Every good thing comes to an end.  As of right this second, my weeklong vacation to Hawaii has officially come to an end.  This is one of the few trips where I didn’t plan a comprehensive itinerary with every single day’s activities completely set.  But, we still managed to do just about everything that we had set out to do.  And, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

 

This entry would not be complete without a complete paragraph dedicated to our wonderful host – Shawna.  This trip would not have been possible without her driving us around everywhere, taking us to all the best places to eat, and just showing us a great time.  And, if she helps us with that one last little detail, I will owe her one forever.  Thank you so much for everything.  And, thanks to her entire family for putting up with all of us for an entire week. 

 

What a week.  One entry could not possibly describe all the things that we did this week.

And, quite honestly… I don’t have the time to write an entry that talked about every single thing we did (since we did so many things).  So, here’s my top ten favorite Hawaii moments:

 

10.  The night life – The night life in Hawaii barely cracked the top-ten list.  The only reason that it managed to stay on my top-ten list was that Zanzabar turned out to be great.  Apparently there was a HUGE party going on Saturday night at Ocean’s.  But, even though I ended up staying an extra night, I still missed out on the party.  I did hear that it was packed that night.  But, when we went there on Friday night, it definitely was not hopping.  The two places that we ended up partying at both provided for some good music and good times (Chai’s and Zanzabar).  So, I decided to keep it at number 10.  The problem with the night life is that we had to search like hell since no one seemed to know what was going on or where.  AND, Friday is not much of a party night.  People only party on Saturdays in Hawaii.  On top of that, I’ve been told that Hawaii is the worst place to meet anyone new because the local Hawaiians don’t want to meet anyone unless that person knows someone that they know.  So, there’s no way you’re going to meet any locals.  The only people we could (and did) talk to were tourists / foreigners like us.  Especially Japanese tourists.  Gotta love those Japanese tourists.

 

9.  The food – What can I say?  Shawna took us to some of the best places on the entire island.  We had authentic Hawaiian food, local Hawaiian food, shaved ice (lots and lots of it), great Thai food, bar food, macadamia nut pancakes, amazing garlic chicken, cheeseburgers in Paradise, poke, shrimp truck food, spam, malasadas, and even more shaved ice.  The food we ate this week was absolutely amazing.  So, due to the excessive amount of food that I’ve eaten this week, I will be starting a diet as of this very second.  Time to get back into shape.  =)  

 

 

 

 

(The three of us finished off a meal that was supposed to serve 4-6 people)

 

8.  Shawna’s yearbook – “I can’t believe [High school crush’s name] is gay.  All the good ones are gay these days.”  After many nights of discussions and story telling, I feel as though I went to Mary Knoll for high school.  I probably know more about Shawna’s high school class than I do about my own high school class.  We even reminisced about the good ‘ol high school days with some of her high school friends.  Good times.  It’s like I went to school in Hawaii.  Sometimes I wish I had. 

 

7.  The swap meet – As a kid, I went to the swap meet all the time.  I used to wonder who would buy some of the crap that they have at those places.  Well… now I know.  Tourists! That’s who!  I absolutely loved the swap meet in Hawaii.  Encircling the Hawaii stadium, the swap meet provided all the trinkets and knick knacks that I wanted at an affordable price.  I purchased t-shirts, board shorts, food, jam, wood carvings, tiki statutes, hula skirts, photo albums, flowers, and even a ukulele.  I even found out that “KU” in Hawaiian is the God of Strength.  It definitely took a lot of strength for me not to purchase the tiki statue that taught me that.  But, somehow I resisted the temptation and did not purchase it. 

 

 

 

 

(Shopping spree at the swapmeet)

 

6.  Polynesian Cultural Center – Yes.  It’s a complete tourist trap.  Yes.  It’s very very touristy and filled with tourists.   And, yes.  It’s very expensive.  However, I had an absolute blast.  In fact, I’d definitely want to go back to the PCC to check out some of the many things that I missed.  There are seven islands at the PCC – Samoa, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Hawaii, Marquesas, and Tahiti.  But, since we purchased the half day pass, we only saw the shows for Samoa, New Zealand, and Tonga.  I found the Samoan show the most entertaining (and funny) of the three.  But, I’d definitely like to see the other four shows as well.  Plus, there are all the activities and other stuff you could do as well.  The dinner and night shows were also both very entertaining.  The only reason I ranked it number 6 and not higher on my list was that the imu pig disappointed me.  I had been looking forward to the pig since I first planned the trip.  It was the one thing that I absolutely had to do…  And, I was completely psyched that I would be able to eat a pig that they buried into the ground and cooked the traditional way.  The only problem was that they never showed any of that.  Nor did they even talk about it.  In fact, the only mention of this was in their brochures.  The pork was very tasty and juicy but not seeing them take it out of the ground completely ruined it for me.  =(  I’m still looking for a luau that will show me the real traditional way of slow roasting a pig in the ground.  Damn, that would be cool to see.

 

(Paying tribute to Tonga)

 

(I liked the Somoan show the best of the three we saw)

 

5.  Surfing at Waikiki – Surfing was fun, but absolutely tiring.  It was definitely one of those things that you should try at least once.  And, I had fun riding the waves.  But, the worst part about doing a good job and riding a wave to the end was that you had to paddle your way back to the instructor.  Not that it was as much of a problem for me since I conveniently wiped out relatively quickly for 3 of the 5 times that I rode the waves.  But, it was still incredibly tiring.  And, a word of warning to any guy looking to surf for the first time…  beware of the nipple burn.  Yes.  You heard me right.  Your chest chafing against the surf board causes one of the most painful sensations you will ever feel.  Trust me.  It’ll hurt for days.  

 

(I'm showing my surfing moves)

 

(Relaxing on the surf board after a long day of surfing)

 

(The men who braved the challenging surf that day)

 

4.  Snorkeling at Haunama Bay – “I used to bring peas and feed the fish.” Shawna told us as we walked up to the line leading into Haunama Bay.  As we slowly inched through the multitude of lines, we finally filed into a large auditorium where they showed us a video.  The two main points from the video – (1) Look, but don’t touch and (2) Don’t feed the fish.  I guess things have changed quite a bit since Shawna came here as a kid.  But, the one thing that hasn’t is that it’s still a beautiful spot to visit if you’re looking to swim with some fishes.  So, we all decided to snorkel.  It took some getting used to and we all drank our fair share of salt water.  But, I found the experience calming and relaxing.  And, it is absolutely worth the extra $3 or so for the better snorkel and goggles.  Trust me.  I would have been drinking even more salt water if it weren’t for that thing.

 

(Haunama Bay)

 

(After a long day of snorkeling)

 

3.  Swimming with a turtle at the Waimea Bay – Remember that scene in Finding Nemo where Nemo is swimming along and sees schools of fish.  Then, all of a sudden he gets swept along with a group of turtles?  Well, that was what it was like.  I’m swimming along using a pair of goggles that I had borrowed from Euell to look at the schools of fish in the water when all of a sudden…  I see it.  A turtle.  It was swimming right under me!  I gasped for air and starting yelling “Turtle!  Turtle!” as I quickly handed the goggles back to Euell for him to see.  And, I began to swim after the turtle.  As I gasped for more air, I saw it peak its head up ever so slightly over the top of the water.  And, then it was off again.  Needless to say, I stayed in the water for a lot longer that day and kept my eyes out for turtles all day long.  And, I even saw another turtle (might have been the same one) a little later that day.  The turtle sightings were definitely one of the highlights of the trip.  

 

2.  Jumping off the rocks at Waimea Bay – As I stood over the edge of the cliff staring down at the crystal clear waters below…  two questions entered my mind.  “What the hell am I thinking?  And, am I really going to do this?”  Well, apparently the answers were – “It’s a once in a lifetime (or a long time) opportunity.  And, damn right I’m doing this!”  So, I jumped.  And, I fell.  And, I wondered why I hadn’t hit the water yet.  Then, I landed ass first into the water.  And, held my breath for what seemed like an eternity before emerging victorious.  I had jumped, landed, and survived.  My rear end was hurting from landing awkwardly, but I had done it!  What a thrill.  Only one other Hawaiian experience topped this.

 

 

 

 

(That's me suspended in mid-air.  Awesome picture)

 

1.  The previously largest mall in America (A La Moana Shopping Center) – A great shopping center with plenty to do for those who want to walk around one of the largest outdoor malls available.  But, more specifically, the Mai Tai bar at the previously largest mall in America is a great hot spot to wander over to and grab a drink.  

 

(I love this mall!)

Every city has its unique flavor to it.  That’s one of the things that I enjoy most about traveling.  It’s always interesting how you could just sense the culture and uniqueness of the city that you are visiting.  And, Hawaii is no different.  Hawaii has its own essence and you could sense it the second you get off the plane.  I noticed five main things about Hawaii (Oahu-specific).

 

Five things I noticed:

1.  Hawaiian architects do an amazing job of integrating an “open air” feel to everything.  I’ve never been to an airport where you walk out of the plane into the terminal and you feel the cool, night breeze from the outdoors because the terminal isn’t completely enclosed in triple or quadruple paned glass.  The stores, malls, and even clubs all incorporate this sense of open air feel to them.  I love it

 

2.  Every city has certain songs that they love to play on the radio stations.  Not sure why this is, but there are definitely some songs that get FAR too much airtime.  I’m sure we can all name a few from the bay area that are played too much.  In Dallas, it was a hip hop song I had never heard before (with the lyrics of “I know… you sees me…” in it.  Still don’t know the song title).  For Hawaii, it is Nelly Furtado’s, “Promiscuous Girl” and the Pussy Cat Dolls’ “Buttons.”  Not a day went by where we didn’t hear both those songs multiple times.  Not that I’m complaining… since I like both songs.  But, it was just crazy how much Hawaiians love those two songs

 

3.  Hawaii has some of the best shaved ice ever!  But, they don’t try to be all fancy with their shaved ice.  For them, it’s simply the shaved ice with some artificial flavoring.  If you’re feeling a bit wild, you can add some ice cream on the bottom or mochi balls or something.  But, it’s basically just ice and artificial flavoring.  It’s not the same as Taiwanese shaved ice where the shaved ice is topped with a mountain of toppings and condensed milk

 

4.  A 50 mph speed limit means 50 mph or less.  For most people, it’s less.  I couldn’t believe how slow people drive around there.  They drive so slow that there are signs that say “50 maximum, 40 minimum” in Hawaii.  When people need to be told the minimum speed that they need to be driving, you know they are driving too damn slow

 

5.  Hawaiians love ling hing mui powder and put it on everything.  You’ll see all sorts of fruit and candy at a grocery store with ling hing mui powder all over it.  In fact, it’s usually right beside the non-powdered candy and fruits.  I tried the pineapple with ling hing mui powder.  Good stuff…  But, I wouldn’t put it on everything.

 

So, how does Hawaii compare to SF?  Well, there are pros and cons.  Here are my top 5 reasons for Hawaii and top 5 reasons for SF in no particular order.

 

Five reasons Hawaii kicks SF’s butt and makes me want to move there:

1.  The picturesque scenery - volcanoes, mountains, and beaches.  Wow

2.  The shaved ice is out of this world and tropical fruits are available in your own backyard

(Somehow Shawna resisted the temptation to get shaved ice with us)

 

3.  The weather can’t be beat and is amazing year round

4.  Lounging on the sandy beaches, snorkeling in the crystal clear waters, jumping off large rocks, and surfing in the foamy waves of Hawaii

(Not quite ready to jump yet)

 

(Ready to jump now)

 

(Brian in mid-air.  Looks like he was doing a Blanka impersonation.)

 

5.  W.  Enough said

 

Five reasons why SF still beats Hawaii:

1.  You can't smoke in the bars in SF.

2.  Nightlife in SF is way better.

3.  The only jobs that seem to be very plentiful in Hawaii are jobs at fast-food restaurants

4.  When the speed limit says 65 mph in SF, People drive 75 mph.  When it says 50 mph in Hawaii, people drive 45 mph

5.  When it’s rainy, it’s cold.  When it’s sunny, it’s hot.  There are no rainy, hot days