Aloha! Day 1
Due in large part to the 5 hour time difference, I woke up this morning bright eyed and bushy-tailed at around 8:00 this morning, and the first item on the agenda was to try my hand at surfing. The marine base has surfboards for rent for $15 a day, and a private beach that we had completely to ourselves. No one saw me make a fool of myself out there, and it was good to get out in the water.
My first attempt at surfing wasn't a smashing success by any definition, but I'm glad that I gave it a whirl. I would have liked to have at least managed to stand up on the board, but the waves weren't the best in the world, or at least that's what I was told. I was hoping to be able to report back in to my old LJ friend nokomisjeff of pulling off some killer runs today, but it feels good to be able to say that I've officially been surfing. The water was so incredibly clear and beautiful, and I felt incredibly refreshed after spending some time in the water.
After my surfing experience, I went to pick up my rental car, a 2008 Dodge Avenger, and we headed into Waikiki. Todd had to be at class for a few hours today, and while he was in class, I hiked to the top of Diamond Head. With my recent injuries, I knew it was going to be unusually difficult on me, and I took a Vicodin before and after (and some beer and whiskey later). By the time I made it back down, I was very tired and in no small amount of pain, but it was totally worth it for the view at the top. The photo above was taken by a woman who asked me to take a picture of her and her daughter, and I had a lovely time chit-chatting with the various and sundry people who were sharing the experience of the hike to the summit, and the random 2-minute rainshowers were very nice. One of the things that seems to happen here is random rainfall, but it never lasts longer than a couple of minutes.
I can't believe it's only been one day here, because I feel like I've seen so much in such a short time. I probably heard at least 5 different languages spoken, and everything that I've seen has been straight out of a postcard. There are several radio stations that play nothing but Hawaiian music, and I just really dig on the laid-back vibe of this place, and I really feel like Hawaii is one of the ways that God decided to show off.
Tomorrow's agenda is a morning trip to the North Shore, and then spending the rest of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center, which is a huge draw around here. It should be an awesome day.
One thing that I'm digging on is the fact that I'm actually on vacation this time around. I have been fortunate to get to travel so much over the past few years, but my trips have typically involved spending lots of time in classes or conferences. This trip has been different, because all of my time is my own. The fact that I'm getting to spend that time in a place accurately described as paradise is just a nice perk.