Chapter 8: The Jungle Book and St. Patty

Even though I really couldn't chose my favorite moment in Hawaii, I would have to say that the jungle hike was one of my favorite days. Brian decided to opt out of the hike because it was described as pretty treacherous and his ankle had been bothering him. I'm really glad he did because I probably would have been freaking out, worrying about him falling off a cliff. After driving around all morning trying to find the entrance of the trail, Brian dropped us off and we began the descent. It was pretty surreal because we started on a street, clambered down a steep slope made of garbage while clinging to a rope, then we were in the middle of the jungle. It really was like stepping into another room. Or another world, oohhhh.

It was really incredible and no length of description would do it justice. It was kind of a mix of Avatar and The Jungle Book (pretty eloquent description, I know). The trees and vines were massive and the air suddenly smelled fresh, with a tinge of ginger. There was actually wild ginger growing all over. It was a dense jungle with a trace of a trail and a river that ran from the top of the mountain down through the forest. Although we wanted to hike the entire mountain, we didn't have time - it would have taken about 5 hours and we had St. Patty's celebrations to get back to. We set our sights on the first of three waterfalls and set off.



The trail was hard to find and was marked occasionally with trail tape. We crossed back and forth across the river multiple times trying the find it. The river was tempting but after Dan told me that ferile pigs live and defecate in the river at the top of the mountain, the water didn't look quite as drinkable.

I'm not sure if we ever found a proper trail. We followed an old rusty pipeline up the mountain and hoped for the best. As we got higher, the trail began to become nonexistent. We were waking on a 12 inch edge of muddy trail, leaning in towards the mountain so we wouldn't fall. A fall would have been brutal - through trees and brush to a rocky bottom. I didn't have time to fall that day. Definitely had a few heart attack moments when my feet slipped in the mud. Luckily we all made it one piece. It was one of those exhilarating moments when you're really happy you made it but you're not quite sure how.

We heard the waterfall long before we saw it but when we did finally see the falls, I realized it was definitely worth it. It was a beautiful waterfall that cut through the brush of the forest, cascading down the rocks.

I've dubbed Terry, Mowgli, because he's such a jungle creature and I feel like he looks like the kid from the jungle book. Mowgli jumped right into the falls for a hard core shower. I was ok with just looking. Making our way back was a bit faster because we didn't have to search for the trail as long. We pulled our way out of the beautiful jungle world back into Hawaiian reality. We were covered in mud and sweat and walked most of the way back. It was time to get the St. Patty's festivities going.

We had a few car bombs before heading out to a pub. For those of you who don't know, car bombs are a combination of all things Irish (minus the leprechaun). A shot made of mostly Jameson whiskey and a bit of Bailey's Irish Cream is dropped into a half glass of Guinness. When you drink it, it tastes kind of like a chocolate milk shake. Kinda. Regardless, it's really an appropriate St. Patty's day thing to do.

Our cousin, Patrick, also lives in Honolulu but we hadn't had a chance to meet up all week (he was working on his master's thesis). We finally were able to meet up with Patrick on St. Patrick's day. Ha, that worked out. It was great to see him, even just briefly.

St. Patty's day was our last night in Hawaii. Sadly, the next day we restuffed our suitcases, said goodbye to Danny and his tropical paradise and were off - finally - to our final destination...

Chapter 7: Shabu Shabu and surfing

When Brian and I lived in Korea, one of our favorite dishes was Shabu Shabu. It's not exactly a Korean dish - more Japanese and Mongolian but it's amazing regardless. Shabu shabu is typically a family-style hotpot with tons of veggies and thinly sliced meat. Shabu shubu literally translates to "swish swish" which is exactly what you do with the meat. Because the meat is so thinly sliced, it cooks very quickly in the boiling hot pot. There really are no words. Look up a local shabu shabu restaurant and make a reservation, stat.

The following day was surf day. When I lived in Australia five years ago, I went on a week-long surf trip and learned how to surf. I was never amazing but I could get up. When I was in Florida a few years later, I could still surf so I was confident that I would be fine. Brian had never actually learned how to surf (I guess 3 months in an Australian hospital will put a damper on that sort of thing) so he was keen to learn.

We had our very own surfer dude Terry to teach us so we set out, once again, to Waikiki to catch a wave. Terry helped us pick out appropriate boards (I think mine should have been about 20 feet longer) and we dove into the surf.

I always get really frustrated with the paddling out part because you usually have to paddle out really far to get to the decent waves. Even though I've been working on my swimming, I always feel like I'm not moving! After about 4 hours, I made it to the waves. Ok, not 4 hours. Probably like 10 minutes. I'm an exaggerating surfer, so sue me. The waves were small and not very impressive, but there were plenty of people catching waves.

While waiting for waves, typically, you sit up on your board, straddling it with both legs. It takes a bit of balance but most people get the hang of it after a few minutes. Brian White is not most people. Brian would be sitting on his board, calm as can be and then suddenly flip off into the water. This didn't happen one or two times, either. More like 10-20. I was thoroughly entertained and I really wish I had video to share.

Brian did really well for a first timer and was able to get up and stay up for a few seconds. I was having a lot more trouble. I wasn't falling, I just wasn't catching waves! I was starting to get aggravated until a beaut headed our way. Brian and I both swung our boards into position and started paddling hard. I felt my board catch the momentum of the wave and I pushed myself up. Just as I was about to fully stand on a glorious wave, I was violently knocked from my board. I soon realized that my lovely boyfriend's board had taken a horizontal trajectory right into me. I was crushed. It was so not gnarly. So not righteous. A surfer don't. Sigh...

Although I half got up on a few, I never did seriously surf that day. But don't worry, I didn't walk away from the beach with nothing. Because I was originally surfing in my bikini (I later smartened up and put on a tank top) I had massively horrible board rash! The rubbing of my skin on a mixture of salt water and board wax and from all the friction of laying on my board and not surfing caused my skin to break out into a red rash all over. They almost look like tiny blood blisters and they lasted for at least a week. Ouchie mama.

Even though we were not the best surfers out there, we definitely had our surfing experience and ended our evening with a trip to Cold Stone (and ice cream place). Brian likes Cold Stone. A lot.

Chapter 6: Shangri La

Because of my cold, I had to spend a much needed day in bed following our hike. The next day, even though I wasn't up to par, I had to get out and enjoy Hawaii. Danny had heard of a secluded beach down the road that was the property of Doris Duke. We set off to find said beach.

With plenty of water and a few snacks, we headed down the road. It was quite the walk but we finally got to an area overlooking the coast. It really was a perfect Hawaiian day - hot, sunny, blue skies, gorgeous waves. All the stuff that makes you want to quit your job and move to an island. Because we were on a cliff overlooking the ocean, we had to scramble down a steep path to get to the actual beach. Once on the beach, we had to walk almost a mile to get to palace a la Doris. And a mile in the sand ain't easy. We weren't entirely sure what we were looking for so we just kept walking. Eventually, up ahead we saw something promising. Although it doesn't look all that impressive in photos, it really was beautiful.

I won't get into the history of Shangri La, Doris' Hawaiian estate, because apparently my history lessons are "boring." (Brian had to lie to me about it, but he's a terrible liar and soon admitted that he skimmed my Hawaiian history lesson, bored to tears). Oh well, I like my history lessons so maybe I'll just recite them to myself... But for those of you who don't know, Doris Duke was a heiress who puts Paris Hilton to shame. She was born in 1912 and was certainly something else. For more history (for those who like boring) check out Wikipedia.

Shangri La boasted it's own little cove and a pier made of lava rocks with a little fishing area at the end. We were able to snag the fishing area and made up a little picnic/relaxation area. Soon we were sipping on cold beers and munching on boiled peanuts (they're actually good).
Danny fully passed out on the rocks. That kid can sleep anywhere, ha!

The sun was starting to go down and we knew we had to do a few jumps into the water from the little cove. Having a waterproof camera makes such activities a bonus. Plenty of flips and cannonballs.

Chapter 5: Island Time

On day 2 Danny had to go to work so Brian and I were on our own. We knew how to get to one place: the beach. Where should we go? The beach. I unfortunately had developed a cold (blame it on the airplane germs, stress and lack of sleep -that and licking doorknobs) and needed some quality sun time. It was a pretty rough day again. Laying on the beach and reading. Like I said. Rough. We caught an incredible sunset and decided to walk the 5k home.

The next day we were left alone again but had the company of Danny's roommate, Terry. Terry is the epitome of a surfer dude. At least as surfer dude-esque as a guy from Minnesota can be. Although not bleached blonde, Terry has long hair and a surfer attitude: very laid back and without worries. Terry is also 19. With the energy of a 19 year old boy. Not that I'm old or lacking energy by any means but this kid schooled us in the energy realm. Terry, being the nice tour guide that he was, took us on a mountain hike. Let me rephrase. Mountain climb. Difficult mountain climb. There is a mountain just behind Dan's house the we decided to conquer. Terry knew of a path and led the way. When Terry described the hike, he called it a "Level 4" hike, out of 10. Mmm Hmmm. It was not. This hike was up the spine of a really steep little mountain. It wasn't a massive hike but it was a strenuous hike. I was definitely breathing quite heavily in a matter of minutes. I could barely see Terry ahead of me and I was just praying to reach the top quickly before I collapsed over the edge.

When we did reach the top it was oh so worth it. The view was amazing. We could see the entire valley all the way out to the sea and the breeze was exactly what we needed. Now we just had to get back down. We made it down, no dramas (except for the minor spill by Brian) and were relieved to have made it down alive.






When we returned, Danny came home and immediately found a Madagascar gecko. Apparently they're an invasive species but I don't care. If that's an invasive species, bring em on! They're gorgeous. It was weird though because he didn't try to talk to me about car insurance...

Chapter 4: Palm Trees and Blue Skies

After saying goodbye to Brad and to Vancouver, Brian headed off to catch our bus to Seattle. Seemed easy enough but after missing our first bus (the bus came to another stop because of the Olympics), we made it to another that would bring us to the Seattle airport just in time to catch our flight. Theoretically. What actually happened was a bit more frustrating. When crossing the US/Canadian border, shuttle buses go through a more stringent inspection than cars. Everyone has to get out, bring their luggage into a building, have luggage scanned and go through customs. Usually you can get through with no dramas. On this particular day, as things sometimes go, we had to wait for a few other buses in front of us. When we were finally (after about a half hour wait) pulling up for our turn, the bus driver came back onto the bus, quite flustered. Apparently the customs officers had gone on lunch. All of them. At the same time. For over half an hour. Who does that?! I am ashamed to admit that it was the US border officers. Not Canadian. Canadians would have probably hustled us through, maple leafs floating down with a light rain of maple syrup - all while singing "Oh Canada."

After sweating and dreading the impending missed flight, we finally made it to the airport. We ran up to the counter only to find out that we missed check in by minutes. Luckily, the airline agent quickly found us another flight (for free!) that would connect us to our Honlulu flight. PHEW!! We were so relieved and were finally able to breathe.

Many hours later we stepped off our plane onto lucious island soil. My brother Danny moved to Hawaii less than a year ago in search of adventure and greener pastures. I think he has found both. Dan met us in the airport looking tanned and relaxed. We needed both of those things. Because our flight got in so late, we basically got to Dan's house, met his roommates, blew up a mattress and crashed. Ahhhh.

The following day, Dan took us to Honolulu's main tourist location: Waikiki. We were in search of beach and the legendary Puka Dog. On the plane, a few ladies went on and on about the best hot dogs they've ever had. Now, I'm not a hot dog person, but these hot dogs peaked even my interest.

Puka Dogs was a bit tucked away but we were really happy we found it. It's a tiny shop with just enough room to order and a few chairs outside. But don't let that stop you. Puka.dogs.are.amazing. You get to choose between a keilbasa style meaty meat meat dog (my words) or a vegetarian dog. Then you choose your mayo (jalapeno up to habenero), fruti relish (banana, pineapple, mango, etc) and mustard (different fruity sour mustards). The bun is super fresh and is shoved onto a heated hot dog shaped point, creating a perfect, toasted hole in the center of the bun. The word "puka" in Hawaiian means "hole." Oh! Now I get it! The sauces are drizzled into the hole and then the hot dog is tucked into it's perfect hot dog shaped hole. It was in a word, glorious. Clearly - I just wrote an entire paragraph on processed meat.

With bellies full, and backs warm, we headed to the beach. Waikiki may be a touristy beach, but it was a nice beach. We napped in the sand and cooled off in the ocean. Shaved ice eventually peaked our interest and we had to partake. I didn't realize they would be so massive! Tasted like snow and sugar. And food coloring. I could only take so much.

Sun ✔ Beach ✔ Hot dogs ✔ Sugar ✔

Basically a very successful first day in Hawaii.

Chapter 3: Hawaiian Life-O

Sorry about the massive delay in updates! I can partially blame it on getting settled in, setting up internet and dropping (eh hem, yep) my computer. The other part is pure avoidance.

So time warp to the beginning of March (remember March? It was a good month...). Following Vancouver, we hopped on over to Honolulu. Ok, flew. Confession: Until I got to Hawaii, I didn't realize that Hawaii is on the island of Oahu, not Hawaii, aka Big Island. I just assumed it was on the biggest Island. It is not.

Before I get into the adventures and happenings of Hawaii, I want to give a little educational lesson for the equally ill-informed, courtesy of Wikipedia, the authority on life.

Hawaii is actually fairly fascinating. Although it WAS NOT split down the middle and given to Canada (thanks for that, Cathy White), it does have some questionable island politics.

There are 8 islands (and a bunch of other tiny ones) that make up Hawaii, all of which have more vowels than a Scandinavian adjective. The islands are as follows. I hope you are all staring at your screen attempting to pronounce these. Out loud. And embarrassing yourselves in front of coworkers.

Hawai'i (got it)
Maui (easy)
O'ahu (pshh)

Lana'i (okk...)
Kaho'olawe (yipes!)
Moloka'i (Molo, what?)
Kaua'i (not even attempting)
Ni'ihau (isn't that Chinese for hello?)

Out of the eight main islands there are two "rouge" islands. One, Kaho'olawe (say it with me now, Ka-hoo-a-la-we) is uninhabited for good reason: it lacks freshwater. Actually, in the beginning of World War II, it was used as a training ground and bombing range by the US. Bombing ourselves, lovely. Kaho'olawe wasn't even a part of the Hawaiian islands until 1994! After much protesting, the navy ended live-fire training and the island was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Today, the island is only used for native Hawaiian cultural, spiritual and subsistence purposes.

Ok, on to the more mysterious island, Ni'ihau, also know as the Forbidden Isle. Ni'ihau, as it's nickname implies, is "forbidden" to the common tourist. You can only go there by invitation! Pish posh! Ni'ihau is actually privately owned by the Robinson family (No relation to Robinson, Swiss Family). In 1864, Elizabeth Sinclair-Robinson purchased Ni'ihau for the whopping price of $10,000. (I know it was ages ago but, can you imagine buying an island for 10k?) She had the option of Ni'ihau, Waikiki or Pearl Harbor. I guess she wanted an entire island, not part of one. In 1915, Elizabeth's grandson closed the island to most visitors. Even inhabitant's relatives had to have special permission to visit. I wonder what sort of secrets that island holds... Ni'ihau has no phones or cars. The residents can't own radios, cell phones or TVs and visitors can't bring them to the island, even for themselves. They also don't have electricity! Apparently, these are all Robinson family imposed rules - maybe to keep the island in a more natural state? A forbidden island would be a bit more difficult to live on without modern luxuries. Regardless, I still want to go.

One other important piece of Hawaiian culture is not really a piece, but rather, a man. A very large man. A 770 pound man. Iz Kamakawiwo'ole was a large man with the voice of an angel. Really. Youtube him. There's the wonderfully cheesy video of Iz singing "Over the Rainbow" and playing a ukelele. It's a bit humerous to see such a large man with such a small instrument (he plays, of course, the ukelele.

On to the last little factoid. I'm sure there are plenty more but I'm sure this is enough for now. Hawaii's tallest mountain, Mauna Kea, located on the Big Island (Hawai'i), is actually taller than Mount Everest if measured from it's base almost 20,000 feet below sea level. Pretty cool, really. It's actually only 13,796 feet above sea level.

I do believe that's about it on the facts. On to the events...

Chapter 2: Vancouver On

Although Vancouver has a reputation for being a bit grey and drizzly, we only saw one day of less than gorgeous weather. Our second day was spent tooling around the Olympic-ized city and heading over to Granville Island. Granville had a great little market area and after a delicious lunch and amazing gelati, we were happy to sit down and watch a local singer.

On March 7th, we drove through the city a bit more to see the different areas. Vancouver, like most cities, has suburbs with different "specialties." There are areas where a lot of the hippies hang out, the richer business district, Chinatown, etc. Brad asked me if Detroit had an area where all the crack heads and druggies hang out. "Yeah, Detroit." But when Brad drove us through the drug area in Vancouver, I was unprepared. There were hundreds and hundreds of people literally lining the streets for blocks. All of the buildings were dilapidated and abandoned. People stood in little groups, all looking fairly homeless and strung out. I saw a couple of drug deals happen in the short amount of time it took us to drive past. It was one of the most bizarre sights to see such a concentrated amount of burn outs. I guess the police prefer to have them all in one area where it can be a bit more controlled. Pretty entertaining but I definitely wouldn't want to walk down those streets. Wish I had a photo...

That evening we were invited to an Oscar party at Brad's school. Brad helps run an out of school program where kids come through at different times each day. They usually have specific activities and he usually has about 40 kids! It's kind of like latch-key with structure. Really great. Anyways, that evening we got really dressed up and went to watch the Oscars. Really dressed up. Probably too dressed up. It was fun though. One of the highlights of the evening for Brian and me was one of the appetizers. Pineapple chunk + cheese + toothpick = amazing. Weird combination, awesome results. It's one of our new favorite snacks! Jalapeno cheese is surprisingly good too.

The following day, we had a full day at Kid's Club (is that what it's called Brad?). Because it was in the middle of winter break, there were only 12 kids which was kind of good for Brian and I because we were able to learn names and hang out a little easier. The kids were hilarious. We played games and hung out outside. There was even a few break dancing kids that put on quite a good show. Brad's definitely got a good gig. They wear you out for sure. Well at least Brian, who had to sit down while pushing girls on a tire swing. Classic.

The next day we had to say goodbye to Vancouver. After a stressful morning we caught the bus to Seattle and ended up waiting over an hour at the border. Apparently all of the guards who check buses through (you have to get off the bus and go through customs) went on break at the same time. Have you ever heard of anything so asinine? We missed our flight but were nicely put on another one and made it to Hawaii with no more drama. Thanks Vancouver for the good times and great weather!! (That means you Brad)