After acquiring a noble steed, we headed out to conquer Kita-daito. The island is not very large, so it was easy to find all of the habitats where different types of birds might hang out. I was able to get some good looks and decent photos of a few of them. Spring in Kita-daito was pleasing on the eyes and equally pleasing to the senses, meaning it wasn't terribly hot.
Ryan had been patient with me and an excellent eye in finding birds. Now, close to noon, it was time to get in the water. Finding a place to enter the water should not be difficult on an island, but we had a heck of a time on Kita-daito. Check out the coastline:
Try to imagine 10 m of rocks, and then a cliff-like edge around the entire island. That is the edge of Kita-daito. The rocks are razor-sharp remains of lava, and they are a most uninviting type of rock. No rock-hopping to the edge for me, but the Blue Rock-thrushes have no problem.
At last, we found a set of stairs leading downwards, and we were hopeful. Ryan made the descent first to check it out.
I was still trying to eek out any bird sightings I could, ever hopeful that something wonderful or rare would pop out from the moon rocks. When I caught up enough that I could see Ryan, I knew that our birding was way over for the morning. It was time to get in the water, tsunami or no!
The waves did not look at all as though a tsunami were on the way, so we trekked back to the car to don our snorkeling gear and prepare to explore an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Well, not exactly in the middle, but further east than we were likely to go without visiting Hawaii. The entry point brought us very close to the water's edge, but it was still a bit of a drop to enter the water. I went first, and it was probably a good thing I had to commit to snorkeling by jumping in: it was freezing! Had I the freedom to ease my way in, I would have made a more rapid path back to the car. Oh well.
There were fish and hard corals and even an anemone or two, complete with clown fish. Nothing like the soft corals of the East China Sea off of Okinawa's west coast, but it would be unfair to say the ocean views were as barren as the rocks that buffer them.
Ryan had access to some very deep water without too much swimming, but we did not see "the big one" on this day. We gave it our best effort, but the cold won out in the end. We headed back in after just over an hour of swimming.
The top of the stairway where we left the car offered a good view of Minami-daito, which was our destination the next day. Minami-daito is the larger of the two, and we hoped it would have more potential for snorkeling.
The little park area had a lovely set of stones and kanji inscriptions. Without a translation, we opted for a selfie.
On our way out, we found a huge port with moorings but no buildings of any kind. The water was well below the surface of the port, and we wondered if this was the only way goods made their way to the island. Just beyond the "port" were the remains of an old salt factory, or at least that's what we learned from wikitravel later on. On such a small and remote island, there's not much to do with the remnants of structures after a fire or other such disaster, so it becomes the island dumping ground. Among the building remains were old cars and vehicles. Not a bad place for walking around and trying to warm up after our cold swim. Ryan noticed the top of a chimney that seemed to have been tossed aside from the main building, making us think that the disaster or whatever occurred there had significant force.
We left the coast and returned to the "bowl" that is the center of Kita-daito. The cliff walls were most obvious as we turned down a road to look for pheasants, which eluded us easily. The road came to a dead-end at a sharp incline of rocks and forest.
If you looked left and right, the wall of rock continued, presumably forming a somewhat protective border around the agricultural fields and the town center.
A quick stop at the local market for drinks and snacks provided a fun diversion into history: rotary phones were in Japan, too! Only 10 yen.
The afternoon was still young enough to try to find more birds. We visited a park near the town center, complete with shrines adorned with decorations from a recent festival/holiday. We didn't see any birds, but we appreciated the shade and scenery the park afforded. I did mention the weather wasn't too terribly hot, but the sugarcane fields didn't offer much protection from the sun.
Never one to want to miss an opportunity with the water, we headed back towards one of the first "ports" we encountered along the coast for a bit of fishing. Why not?! I think the hope of catching something is part of the appeal of fishing. The excitement of breaking out the rods and choosing your lure give you a momentary feeling of independence and possible greatness. The smiles tell it all:
In the end, we spent an hour casting. Fishing allowed us to sit for a bit, enjoy the breeze, and finish our snacks that we'd purchased from the rotary phone mart. Landing "the big one" with our rods and reels would have to wait another day.
After a full day of Kita-daito, we returned to our hotel to clean up and enjoy some dinner. We were starving! None of the fishermen on the island ventured into the water because of the typhoon. Rather than assorted sashimi and Japanese-style dinner, we were treated to steak, potatoes, fresh vegetables, and salad, all of which made for a perfect American-style end to a long day. It was delicious! We scarfed it all down before we even thought about taking a photo of our meal. Some locals near our table invited us to their table to share a beer, and then they introduced us to the joy of awamori. I think Ryan purchased some land and possibly a boat, but I managed to get us out of the deal before Ryan could place his han stamp on any documentation.
We slept like babies, dreaming of good times had and those to come on Minami-daito.
The underwater shots are always amazing!!!! Looking forward to the next installment. ox Mel
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