Kailua and Hanauma Bay

Did another bike trek yesterday.

Biked from Diamond Head to Kailua Beach. Stopped off in Hanauma Bay to go snorkeling.

Google says its 27 mi but felt more like 50.

Here's the route (gotta click 'View Larger Map' to see highlighted path):


View Larger Map


Update: 7/16/08 - Pics loaded on Flickr here.

My New Apartment

What a lovely breeze!

The big windows in the living room face East which also happens to be the direction the wind usually blows from. The slats under the windows let the breeze in to play and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

This is the new view from my desk (actually a papasan chair). Its a pretty quite street; few cars, mostly people riding bikes or walking dogs. Not sure what that white complex is at the top of the hill on the right but it might be the community college. Will find out this Sat. when I head that way with Carly to check out the local farmer's market. (Shout out to Elaine for hooking us up! Hope you're enjoying Sunny CA...but you should still come visit!)

I'm sharing the place with 2 other peeps although one of them is away for the majority of the time. Nick speaks 6 languages and teaches ESL at UH. Gone off to Australia for a bit. Casey is a cool chica with a stupendous handshake. Seriously, its the kind of grip that makes you say, "Golly!" (Well, maybe you'd say something cooler than that...stop laughing!) Maybe its all that Capoeira she does.

I'm excited to be much closer to the beach. Gonna head out tomorrow morning to see what conditions are like down in this area. Its close to where I took my first lesson, which is good and bad. From what I remember there were a lot of reefs... I'll just go where the other surfers are.

Also looking forward to being so close to Kapiolani Park. I've heard you can find pick-up soccer games pretty much every day. I'll put that theory to the test tonight. :-)

Speaking of soccer if you didn't catch the Euro 2008 tournament, you missed out. Some absolutely incredible matches. And this from someone who usually can't stand watching soccer. If you get the chance its well worth it to check out the highlights (or the entire games if they're available). Congrats to Spain for going undefeated throughout and beating Germany in the final. They really were the best team. Also have to point out the amazing job Turkey did to make it to the semi-finals. 4 times they came back from being down to win and advance. Twice in the final minutes of the match. In fact, most of the goals scored in the overall tournament came after the 76th minute of play. Exciting stuff!

Bugs!

Butterflies, beetles, spiders, and more. Courtesy of the Bishop Museum and the Hawaii Public Library System's "Catch a Bug" program - designed to introduce students to the study of insects.



I caught the show at the Kaimuki Public Library last Sunday. Entomologist Shepherd Myers did a great job explaining the basics and keeping the crowd of youngsters (and us adults) enthused.


Reminded me of when I was teaching the younger ones English in South Korea. Changes in tempo and regular opportunities for action are key.


There is actually quite a lot to learn about these little suckers. For example, the Blue Morpho butterfly above never looses its coloring and will remain the same iridescent, vivid blue for hundreds of years.

This Goliath Beetle is one of the largest of its kind, clocking in at about 4 inches. These guys are so big that they sound like a mini-helicopter when they fly.



This was one of the biggest bugs on display. Some kind of katydid, if I remember correctly. Unusual for its straight wings; most insect's wings unfurl, like a ladybug's.





Next up, The Hercules Beetle!
a.k.a "The strongest creature on Earth"

It can lift 850 times its own body weight! Impressive and pretty scary if you imagine meeting a man-sized one of these in a dark alley.






That's the extent of the shots I got. Only one I didn't get that I really wanted was a really long walking stick. Apparently they are the longest insects on Earth and can grow to be longer than a foot although these were a 'mere' 9in.

I'm looking forward to visiting the Bishop Museum sometime soon. There is a whale exhibit going on now and I'd like to see more weird bugs.

The Bishop Museum has the 6th largest collection of insects in the world. How many does it take to be the '6th' largest...?

...13.5 million

Board and Sling

In all of the excitement I forgot to mention I bought a board!

I've taken her out twice now and she's a beauty. Used but in good condition. Cleaned her up yesterday which took a while. Its hard to get old wax off...

8.5 ft with a slightly concave bottom and tri-fin set up. Cost $325 - a good deal.

Really enjoying her. Makes catching waves more exciting. Not sure if its the design, length, or fin set up but she seems to really take off.


Even though she's smaller than a longboard, carrying her to the beach for the 10 min bike ride is no joke. The weight itself isn't so bad but any kind of breeze and I felt like a kite. After the first time I decided to check into carrying options.

Was hoping to find a reasonably priced surf rack for my bike. No such luck. McCully Bike's (a great, nearby bike shop) wanted $115 for one. Considering that's more than I paid for the bike, I declined. The real issue is I wouldn't be able to recoup the cost when I eventually sell my bike.


Checking online I found this nice sling bag by Curve. $35 seems reasonable but I couldn't find anyone who sold them and I didn't want to wait for it to be shipped.


So, I figured I'd make my own.



A quick trip to Walmart for supplies. I was originally thinking about just using straps but they were having a sale on those Ozark Trail outdoor chairs so I picked one up. Disassembly was fun!

The basic idea is to use the part you sit on as the wrapper and stitching on the nylon straps. But using the standard XP approach I tried out the simplest thing first; just tying it all together. Looked up some knots online. Double Fisherman's knot is very effective.

The bottom part already had two reinforced holes so those two were easy. The top part didn't have them but there were two short straps that the arm sections were connected by. Luckily I cut off the arm pieces in the right spot so I was able to tie my straps to the existing little ones. It actually worked quite well and testing assured me it wouldn't rip apart so this morning I tried it out.

Success!

Much easier to handle than before. I will probably use the arm fabric as a shoulder strap since it did get uncomfortable after a while.

Total cost of Version 1: $16.34

Diamond Head Park

Did the hike at Diamond Head Park on Sunday. Not much of a hike really, sidewalk on the flat parts and handrails on the steep parts. Maybe half an hour?... Does get pretty steep in some sections as you can imagine hiking up the inside face of a volcano crater.


I didn't even realize Diamond Head was a crater until I saw it in Google maps when preparing for this hike. Was hoping for a bike trail but no such luck. Here's a couple of short videos that gives an idea of the layout: clip1 - clip2. Videos pan W to NE and NE to S.

The views from the peak (in the south-west corner) are spectacular.


I got a better view than most by climbing on top of the concrete roof. Relaxed up there for about 20 min and snacked on some peanuts. Nice breeze too.



There's a pretty lighthouse on the southwestern shore.

On the way up I saw what I think was a ferret. Didn't get a shot of it though 'cause some other people came up and scared it away. Was about 2" wide, 2' long (including tail), tan colored, whiskered, ferret-like.

Someone mentioned how the crater reminded him of Toledo, Spain. Definitely similar. Kinda scrub-brushy with lots of dry, brown flavor.




Here's a shot of the inside of the crater with Koko Head in the background.






On the way back down I snapped this pic of a flower that caught my eye in a bunch of cactus. A bit different than what I expected to find in Hawaii.





These last two photos give an idea of how the city has progressed up into the ridges. This is the Kaimuki and Maunalani Heights regions with UH just visible on the left. The second shot is a close up of the Maunalani Heights with some beautiful mountains in the background.

Tantalus

Did the Tantalus/Round Top run. Beautiful scenery. Thank goodness for granny gears.

Here's the route I took.



I'd heard it always rains up in the mountains and when I started out it looked like today would be no exception. Weather held out for me though. Just a couple of light showers towards the middle of my trek, much appreciated by that time.

If you're heading up I recommend going up Round Top and back down Tantalus as I did. Roads seemed smoother on the Tantalus side so its nicer when going fast on the way down. Round Top has better photo ops too so it provides plenty of excuses to stop and rest.

Near the top of the first ridge you'll find Puu Ualaokua Park (marker 'B' on the route map). Park entrance is much steeper than the rest of the ride but the views are worth it.




After enjoying the sights, continued on. Reached the crest (!!) and started on back down... Or so I thought. Once you go past a few houses the road turns a corner and starts rising again. That part sucked.


Eventually reached the last crest and started down the Tantalus side. Lots of pretty houses around. Quite a few shacks too. Definitely didn't seem like everybody up there was loaded. Did see a fair share of Mercedes and one Corvette. Also almost got run over by a cop car. Guess somebody's house alarm went off. I'm sure the really expensive places are off the private little side roads scattered about.

Most of what you see on the Tantalus side is green. Everything is green. If I had to climb anymore I probably would have been too. As it was I was very happy to be heading back down.




Got some good shots of the Punchbowl and the Harbor. It was getting a bit hazy but got a nice one of the whole Waikiki area.

After my ride I could only think of one thing, Thank goodness for Chinese buffets...

Soccer!

Lucky I found a pickup game...I was starting to go through withdrawal.

Quite the international crowd. People mostly referred to by home country ("Brazil", "Mexico"). Some of these guys are _really_ good.

Apparently there are games in Kapiolani Park every T,W,Th, and Sat!


PS. Krazy glue is amazing stuff. Fixed up my separating soccer cleats right quick.

Friends and Festivals

Had the pleasure of meeting Carly yesterday. She's a friend of a friend and was kind enough to give advice on the local happenings.

Even though she lives on Oahu she'd never been to Duke's so we decided to go. Good food but pricey. Worth going at least once. Huli Huli chicken and the ribs were tasty! No picture of that since I ate it too fast.

Had a little visitor while we were enjoying dinner. A tiny, grey gecko crawled by. I'd never seen one in real life before; biggest difference between that and other lizards I've seen in VA were the toes. Love how they spread out like that!



They had closed off the main drag when we arrived so after dinner we headed out to see what was up. Turns out it was the start of the Pan-Pacific Festival, a 3-day event promoting cultural exchange between Japan and Hawaii. This picture is of an Okinawan dance that was performed on the street and lasted for hours. The older folk took shifts. Younger ones just kinda wandered away (like we did). Here's some pics from last year's celebration.

Besides Japanese dances and drum exhibits, there were quite a few Hula displays. One thing I learned from Carly is that what I always thought of as "Hula" is actually Tahitian, not Hawaiian. The Tahitian dance is the one with the frenetic shaking of the hips and such. The Hula that I saw here was more reserved and graceful. Apparently Hula started out as a kind of prayer and is still performed as such during some official government ceremonies.

One of the biggest Hula festivals in Hawaii is coming up on the 11th - The King Kamehameha Festival, but it's over on the big island.

Hope they also do something over here.

Visions of a Lighted Path

So I decided to kick the fin of my surfboard...and by 'decided' I mean 'totally didn't see that little &#*# laying there in wait for me'. Now I have my own mini Diamond Head on the top of my left foot to keep me company.

I'd already paid for my rental so I went out which was OK since you don't use the top of your foot anyways and I figured the ocean water would help reduce swelling. Funny how surfers like to commiserate - rental guy had mentioned the incident to his buds while I was out and when I came back in some of the guys at the rental place and a few random dudes just hanging out started showing their war wounds. Mostly due to the fins cutting their legs when getting rolled by a big wave although all had known the pleasure of hitting the fin with their foot. These were not novice surfers; local guys who were raised on boards.

Recommended I see the lifeguard so I hobbled on over. First question, is it broken? Toes can wiggle = safe. Guys working at a nearby snack shop gave me a bag of ice - gave 'em a chance to show off their scars.

There is comfort in certainty. There _is_ a price to pay. I am _going_ to get my ass handed to me by my surfboard, fin, or reef.

I feel better.

Surfing 3

Went out again this morning. The Beach Boys offer 8-10' board rentals for $10/hr. Before 8am gets you an extra hour for free. Got out at 7:30am and tried a 9' for the first time.

Spent a lot of time getting used to the board. Big difference from the 11' and 12' boards I used during my lessons. Reminds me of shock absorbers on cars; the big boards don't react as much to your movements. On the 9', if I twitched, the board twitched. Found out I'm a twitchy person...who knew?

Only caught one wave on the 9 mostly because I was intimidated but it was a nice one and I didn't have a lot of trouble getting up and riding it in. Turning definitely feels more comfortable on the 9 than on the bigger ones.

Also tried a soft-top 10' board. Didn't feel as good to me so I'm sticking with a 9' for now. Probably end up buying one after a couple of weeks. Soft-top probably would have been good to start on though. I'm bony and had some pretty bad bruises from grinding against the board while paddling. Paid attention to it this morning and did much better with avoiding the hurt.



Only made it through an hour and a half of my 2 though before I was wiped. Didn't eat anything before I went out which is actually generally recommended but for me I need the energy. Figure I'll let the sun wake me up, eat, chill for an hour or so, then go out and catch the special.

PS. Still no pics of me surfing so these are a beautiful Banyan tree on Waikiki beach and a hula dancer from the Hula Grill (above Duke's).

Transport

I got a bike! Trek frame with Shimano derailleurs.

Don't have a clue what that means but I'm sure my buddy Brandon does.

Its a solid bike and I got it, a helmet, and the meanest looking Kryptonite U-lock and cable I've ever seen for $110. Also has a basket that will be useful going to the beach. Looks just junky enough to not warrant unwanted attention while still being a sturdy ride.

Main purpose is getting to the beach and stores but the previous owner was telling me about some great rides above UH that overlook the whole island. Sounds like a good Sat. trip for me.

My New Apartment

What a view!

Renting a condo at the Hawaiian Monarch. A little pricey but that's the whole Waikiki area.



Small place but suits my needs. Relatively close to Waikiki beach and grocery stores. This is not to be underestimated as its pretty much the only way to eat for a reasonable price. What I consider reasonable anyways. $10 lunches and $25 dinners seem the norm around here.

There's a big mirror on the left side of the living room/dining room/bedroom that gives me a great view of Waikiki beach while I work.

Here's some more pics:

Surf Lesson 2

Had a private lesson with Gino today. Gino works with the Beach Boys down on Waikiki Beach and I actually met him the day before at a great little Korean restaurant called Mee BBQ. He has lived on Oahu all his life; surfing comes as natural to him as walking. Amazing to watch. Was a lot of help learning how to spot good waves and time when to paddle.

Also I didn't realize how important placement on the board is when paddling. Makes a big difference in efficiency. Once Gino pointed out that I was too far back (or sometimes too far forward) I started looking around and paying attention to what the other surfers were doing. The best position will cause the nose to rise about 2 inches above the surface of the water.

A great lesson.

Kukui Oil - Sunburn Zapper

Not to brag but when it comes to sunburns, I know what I'm talking about. Practice makes perfect. My best one so far was down in the Bahamas. I'm pretty sure I was more red than the lobster they served on the cruise ship.

Anyways, back to this oil. Its a kind of thick, mineral oil like stuff. No natural fragrance although it comes in many varieties. I applied it twice, once after practicing and again just before bed. The next morning my burns had gone from call the fireman to meh, typical white tourist.

Good stuff.

Waikiki Surfing

What a rush!

Took my first surf lesson this morning with the guys at Hans Hedemann Surf School. Got some good advice from Hans the night before and James, the manager, is a class act. They guarantee that you'll stand up during your lesson so I thought it was a safe bet.

I did indeed stand up, multiple times I might add. Standing up and riding in was the easy part. The waves were friendly and once you're up, there's nothing much to do other than pose and try to look cool.



Paddling out...now that's another story. I thought I was in shape, Bro! By the end of our two hours I was wiped.

Looking forward to next time!


PS. No photos of me surfing yet. Didn't spring for the $30 CD of pics the on-staff camera guy took of the group session. $30 is a lot just to prove I look like a dork learning to surf.

A Restaurant as a Social Network

Tonight I met JunKo, Tomi, and Taki.

Three nicer people you'll never find.

JunKo is a pastry chef here on the island. Taki is going back to Japan to start a restaurant. Tomi is going back to Japan to figure out what he wants to do now that he's done traveling around the world.

The Sunrise restaurant brought us all together. A trained chef, Taki has drawn inspiration from this and her time here in Honolulu and hopes to create a community-oriented restaurant in her hometown. A place where friendships are easily made.

Cheers!

Surf's Up!

As the saying goes, "Life's a journey".

In my case, part of my journey consists of saying, "Goodbye" to Philadelphia for three months and, "Aloha!" to Honolulu.

Why?

Self-discovery and remembering what makes me, me. The whole paradise thing doesn't hurt either...

Here are my goals for this trip:

• Learn how to surf
• Develop an on-demand software infrastructure
• Start blogging
• Attain a more healthy lifestyle
• Prepare to be a father
• Make new life-long friends

Yes, I know I just made a list of goals for my trip to paradise... I'm a geek. Deal.