Hawaii

Hopping around planet earth has been a life-long dream and as I head back to the USA, ending my vagabonding ways, it's fitting that I finalize this life-changing journey the way I began it: with a friend's celebration of marriage back home in the states.


This time, however, it won't be on the mainland but on the tropical Hawaiian island of Oahu. Although I'm not here for the actual wedding, this bachelor party will mark the end of an epic 10 months for me, and kick off a new chapter for a very good friend who will embark on an exciting journey in marriage.


The road to that exciting day would be filled with surfing world class Hawaiian waves, eating fantastic food, backflips, and of course color coordinating in order to draw as much attention to ourselves as possible.


"A bachelor party in Hawaii?" Yup, it's not a very common destination for a man's last hurrah but when surfing is more important than many of the other stereotypical bachelor activities, Hawaii becomes an obvious candidate.


Oh and let's not forget the luxury of having a free vacation home and our pick of surf boards thanks a to a very generous and gracious friend/host. Our good friend Chuck and his wife Jocelyn were kind (and daring) enough to loan the future groom Tyler, and 6 of his borderline responsible groomsmen their beautiful vacation home for a week.


Perched high behind Diamond Head crater and overlooking one of Oahu's most scenic spots, this house made our trip memorable in many ways. See link if you're interested in experiencing it: http://www.vrbo.com/261052
Thanks for the all-around hospitality O'Neill family!


Having been to Oahu before, we quickly got into a common surf routine in order to maximize our time in the water. Early morning surf sessions were always a norm and the hunt for waves throughout the day would lead us to random spots along the island.


Since I hadn't seen many of these guys in almost a year, conversation, jokes, and pranks flowed plentifully in and out of the water and throughout the entire trip.


Surfing wasn't the only thing we did in the water. We had 2 rounds of outrigger canoe riding during our stay. The first was on an 8 man canoe and the second was on a 4 man canoe. We had the luxury of being taken out to paddle by one of Chuck's good friends, and a world-record setter paddler.


Talk about an opportunity for learning! All, we did was paddle as hard as we could and he would steer us into silky smooth waves executing perfect turns that would be difficult for even the most skilled waterman. We took turns hopping in and out of the canoe so we could all paddle into the crystal-clear liquid ramps.


While waiting for my turn I somehow got the nerve to attempt a head stand while on a wave. In true Hawaiian fashion I managed to ride it but only at the painful expense of losing my favorite (and only) sunglasses. Worth the chuckle I gave my friends and the surrounding surfers I must say...



Our bachelor, Tyler, decided to give us matching trunks embroidered with our initials and gladly sported these most of the trip. Needless to say, the reaction from people on the beach and around the island was comical.


We pretended to be doing a calendar shoot for Fanta orange, convinced a local lifeguard we were a professional paddling team, told a gullible lady that we were the octomom's sons, and were interrogated by a family who thought we were a flash mob.


Luckily we didn't get beat up by any local Hawaiians for looking like kooks. Along with agreeing to wear the same color swimsuits, the other thing we were all on board with was food.


Although we didn't keep any of the fish we caught, we did have great local poke, spam musubi, Chuck's famous ribs and made the mandatory stop at one of the best shrimp trucks on the North shore.


Another mandatory activity for me was climbing Diamond Head crater. The easy hike took only 25 minutes and once at the top I had a spectacular view of Waikiki and downtown Honolulu almost all to myself.


Mark, Michael and I also did a more challenging hike at a nearby trail. This jaunt took us to a summit where we could see a lot of the southern part of the island.


As we hiked higher and higher we could see how quickly the landscape and temperature changed making it a uniquely different experience than any I've come across in Oahu before.


Although the bachelor party is over, and the constant flying, passport stamping, hostel bookings, overnight buses, ferries, and language barriers will take a back seat for a while, my adventure is not quite over. I did't know how I would feel when the day to go back to California arrived.


Would I choose to live abroad? I've never been more excited to set foot back in San Diego and I just hope I can continue to keep living life there with the same passion I've lived it in other places around the world.


I'll keep 'flipping' my lid with ideas to keep that going as long I live.