Travel Photo: Stuff You Can See in Okinawa

Fortunately the Light Was Red

 

It would have been much more difficult, to catch this rider if, we were moving. 

Usually, I wouldn't bother, shooting my camera, through someone's windshield.

When I noticed this fashionable shirt, it was time to grab the camera.

He probably has no idea, what that t-shirt says because, it's printed in English.

It's cool.  Many foreigners get Chinese or Japanese tattoos on their bodies.

That's cool, too. But, I wonder if, they really know, what the words mean, when translated.

The little scooter dude, motivated me, though. I tried-out for the Marines once. 

Now, I'm wondering if, the Air Force would accept me !

Off Island and Off Road with Map It Okinawa Dude

Ten Selected Photos

These photos were taken on March 28, 2013.

Our mission was to go to another island and talk to the folks in a village office.

Deciding to travel light, I just grabbed two Pentax cameras and lenses.  No backpack or, shoes.

Knowing I'd be riding with Map It Okinawa Dude, I left the office lights on.

That's because we get back after dark, sometimes.

Things went well at the village office.

Then, we decided to go explore another island.

Bingo!  Map It Dude found a mysterious trail through the jungle.

Not exactly flip-flop friendly, I took my time and shot lots of photos.

The place was unbelievably quiet. 

No wind, no birds chirping, no blown highlights from the afternoon sun.

 It was so quiet, you could hear yourself breathing.

Rocks, ferns, trees and plenty of jungle vegetation were there for the shooting.

The only sound to be heard was the mirror slap from the camera.

 Imagine a place without any motor vehicles, fast food joints or people yapping on cell phones.

If you soundproofed your house, it couldn't be as quiet as this jungle.

Something tells me, this is a sacred place.  It was eerily quiet.

It made me wonder.  How many people could survive in a place like this, nowadays ?

No convenience stores, no TV or internet connections, there's nothing there, but nature.

 Returning to the road and civilization, I saw the sun peeking through along the trail.

So, I went back looking for Map It Dude.

He's in one of these photos.  Did you see him up there ?

Travel Photo: Find the Map It Okinawa Dude

Thoroughly exhausted from today's travels with Map It Okinawa, here's a shot I took.

Old guys shouldn't be climbing mountains.

So, I hangout somewhere near sea level, normally, and let the younger guys climb.

Only today, I got a little bored and climbed a different mountain.

Mr. Map It Okinawa sent me a text message.

It said something like "Look up at the rocks and take my picture."

So, I shot a few dozen photos of him.

See the guy in the red shirt, down there ?

Then you found the Map It Okinawa Dude !

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Typhoon Sanba Could Make It A Wet Weekend

That's just my prediction.  You couldn't pay me to be a weatherman in Okinawa.

Typhoons have a way of becoming unpredictable.

When one of those Storm Tracker guys says it's gonna be a real doozie, he's only trying to help.

If we don't get hit by 100mph winds the poor guy gets all kinds of complaints.

Weathermen can't control nature.  They just try to predict as best they can.

Surfers like the weatherman.  He lets them know about the sea conditions the typhoon creates.

They say stuff like, "Dude, thanks for letting us know, surf's up !"

Well, I ain't sure how bad the winds will be blowing when Typhoon Sanba gets here.

But, just to play it safe, I'm unplugging all my gadgets and locking the place up.

It doesn't look too bad outside, right now.

Slight sprinkles of rain and the birds are still flying around outside my window.

 Typhoons almost always dump plenty of rain on us so, I plan on getting wet.

If the destructive winds follow the weatherman's predictions, the bars may not open tonight. 

Then, I'll just have to do like that dog in the photo above.

GRIN AND BEAR IT !

Some links you can follow to keep up on what the typhoon is doing are:

Click for weather forecast


DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE MILLION VIEWS GIVEAWAY !

Surfin' at the Beach Okinawa Style. That's What I Wanted To Do.

This dude caught my attention today when I had my camera at the beach.

It looks like something I could do, I was thinkin'.

Probably, I'd have to go to town and buy some surfin' clothes like he's wearing.

They'd make fun of the redneck stuff I usually wear.

This dude was really good.

So, I'd try and get an outfit like his, that fit me, and learn to surf just like that.

If you mastered all the surfboard moves like this dude, you could visit all the islands in Okinawa, practically free, I was thinking.

Then, he fell and went in there, somewhere. 

That made me change my mind.

I think I'll just keep on doing what I've been doing.

And let other people surf Okinawan style.

Sunday's Silly (Photo) OCT 23, 2011: Drives a Daihatsu Naked

There are still plenty of these hot little cars on the road in Japan.  A few years ago they were flying off the shelves faster than sliced bread and canned beer.  Mostly girls were buying them.

Whenever some dude was trying to impress the ladies with his Ford F100 and got around to asking a gal, "So, what kind of car do you drive?",  she could say, "I drive a DAIHATSU NAKED".



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Photo Essay Quiz: Which Turtle is the Dude ?

                There were a couple of turtles below the waterfall catching the rays of the sun.

                                                                      After taking a little nap

One wakes up

And decides it's time for a beer.

The other turtle babbling about the beautiful brook

Gets left behind.

Which turtle do you think is the Dude?

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:  TURTLE AND TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA


UPDATE:

An Alert Reader named Lindarama http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/Lindarama/
contacted me last night and I made a comment below that I thought she may have been a scientist.

She not only knew the scientific names of the turtles, she knew which one was the dude, too.

She is a scientist.  A Marine Biologist with a PHD ! 

The smaller turtle is the dude. The one that ran for beer must have been a gal.  I just kid around; don't think turtles really drink beer.  But, I know snails and my dogs do.  It kills snails.

Anyhow, if you want to do me a favor, say "Hi" to Lindarama over at the Stumble Channel or visit her awesome website http://www.kashgar.com.au/articles.  She has some interesting articles and collectibles over there.  So, I gave her a Thumbs Up and am going back to read some more.

What's Wrong With That Picture? (Photo) Drunk Pilots in India

He may have wings on his shirt and, maybe had a few drinks in his lifetime but, this Dude is relatively harmless.  It's not like he's gonna go out and maim somebody with his bicycle.  When he drinks, he drinks.  And when he drives, he drives.  But, you'll never see him driving when he's been drinking.  This photo was taken by Jarod Sampson in Okinawa, Japan.  I don't want to know what's wrong with this picture. 

The picture my question is about concerns guys with wings on their shirts in India.  You need to use some imagination for this one.  Picture this, if you will: 

How about 57 pilots in India, over the past two years, busted for attempting to fly while intoxicated ?

Eleven of them got fired !   The rest of the drunk pilots (46 in my mind) are still flying airplanes with people as passengers.  Some of them got fined, or warned, "Ya shouldn't do stuff like that" but, they get to go back up in the air with travelers thinking, "Plane looks pretty safe, to me".  Yawn.

Call me overly cautious, if you'd like, but, if I had a goat I wanted to send to the market I'd trust the Dude with the bike to get there safely. 

You won't catch me stuffin goats, dead or alive, on any airplanes flown by those drunken pilots in India.

Go have a look yourself and tell me WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT PICTURE ?


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