Okinawa DAY 1- Southern Beach Hotel & Shuri Castle

Hi! Ray and I went to Okinawa in July, 2015. We stayed at the Southern Beach Hotel (Ray loves big hotels) which is a 20 min drive from Naha city. These are pictures taken from the hotel swimming pool area.

One of many reasons I like about this hotel- it has a private beach with very fine sand. No rocks in the water (Another beach had many and people had to float on tubes)

 You can do activities like snorkeling, banana boat riding, underwater biking (Tickets run out fast so reserve in advance. Also, storms are frequent in Okinawa...)

 Overall, I liked the hotel because of the amenities like restaurants, souvenir shops (accepts credit card), but it's really hard to find anyone who speaks English. Some guide maps or information are only in Japanese. I actually knew about the hotel not being Eng-friendly, but I went anyway because of the private beach.

 Also not that crowded - the pools close around afternoon(4ish) and the indoor pool is only for kids. I suggest you wake up early and enjoy as much as you can.

 We drove to Shuri Castle which was only 30 min drive from the hotel. Definitely worth a visit!

 Interesting mix of Chinese and Okinawan styles.

 Tropical plants in an Okinawan garden.

 You're told to take your shoes off and walk on separate mats.

 This was lovely- it's a fire hole for brewing tea. Just like in animes!

 A huge hanging bell.

 Shuri Castle has air-conditioned rooms and corridors and believe me, it helps a lot because Southern Okinawa can be very humid. 

 All made out of wood. The castle burned down many times and was reconstructed in the early 1900's.

 Miniatures of the castle and Chinese ambassadors' visit.

 Check out the garden and the pond after sightseeing the castle.

 These poisonous-looking spiders were everywhere in the garden! 

 ...and some ducks, too.

 Hello, human.

 That's it for Shuri Castle!

 Shaved ice and snacks at the shopping area.

Rainy Vang Vieng, Laos

 Hi! I went to Vang Vieng from Vientiane on the bus. It was really cheap, around 50,000 kip round trip. (1 USD=8100 kip) I was told it'd take 4 hours, but  it actually took almost 6 hours because the road condition was bad and the buses don't run on time exactly... so plan your trip accordingly :)

Vang Vieng is a small town surrounded by mountains. I was surprised they have 3G service! You can try voicetalk if you need to talk to your family/friends back home.

 Yummy chocolate banana pancake. Food is amazing in Laos! This was only about 15,000 kip.

Pork Schnitzel. 25,000 kip :3

Pad Thai. 20,000 kip

I did hear that due to the influx of tourists in Laos, things are more pricey these days... 

On the way to the Blue Lagoon. It's about 30 min from Vang Vieng and the road is really bumpy, so keep in mind. My tuk tuk charged me 120,000 kip.

Yay, we're here! It's so blue-green :o

 Too cold to swim in the lagoon.. :(

Maybe I'll come back when it's warm.

 Some brave guys dove in from the branch. Don't lose your glasses! Although I did see a Laotian guy pick it up from the bottom for money. The cheeky guy pretended he drowned in the water and gave everyone a big laugh :D

 There's also a zip-line place next to the pond.

 Tham Phu Kham cave nearby. Hiking anyone?

 Bye Laos, see you again! 

Temples in Vientiane, Laos

 Pha That Luang is one of the most famous temples in Vientiane. 

 I wanted to go inside the golden temple, but tourists are only allowed to walk around the gardens.

 Outside the temple, there's a statue of a Laotian leader who fought for independence of Laos.

 I knew Laos was a Buddhist country, but didn't know there was literally a temple next to a temple like this. Explaining every photo would be really boring.

 This lying Buddha attracted me all the way from Pha That Luang. You can't miss the giant Buddha ;)

 This couple donned in traditional costumes was taking their wedding photos at the temple. Aww, how adorable! ^_^

People prayed to this wooden dragon for more rain during droughts. 

A Laotian salad. Lots of cilantro and mayo. Yep, that's crab cake...  According to a local, Laotians eat spicy papaya salad almost every day, like how Koreans eat kimchi.