Cape Zanpa

A weekend of very ugly weather put a damper (pun intended) on our plans for the weekend. Instead of hiking mountains and exploring hidden beaches, for most of Saturday and Sunday we sought shelter in our apartment from the constant downpour. During a brief break in the deluge, Ben and I decided to escape the house and get some fresh air wherever we could. We took out our handy map of Okinawa that shows us every park, beach, scuba spot, museum, historical site, etc. on the island and determined that checking out Cape Zanpa would be a quick little excursion.

Cape Zanpa is well known on the island for its lighthouse, but Ben and I were much more interested in the steep cliffs that surrounded it. We kept calling this place our "little slice of Ireland" because of the gloomy weather, bright green grass and of course, the cliffs.

At this site there were many different references to a large typhoon that hit this area in 1994. A monument and another sign remembered the devastation of the deadly storm. Apparently, it was so intense that three boulders were blown farther inland from the coast which sounds pretty terrifying!

One of the large boulders that was moved by the typhoon of 1994

Our last stop was at the lighthouse. Since it was only ¥200 (less than two dollars) a person to climb to the top, Ben and I had to to check out the view. The steps inside were ungodly steep and as we got higher I started to feel a little sick to my stomach from fear, but we pushed on. The view was well worth it. Even on one of Okinawa's uglier days, the coast was magnificent. I feel so lucky to live here... But it would be nice if the rainy season ended ASAP! Until next time...

Soaked and scared but having fun ??