Not Just Another Wave

I know I've posted a lot of stuff about the ocean and shown several pictures of impressive waves. This Thanksgiving, we went to Waiamea to see some of the legendary big surf. Take a close look at the tiny little surfers on the big 20-foot wave. Read the sign on the beach. The lifeguards closed the entire beach because the waves are so violent - saves them the trouble of calling an ambulance and clogging up 20 miles of North Shore traffic.

So if the picture above wasn't impressive enough, take a look at this video I took from Shark's cove (just down the beach from Waiamea). You can hear me say "It's scary!" We are standing on a lava shelf that is normally 20 feet above the water. As the camera pans, you can see a similar shelf on the left - watch what the wave does on that shelf. These waves easily crash over the top right at us... Stupid? Probably. Scary? You bet!



More to come from the long Thanksgiving weekend!

Just Observing

Hawaii is a very diverse place, but mostly things are recognizable; after all, it's the 50th state! But when you come from the American Midwest, you begin to notice small differences in what we take for granted as "normal" things.

Of course, you'd expect to see a local influence on TV from Hawaiian channels. Take a look at this awesome promo from a local Hawaiian channel. As you watch non-local programming, you see subtle differences. Companies like McDonald's, AIG or Allstate have the same commercials with different actors. Here you watch a Hawaiian guy shouting with joy when he wins McDonald's Monopoly. The AIG team that leaves money with strangers is Asian (and the people that get the money are Asian as well). You know that Allstate commercial where the black guy speaks while an accident happens behind him? Here, the people in the accident are Asian. And just in case you didn't know, Hawaiian men suffer from ED just like everyone else...

We went to see a production of "Fiddler On The Roof" last night at the Fort Shafter theater. It was a nicely done musical. The actors were all well-rehearsed and the choreography was great. But I have to admit, it was the first time I've seen an Asian playing a Jew (with prayer shawl and skull cap) while forcing a New York accent.

In the American midwest, you would likely hear Spanish as well as English. Here, there's a lot of Japanese and Korean. American women come to Hawaii to tan on the beach. Japanese women come to stay out of the sun and shop. Have you seen the sign, "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service"? If that were applied here, a store would lose a lot of business! When we flew to Maui last week, I did not take nor wear any socks or shoes - just flip flops. Come to think of it, I didn't even take any pants (don't panic, I wore swimsuits).

We wanted to make chili last week, so we wandered the aisles of the grocery store to pick up the ingredients. We found no chili powder and had to use lima beans and black-eyed peas instead of chili beans. It's hard to find a nice, thick Black Angus steak. I think it's because there's such a heavy Asian influence. A lot of Asian cuisine uses thin-sliced meat and is frequently sliced at a different angle. Ribs are most likely to be cut across the bone instead of along the bone.

There is a larger variety of pork here than beef or chicken - many of the cuts I don't recognize. Chicken is prevalently dark meat. BBQ sauce is sweet and runny. Most produce is shipped in (of course, fish incredibly fresh). McDonalds has "local favorites" menu items. Haupia Pie (coconut cream) is more popular than apple pie. One of their breakfast items is eggs, rice, Portuguese sausage and Spam! Spam is really big in Hawaii - which may explain why so many Hawaiians are also really big. Spam gets its own end-cap in grocery stores. There's even a Spam war between McDonalds and Burger King for the Hawaiian fast food dollar. My arteries are clogging just thinking about it...

Some things are just plain backwards. At some restaurants, you get raw fish and batter-fried vegetables on the same plate. Back in Oklahoma, it seemed like there was a Mexican restaurant in every strip mall. Here, you can't walk 200 paces before you encounter a sushi bar. It's one thing to eat a bad burrito... it's another thing to eat bad raw fish.

Autumn leaves have already fallen on the mainland. I remember piles of multi-colored leaves in the gutter that blew in the wind. Hawaii doesn't have that problem. Here, we have fallen flowers. Bushes and trees flower all year round. I've seen gardeners raking up the extra flowers into a lawn bag. After a rain, street gutters clog with purple, yellow, red and white flower petals.

Palm trees sway in the breeze, but it doesn't storm here. I would think that being a weatherman in Hawaii would be really boring. We get "tradewinds" (prevalently from the east) or we get "kona" winds from the west. We have "windward showers" (eastern shore), "malka showers" (in the mountains) and the occasional "leeward showers" (western shore). There are no storm fronts to watch nor lightning storms. The temperature is between 75 and 85 degrees all year. Cool enough to make central air-conditioning a luxury item, but warm enough to warrant a window unit for the bedroom. I haven't met anyone yet that knows what to do with a dual-use thermostat. If you want to turn up the heat, get a leather couch!

There is a lot of native pride - something that feels familiar having spent a lot of time in Oklahoma. Hawaiians are proud of their "aloha spirit" which is quite friendly. Drivers stop and wave pedestrians across the street. People are generally positive and open. This isn't at all like "Minnesota Nice" - which is actually pretty cold-shouldered. Hawaiian shirt Friday is actually every day (I am typically overdressed in my Oxford shirts). It's a nice place to be.

So there are a few of the many little things I observe that make Hawaii different for me. I would hope that everyone sees the everyday detail in their everyday lives and comes to appreciate the everyday diversity that makes life such an everyday blessing!

Weekend In Maui

Before I came to Hawaii, I never thought much about the fact that the state is a chain of disconnected islands. There are no bridges or (currently) ferry services, so each island is unique and separate. We currently live on the island of Oahu. To travel to the island of Maui, you have to book a flight, rent a car, book a hotel, etc. So travel isn't as straightforward as taking a road trip!

Fortunately, there is heated competition between airlines, so flights can be ridiculously cheap if you plan ahead. DeAnna spent several weeks studying things to do, planning a wonderful agenda and making reservations. Here are brief descriptions of events. Be sure to check out the links to satellite images!

SATURDAY

We took a flight out of Honolulu at 6:30am and were on the road in Maui by 8:00am. Our target was to drive from Kahului to Hana along the "Highway to Hana". This highway is only 52 miles long, but typically takes 3 hours to drive because it snakes along the cliffs above the ocean. Though it is paved and maintained, the road is very primitive. It has numerous one-lane bridges and many, many one-lane sections where it is impossible for two cars to pass each other (much less tour buses)!

Starting out early in the morning, we drove all the way out to Waianapanapa State Park where the beach is made of BLACK volcanic sand!





There are lava tubes and rocks all around (check out the hyperlink - you can actually see the black send on the satellite photo!)

Aside from the stunning 1,500-foot drop-offs (without guard rails) as you drive the road, there are many waterfalls to visit. Several are visible from the road, but many require a hike back into the rain forest along muddy backwoods trails. I won't bore you with the countless pictures we took, but here's a representative one...

We stopped for a while at the Hookipa Beach Park to get our feet wet and watch the countless windsurfers before ending up at the world-famous "Mama's Fish House" restaurant. We got beachside seats and ordered fresh fish dishes (fish that was swimming just hours earlier).

Yes, that's a whole fish I'm eating! It's called Moi which is traditionally only served to royalty. We stayed for a couple of hours and watched the sunset. Take a look at DeAnna's dessert. It's called "Black Pearl" and is an amazing chocolate cake-type dish.

SUNDAY
Arising early, we drove into the mountains to see Iao Valley State Park. Aside from the towering peaks, the most striking vista is a peak called "The Needle". The peak is 2,250 feet high and juts out of the valley floor. The clouds and sunlight changed quickly, making the peak stand out in 3D. We hiked for a little while and then headed along another winding road to West Maui.



The coast is savagely rugged, strewn with various types of volcanic rock. We hiked along cliffs and boulder-hopped down to crashing surf. This volcanic rock is extremely abrasive and sharp. Just leaning against the rock can scratch your skin. I have many pictures of various types of lava and ash, but this picture of the "Dragon's Teeth" in Honokahua can give you an idea. Again, we have many more pictures, but I don't want to post too much!

After a day of hiking and touring, we shopped for T-shirts in Kapalua, then settled in at the Royal Lahina Luau. DeAnna had arranged VIP seating, so we were right in front of the stage. The first show was the beautiful sunset over the neighbor island of Lanai. The second show was the feasting (buffet) and then it was time for Polynesian dance (hula) demonstrations and singing.





The finale was torch handling. Without lights, the entire ensemble twirled and threw flames all over the stage.






We flew back home early Monday morning. It's still unbelievable that I call Kailua, Hawaii "home", but here we are! If you have Virtual Earth, you can actually see our roof top lanai (the lower left 'block' of the U-shaped complex). Work is going great and we are enjoying each day of blessing that God has given!

Rain, Rain Go Away

After almost 2 months of reliably wonderful weather, we've experienced two days of heavy rains and cloudy skies. Local stations are warning that the water at the beaches may be muddy. Flash flood warnings have been issued. Power outages are rolling from sector to sector across Oahu. There are puddles in the streets and pedestrians are soaked while waiting for the bus! I'd say there's panic, but that may be overstating things a bit. :-)

On the flip side, there are now numerous beautiful cliff-side waterfalls cascading down the lush, green mountains on the way to work! We're finally living up to the flip-side of "tropical"!

Grand Vista

Today, we got in a really full day. We're still seeing nifty sights on the south and east sides of Oahu. We climbed Diamond Head, found the Spitting Cave, drove the Round Top drive on Mount Tantalus. Then we finished off the day snorkeling at Kailua Beach. This time we took the digital camera and the pictures are beautiful. Click on then to see a large view and lots of detail!

We started by climbing Diamond Head - possibly the world's best known volcanic crater. This is a view of the inside of the crater. There was a lot of VOG in the air - that's volcanic fog from the big island of Hawaii. Still, there were plenty of fabulous views! The hike starts inside the crater and ascends over 700 feet.

The trail starts off as an old mule trail that was used to carry supplies to the underground artillery fire control center. About half way up, you start climbing stairs - lots of them, including a spiral staircase that ends up inside a pillbox overlooking Waikiki.


Scrunching through the pillbox opening, you take a short walk to the peak of the hill to the observation platform for a wonderful panoramic view of south Oahu. Very nice, but definitely not just a stroll in the park!



Next we drove over to Hawaii Kai to visit the little known "Spitting Cave. It's not on the usual tourist maps, but it was well worth finding the unmarked access trail in a residential neighborhood. After a steep descent, we popped out on some cliffs above the crashing surf. The waves roll into the cliffs, but when they enter the cave, they are channeled and then "reflected" back out. The result is a large jet of water that is thrown back into the ocean. You can see the cave spitting out just to the right of DeAnna's head in the picture above.
We watched the show for a little and then climbed the cliffs before climbing down to the waves. This time, we didn't get too close. There was no one around to call 911 to retrieve our bodies if we fell in... :-)



After these hikes, we drove to the mountains up Mount Tantalus along Round Top Drive. The views of Honolulu and Diamond Head were marvelous though hazy. This is a tour that is good for everyone! After a lunch, we headed back to Kailua and did some snorkeling for the rest of the afternoon. It was a beautiful day and lots of fun! We haven't done much more than the south and eastern shore of Oahu and it has been amazing.

This week, I will be busy doing a Kaizen event with a team at work. We pidgeon-hole several experts in a room for several days and at the end, have actions and results that would have otherwise taken months. It will be intense, but the subject is very important and will be worth a lot of money. Next weekend, DeAnna and I will be visiting the island of Maui. She's planned a trip and is surprising me, so I'll just have to report on it after the fact!