A Walk to Kina Banjo

Up by 6:30 am and we have enough time to walk from Zakimi Forest to Kina Banjo before the scorching Okinawan sun burns our arms and necks.  It's a 30 minute walk, mostly uphill.  Once there we head right to Shiro Gusuku, a small local Mom and Pop grocery store that sells breakfast foods, cold drinks, and locally grown fruits and vegetables.  I'll get the locally made meat of the day sandwich, and Nan will usually get a bowl of soba and some tofu. Canned coffee, or tea, and maybe a mochi or two and we'll carry it across the street and sit in the park to have our morning meal and catch our breath.
The best part of our daily walk is keeping each other in mind as we pass by flowers that we love to comment on to one another, saying hello to children who are eager to speak English, or gently bowing to Okinawan farmers as they look up from working their fields.  As much as Okinawa is a major hub for American military presence, still Americans make up only about 1 percent of the population of the this tiny Ryukyuan archipelago..
Another half hour walk back to Zakimi and we start the real day.  A day of flip flops, beaches, island lunches, granddaughter hugs, being with family.  All wrapped up with a nice evening meal, a glass of shima and kisses.
What cannot you love about this place?  Flip flops in December.  This is paradise.