Sefa-utaki

We had made the plan to visit all seven UNESCO World Heritage sites on the island and only had three left to go. So, on February 2, 2013, we headed out the door to check another site off our list, Sefa-utaki.
"Sefa" means "a place holding divine power" and "utaki" generally signifies a "sacred place."

 A luscious path through the jungle!

This path leads to the most revered and holy site on the island and only a certain selection of feet would have been allowed to walk this path 'back in the day'.

There are a few stops along the path that would have been used to prepare oneself for worship. Markers described and depicted what would have happened at each stop.

We had to take a break along the path and find cover when the skies opened up!!

Made a new friend while hanging out under an overhang.

We acquired a sweet little Japanese lady guide along the path who, in her broken English, informed us that this was the site of a mortar explosion during the war.

The roots always fascinated me!!

Rodney seemed to meld into the jungle.... can you find him??

We had arrived at the entrance to the most holy place--- through the triangle.

Our sweet guide :0)

She took this picture for us!

This pot is sitting under one of the two stalactites. The water dripping off the stalactite into the pot is considered holy water and was deemed to foretell the fortune of the high priestess and was also used in the New Year's rituals.

Inside the holy site, believed to have been the birthplace of the Ryukyu Islands.