BlaringSmelly

Ktula and I wanted to learn surfing during this trip. There are surfing classes taught right off Waikiki Beach. Our instructor Terry is a well-seasoned surfer guy. He claimed he’s being surfing on this beach for 35 years, and before that he was a fisherman catching King Crab in the Bering Sea. At that time, he called Ballard home. He also bragged about his mother’s water broke while surfing. As a result of that, he was born on a street address not a hospital. I love his wild surfing stories.

Terry spent about 10 minutes going through basic surfing techniques and safety procedures. Then we were given a board and paddling into the ocean. Terry spotted a good wave and had me catch it.

When I went under one of the waves, I lost my left-eye contact lens. From that point on, I was surfing half-blind. Both Ktula and I were seriously ass whooped by Mother Nature. Paddling against waves was hard work, Terry warned us about it. Our arms were like cooked noodles for the next 2 days. Not to mention sores at places I didn’t even realize they exist. Had I not lost one of my contact lenses, I would have done much better. Would I do it again? Given me the chance, I’ll totally jump on surfing again.

We dedicated a day in search of good snorkeling spots on the island. According to our guidebook “Oahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond”, good snorkeling areas scattered along North Shore. It was also a good excuse to venture beyond Honolulu. Google map suggested route to go through central Oahu. So we did, and made a detour to Dole Plantation halfway. Thank goodness for Google map app on iPhone, we’d so lost without it!

These snorkeling spots were hard to fine. There was no road sign on any of them. Needless to say Google map wasn’t much help either. The guidebook map gave us some idea but we kept missing it. After some back and forth on I-83, we finally ended up at Shark’s Cove.

The cove was surrounded by rocks. It wasn’t the easiest water to get to. But once we were in, we realized it was well worth it. Fish were hanging out rock reef not far from shore.

And when I least expected, a green turtle appeared out of nowhere. He was certainly not in a hurry to anywhere, just casually cruising in the water. I had no problem following him, watching him scratching his head, surface for a breath of fresh air, and let other fish nip on his shell. When I told one of the snorkelers a turtle is right next to her, she started chasing and attempted to touch the turtle. That’s when the turtle took off. Damn fool, you are not supposed to touch wildlife! It was such a humble experience to have cross path with a turtle.

Ktula and I went for a short trip to Oahu. Before the trip, I was picturing crowded destinations wherever we go. Around Waikiki Beach where we stayed was indeed tourist-packed most the time. But once we drove out of the hotel strip, it’s a mixture of locals and tourists.

We had amazing food – at hole in the wall and fine dining restaurants. Oahu offers everything from cheap eats to upscale fine dining. We were lucky to have experienced both. We played in the water, soaking up the sun, getting lost and discover new places alone the way. Aside from playing, we also got married!

I wanted to try jogging under palm trees, next to the tropical sun. However, seeing joggers on Kalakaua Ave, zigzagging between pedestrians under blazing sun, unless they are local and used to it, I had to wonder was that run enjoyable? Lucky for me, I was in Pacific Time during most of our stay. I got up early in the morning and had a pleasant jog at a nearby park, under palm trees, by the white sand beach, and the whole shebang.