Ishigaki, my heart

We could tell from the air that our time on Ishigaki would be special. It was just so beautiful.

Driving to the airbnb, we got to see the lushness up close.

After arriving we snorkeled, watched the sunset, and basked in the awe of this gem of a place. There is an endless coral reef right out our back door. The fish and marine life are stunning. Many times on this lap around the world we have feelings of being lucky. Lucky that we get to do this, lucky that we get to have an experience, lucky that we get to be somewhere together. Sometimes the feeling is fierce. I feel soooooooo lucky that we are here on Ishigaki. And even luckier that it appears we’ll have the most perfect weather which will transition to cold and rainy pretty much the day after we leave. Lucky.

We went sea kayaking and snorkeling a few bays away. Turquoise waters. Amazing marine life. Some heartier swell farther out. Didn’t see another paddler or snorkeler out on the water except a few SUP’ers when we returned. To have this all to ourselves feels surreal. Like Hawaii 80 years ago?? I went to Maui 30 years ago as a cheap 20ish year old. Stayed in a youth hostel and drove to low key beaches. It was busy as all bejeezus.

The coral here on Ishigaki is mostly bleached and dying. Apparently just a few years ago it was a vibrant multi-colored delight. In the last few years there haven’t been any typhoons during typhoon season. Typhoons cool the ocean and help to maintain a temperature that allows the coral to thrive. Bearing witness to climate change around the world is sobering. Here is some dead and dying coral - and Nemo.

Ah, look at the Princess of the Sea. Miss Hazel Grace Morgan.

The kayak tour was guided by this sweet man from a TINY little business just next to our Airbnb. Nobody else there, just us. A few days later we ran into our guide at the grocery store. I told him (via google translator) that I’d written them a 5-star review on Google. His face lit up. Small island living, I’m here for it.

Went for some late afternoon island driving, beach cruising, and lighthouse visiting. Hazel started an impromptu ring-around-the-Rosie on the beach. Love seeing her light up!! For some reason the song “I’m too sexy for —“ is stuck in my head big time. DJ Justin has been spinning it for me in our Rad RAV4 on the island. Good times. 90’s pop is the vibe right now. When did RAV4’s become really cool cars? I missed that transition.

Love this photo. Happiness.

Ishigaki is not really near anything. Well, it’s near Taiwan. But no big cities nearby, and we’re on a very quiet part of the island, so … dark skies. So lovely. So lucky.