Back Home Once Again!: Waterfalls Revisited

Last year we made our way to the waterfalls in Taiping. This year Melissa, Kelvin and I decided to return to the falls. After pitching this idea to everyone in the kitchen, all those that participated last year decided to return to the waterfalls again this year.

Reaching our destination

How was this trip any different from the one we had last year? Firstly, we had a new addition to the group. She happened to be Aunt Anne (finally, one of the moms that decided to join the active ones in the family). Secondly, after some persuasion from us my dad finally joined us by going INTO the waterfalls instead of merely sitting on the rocks watching out for us. YEA!!!!!!

Like last year, Kelvin is the first one to get into the water. Judging from his facial expression, we knew the water was extremely cold. The cold water did not deter us but our reaction to the chill was classic; shivers, screams, squeals and sounds from teeth chattering.

Reaction to the cold

Aunt Anne after seeing our reaction to the cold waters decided to sit on the rock and not get into the water. We foiled her plan by continuously splashing her with the cold water from the falls. The screams coming from Aunt Anne was not noise but music to the ears. From experience, we all knew that the only remedy to the cold waters was to submerge and get all wet. Without much alternative, she had to join us…heheh

Kelvin splashing water at Aunt Anne

Laughing at Aunt Anne

After a while, all of us migrated to another area of the waterfalls. The migration was undertaken with caution as the rocks were slippery and there were two young kids with us. We convoyed a little upstream where the water was cascading. The descending water was fairly strong hence taking care of the two little rascals was priority.

Migrating upstream

The Group

Kelvin, the creative one when it comes to having fun pitched the idea of using the current to sweep the kids away. We were however responsible adults and would not want anyone to get hurt. Hence, we decided to have J and Aunt Anne babysit the kids while Kelvin and I experimented with the currents. Melissa on the other hand took videos of our crazy activities.

Experimenting with the current

Using our butts, Kelvin and I managed to generate a sizeable current. Melissa and I switched places only to find that the current created was more superior. Rachael and Michelle were swept away so much so J and Aunt Anne had to hold on to them. Clearly, my butt was not big enough and Melissa’s huge butt won hands down…heheheheheh.

Producing stronger currents

Melissa's butt won hands down

From the corner, Kelvin and my dad realized that we can create a more powerful current by using J’s mass to further trap and indirectly ‘guide’ the flow downstream. The idea was brilliant. Thereafter, J was known as the ‘Stone’…hehehe

J the Stone

Throughout the trip, Melissa kept asking all of us to say something to her newly bought ripped off overpriced waterproof video camera . The common response was ‘I have nothing to say’. Nonetheless, I took this opportunity to make a candid video to submit as an application for the best job in the world (http://www.islandreefjob.com). I was not short listed but was happy I tried (clearly, there were many better video submissions).

Approximately 3 hours later, we took a family photo, made our way home wet clothes and all.

Family Photo: clockwise from left - J, Dad, Aunt Anne, Me, Kelvin, Melissa, Michelle, Rachael

Splashing one last time

Note: My thanks to Melissa's digital camera, ripped off overpriced waterproof video camera and tripod that we managed to obtain these photos and more for great memories. ;)

To be continued.....

Back Home Once Again!: To My Hometown (Part 2)

I woke up early on the eve of Chinese New Year (CNY) only to find no one else has woken up except J. After washing up, I rummaged through the refrigerator and pantry for food. I was famished! Munching away at my breakfast, 3rd aunt woke up to get breakfast ready and I had a smile plastered on my face the entire morning. I just ate and I was going to eat again that morning.

As the clock ticked away, one by one in the family got out of bed. The remaining ones is Aunt Anne and Melissa a.k.a PIGS. Rachael and I decided to wake Melissa up. We kept knocking on the door of their bedroom like there was no tomorrow. Aunt Anne finally opened the door out of irritation. However, the real pig was unfazed and was eminent about staying in bed. Rachael and I did all we could to wake her up from pushing to poking and sitting on her. The one thing that I did not do this year was grab Vicks and medicated ointment and apply it on her nose to wake her up. There is ALWAYS next year.

Lying on the couch watching the ‘Arowana’ swimming in the enormous fish tank, I was planning to climb Maxwell Hill that evening only to be disappointed when it started to rain. When it rains, the hills get slippery and leeches come out to play. There goes my plan for the evening. Right then, Kelvin my cousin brother invited me to pay respects to his late wife at Prestavest Crematorium and Memorial Park. Kelvin has always been close to me despite our geographical distance. He is like my younger brother as he did at one time stayed with me and my parents from the moment he was born until the age of six. In summary, Kelvin, Melissa and I are inseparable.

Nonetheless, we were welcomed by the wave of incense and smoke when we reached the crematorium.

Warning: Please be advised that the following pictures at the crematorium may be offensive to some. View at your own discretion.

Kelvin igniting the candle

Kelvin and kids i.e. Ivan and Clarice paying their respects

Offerings

While waiting for Kelvin to complete the ritual, we came across some hell bank notes with outrageously large denominations. Hell bank notes are afterlife monetary paper offering used in traditional Chinese ancestor veneration. Majority of the bills feature the image of the Jade Emperor the presiding monarch heaven in Taoism.

Hell Bank Notes

To the uninformed, hell bank notes may look like toys and superstitious items. There is however considerations concerning the use of hell bank notes. It is not advisable to give hell bank note to a living person as gift even if it is meant as a joke. This action translates to wishing the person’s death.

Avoid being the uninformed like my crazy cousins here….sigh (shaking head in embarrassment)



Hell bank notes are usually kept away in proper places as leaving these notes in the house is considered bad luck. Hell bank notes are treated as real money thus, are not casually tossed into the fire but respectfully placed in the fire. In some customs, each note is folded in a specific way before placing it in the fire; an extension of the belief that burning real money brings severe bad luck.


(Melissa - now you know the reason why your friends were giving you a hard time when you posted those pictures on your blog.)


On a lighter note, we made a quick stop to obtain the following.

TESCO: Food for hotpot on the 4th day of Chinese New Year

Fireworks! There were more secretly stashed away in case of a police raid

Illegal? Yes, it is illegal to sell or obtain fireworks. Then again, this is a small town hence the probability of being arrested for playing with them is rather minute. Can they be obtained openly? No. We got our loot from a friend of Kelvin’s. The quick stop was a residential home in some remote village in my hometown...heheh.

To be continued.....

Back Home Once Again!: To My Hometown

It felt like yesterday when I wrote about my last Chinese New Year (CNY) celebration at home. Yet this is another new year, the year of the Ox. This year CNY falls on January 26th. Like every year when I return to Malaysia, I would go through the same ritual. The moment I arrive home , I will drop off my luggage, have breakfast with my family ('chee cheong fun' will always be the first thing I eat in Malaysia) and then go for a much needed haircut. By the time I am done with a theraupetic session at the hair salon, it was time for dinner. My mom could not comprehend what would take me close to 4 hours in the salon. In short, I have my hair cut, highlighted, washed, steam treated and blown dry.

The outcome?

I went from this in 2008.........

to this.................. (short red hair)

The following day, we were off to Taiping, Perak as usual. Once there, the fun, the noise, the laughter, the jokes, the food and the family pretty much come together. Instead of elaborating on what happens year after year during this festive occasion, I will let the photos speak for themselves. After all, a picture speaks a thousand words.

My cousin Melissa called me a Pig on her blog. If I am a pig, she is one too coz we are a family....hehehe

Family preparing food: Chinese spring rolls
clockwise from left: Dad, 3rd aunt, 2nd aunt, Aunt Anne, Mom

Family having dinner
clockwise from left: 3rd aunt, Mom, Aunt Anne, Dad, 2nd aunt, J, moi
ooppssss.....Rachael popping out from nowhere :)

Grandma, the duck leg and drink!

After dinner: Kids, Melissa & Me
clockwise from left: Me, Rachael, Michelle, Melissa, Clarice, Ivan

Clarice and Me: I look terrible here and still half asleep..eeekkk

That was the first day in Taiping, a day before the eve of CNY 2009. I slept the entire afternoon and turned in very early that night. Adjustment to a different time zone proved difficult.

To be continued......

All It Took Was Gustav: Invasion of Jin Joo and the Pearl Harbor

(How long has it been since my last entry? September 2008. That long...Nonetheless, here is the continuation of the Gustav series).

Breakfast was almost over by the time we got to Rainbow Lanai. Exhausted from the activities the day before, I overslept. On top of that, nobody in our party was in the mood for food that very morning. After a slow morning, we decided to take a drive to Pearl Harbor.

‘Why are going back to the airport? I am not ready to go back!’, I exclaimed.

‘Are you sure this is the right way?’, J asked as we drove towards the airport.

‘Yes! That’s what NeverLost says’, I replied.

Sensing that NeverLost will not get us there, I had my Garmin nüvi 360 switched on to get us there. When we were finally on the correct route, the crossbreed announced,

‘Let’s get something to eat before we get to Pearl Harbor’.

‘Huh? Eat again? Where at?’, I said as my parents chuckled.

‘I saw a few plazas on the way. We could see what they have there’, J said.

We turned around to stop at plazas J mentioned. The first plaza we stopped at had Genki Sushi. It was located in Pearl City along Kamehameha Highway. Instead of going in we ended up asking a candy shop operator where we could find something local and less ‘tourisy’. He told us to drive down the highway and we will come to a shopping center with eating places.

True enough we saw plenty of restaurants located at the shopping center called the Waimalu Shopping Center. Since the selection was aplenty, we pulled up into a parking space and got down to peruse. We stopped at Jackie’s Diner and took a look at the menu to see what they have to offer. Jackie’s Diner serves authentic Hawaiian food. Seeing that I had Hawaiian food the day before, I decided that the party should have something else. As we walked out, I spotted Jin Joo. I was in the mood for something spicyyy….

A row of eating places

More shops

Jin Joo restaurant that caught my eye

The décor was minimal. However, I was more concern about the food. Having the suspicion that the portions would be huge, I decided to order a dish to share with my mom. Dad and J had their individual portions. When the food finally came, I was more than impressed.

The menu in Jin Joo

Jin Joo's Interior

Soup

Appetiser/Side dishes commonly served with the entree

Kimchi Jaegi at the far end (black clay pot)

One of the main dishes

The total cost of food at Jin Joo’s was less than $40 including tips. For four people and huge portions to boot the price was reasonable. We were more than satisfied after filling our tummies with good food. With that we continued our journey to Pearl Harbor.

There was quite a lot to see at Pearl Harbor. We spotted the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center on the way to the parking lot. The visitor center opens daily from 7.30 am to 5.00 pm. The 23 minute documentary film about the attack and the boat trip to the USS Arizona Memorial begins at 8.00 am. Adjacent to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center is the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park that opens daily from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm with the last tour of the submarine at 4.30 pm.

We made our way to the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park. Dad, J and I loved the outdoors and the sun. We proceeded to walk around in our caps and took pictures. Mom on the other hand preferred to stay in the shade. Lucky for her there were ample tables and chairs as well as concession stand in front of the museum. Our personal opinion; she needs to get out more, be active, let loose and have fun.

Dad in front of the USS Bowfin

J in front of the USS Bowfin

I have always loved the navy. The white, crisp and smart uniform puts a wide smile on my face. I may not be part of the navy but it sure made me happy to pretend to be one.

Me pretending to be part of the navy. Don't I look the part?

Having taken enough pictures, J and I went on the USS Bowfin submarine. We were given a walkman-style cassette player that narrates as we explored the historic WWII submarine. The USS Bowfin was launched on December 7th 1942 and completed nine successful war patrols. The bowfin has also earned both the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Commendation during her wartime service.

Excited as I was when I went into the submarine, one word came to mind; cramped. Walking in the tight confined space made me think what it was like for those living on board. There was certainly a space issue. Exacerbating the less than ideal situation is the hot temperature of the submarine. J and I were not the only visitors on the bowfin. To avoid the feeling of being overcrowded, I moved into another section of the submarine from time to time. I cannot really imagine how up to 80 crew members operated and walked in this submarine. Amazing…

Inside the submarine

A Way Out

Dining Area

Menu for the crew members: Looked like a good selection

Kitchen

Looking below: The pantry to store food

Working Room

Bed

A row of beds

Controls

Pipes

Device used to generate fresh water

Posing in the submarine

Exiting the bowfin, I welcomed the fresh cooling breeze with zeal. We walked around a little more and posed for photographs.

Standing and Saluting

Weapons and Me

After goofing around for sometime on the submarine, J and I decided we had enough for the day. The last place to visit was the museum. Dad and J went into the 10,000 square foot museum to enjoy the impressive collection of submarine-related artifacts such as submarine weapon systems, photographs, paintings, battleflags, original recruiting posters, and detailed submarine models, all illustrating the history of the U.S. Submarine Service. I joined my mom seating in front of the concession stand to enjoy the quiet and cooling surroundings.

Just as the museum and park was about to close, J and dad came out from the museum. It was time to head back to the hotel and the beach!

I donned my zebra print bikini and headed for the beach. Clearly, my 30 year old body needed to go under the knife to sculpt away imperfections….sigh. Deep down, I knew it was only going to go downhill after 30 hence, I decided to have a few photographs taken as remembrance. Perhaps, next year with more discipline on the type of food I eat and a BETTER photographer the pictures will turn out better (I knew better than to have J take these photos…sigh).






The sun was setting, the day was almost over and I did not get a tan. I decided that the next day would be a day dedicated to frolicking by the beach, goofing in the sea and getting a tan.

To be continued…..

All It Took Was Gustav: A Little Hurrying, A Little Calmness, A Little Learning & A Complete Misinterpretation

In an unrecognizable accent, the lady said,

‘You park your car here and then hike up to see the crater’.

‘Hike? I thought it was a drive up according to the brochure’, I responded.

‘How far is the hike?’, J asked the lady.

The Diamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on Oahu also known as Le’ahi to the Hawaiians. We were about to park the car and experience the panoramic view of the crater when we found out that it was a 1 ½ mile hike up. The area was dry and it truly was a hot day. The party decided against the hiking activity. Instead we stopped at the crater’s lookout.

The crater from above

Leaving the crater

Driving towards the tunnel

In the tunnel

At the crater's lookout

More views

Dad & Mom in the car

Satisfied by the view from the crater lookout, we proceeded to Hanauma Bay. As J drove along the Kalaniana’ole Highway a.k.a. HI-72E, I was captivated by the sea and waves slapping the shores. This only made me want to get to the bay even faster. The GPS though indicated only two miles left of driving did not appease me. Besides, following a slow vehicle on a 50 mph speed limit highway did not help at all.

On the way to Hanauma Bay

View of the ocean

View of a mini island

The ocean

The slow vehicle

We finally reached Hanauma Bay. The bay is a marine embayment formed within a volcanic cone. The waters at the bay looked great for snorkeling hence J and I vowed to return to snorkel sometime later since my parents were not as enthused.

Dad and the bay

Hanauma Bay

After what seemed like a short visit at the bay, we made our way to the Byodo-In Temple. We continued on Kalaniana’ole Highway towards HI-61S. Approximately 12.5 miles after, we took a right turn towards Kamehameway Highway a.k.a HI-83N. We also had the opportunity driving on LikeLike Highway a.k.a HI-63S before finally reaching the temple on the Kahekili Highway.

The Byodo-In Temple is a non-denominational Buddhist temple located at the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park and is a replica of a 900 year old Buddhist place of worship at Uji in Kyoto, Japan.

The Byodo-In Temple

Another picture of the temple

Surrounding the temple are large koi ponds surrounded by lush Japanese gardens.

Koi pond at the temple

Koi in the pond

The golden koi that caught my eye

Within the temple grounds, there is a three ton brass peace bell. It is said that worshippers often sound the bell before entering the temple to purify the mind of evil spirits and temptation. This was exactly what I did prior to entering the temple. The sound of bell echoing through the quiet temple grounds truly brought peace and calmness.

The Peace Bell

The Peace Bell & Me

Sitting before me as I removed my shoes to enter the temple is a nine foot Lotus Buddha covered in gold and lacquer. I ignited a joss stick/incense, place it in the incense burner and meditated for a moment.

The Lotus Buddha

The Top

Lighted the joss stick/incense

(I maybe baptized as a Catholic but I respect and believe in the teachings of Buddha).

Peaceful

Plenty of bamboo

Exiting the temple, I came across peacocks, sparrows and a chicken. My parents, J and I continued to immerse ourselves in the peaceful temple surroundings. About 4.00 in the evening, we continued our drive along the island coast towards the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC).

The PCC is located on 42 acres of land owned by Brigham Young University of Hawaii. Most students enrolled in BYU-Hawaii are performers in PCC. They attend the university on scholarship from their native lands working up to 20 hours/week during school terms and full time during breaks to graduate debt-free. Profits from PCC support the scholarship programs run by BYU-Hawaii.

At PCC

It was 5.00 pm when we reached the Polynesian Cultural Center hence the only activity package worth embarking on was the Ali’i Luau Package. We had ½ hour to get ourselves seated for the Ali’I Luau buffet at Hale Ohana which commenced at 5.30 pm.

In front of the Hale Ohana with the lei....dinner time

As we entered the Hale Ohana, we each had a flower lei greeting. The lei that were made up of fresh orchids looked beautiful but felt uncomfortable around the neck. Nonetheless, we were seated just in time for the Luau. Throughout the evening at the Hale Ohana, we were entertained by Hawaiian music and the center’s ‘Ambassador of Aloha’ emcee.

In the Hale Ohana - At the dinner table

In the Hale Ohana - Polynesian Royalty

In the Hale Ohana - Graceful dancing

In the Hale Ohana - Little kids performing

In the Hale Ohana - Ladies dancing

In the Hale Ohana - More dancing

Additionally, we were educated on the ‘imu’ ceremony. An ‘imu’ is an underground oven that uses a combination of hot coals, stones and layers of leaves and cloth or mats to steam food. For a luau, the ‘imu’ is primarily used to cook the delicious shredded kalua pork which is a staple on any luau menu.

The Imu Ceremony

The Imu Ceremony - Peeling off the leaves

The Imu Ceremony - Carrying off the pig

The Imu Ceremony - Leaves

The Imu Ceremony - The Pig

The best yet, the all-you-can-eat spread serving authentic Hawaiian food all night.

Dinner - Island Fish

Dinner - Barbecue Chicken, Kalua Pig

Dinner - Sweet Potato (purple)

Dessert - Chocolate Macademia cake

Dessert - Guava cake, Coconut cake

Dessert - Haupia (jello like)

After a bursting meal, we left Hale Ohana and took a walk around the villages namely Hawaii, Samoa, Aotearoa (present day New Zealand), Fiji, Tahiti, Tonga and Marquesas before the ‘Horizons’ night show. Hourly performances and cultural learning experiences take place in these villages. As it was late into the evening, the performances were pretty much over leaving the villages with only the presence of visitors wandering around.

Walking into these villages was intriguing as each have its respective activities with labels informing what the activities were. The only problem? The labels were all in Hawaiian with no description in English. That left me wondering and taking wild mischievous interpretations of what the labels meant.

For instance.

My version of Tititorea. J was unaware of my intentions...hahahaha

The tititorea is in actual fact stick games played by the Maoris as demonstrated by the film below. Clearly, I was thinking out of the box and being bad.

The Real Tititorea

We made our way to the Pacific Theater for the Horizons night show passing through souvenir shops and booths. This theater has a 2800 seating capacity and we were excited. Throughout the 90 minute show we were treated to dances and performances from six Polynesian islands i.e. Hawaii, Tonga, Aotearoa, Fiji, Tahiti and Samoa with a cast of over 100 young Polynesians.

Horizons - Beginning of the show

Horizons - Graceful Ladies

Horizons - Tonga

Horizons - Maori (Poi balls)

Horizons - Another dance

Horizons - Samoa (sitting on fire)

Horizons

Of all the dances, the one that captivated J and my dad was the one from Tahiti.

Horizons - Tahitian dancers

Horizons - Tahitian dancers (bride & groom presumably)

I can only understand why and decided to create a hard time for J,

‘So, you like this one huh? A while ago you were falling asleep. Now you are wide awake.’

‘How did they move like that?!! I thought it was their apparel but it’s not!’, J was obviously amazed by the hip movement.

‘You want to ask them after the show?’, I asked.

J looked at me and said, ‘No la!!!!’.

(hahahahahaha……)

Towards the end of the show, I was clearly exhausted and sleepy. Making my way towards the SUV and driving back to the resort, I looked forward to a nice warm shower and plush bed as I am sure everybody else is.

To be continued......

All It Took Was Gustav: To The Village And Beyond

My eyes were blood shot when I exited the Boeing 767. I could tell that my parents and J were also in desperate need of rest and sleep. It was 7.45 pm in Oahu well past my bedtime in Connecticut. There was a six hours time difference. I anticipated we would get over the time difference in a day. However, it would ultimately be a challenge when we return from our vacation and need to turn our clocks back to Eastern Standard Time. Reason being the adrenaline and excitement will be over when we depart Oahu.

We made our way to the baggage claim area and waited in anticipation for our bags. After a lengthy wait, I was elated when I caught a glimpse of all our bags when they made their way on the conveyor belt in succession. I heaved a sigh of relief. I would really hate it if our bags did not make it with us. Thoughts of me making my way to the beach without a piece of cloth on me and showing off my imperfect bits make me shudder……

After some wait, the Hertz shuttle came to pick us up and was ‘greeted’ by a Hertz shuttle operator who apparently did not like her job. What happened to ‘Aloha! Welcome to Hertz Rental Cars!’ at the beginning and ‘We hope that you will enjoy your stay in Oahu. Thank you for choosing Hertz’ when we finally reached the Hertz Rental Center? Instead, she reluctantly gave answers as generic as they could to passengers who asked her who they should go to when they reach the rental center. I rolled my eyes, looked at J and my parents and commented in Cantonese,

‘She should just go home if she does not like her job. There are others who need work. Come on, it is not even late. What a sour puss! It is a good thing we do not need her to talk to us except to drive us to the center.’

My parents smiled and said nothing. J said,

‘She reminds me of the people in the service industries in my ‘hood’. They think they are doing you a great favor.’

I creased my forehead and commented,

‘Your ‘hood’ is different. People are trying to stay alive by not getting mugged or shot at. This is Hawaii, is it not? People are nice, yes? Unless this is a misconception and only nice people exist in tourist areas.’

We ceased conversation when the shuttle finally stopped in front of the rental center and J proceeded to collect our rental car. I must say that having the President Circle status with Hertz is a great thing. Although booked on a mid-size car, we were upgraded to a nice full size car. We had the Infiniti EX35 (sweetttt…..). The car came with a GPS system called the NeverLost. I knew better to use my very own GPS than to use the NeverLost. Like J always say, ‘The NeverLost will get you TRULY lost’. Nonetheless, if you do not have a GPS or a decent map, the NeverLost is a fair substitute.

As we drove along the Kamehameha Highway, I realized that the environment, apartments and city reminds me of home i.e Malaysia. The difference? Oahu was very much cleaner, cooler and breezier. Driving for about 8 miles, we finally reached the hotel. For five nights, we stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa. My parents had a nice suite in the Diamond Head Tower while J and I had a room with two double beds in the Tapa Tower. On the first night, I slept like a dead log. Not even an earthquake would have woken me up.

Waiting at the lobby to check in

The Resort Map

Amazingly I woke up at 9.00 am the next morning fresh, energetic and famished. After freshening up, we made our way to the Rainbow Lanai for breakfast. The continental breakfast was on the house and with an additional $10/person we were upgraded to a full American breakfast. I had a full breakfast so much so I did not have lunch that day. My parents like me were gastronomically satisfied until towards the end of the day. I could not say the same for J as J is a sluggish mindless eating machine very much like a crossbreed between a tiger shark and a cow.

Dad in front of mini waterfall

Mom and me in front of the hotel beach while waiting to have breakfast

Hotel property (view from the suite)

After a good meal, we made our way to the Concierge and Activities desk to gather a map of Oahu and a list of tours/activities respectively. Despite tours arranged by the tour operators, we opted to explore the beauty of Oahu on our own. We had a car and did not want our freedom to be inhibited by typical tour operated activities. Instead, we wanted our trip pleasant and easy. With the breeze cooling the tropical temperature, we sat comfortably on lounge sofas at Tapa bar to plan our self operated tours in Oahu.

Me, J and parents (not in the picture) at Tapa Bar

Map of Oahu and our planned attractions (circled in blue)

Our first stop was the Wal-Mart store on Keeaumoku Street. We wanted water, a basic necessity for any human being. Surprisingly, I also found my favorite green tea on the shelf i.e. ITOEN for a mere $1.10/bottle. I bought six bottles and four gallons of water. Exiting Wal-Mart parking lot, I knew there was much to see and we were on our way to our first planned attraction, the Diamond Head.

Driving in the city

A yellow 'duck' in front - vehicle that can travel on land and water

Pawn shop

To be continued......

All It Took Was Gustav: The Beginning

A fishing related conversation with a client 2 ½ months and a vacation idea two weeks ago, my trip was at last finalized the week before Labor’s Day weekend. The plan was to spend some time in New Orleans, LA followed by deep sea fishing at the Gulf of Mexico leaving from Pensacola, FL. Flights and hotels as well as fishing reservations were booked.

The week before the actual vacation date, news of Gustav ravaging Haiti, Jamaica and Western Cuba made headlines. Gustav was predicted to ravage New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico over the next few days. To not take chances, on 28th August 2008 three days before the evacuation process in New Orleans I had my flight, hotel and fishing trip cancelled.

Storm Path of Gustav 2008

Engulfed in disappointment and the flu virus for the entire week, I was determined to head somewhere and have a blast. After all, the new work environment albeit only a few months brought on stressful days. After pondering many hours in the midst of a bad headache, I narrowed my choices to three destinations listed below in no particular order.

Destination A

Destination B

Destination C

You and I know which one was the CLEAR winner. It was Destination C i.e. Honolulu, Hawaii also known as Oahu.

After pitching this idea to J and my parents, J and I frantically searched for last minute available vacation packages to Oahu, HI. Lady luck was shining upon us and we found ourselves a great vacation package. Add a car rental to the mix, limo reservations to and from Westchester County Airport, we were good to go. As last minute as it was, all preparations were made. What was left to do was to pack plenty of sunblock, my ohh lala bikinis, infamous yellow crocs and a few decent clothes ;)

On 31st August 2008, a day that coincides with Malaysia’s Independence Day, we woke up at 4.30 am to make our 5.30 am limo pickup. At 7.20 am, we boarded our flight and was en route to Oahu, HI......with a few transits along the way of course. The same day 14 hours later, the plane finally touched down Oahu and we were finally there!

To be continued....