necessarily explain the situation. There are a few large gardens filled with sunflowers. They are beautiful, don't get me wrong. But they are nothing compared to the flower fields in San Diego. We still had a great time traipsing through the rows of flowers, taking pictures, and being silly! It was a very fun day with friends.

Friends Wizz and Kristyn took the opportunity to take some cute pics together.

The girls had a little fun with umbrellas too.

I guess the lesson is to always take some time to stop and smell the flowers. I've enjoyed the nice weather and the opportunity to get out and explore.