I took a Ferry to Izena island, 16 miles off the Northwest Coast of Okinawa. When I got there I rented a small white van, explored this abandoned port, then headed to the South side, where I left the van and went island hopping on a paddleboard. As I was pulling up to the first one I woke up a sleeping sting ray who quickly glided away, then I docked my seaworthy vessel and walked around for a bit on the island where I found an authentic WWII machine gun...and a...um... long black shaft. The sun was setting so I decided to head to my final destination to set up camp. I landed, stowed the board and hiked 2 miles to the Southernmost point of the island. I climbed up this ridge, found a cool place to hang my hammock, then realized I forgot the straps. Luckily there was an endless amount of rope just laying around on the beach and I also snagged this crate that I repurposed as a camp chair/bedside table. I cooked a t-bone steak, and ate it ravenously while grilling up some pineapple chunks with brown sugar. After the long journey it really hit the spot. It was too early to sleep so I ventured into the woods to see if I could find the rabbits and goats that had left their droppings everywhere. It was pretty thick and this freaking pigeon just about sent me into cardiac arrest, so I turned around and headed back to camp. I read for a bit and fell asleep to the sound of crashing waves, the silver moonlight stretched out like a blanket over the beach below and the pine forest behind me.
Stay tuned for Part II
