Timmy in Hawaii, Wrapping Up

Part 3: Wrapping Up

Last day in Paradise. This was going to be painful.

I woke up to the wonderful smell of the ocean wafting through my open lanai door. I had foregone the air-conditioning last night, as I really wanted to immerse myself in the total island experience. I breathed in, looked out into the world under me, and smiled. It was a startlingly beautiful day.

Then I took a check list of the top three places I was supposed to visit for this assignment from TravelWorm, all of which, strangely enough, I had not yet been to. (What the hell have I been doing all this time, you ask? Ermm… well, the margaritas have been so lovely…) So let’s get to work. It’s time to start earning my keep.

 

First up, Haunama Bay.

Lounging happily on the southeastern coast of Oahu Island is a pretty little bay formed within a volcanic crater. It’s very scenic, with many spots for a photo-op, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that this also happens to be one of Oahu Island’s top tourist attractions. Word to the wise: it can get very crowded, especially around 10 to 3pm and park management has been known to turn people away as soon as the lot fills up with cars. Oh, and parking on a weekend is practically non-existent.

Once inside the park, you wait in line to watch an informational video, which details the rules you have to observe, the history of Hanauma Bay Park itself, and the efforts to re-establish the park’s pristine beauty. We learn that due to over-use, the Park has seen a bit of decline in the last few years, which is why a lot of these new protective measures have been put in effect. Foremost among them being that you must be careful not to damage anything (corals, reefs, etc) and that you can no longer feed or touch the marine life. But don’t worry, there’s still a lot to keep you occupied. Grab a mask and snorkel, glide through the water, and you’ll still find a world of surprises just waiting for you beneath the surface.

On our day there, we see some nice angels, wrasses, parrotfish, a few moray eels, and a couple of sea turtles. A couple of fishes tried to bite me, but I just tossed them off with my superior underwater kung fu skills.

Entrance to Hanauma Bay Park is $5. Parking costs $1. A little tip: the reefs nearer the shore seem a bit more faded, so if you can, you should definitely try exploring away from the beach

 

After that energizing little dip, we headed off to Diamond Head.

Basically, Diamond Head is the cone of a volcano. It’s an extinct volcano, though, and it’s not likely to erupt ever again, so put all those thoughts of lava spewing forth out of your head.

Surfer Dave and I parked our car, headed off to the little booth in front, paid up, and took a long look at the trail before us. It’s quite a hike. We could see the trail snake up into the cone and along the crater. I wasn’t sure I was up to it. But a job’s a job, right?

Once you get to the peak though, you’ll realize that it was all worth it. The views from the top are emblematic of the whole Oahu Island, and probably Hawaii in general. You can watch white foam crash on jagged rocks in the distance, cobalt oceans turn into emerald seas, cloudless skies fade into the deep blue waters of the earth… yeah, all that. You’ll see enough beauty to have you churning out poetry.

Tip: I strongly advise taking a nice bottle of water along the way, as there are no shops or stalls on the trail.

 

And finally, after what has already been a long day, we arrive, fittingly enough, at The Valley of The Temples.

The Valley of The Temples is not usually in any tourist’s list of must-sees in the island of Oahu. And there may be a good reason for that, as the Valley of the Temples is really a multi-religious graveyard. Characteristic of the inclusive and diverse population of Hawaii, people of various races, creeds, and belief systems are all buried side by side in this beautiful cemetery.

The main attraction in this verdant memorial park is a replica of a 12th century Japanese Buddhist Temple, called the Byodo-In Temple (Phoenix Temple). It is a painstaking recreation, complete with a larger than life statue of Buddha sitting on a gold leaf lotus.

There aren’t a lot of visitors as we explore the silence. And it’s actually a pretty beautiful place. Grass on rolling hills, away from the tourist noise…

And really, this little strip of land epitomizes one of the greatest allures of Hawaii – that although parts of it have been greatly commercialized, parts of it are still pretty deserted. Sure a throng of tourist invaders have settled in Waikiki Beach, and sometimes the prices are jacked up like you wouldn’t believe, but just get in your rented car and drive to wherever your whims may take you, and you’ll come across a lot of empty coves with the prettiest views of the ocean. Bring some snorkeling gear and you’re good to go – and you don’t even have to pay any kind of entrance/usage/maintenance fee.

And to close this adventure, let me leave you with a thought. If there’s one thing I tell people, it’s this: Be a Traveler, Not a Tourist. Don’t just get in the tour bus and point out the things that you see. You can do that at home in front of your couch! Get out there and really feel the stuff between your fingers and toes. Don’t just look, but observe, watch, taste, hear, smell. You’re in a different world, in a different culture, meeting different people. It’s time to get out of your comfort zone and maybe try a bit of a walk in theirs.

 

And just a little plug, TravelWorm has great Hawaii deals right now!

The Worm in Hawaii Part 2!

Part 2: Timmy Goes Surfing

Now let me preface this little article with a bit of Timmy trivia: this worm has been longing to ride a wave since the day it was hatched. I’ve seen dogs and bunnies go surfing, and even a lame little ferret, so don’t tell me it can’t be done.

And thus, we have the mission of the day: Timmy must get on a board and ride.

But first I had to find someone to teach me.

The first time I brought the subject up with my surfer friend (henceforth to be known as Surfer Dave), he almost choked on his spam musubi (a Hawaiian food specialty that’s kind of like sushi, but with, well, spam).

He just wasn’t comfortable with the thought of a legless, armless, boneless animal trying to balance on a board, in dangerous, completely drown-able waters. Waters, he pointed out, that are choc-full of hungry, predatory fish which are well-known for chomping down on members of the said legless, armless, boneless animal’s family. “And I haven’t even mentioned the seagulls,” he warned. “Those birds will sink their little beaks into you and never let go,” he continued, perhaps just a little too graphically.

Well, maybe he had a point.

But I had a dream, boys and girls. I had a dream. And this worm always goes for his dreams. (Umm, generally speaking.)

So after much debating and cajoling (subtly interspersed with bribery and thinly-veiled threats) surfer friend finally relented. He wasn’t going to teach me himself – he didn’t want that on his conscience, he says – but he did begin hitting up everyone he knew in the area, telling them that a strange but determined little invertebrate really wanted to ride the waves.

And that was why, a couple of hours later, just after a scrumptious lunch of sweet shrimp at Macky’s, a roadside Kahuku Shrimp Truck Stall on the Kamehameha Highway, Surfer Dave was driving us to the North Shore for my first-ever surfing lesson. And man, was I pumped. The swells were gorgeous, the sun was shining, and the sea was as blue as a dream. I jumped out of the car as soon as we got to Sunset Beach, and Surfer Dave introduced me to one of his buddies, Surfer Dan. Surfer Dan gave me one of those assessing looks and asked me if I could swim. I’m not really a marine worm but I figured I could probably wiggle my way from Point A to Point B, so I told him, yeah, no problem. He gave me a child-sized board, tied the ankle strap around my … errr… around me, and demonstrated the intricacies of “popping up” on a board, while still on sand. Then we were off! (Well, sort off. I don’t have arms to paddle, so Surfer Dan basically towed me to where the swells were.)

And you know what? I was a natural! After five tries, I finally managed to pop up and work my way to a decent, semi-standing position. After half an hour, I was riding those waves like a spineless Kelly Slater. Man, I rock.

Yes, I’m about $150 poorer (Surfer Dan jacks up the price for unusual cases – and no, Travelworm’s not reimbursing me for that as it was a “personal excursion”), and I nearly drowned a couple of times, but who cares? I lived out a dream, boys and girls. For one brief shining moment, I was a worm on the surf. And it was absolute heaven.

Tired but exhilarated after debuting my impressive board skills, Surfer Dave and I agreed that it was time for a snack. We spied the famous Matsumoto shop as we drove out of Sunset Beach, and we quickly made a turn into a public parking lot so we could sample some of that Hawaiian Shave Ice that everybody was talking about. (Oh yes, it’s “shave” not “shaved” – I asked.)

Basically, what you get is a sizable paper cone which they fill with very finely shaved ice. That’s VERY FINELY shaved ice, people, not chopped or crushed ice. Believe me, it makes all the difference in the world. Soft and yielding, Shave Ice is a creamy confection of tropical (artificial?) flavorings punctuated with an optional helping of red azuki beans. Don’t forget to go for the extra scoop of ice cream. I swear, it’s so good, you won’t even notice the mess dripping on your shirt as the flimsy paper cone disintegrates with every icy lick of your tongue.

Sticky and satiated, Surfer Dan and I looked at each other with smug satisfaction. Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats a tropical vacation you didn’t even pay for.

Thank you, Travelworm. I love this job.

 

 

Up Next: Wrapping Up