Patrick: Hawaii, Day 0-4

I have found over the past few days that starting a post in this blog is as difficult for me as starting any other paper. The excellent weather outside doesn't help much either. At any given time, I feel the need to be outside where the sun beats down and fills every spot on my skin with glorious warmth. Even the 5-min rain shower yesterday (or the day before, I can't remember) was relaxing in its own way quite unlike the freezing cold droplets found in California.

But as I put off writing each day, the days begin to mix and churn in my memories. Soon this entire week will be one Cold Stone creation in a pint. So let me begin with day zero...

I arrived at SFO with Michael and discovered that my original flight was delayed. I got switched to another flight which allowed me to bypass the connection flight in LAX and got me directly to Honolulu. All in all it was a net-gain in utility since I arrived in Hawaii earlier than anticipated. After watching (albeit with a hint of jealousy) Michael and Melanie attempt to detach themselves from each other and after getting myself and my carry-on bags checked for explosives (am I really that suspicious?), I headed for the gate where I proceeded for the next 2 hours to work on a yet-to-be-finished research paper.

The first thing that struck me as I got off the plane in Honolulu was how warm and humid the climate was compared to that of California. The sky was dark and I was still in short sleeves. It felt way better than the recycled air conditioning we were treated to on the plane. I found Michael and Brian patiently waiting in the baggage claim area and soon we got picked up by the rest of my family who had arrived here earlier in the afternoon. Since we were practically starving from the lack of quality food and free meals on domestic flights these days, we ate at Wendy's and headed to the hotel in Ko Olina.

04082007

The next day, we met with Jason Foley at Costco (of all places). He took us to lunch at Zippy's, a local fast food chain with a menu of katsu-stuff, fried chicken, and chili. We then proceeded to Hanauma Bay which never fails to delight with its fabulous scenery and snorkeling. Michael, Brian, and I rented snorkeling gear since we were not as adept in the water as Jason. Apparently his high school PE class required biathalons which entailed a good deal of both swimming and running. We saw fish, or rather they saw us, as soon as we entered the water. Fish of all different colors, shapes, and sizes swirled around us. We followed schools of yellow striped fish, long skinny silver fish, and even a meandering sea turtle all the while trying to navigate safely through the maze-like corridors of rock and coral. At one point in time, we found ourselves in the deeper water beyond the protective lagoon barrier where the currents were a good deal stronger. Without the fins, I felt like I would be at the mercy of the surging ocean; quite a scary feeling indeed.

In the evening, Jason took us on a stroll along the Waikiki beach. It was around sunset, since it took us a while to find parking, and most people were off the beach already. The atmosphere was splendidly relaxing with music from bands entertaining guests of the numerous hotels found along the shore. The music mixed with the sounds of tourists chatting, people conversing in rapid Japanese, kids squealing, the waves crashing on the shore all together created an atmosphere of absolute serenity. When we got on the shopping street, the beach was replaced with designer store fronts. The people in bikinis and board shorts were swapped with groups of Japanese tourists in nice clothes. Brian noticed that the tourists tended to travel in couples and girls especially never failed to travel in groups. Oh wells.. most of the girls are either too young (middle schoolers on spring break?), too old (office ladies on vacation?), or too tanned (makes my pathetically pale skin embarrassing in comparison). We ended up walking back to where we started as we tried to find a restaurant to eat at. In the end, we found ourselves in a diner where we had a relatively cheap American-style meal. It was a wonderful end to a spectacular day in Hawaii. Oh, did I mention the excellent shave-ice store Jason brought us to earlier? I had the azuki bowl which had vanilla ice cream layered beneath a mountain of fine shaved ice smothered with condensed milk and topped with white and red mochi and sweet azuki beans. Glorious...

04092007

The following day, like Brian said, we ran some errands. We ate a fabulous buffet that put Todai to shame. Bought our JR passes for Golden Week. Swam in a lagoon right outside the hotel. Built sand forts on the beach seeing who's best withstood the test s of time (i.e. the tide, the wind, my foot, Michael's rocks, Brian's rippling muscles). In the end, Michael and I decided to even the playing field by digging tunnels into Brian's mound of sand.

04102007

The third day, Brian suggested going to Waimea Falls. It turned out to be a wonderful suggestion as we got to see peacocks, native flora, and a nice waterfall. We also went up to the north shore to see the famous surf. Indeed the waves were tremendously powerful and the surfer's were pros. It's too bad Jason couldn't stay with us longer to teach us how to surf. Even then, of course, we would not be ready for the crashing waves of the north shore. On the way back, we had... shaved ice. Shaved ice seems to be to the Hawaiians what pearl milk tea is to us California residents. It's everywhere, the refreshment of choice. I think I came back after the third day with a new appreciation for the ocean. The power of the waves as they broke on the beach was terrifying yet a wonder to behold. And all I could do was stand on the sidelines watching in awe as people much more experienced, much braver, much tanner than I challenged the ocean at its own game.

04112007

Today, the weather started out perfect. We left for Hanauma Bay again this morning, only to arrive at the gates disappointed by the closing of the beach due to jellyfish invasion. Apparently some people reported being stung earlier in the day already. We proceeded further up the coast to a place called Sandy Beach where the waves were like nothing I have ever seen in California. We put on some sunscreen and were all ready to dive in when the lifeguard called to us and warned us not to go in. He said the place held the record for the most broken necks and ribs incidences than any other beach. Everyone else out in the water all had boards and they were all presumably much more experienced at tackling those waves than us. I wonder how he knew we were tourists... Michael suggested that we were too pale... After lunch, the sky was pouring. It was raining about as hard as it does in California but the air was still warm enough to be out in a t-shirt or in Brian's case, no shirt at all. Michael and I are convinced that Brian cannot be contained... After lunch, we went to Pearl Harbor. After watching an hour long documentary on the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor, we took a short boat ride to the USS Arizona memorial. This place hasn't changed at all over the years. Even after 66 years, the surface of the water still has a thin layer of oil. It's fitting that we were here to see this, since we'll soon be seeing the final location for the Pacific theater of World War 2 in Japan.

04122007