This was my first sight of our last morning on Aguni-jima. I have been using this stall since our arrival and never noticed this guy. He is big, too big to be in the bathroom and be ignored. I made Ryan watch him (it?) while I used the next stall over, only to be further startled by a gecko that had been resting on the toilet paper roll and was rudely flung when I yanked on the roll for some paper to properly finish the morning's business. Ah, the joys of camping!
Our agenda was much like yesterday's but compressed slightly in order to catch our early afternoon ferry back to Okinawa. We started at the park in the center of the island, Taishouike Park. On our first visit, this main pond was almost completely dry. The recent typhoon and hopefully rain throughout the year have provided this pond plenty of water. A Common Kingfisher and Little Grebe this morning suggests that things are going well this year.
There were several foraging raptors yesterday, Eurasian Kestrels and Gray-faced Buzzards. I think their presence kept the songbirds in the thickness of the forest more than coming to the edge to forage and sing and give me easy looks at them. Today, a few birds showed themselves and allowed for halfway decent photos, including a new species: Pallas's Leaf Warbler, on the left of the collage.
Enough birding - time for the water! Winds have shifted slightly, so we decided to snorkel off of Nagahama beach. It is quite a swim out to the reef, and the winds were much stronger away from shore than we anticipated. Unfortunately, we each spent most of our snorkel time trying to find the other. Ryan likes to see me every now and again to make sure I am OK. I have a bad habit of seeing something and just going, seldom looking up to see where Ryan is or where I am. I must be better about this, because it is frustrating for Ryan and definitely not as much fun trying to fight currents to get to your partner instead of remaining somewhat in proximity. I did encounter some pretty sights, so the morning was not completely wasted.
Ryan was also lucky, encountering the same species we caught here last year: Blue-fin Trevally!
I think it was his new rashguard that helped with the kill. His shirt makes him look like a larger Blue-fin Trevally, and I'm sure this individual was completely fooled.
Just enough time to shower, pack, and make our way to the Aguni Ferry.
We really love this island and agreed that we will visit a third time before we leave this part of the world. I want to create an information page for Aguni, because I think other people would like to visit this place but probably haven't heard about it. The organized tours offered by the military installations are very much routine: they visit the same islands they've visited for the past 10 (or more) years and don't really seem to be adding much to their list of options. The most popular islands to visit are Tokashiki, Zamami, Yoron, and Ishigaki. If you want to explore the real secrets of the Ryukyu, or Nansei Shoto, you best get on google earth to see just how many options you have. We said farewell to the Aguni port, which has a new tourist shop on the second floor where you can buy the salt manufactured on the island, Aguni-no-shio.
The view west look calm. Probably good snorkeling in the "deep blue" today.
The view east showed us Nagahama beach, and as we left Aguni, we could see the bathhouse where we camped. The water was low enough that you could distinguish between the sandy bottom and where the reef began. We hoped our next visit would have winds that favored this side of the island. We always find sea turtles out here, but not so much in the "deep blue."
It's been a while since we've enjoyed a ferry ride. The ferries are fun because you can relax, move around as much as you like, and not worry about invading someone else's personal space. The crew of the ferry remove their boots before entering the main cabin - so Japanese!
The Aguni ferry does not have a beer vending machine, but we had the good sense to visit the one and only store on Aguni and pick up some supplies for the ride home.
Ryan wanted a print of his fish, so we stopped by our local fishing store and asked for our first "gyotaku," or fish print. While Ryan watched the process, I played with the owners' dogs, who were very friendly.
The owner saw me with her dogs, and said something to one of them sternly. I thought I'd overstepped my bounds, but the dog obediently entered a box I'd not noticed and stuck her head out the opening. Precious!
The main print was completed, but the finishing touches for the gyotaku are applied after the main portion dries. The paint is water soluble, so we can still have our print and eat the fish, too.
We were sad to leave Aguni but are comforted by our firm agreement to make Aguni happen again before we leave. The memories will last us till then!
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