Hawaiian Holiday 2008 - The Big Island

Pictures: Click here to view.

Would you trust these guys for travel advice? Thankfully, we did and our "virginal" visit to the big island was full of a variety of experiences and sights.

"I recommend driving over Saddle Road; it's like driving across a lunar landscape. Fabulous. Just like my hair. I also recommend snorkeling near Captain Cook's monument; if you have the opportunity, rent a kayak and paddle yourselves into the bay.

Also, rent snorkel equipment from Snorkel Bob's for the week. That way, you can stop, drop and snorkel. So Clay, I'm mean Rene', what do you think the boys should do?"


"Now, if you stop saying that I look like Clay Aiken, I'll give you my advice. Personally, I like think spending time in at the volcano is a must! Hike around and find out if the lava is flowing. Find a lava tube and hike in it and then get nake at the steam vents in the Puna District. The locals are a little bohemian... Have fun!"

We did our best to follow their advice and had a fabulous time on both the big Island and Kauai.

The Brady Bunch Hotel - The Royal Kona

The Royal Kona has seen better days, and while not a total wreck, it is definately a product of 70's architecture. Situated right on the coast, the waves crashed against the barriars, the open bar and pool looked out on the ocean and Don's Beachcomber Tiki bar was always waiting to serve big drinks and tropical food.

Think of the Brady Bunch special where they headed to paradise and got in trouble with a cursed tiki! We did not encounter a black tarantula, but brought home one of the small little gods to bless us with good fortune! Now, why he didn't bless us with the recent 270 million Mega-lottery winnings I'm not sure, but perhaps he's waiting a bit to surprise us.

Anyway, we arrived at the Royal Kona in our metallic orange Saturn Vue just after about 20 members of the airforce; military boys on a little R&R. Standing in line, it was interesting to note the contrast between the youngsters and the career folks; and then there was the token female who was basically a den mother to the guys. Go USA!

Volcanoes National Park

The boys had instructed us to allow a lot of time to get to the Hawaii Volacanoes National Park. Frank was the designated driver, I was the designated planner! To say that the park is "other-worldly" is not quite accurate. It was awe inspiring and we were not allowed to get out of car during certain parts of the Crater Rim Drive due to "unusually high amounts of dangerous sulfur dioxide gas." Fun! We did get a chance to hike through the Thurstan Lava Tube and hike out to the Pu'u Huluhulu Cinder Cone. Amazing!

Sea Quest Rafting Adventure

We followed instructions and stopped by Snorkel Bob's for a week's supply of equipment and then signed up for a Zodiac snorkeling trip out to Kealakekua Bay and Keauhou Bay. The raft was cool since we could up close to shoreline, enter sea caves and, of course, drop anchor and snorkel! Our first stop the water was deeper, so the fish seemed farther away, but we were within arm's length of a sea turtle who just glanced at us as he floated away. During our trip to the next stop, we saw dolphins, a mother whale and her calf who breached several times. The snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay was fantastic.

Driving Around the Island

Frank claims that he drove over 900 miles during our six days in the islands. This may be true, especially on the big island where the distances are quite significant. However, we ventured to the end of the road in Kapaau to the Polulu Valley Lookout, say the King Mamehameha statue, took on the twists and turns of Saddle Road, found the steam vents, ate Kileau Loca in Hilo and visited the Black Sands beach! We also used our snorkel gear from Bob, boogie boarded and wandered up to a couple of beautiful waterfalls. Not a bad way to spend time in a car!

Island Breeze presents Lu'ua!

Frank wanted to do a Lu'au and Tom had recommended the Lu'au presented at the King Kamehameha hotel on the royal grounds. Frank finally got lei'd and we both learned how to weave palm fronds in to Angel fish. We opted out of learning how to hula ... too many things would be moving and after the huge buffet, it was better to be safe than sorry.

The amusing part of the experience, which if you haven't done a lu'ua, you should, is the entertainment. During our drive we noticed that you couldn't drive 50 yards without passing a small church structure. At the Lu'ua, our tongan warriar's sarong had Bible texts printed on it, then there was an invocation to the great spirit, and many of the dances ended with a crosses of sticks in a familiar form ... hmmm. Then we learned about the 1820 missionary invasion and understood. Open bar with bottomless Mai Tais ... the perfect way to reach out and share the love of big "J" Praise the lord, now pass that poi!

Mahalo Big Island ... now it's time to head to Kauai!

Hawaiian Holiday - Kauai, The Garden Isle

Pictures: Click to view.

Time was too short for our 2 1/2 days on Kauai, the garden isle. The boys had recommended seeing Waimea Canyon, heading North to Ke'e Beach, with a stop, of course, at the Princeville Resort. We tried to make them proud.

I had a little car surprise, Frank arranged a Jeep Wrangler for our time on the island. The guy at Alamo said, treat it like rental and you can make it to the top of Weimea Canyon in an hour. We did it! My tummy was a little upset by the curves heading up the mountain, but we made it. The views were spectacular and we met our first wild rooster, who at 5:00 at night was squawking like it was 5:00 in the morning. Crazy!

We stayed in Kapa'a at the Island Quest resort on the beach and thanks to a defective air conditioner we got upgraded from a partial view (i.e. lean out from your balcony with a friend holding your feet-and-you can see the ocean), to a room looking out on the beach. Gorgeous!

Kauai is gorgeous. Enough said. Based on a recomendation by Frank's friend Kay, we headed to Lihua for breakfast at Tip Top! I braved the Loco Moco, a local favorite, while Frank kept it simple with pancakes. With our stomachs full, we went to see a couple of waterfalls that the Alamo guy recommended, including the falls featured in the opening sequence of Fantasy Island.

At our second falls for the day, an older woman asked if we smoked grass. We politely declined, had a laugh, as she propositioned the next people walking by, and almost drove off the road when we saw her license place "U Saved?" Our grass growing Granny is also a friend of the big "J"!

From there, our day was spent wandering up the coast, we stopped at Kilauea Light House, saw a few whales off the coast line, Anini Beach, stopped off at the Princeville Resort, and finally hiked along the edge of K'i Beach the end of the road.

One of my favorite places was the dry cave. When you walk out, it looks just like the paintings of dead people walking toward the light. After a few hits ... Granny probably sees the lord!

Kauai ... just a touch of paradise. Close your eyes and you can hear the surf crash against the shore. Aloha.

Where in the States is Frank?

It was a late night at work and I missed my opportuity to participate in the rally scene for the film, Milk, being filmed in the Castro. I watched a few takes of Sean Penn jumping up on the corner of Castro and Market and then march toward my old building on 17th street. It was fun to watch the magic and then I headed home. Midway I started to hear voices. It sounded like a crowd cheering. At first I thought it was the movie, but the sounds were different. Then I wondered whether the voices I normally hear were actually audible. It turns out that someone was blaring an Obama speech from the second floor, spreading a message of hope.

It seems like everyone is asking, "Who will win?" "Hillary or Obama?" I voted in a garage on Beaver street for a female candidate. Interesting. It was actually a lot of fun seeing all of the supporters on the corners encouraging people to vote.

Frank was supposed to be in Birmingham, Alabama, for work. He left at 5:30 Monday morning and then I got a call. He was in Chicago.

Twenty-four hours later ... he was in Washington DC.
It is rumored that he has finally landed in Alabama ... but I don't have any pictures to prove it. If you have an inperson sighting ... let me know.

Sarah Silverman Makes Me Laugh

She looks like an innocent with the face of an angel and then she opens her mouth. And today, Frank shared a little video that put a song to the rumor or her and Matt Damon. FUNNY!!!!!

Mathew Moves On ...

Why do people leave good jobs? One of my colleagues is leaving and interestingly, I don't think his reason is part of Greg Smith's list of the top ten reasons people change jobs. Mr. Smith places primary blame on management:

1. Management demands that one person do the jobs of two or more people,
resulting in longer days and weekend work.

2. Management cuts back on administrative help, forcing professional workers to use their time copying, stapling, collating, filing and other clerical duties.

3. Management puts a freeze on raises and promotions, when an employee can easily find a job earning 20-30 percent more somewhere else.

4. Management doesn’t allow the rank and file to make decisions or allow them pride of ownership.

5. Management constantly reorganizes, shuffles people around, and changes direction constantly.

6. Management doesn’t have or take the time to clarify goals and decisions. Therefore, it rejects work after it was completed, damaging the morale and
esteem of those who prepared it.

7. Management shows favoritism and gives some workers better offices, trips to conferences, etc.

8. Management relocates the offices to another location, forcing employees to quit or double their commute.

9. Management promotes someone who lacks training and/or necessary experience to supervisor, alienating staff and driving away good employees.

10. Management creates a rigid structure and then allows departments to compete against each other while at the same time preaching teamwork and cooperation.

While these ten reasons seem compelling ... the real reason apparently is whether or not a pony is part of the day-to-day business. Good luck Mathew!