While being at work feels more like being on a hamster wheel with a firecracker up my butt (not that I would know what that really feels like), but this super cool video kind of sums up the last few weeks for me.
Yes, it’s a camera on a hula hoop, but this video won’t make you barf or feel nauseas (not like my job in real life would).
Friday, February 10, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Maui 2011 (Part 6)
The condo in Maui had a terrific sound system. Searching through the radio stations we found a wonderful Hawaiian station, playing all Hawaiian all the time. It seemed like we had the radio on every time we were "home".
As every good tourist does, I had to bring some to the mainland with me. The King is of course, Izzy. The poor chap isn't with us any more but the one CD I bought is fantastic. New and traditional music.
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole "Facing Future"
The park ranger at Haleakala suggested I buy this one from Lei'ohu Ryder. It too is really great.
Lei'ohu Ryder "Lady of the Mountain"
Here's one of Izzy's big hits played live. A life cut too short.
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole sings "Hawai'i '78"
As every good tourist does, I had to bring some to the mainland with me. The King is of course, Izzy. The poor chap isn't with us any more but the one CD I bought is fantastic. New and traditional music.
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole "Facing Future"
The park ranger at Haleakala suggested I buy this one from Lei'ohu Ryder. It too is really great.
Lei'ohu Ryder "Lady of the Mountain"
Here's one of Izzy's big hits played live. A life cut too short.
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole sings "Hawai'i '78"
Monday, January 16, 2012
Maui 2011 (Part 5)
I haven't mentioned the food in Hawaii yet. While I wasn't bowled over by any special cuisine, I ate well. The fish tacos and hamburgers were terrific upscale bar food. The chicken and pork on the dinner cruise was outstanding. Some of the more memorable things seemed essentially Hawaiian.
Pineapple -- Sure it's in their tourist brochures, but I found out there's nothing like a Maui Gold. We cut that baby up and gobbled it for breakfast nearly every day. Even Henri had some:
Poke -- As I mentioned I was thrilled with our condo and the amenities including a full kitchen. While there's not much cooking on this plate except for the sausages, the ahi tuna poke is as Hawaiian as coconuts. I thought it would be prepared just one way, but at the local market I was spoiled for choice!
Starfruit -- Looks great, tastes great too, like a cousin of an orange or other citrus. The fruit vendor said to eat it like an apple and we did. Only later did we find out it's a sister of the grapefruit and shouldn't be eaten while on certain medication. Eeek!
POG -- As a non-drinker the fruit juice options seem endless on the Islands. Some bartenders can get fun and creative with their concoctions but the most common was my favorite, POG. What's POG? It's the button on every good bartender's fountain wand, stands for Pineapple-Orange-Guava.
Luau -- We had to attend at least one luau and I must say, the food at the Hyatt was terrific. Good selections, fresh choices, and of course, the ubiquitous luau staple, Poi (just a little dollop will do ya).
Haupialani sorbet -- I grabbed a container to feed my inner ice cream junky but it lingered in our freezer as I opted for other options. On our last night, it was time to clean the fridge and I polished this gem in one sitting (oink). The refreshing flavors of coconut was wonderful. It's such a clean, light taste that I couldn't stop. And now I want more!
Pineapple -- Sure it's in their tourist brochures, but I found out there's nothing like a Maui Gold. We cut that baby up and gobbled it for breakfast nearly every day. Even Henri had some:
Poke -- As I mentioned I was thrilled with our condo and the amenities including a full kitchen. While there's not much cooking on this plate except for the sausages, the ahi tuna poke is as Hawaiian as coconuts. I thought it would be prepared just one way, but at the local market I was spoiled for choice!
Starfruit -- Looks great, tastes great too, like a cousin of an orange or other citrus. The fruit vendor said to eat it like an apple and we did. Only later did we find out it's a sister of the grapefruit and shouldn't be eaten while on certain medication. Eeek!
POG -- As a non-drinker the fruit juice options seem endless on the Islands. Some bartenders can get fun and creative with their concoctions but the most common was my favorite, POG. What's POG? It's the button on every good bartender's fountain wand, stands for Pineapple-Orange-Guava.
Luau -- We had to attend at least one luau and I must say, the food at the Hyatt was terrific. Good selections, fresh choices, and of course, the ubiquitous luau staple, Poi (just a little dollop will do ya).
Haupialani sorbet -- I grabbed a container to feed my inner ice cream junky but it lingered in our freezer as I opted for other options. On our last night, it was time to clean the fridge and I polished this gem in one sitting (oink). The refreshing flavors of coconut was wonderful. It's such a clean, light taste that I couldn't stop. And now I want more!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Maui 2011 (Part 4)
The traditional way to see Haleakala National Park is at sunrise. To get up to the summit, you have to start driving at 4:00 or even 3:00 am, depending where you are on the island. Not so difficult if you have jetlag, but we didn't do this. We'd heard stories that even if you get up before dawn to see, um dawn, the weather might be crappy and you won't see dawn (3 times in one sentence? EEK!)
We left in the morning and arrived late morning. We missed the throngs of tourists and busloads of visitors and tootled around by ourselves. I may be biased but I don't think we missed a thing. Check out this snap:
I took this picture from the summit looking down at the visitor's center. You can see that you're actually above the cloud line. Fascinating to me.
I'd heard about oxygen deprivation at high altitudes but never experienced it until now. I felt pretty weird in my head, almost like a headache but more fuzzy, and it went away upon our descent. Yep, we were high up there and it was, literally, breath-taking!
An indigenous plant (Silversword, according to my guide book) and I thought it framed the shot beautifully.
I also became obsessed with the Nene bird, Hawaii's state bird. We weren't there during their nesting season so we didn't need to heed this sign's warnings. But we did manage to see a few in person. Cute little buggers. Ha, Puunene was my favorite street too!
After an exhausting excursion at the park, we stopped at Kula Lodge for lunch. It was recommended by both a friend back home and a park ranger. There was a lovely market next door where we picked up terrific local items. And during our lunch, we were treated to this view. A great place is an understatement.
We left in the morning and arrived late morning. We missed the throngs of tourists and busloads of visitors and tootled around by ourselves. I may be biased but I don't think we missed a thing. Check out this snap:
I took this picture from the summit looking down at the visitor's center. You can see that you're actually above the cloud line. Fascinating to me.
I'd heard about oxygen deprivation at high altitudes but never experienced it until now. I felt pretty weird in my head, almost like a headache but more fuzzy, and it went away upon our descent. Yep, we were high up there and it was, literally, breath-taking!
An indigenous plant (Silversword, according to my guide book) and I thought it framed the shot beautifully.
I also became obsessed with the Nene bird, Hawaii's state bird. We weren't there during their nesting season so we didn't need to heed this sign's warnings. But we did manage to see a few in person. Cute little buggers. Ha, Puunene was my favorite street too!
After an exhausting excursion at the park, we stopped at Kula Lodge for lunch. It was recommended by both a friend back home and a park ranger. There was a lovely market next door where we picked up terrific local items. And during our lunch, we were treated to this view. A great place is an understatement.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Maui 2011 (Part 3)
I was over-whelmingly pleased with our condo, Maui Eldorado (oddly not spelled "El Dorado" but I digress). It was run as if it were a hotel with maid service, etc, but there was no restaurant or food service. Many of the units were owned and permanently occupied. Which was great because there weren't any wild parties or screaming families, just "outgoing seniors".
We were located in Kaanapali but a far enough away from the resorts to not feel so claustrophobic yet close enough to feel inclusive. The beach was a 5 minute walk over a golf course. And the property had it's own private cabana right on the beach. I'm a junky for hot, fluffy, clean towels!
Sitting on the cabana each evening to watch the sunset, we often saw many birds. This red-faced beauty was my favorite. Reminded me a bit of sunburned tourists (only prettier!). Ha!
Of course Henri was along for the trip and he loved the beach. With a huge natural barrier of lava rock between our property's cabana and the big resorts, there wasn't much foot traffic. Looks nearly deserted huh? Private, even. Okay, ok, EXCLUSIVE!
As I mentioned, on the advise of a dear friend, we didn't miss a sunset.
Going, going....ahhh...
We were located in Kaanapali but a far enough away from the resorts to not feel so claustrophobic yet close enough to feel inclusive. The beach was a 5 minute walk over a golf course. And the property had it's own private cabana right on the beach. I'm a junky for hot, fluffy, clean towels!
Sitting on the cabana each evening to watch the sunset, we often saw many birds. This red-faced beauty was my favorite. Reminded me a bit of sunburned tourists (only prettier!). Ha!
Of course Henri was along for the trip and he loved the beach. With a huge natural barrier of lava rock between our property's cabana and the big resorts, there wasn't much foot traffic. Looks nearly deserted huh? Private, even. Okay, ok, EXCLUSIVE!
As I mentioned, on the advise of a dear friend, we didn't miss a sunset.
Going, going....ahhh...
Friday, January 13, 2012
Maui 2011 (Part 2)
Spent a day exploring Lahaina since our condo was just about 10 minutes outside of town. I'd heard conflicting descriptions from people about the town: "It's a party town and really fun" or "It's super touristy and disgusting". I'll say now that both are true.
There's about a billion tours that leave from the pier in town and so did our submarine tour. What I didn't expect was that a Princess Cruise was just off shore and had unloaded their passengers just as we got there. Ugh, hundreds of tourists in over-sized Bermuda shorts or moo-moos and flowered print shirts, slogging cameras in and out of every trinket shop imaginable. I forgive folks for having to make a living, but this really wasn't my scene.
We also ventured into Lahaina for dinner one night and found the "party" atmosphere to be a bit Spring Break mixed with NASCAR. Again, not really my scene and we steered clear of it for the duration of the trip.
In this pic, you can see the cruise ship just off shore. Kind of like an obese neighbor ruining an otherwise lovely view.
The Banyan tree in the middle of Lahaina was wonderful. The vine looking things hanging from the branches actually made new roots. So what you see is one big frakin' tree. Fascinating.
Working in the craft trade must be a double-edged sword. You want to carry on local tradition but you want to sell stuff to pay the bills. The Yummy Brown Boy gladly posed for a picture.
Our submarine ride started with a boat ride to the actual sub. Great way to see the island shoreline.
A goofy narrator was actually a terrific guide to all things under the sea. It was fun and incredibly informative. I'll be honest, I don't remember most of what he said (Hey, I'm on vacation!), but the fish-viewing at a depth of 127 feet was a hoot. Check out this school.
I hope not to come across as pretentious about tourists as I understand the souvenir buying frenzy. Hell, I bought one of these Obama bobbleheads. The shirtless Hang-Ten President of the Free World was irresistible!
There's about a billion tours that leave from the pier in town and so did our submarine tour. What I didn't expect was that a Princess Cruise was just off shore and had unloaded their passengers just as we got there. Ugh, hundreds of tourists in over-sized Bermuda shorts or moo-moos and flowered print shirts, slogging cameras in and out of every trinket shop imaginable. I forgive folks for having to make a living, but this really wasn't my scene.
We also ventured into Lahaina for dinner one night and found the "party" atmosphere to be a bit Spring Break mixed with NASCAR. Again, not really my scene and we steered clear of it for the duration of the trip.
In this pic, you can see the cruise ship just off shore. Kind of like an obese neighbor ruining an otherwise lovely view.
The Banyan tree in the middle of Lahaina was wonderful. The vine looking things hanging from the branches actually made new roots. So what you see is one big frakin' tree. Fascinating.
Working in the craft trade must be a double-edged sword. You want to carry on local tradition but you want to sell stuff to pay the bills. The Yummy Brown Boy gladly posed for a picture.
Our submarine ride started with a boat ride to the actual sub. Great way to see the island shoreline.
A goofy narrator was actually a terrific guide to all things under the sea. It was fun and incredibly informative. I'll be honest, I don't remember most of what he said (Hey, I'm on vacation!), but the fish-viewing at a depth of 127 feet was a hoot. Check out this school.
I hope not to come across as pretentious about tourists as I understand the souvenir buying frenzy. Hell, I bought one of these Obama bobbleheads. The shirtless Hang-Ten President of the Free World was irresistible!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Maui 2011 (Part 1)
I've been home from Maui for a couple of months but have been remiss in posting any pictures here.
It was a terrific holiday and I enjoyed the heck out of the place. Everything I'd read about it's beauty was true and all the stories I'd heard that I would slow down to Island Time were dead-on. Sure I did lots of driving and sight-seeing, but mixed with "beach afternoons" and "breakfast on the lanai", I completely relaxed.
On the Road to Hana
(yep, I drove the whole thing - and back!):
A view of Lahaina from the water en route to our submarine tour:
Of course this is from the top of the volcano, Haleakala
(no, not sunrise, but late morning like "normal" people):
A beach on the windy side of the Island
(I fell in the water with my shoes on. Tsk):
It was a terrific holiday and I enjoyed the heck out of the place. Everything I'd read about it's beauty was true and all the stories I'd heard that I would slow down to Island Time were dead-on. Sure I did lots of driving and sight-seeing, but mixed with "beach afternoons" and "breakfast on the lanai", I completely relaxed.
On the Road to Hana
(yep, I drove the whole thing - and back!):
A view of Lahaina from the water en route to our submarine tour:
Of course this is from the top of the volcano, Haleakala
(no, not sunrise, but late morning like "normal" people):
A beach on the windy side of the Island
(I fell in the water with my shoes on. Tsk):
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