Tuesday, January 02, 2007

the adventures of rowsom in okinawa

After a pleasant flight back to the island via the Pokemon plane, we did a little grocery shopping then had a delicious meal at home whilst watching Little Britain and Borat.

On Thursday we cashed in on Justin’s Christmas present of 4 hours of all you can drink karaoke! It was great fun! We pulled out such great hits as “Barbie Girl”, “Run To The Hills”, “Pour Some Sugar”, “Burning Ring of Fire” and Matt serenaded us with “Delilah”. Unfortunately Jenny accidentally smacked her wrist on the edge of the table as we were leaving but she courageously ventured on.


On our way back home we hit a local Canadian bar where Jenny requested some Trooper but the bartender had no idea what she was talking about…hrmmm. They are also known for carrying Labatt Blue on tap but I guess too many local Canadian’s felt like taking a swig of home during the holidays and simply drank the bar dry. After listening to too many Chili Pepper songs we headed to a local watering hole called The Good Life. We ordered some fancy coloured martinis, took flash photographs of strangers at the bar then called it a night.

The next day was cold and rainy so we decided to rest our tired, hungover little heads.

On Saturday we rented a car and headed south to Itoman city. We went to Okinawa World Cave Park, walked around in some humid caves with mini lights and stalagmites.

We found a photo booth on site...


Jenny was still suffering after our karaoke shenanigans but still soldiered on. I can't believe she was lifting her arm in these pics!!! We managed to find a pharmacy with some tensor-type bandages and put some ice on her wrist to keep the swelling down. She was in a lot of pain but she kept taking super shots. Her left-handed photography just may be her best pictures yet!

On Sunday (New Years Eve) we headed north towards Cape Hedo. Matt and I decided to take the East road for a little change in scenery. On our way there we dropped into a store called The Ammo Box to look at some army fashions and used goods. We came across these fashionable ball caps.

"Go Ahead Buck...Make My Day"
"GOD GUNS GUTS Made America FREE. Let's Keep All Three"
Heeeeere's Johnny!

After that we stopped in a ghost town across from Kadena Air Base in Ginoza city. It was very bizarre. I felt like I was walking around the set of Carnival of Souls. There were old weather-beaten bars and eateries and only a handful of people walking around.

A few military boys were walking around and givin their New Year celebrations a kick start but other than that it was pretty much abandoned. I’m curious to see what it would be like at night. Perhaps it’s a hopping town when the sun goes down and the marquees start winking at passers by.

When we got home we popped open a bottle of Moet and started to celebrate. Jenny was still in a lot of pain so we made her a sling out of her fancy orange scarf and took a cab over to a coworkers place for the countdown.

After some delicious sandwiches and a few Coronas we headed to The Good Life bar for some martinis. I was rather tired so I left the bar around 4 am but Matty and Jenny hung in there until the sun came up, about 7am.

On New Years Day we woke up to a beautiful, peaceful neighbourhood. I can’t tell you what a pleasure it has been living here since the construction peeps went on vacation.

When Jenny woke up, her arm had gone from bad to worse so we decided it would best to have someone look at it. We went to the hospital where some very friendly doctors and nurses took great care of us. After a bit of poking and prodding we were sent up to the xray room and the results were not so good. Jenny had broken her Ulna (the lower part of her forearm)!!!!! Nooooooo!!!!

We were all in quite a bit of shock. How could such a small fall have broken her arm?

So yeah, Miss Rowsom is heading back to Canada with her arm in a cast. I have to admit, she has been very brave for the past 4 days. To top it all off, it’s her right arm so she’s going to be out of commission for a little while. Send her lots of flowers (preferably orange or pink coloured ones) give her lots of kisses and shower her with love.

This morning we went to the local market to find her a much more fashionable sling. Here’s a photo of Jenny in the cab on the way to the airport.

Matt drew a picture of Anpaman on her cast to give her strength on her long journey home. I wish I could have accompanied her back. I hope she’ll meet some good travelers who will help her out and cheer that pretty little face of hers up.

It’s now 5pm and a balmy 23 degrees. The holidays went by quickly and now it feels like spring. I’m going to miss my sassy red headed friend. There were tears at the airport as I watched Jenny pass through another x-ray machine. I hate being so far away but the time here is so miniscule in the grand scheme of things. I need to enjoy my life here while it lasts.

Happy New Year!!!!!
xoxoxoxxoxod

Listening to Peter Bjorn and John - Writer's Block