this is taiji. this is the cove. there are dolphins in and out. one evening, we see them surrounded by nets, the next morning there gone, and later that day, their back. what’s going on? i don’t know. all i know is that there are 2 sides to the story and until you hear both, you shouldn’t make judgement. seeing the dolphins surrounded by nets was disturbing to me. but what disturbed me more was going to a hotel down the street where they keep dolphins in little pools so the tourists could swim and play with them. as i was watching some people throw the ball back and forth to the dolphins and having fun laughing out loud, that’s when it hit me. we are the ones to blame. yes, we think dolphins are part of an amusement show and use them for that. watch them jump? watch them throw the ball to you? do you all know why they freakin do that????? yeah, they do it for food. if they don’t do it, they don’t get fed. i think dolphins in sea world, sea life park, and other places like that are slaves. it’s our own fault why they are caught, taken out of their natural environment, and sold to these places. as of today, i refuse to go to any dolphin shows of any kind. i’ve seen and swam with dolphins in the ocean, and i’ve seen dolphins in sea world. all i can say is that they are a lot more happy in the ocean. and that’s where they belong….. this is my opinion and if you seen what i seen yesterday, you would feel the same way too. you could just see it in the dolphins eyes that they weren’t happy being in that little pool…. i felt so sorry for them. and still do….

now moving on to happier things… this was our breakfast in wakayama. traditional japanese style….

and this was our outside onsen in wakayama. it doesn’t get better than this….

when i was at the airport in hawaii, one of the girls in our group gave me this beautiful lei. i’ve had it with me the whole time and every time i look at it, it makes me happy. i guess it’s the aloha spirit!!!
last night, i came over to kimura-san’s house. hayato and his family are staying here too. yesterday was a long day for all of us. it took 4 hours in the car to get back here. i just wanted to thank kimura-san and hayato and family for hanging out with our group. the more people, the better. going to okinawa tomorrow and i’m ready for some habusake!! nah, just joking…. see you there!!!
and last, i’m still buzzing about swimming with the grandma abalone divers. since i started diving, i’ve seen amazing things in the ocean, but nothing was as amazing as what i saw yesterday. i can’t wait to see the footage kyle took. stay tuned!!!

wish you were here!

raw oysters!
big party tonight!