Oahu (again)!

I popped over to Oahu (again) this last weekend and am so glad I did, because I ran into the penguin pidgin!

Ala Moana beach park was full of bright umbrella colors on a hot and muggy day.

One way to cool off.

Here's another.....fly to Molokai, camp over night, jump on a SUP or paddleboard at 6:00am and cross 32 miles of choppy, currenty, swelly, windy open ocean to Oahu! That's what 120 teams and individuals did on Sunday morning for the Rainbow Sandals Molokai to Oahu paddleboard race.

Including our very own Michelle Crompton who along with her team mate Yves, completed this insane challenge in 6hrs 23 minutes. It was the first crossing for both of them and they came in well ahead of over half the pack and (I believe) 2nd in their mixed team division. Un-bloody believable. The fastest time was 4hrs 45 minutes and the slowest 9hrs and 8 minutes. Here's Meesh who swam across the finish line (as one does), as Yves brought their 16ft paddleboard home.......trust me all competitors did not look this good!

Phew-it's enough to induce a nap in the best of us.

Two Oahu.

Hand stands are what he did whilst waiting for the wave to come barrelling along the side of the cliff. Then he dove confidently into the belly of the swell, getting caught (fish like) in its undulation.

He wisely avoided the waves that would spit him out like a snapped twig, back onto the rocks.

My soles view of a passing squall.

"Look right!" I wanted to say as these ever so serious Segway riders glided by. These things are super fun, praps the collective gravity was due to the herd like mentality required of such tours?. Or maybe they just didn't appreciate being 'papped'?.....

...no matter, this was the gorgeous view to the right.

'Captivated' would be a good way to describe how this little one made me feel. Yes, she was at a pirates birthday party, yes, there were other kids her age to play with, but what she really liked to do was run along this tree branch, jump off, climb back on and start all over again. She was a fearless little warrier who was fully engaged in the moment and allowed that freedom by a Mum that let her roam, explore, fall and play at her own speed. Intuition and individuality perfectly balanced.

I mostly see these Cattle Egrets on Maui when I'm at the green waste section of the dump! It's an easy revolving buffet of fresh grubs and insects for these elegant birds to snack on. It took going to Oahu to finally get a pici and this little chap was working his tail off looking for bug grub.

It's so rewarding to step out into unfamiliar territory and see what's out there. Sure I've been to Oahu a bunch of times before, but there's always an adventure to be had or a new magical spot to find. I also enjoy the exercise of my own inner world, being more awake to my own desires and wishes, surrendering to the flow of the moment and knowing when enough is enough.

I was driving to work this morning and realized (disappointingly) I was back on automatic pilot, it must be time to shake up my routine at home a bit too. Hmmmmmm old habits die hard though and I'll mull it over with a Fernet-Branca.....

Oahu Northshore Tour.

"I can see Pipeline breaking on the webcam", said GP. Nuff said, we packed gear and lunch and hopped in the truck heading for the Northshore (cue theme to Endless Summer ).

But I'm getting ahead of myself.... welcome to Oahu. The contrast between the North and South shores is insane and it felt good to leave the 6 lane H2 Freeway and at Haleiwa be back on a single lane road. Launiakai was our first stop and from street the water looked tempting. It was a different perspective from the rocks however and I wouldn't have even wanted to wade in for a dip. Ufff, you just know there's a bomb over that peak!



Another Island, another gorgeous cove. As we headed up the hillside after a failed attempt to park at Waimea Bay GP exclaimed "look it's breaking", and it was! A deceiving little wrap around wave at the point jacked up out of no where and my eyes caught someone catching the substantial swell as we continued Northward.

Score! Pipeline was putting on a 'small' out of season show and what an impressive sight, but not nearly as impressive as this.....

.....total respect.

....ditto.

"Hey are you kids actually gonna go out , or just stand around looking pretty"?

Well, there's your answer. Still....it's probably a good idea to do a whole yoga class before before having a close encounter of the Pipeline kine. We instead grabbed a couple of $3 Veggie Burritos from the back of some dude's truck, threw lunch on the dashboard and headed onward (all of 5 minutes down the road) to Sunset Beach.

In comparison to Pipeline, Sunset breaks quite a distance from the beach, so I sat in the shade eating my tasty lunch and watched the surfers to my right. When I looked left I thought "now here's something you don't see everyday", a nice beach vase arrangement.

A birds eye view of Backyards.

The maps says "Sandy Beach -Body boarding for experts only".

They're not kidding...that lip is gonna land right on his head and so it is for all these waves. There's no escape and each ride ends in a monumental pummeling. This place was intense, not just for the power and ferocity of the shore break, but the vertical drops these guys took seemed impossible, plus as it was crowded as hell!

After watching everyone else on the water it was my turn. I hopped on the SeaLion and with the wind on my right paddled left for twenty minutes! Easy peasy, simple, beginner fun, a perfect end to a great day.

A change is as good as a rest. Part II.

It’s important in life to have balance, which is why I was sitting on the beach drinking a beer whilst taking this photo.
The score from the British judge for these bathing beauties is a solid 9.5 for not giving a shit about how they look.
Here I am on my back, legs akimbo and having big fun snapping that which passes between my alabaster thighs.
I only have one explanation as to how this turned into........
this..........white people.

A change is as good as a rest.

To fly from Maui to Oahu is a long and exhausting 20 minute flight. Giampaolo required a moment of rest upon arrival to catch his breath and prepare himself for the craziness of Waikiki. When you live the simple life, the big smoke of Honolulu is a little like shopping at Costco; if you don’t have the mojo it will overwhelm you completely.

The Itai had the great idea of snorkeling at Waimea Bay to check out what’s underneath those monstrous winter swells. So we headed for the North Shore and took a little pit stop at Haleiwa for a coffee and to catch up on the latest news. It turns out King Kamehameha had lots of gay lovers and Guy Cruz was playing in town, who knew!

The sights under the water at Waimea Bay are amazing..see-the camera never lies! But I digress, we saw BIG beautiful tropical fish, schools drifting with the currents and a turtle that emerged like a mirage from the shallow waters of the shoreline rocks. Check out the little vid GP made with his trusty underwater gopro camera. The north shore is riddled with bays and coastline that are the stuff fantasies are made from. It’s definitely an island of sublime and ridiculous, can someone please explain to me how palm trees grow when their trunks are cemented into the sidewalk?

The heat pushed us onward and we picked up a $10 bag of delicious freshly smoked marlin that sustained us for the next few days. The winds of Kailua were a welcome respite from the heat and as always, people and their antics prove to be the cheapest entertainment of all. To be continued......

You know you're in Waikiki when.....

You get blessed by ‘The Duke’ while shopping at the ABC store.
The beer police need water safety devices on land. Wax, leash, rash guard....padlock key (that's just wrong).
People look and act their age.
PC Plod has replaced his truncheon with a ‘shaka’.