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Aloha! Surfs up!
I have had a very busy couple of weeks and am now officially a surfer chick!!
Before Joe and I went to Hawaii I managed to fit in a drum lesson in Boulder with Dave. Dave tells me I have natural rythm which is weird coz I cant dance. I did very much enjoy being a rock chick for an evening though and think playing the drums could also be a new hobby of mine! Joe and I also went to the comedy club in Denver for an evening out, I was really looking forward to it as we drove the 35 miles in to the city. It wasnt until we got there that I realised I hadn't brought any ID with me.....ooops! Only a 70 mile round trip to go and get it! We also went to Estes National Park where I saw the Stanley Hotel (where the Shining was filmed) as well as Elk and Moose and beautiful scenery, on the way back we stopped at Hot Sulphur Springs and sat in natural pools smelling of rotten eggs for an hour....very relaxing!
The main event in the last couple of weeks has been the trip to Hawai'i though. Exhausted from all the travelling I had been doing I figured a holiday was just what I needed. Joe refused to stay in a hostel and forced me to slum it at the Marriott on O'Ahu (bummer!). When Joe booked they only had an ocean view available and when we go there they had upgraded us to the 16th floor! I was outraged as you can imagine!!! Of course when you go to Hawai'i the one thing you have to try is surfing. We signed up for a surf lesson in the hotels lagoon immediately. Chrystal was our instructor and Joe and I were sharing her with a 12 year old girl who had also signed up. We were issued with 11ft beginners surf boards (I think the next size up is officially a boat) and Chrystal was very patient with Joe and I who were slightly slower to grasp it than our fellow student. At one point the 12 year old sailed past asking Chrystal "Am I doing it right because everyones else is falling off?". I am proud to say that Chrystal did say that I was her favourite student, although she was laughing quite hard when she said it!?! After our surf lesson we went snorkelling in the lagoons, something I have never enjoyed before. Actually I loved it once I got a mask that fit me and I saw 5 green sea turtles close enough to touch, although I didnt touch them as that would be illegal!
After a gruelling hour of swimming after my surf board Chrystal invited Joe and myself to join her and Rori (the other instructor) at a beach with actual waves on Wednesday. They would bring the boards and teach us how to do it outside of a lagoon that resembled a mirror it was that calm. Excellent it would give me an opportunity to top up on my 'board rash', thats right I suffered actual physical injury! Chrystal also gave us some top tips on where to visit on the island for the best views, shrimp, shave ice etc.
Joe and I did a road trip on the Sunday and visited all the spots that Chrystal had recommended in the convertible Mustang that Joe had rented for the week. She was spot on and the day was only slightly marred by the fact that Joe nearly got killed by a runaway Subaru on our excursion! Luckily although he literally had to leap out of the way it did miss him and he lived to surf another day. The rain forest was beautiful and apologies for the fact that I dont know the name of a single plant that I took a picture of...pretty though eh!
I also popped in to the hotel jewellery store while we were there. Char the sales lady was great fun and she was encouraging me to try on all the most expensive stuff in the shop even though she knew I was not going to buy any of it. At one point I had $200 worth of sparkles on. Char said "I love sparkly things....and baby ducks" very random!!!
After 3 days at the Marriott we went to stay with Joes friends Barry and Julianna who live in a 45th floor condo in Waikiki. Actually there are 2 identical towers and on one day when I went for a wander by myself I tried to let myself into a condo in the other tower on the 45th floor. Luckily no one was home otherwise it could have been much more embarrassing!
Wednesday arrived and Joe and I went to meet Rori and Chrystal at the beach for another go at surfing. I have actual evidence that I did manage to stand up on a surf board and both Joe (show off) and I had a great time. That afternoon Chrystal, her friend Mark, Joe and I went for Killer Tacos and Shave Ice on the North Shore. Chrystal is about 5'1" but boy can she eat. After the taco's and shave Ice she insisted on us trying another type of home made ice cream before forcing us to eat donuts (malasadas) on the way home! She also informed us that a shark had taken a bite out of a boys board at the beach we had been surfing at 3 weeks prior! Perhaps thats why they invited us, with rookies in the water perhaps it makes the people who can stand up and stay up safer?
On the final night we went to a traditional Luau with pig that had been cooked in the ground (which is delicious by the way). Chrystal, Rori (and her daughter Mariah), Mark, Barry and Julianna all joined Joe and I and we had a great time watching the dancers, eating, drinking and having a go at some of the activities. Chrystal and Rori bought Joe and I gifts which was really sweet of them.
The week was definately active and I met some lovely, genuine kind people. I also found a cocktail I love called a Lava flow Rum, Pina Colada mix, pureed Banana and Stawberry!Thanks to Barry and Julianna for putting us up and being great hosts and to Rori and Chrystal for being our unofficial tour guides and great entertainment. Keep in touch xx
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