Hawaii - The Sailing Canoe, The Octopus, Lava, Shave Ice, Snorkeling (16 DEC 2008)

This morning began with a traditional Polynesian chant (while facing all four corners of the earth) blessing us with wishes for a safe voyage. Granted, we weren't exactly enroute to Tahiti, Rapa Nui, Samoa, Tonga, or Aotearoa/New Zealand, but it was a marvelous experience to sail on a real (albeit relatively miniature) double-hulled Polynesian Sailing Canoe. We also had a chance to snorkel a nice coral reef along the way. Anyone booking Hawaii with Camilla in the future will be able to do this too - and we're working on even more Polynesian cultural experiences for you...

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Here is the Maoli/Maohi chant, the Canoe, and the snorkeling:



The Octopus:



The sea urchins:


Some sailing photos:


Landing da Canoe:



Next, our new Hawaiian friend kindly explains the meaning of his beautiful Polynesian tattoo:



A pretty little drive, sweet music, and more snorkeling - and a lucky little tiare:



Lots of hungry parrotfish (you can hear them eating - scratching/scraping sounds):



Beautiful flowers by the snorkeling reef - and a few friendly crabs!:



The afternoon found us in the middle of an incredible area home to a 200-year-old lava flow (this was what most Polynesian islands looked like before vegetation covered their slopes). Join us for some old Paumotu tunes as we cruise the landscape:



Finally, we wrap up the afternoon with a delicious little marlin sandwich and a shave ice (What's a Shave Ice? Have look, we'll show ya!):



The day ended with a home made 'plate lunch' consisting of a couple of kalua pork sandwiches, Hawaiian salad, and Steve's Signature mai-tais:


Warm Aloha,
Stephen & Camilla

Hawaii - Singing Whales, Snorkeling Tips, and How to Wear Your Plumeria (15 DEC 2008)

On this day, after the finishing bell sounded on Wall Street at 11AM Hawaiian Time, we went out in search of a little Monday afternoon underwater fun. Turned out there was far more than fun on offer - how about some 'Singing Whales' (listen carefully and you'll hear them several times in this video):



[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT:
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And here is a quick little lesson for greenhorn snorkelers and city slickers on how NOT to get beaten to smithereens by light-to-moderate wave action in places without fringing/protective reefs - plus a quick word on safekeeping your keys and other valuables:



And, finally, if you ever found yourself wondering about the deeper Polynesian meaning of 'ear flowers', you'll get the inside scoop here in 'How to Wear Your Plumeria' (...theoretically, any flower will do, though I'd probably stay away from geraniums due to the repulsive odor...):



Ok, your turn now. Here's your Mai-tai, now go find yourself an ear flower suitable for the occasion and have some fun in life! Manuia!


A hui hou,

Steve & Camilla

Hawaii - The $10 Coconut, the Snoozing Turtle, and Mahi Mahi for dinner in Obama Country...(13-14 DEC 2008)

On this lovely weekend, we headed out for some snorkeling. A wicked storm (that made CNN) had visited the Hawaiian islands a few days prior, so we expected things to still be a bit murky underwater, but good enough to take a nice spin along the coast and have a look around.

Matato'a (our rapanui friends) kept us company as we drove up the coast - not along the Windward Coast, although in a convertible everything tends to be a Windwar(p)ed Coast regardless (as you'll hear and, no, we're not complaining whatsoever...)

[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT:
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Our first encounter on this day was 'The $10 Coconut':



Then we met a snoozing turtle (no worries, it isn't dead, just sleeping). The murkiness was ok.
'The Snoozing Turtle & Other Underwater Treasures":



The day ended on the lanai (aka a Pacific terrace/deck/balcony)with some grilled Mahi Mahi, Steve's Signature Mai-tai, and a Cactus in Obama Country:


Aloha,
Steve & Camilla

Hawaii - Getting Situated (09-12 DEC 2008 - Catching up!!)

Aloha!
We arrived to the next island in the evening, lucked out with a manageable ($) upgrade to a Ford Mustang convertible (not a habit we intend to pursue for the next several months, but we did allow ourselves this treat as a little holiday present - they sure are FUN!). On arrival we were greeted by a lovely (and serendipitous, since we hadn't looked at any moon schedules lately) full moon.
Otherwise, not too many exciting events on those first few days - and the videos for this particular blog post are somewhat uninspired (except perhaps for 'Groceries 1' and 'Moon Set', but again, this is not meant to be a prettily pruned production, but rather a venue for cataloging our whereabouts...In any case, here goes...

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The landing approach:


That sweet red Mustang convertible:


Moon over Maui (in that sweet red Mustang...):



Sugar is still grown on the Hawaiian islands in some quantity.
'The Mustang and the Sugar Truck':



We discovered that convertibles and dry weather are very utilitarian combination indeed, particularly when your grocery shopping trip includes things like Officejet machines and the like:


The ingestible result of our first Hawaiian grocery run (yum!!).
'Groceries 1' (may be more later):



You can also get these at the regular grocery store:



And - even in Hawaii - Pointsettias to accompany the dendrobium orchids - but only for X-mas:


In Hawaii, when you're up early with Wall Street, you get to see the moon set:


'Morning Moon Set':



On this day, we had to head upcountry to pick up something. Found narrow roads, Tibetan prayer flags, and a steel x-mas tree on the way.
'Tibetan Prayer Flags & A Tree of Steel':


And then we came across some wild guava...


More later!
Warm Aloha,
Steve & Camilla

Hawaii (07-08 DEC 2008 - We're catching up!!)

Aloha!
OK, labored this weekend (on the lana'i in 75F temps, we might add) so we could get this vlog launched starting today. In fact, today is precisely one month since we left the apartment in the capable hands of our subletters, let's call them P&C and ventured West, first to Redding, CA to celebrate Thanksgiving with some very special folks, then on to Hawaii 07 December (2008).
This vlog starts with our arrival into Honolulu...

[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT:
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Below is an early morning view from 08 December, as seen from our first 'virtual office':


And here, a little video of the Waikiki 'morning commute':



Late morning on 08 Dec we had an appointment with a well-qualified Honolulu Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist, Dr. Hazenfield (in case you need a good one at these latitudes...). The goal: Camilla's first (and hopefully ONLY) post-op check of the right vocal cord (the one whose paresis became part of the reason for her total thyroidectomy in October 2008). Dr. Hazenfield looked and saw....NOTHING wrong!! The conclusion was, therefore, that the paresis had resolved - presumably as a result of the thyroidectomy. As you can imagine, this led to a lot of high fives, because you know how much Camilla likes to talk!! She has a lot of catching up to do after all that quiet time from July all the way into November....Anyway, here she is leaving the doctor's office with a big grin:



Cruisin' Honolulu (First 'The Mustang'):



On this evening, as you can see, we (middle, right) celebrated the great news with mai-tais and some hula. The other fellow is Matt (left) is one of Steve's colleagues, who was also in town on this evening):




Here is a video of the wonderful hula dancing we saw (play it here or click on the picture and you will get a new window showing our actual YouTube page, which may work better for those with slow connections):



And here, moving our menagerie and returning the rental car before flying to our next destination:

Aloha! (07 DEC 2008)

Aloha (Greetings!)
When you suffer through surgery and stitches, then sublet your apartment for the season of sleet, snow, and sub-zero, take a sabbatical from work (Steve), and pack along the virtual travel office (Camilla) you most definitely will be expected to share at least SOME of your adventures (and misadventures!!); wildlife, cultural and other encounters; various exotic and not-so-exotic discoveries and impressions, and anything else that may possibly be of interest to those who couldn't quite pack their bags and come along. We are thrilled by how many of you were able to share our enthusiasm regarding this decision despite the obvious frigid futures many of you were knowingly facing. Kudos to all of you who understood our reason and purpose and were able to at least suspend your (possible) envy until we had departed westward toward the Hawaiian Islands for a balmy season of respite and recovery. Mahalo nui loa (we thank you immensely) and hope to see some of you along the way. Camilla will be putting together an informal invite-to-visit (from the business side, not this whimsical venue) once we get settled in a little further.

While this chapter of our lives is hosted by google's 'blogger', our intentions with this is primarily in the vlog (as in 'video log') department. Let's face it: video is fun, goofy, quick, and a lot more visually entertaining than photos and/or words alone , AND it is a fun thing to create and share with you. If we did not like doing it, it wouldn't happen, right? As you sit and watch this, please keep in mind that 'serious' is deliberately not on the itinerary this time around and we hope our entries will reflect that whimsy at least to a certain extent...a genre resembling 'grossly unplugged documentary'!!

Aloha, E Komo Mai (A Warm Welcome) and may you enjoy this vicarious journey through our eyes.
Hugs,
Stephen (aka Tetefano) and Camilla