SCUBA

We finally signed up for a weeklong SCUBA-PADI Open water course which will give us lifelong certification to dive wherever we want! Ok, maybe not in shipwrecks and dangerous surf areas..that will be for a later date :oP Too bad we didn't do this earlier in the year..we could have dove in Kauai, Maui, and Big Island (supposedly one of the best places to dive). OH well, better late than never. Here is a pic of me right after my first breath underwater..at the UH pool. My head looks huge, but that's just an illusion from all the equipment on me..lol.

Boiling Pots

On our recent visit to the Big Island, we decided to cross a waterfall stream at Boiling Pots, a series of swirling, 'natural Jacuzzi" pools in the Wailuku River. Although it didn't look too dangerous, we were cautious because we had backpacks of valuables that we didn't want to get wet. Kevin made it across, but of course when it was my turn, I slipped on some rocks and fell down the little waterfall. Even though I was OK, he jumped in just to make sure I got out safely. No damage done. We had a few laughs about it and continued to have fun at that beautiful spot.
Fast forward a few weeks, and I read news about a young man dying in the same exact spot that we had crossed. Apparently, at times , the churning water can suck people under and trap them in the underwater lava tubes.  He crossing the river with a group of friends, but they didn't see him fall in or drown. Turns out, someone dies in that area every year.. so sad.

Tsunami coming! Sike.

One lovely Saturday last month, we were awaken by loud pounding on the door from our friend who lives two doors down. Apparently, we had been ignoring the siren alerts outside,  phone calls from concerned family, and the banging on our front door for most of the morning. At first we were a little scared, then skeptical, and then finally amused at the alarming news footage and predictions on CNN. Luckily, the tsunami did not materialize. So we decideed to stroll in the deserted streets of Waikiki. It was eerie quiet and deserted. Oh, except for the tourists who were hauling themselves and their luggage to 'higher ground'. Hey, better safe than sorry, I suppose :oP

I want that plate!

I was driving along Ala Moana blvd one day and saw this license plate of the car in front of me. I decided to break the newly passed 'absolutely no cell phones in hands while driving' law to take a picture of it. Don't worry, I tried to be safe about it. How da heck did this person manage to snag a license plate that simply says 'HAWAII'? Well, seeing that this is a nice Mercedes, maybe they paid off the DMV guy. Or maybe no one ever thought to ask if the name was available. Pretty cool, if you ask me :oP

Stairway to Heaven

Stairway to Heaven, or Haiku Stairs, is a trail elevating 2800 feet in 3922 steps. It is also forbidden to hike this. But.....by some lucky coincidence, we just 'happened' to arrive there at 5:45 AM, just before the guard got there. We ignored all of the 'Private'  and 'Do Not Enter' signs and scaled over a rusty fence to start the adventure. So far, so good. I thought we were going at a decent pace, when we suddenly got overtaken by group of people who were all wearing goves. Huh??? Oh, because the trail was so steep at times that you HAD to hang on to the railings (more like ladders at some points, because of the elevation), so the gloves protected your hands while gripping for your life. I just prayed that the metal bolts that were attached to the mountain were secure, otherwise I would be flying off that steep cliff. There was a number of plateaus where hikers would stop and rest and take in the view. At the top, there was a metal box which held a little logbook, where successful hikers signed their names. In our exhausted, delusional state, we willingly wrote down our full names for the whole world to know that we are trespassers :o) Oops.

Halloween in Hawaii

Trick or treating in 80 degree weather?? Must be Halloween in Hawaii. A pair of hippies, a 'fashionable' pirate, and a red neck headed out to Chinatown for 'Hallowbaloo' and joined the rest of the ghosts and goblins in Honolulu.  I spied a bloody Lady Gaga, Hawaiian 'tourists' in their cardboard convertible, swine flu, Michael Jackson (although not as many as I thought), Elmo, a bush, JoePa (Go Penn State!), jellyfish, Fruit of the loom, Tiger Woods, gingerbread man, and countless guys in dresses. Oh, and what would Halloween be without girls in their barely-there outfits? At least they weren't shivering in the cold like back in the East Coast.

Kauai

Ahhh, sorry Maui, but I have a new lover. We took a 4 day vacation (yes, I understand that I live in Oahu..it's still a vacation!) to Kauai, the "Valley Isle", which is oldest of the main Hawaiian islands. Time (and wind and water)has created some amazing cliffs, razor-back mountains, and a jungle landscape. We took an hour long helicopter ride and a 4 hour boat ride to see the Na Pali cliffs, the Waimea Canyons, the waterfalls, etc. No wonder that so many movies were filmed here: all Jurrassic Park movies, Tropic Thunder, Lord of the flies, King Kong, etc. It was just so gorgeous, wild, deserted (some places) and breathtaking. It may not be fancy like Oahu or hip like Maui, but I don't care...I'm in love :o)