Back from Hawai'i
by Mark 'poker_in_pb' Vargas, Mon. 2 Nov 2009
We're actually on the plane heading home. The trip was a little short (6 days) as I was just getting into a rhythm. We spent the first two days in Oahu visiting Michaela's dad. We did a couple of tourist things and drove to the North Shore. There were actually waves, probably a couple feet overhead. It was cool to finally see some waves there as the other 2 times I've been the surf was flat. I was super surprised to see how uncrowded the lineups were. There were lots of little peaks with 1-4 guys sitting on them. Nothing like California! I'm sure when the big swells hit in the winter it gets crazy, but California's crowded 365 days/year, so I was impressed with that part of the trip. Other than that, I thought Oahu kinda sucked. Everything is really old and rickety, lots of rusty chain-linnked fences, debilitated houses, and basically just another rat race. Other than the warmer weather and a couple more palm tress, I felt like I was in San Diego or any other major city. I also really felt like the locals were always sizing me up. It might just be from all the movies, but it seems like Hawaiians really don't like us whities. When we landed in Kauai I immediately knew that it was more my vibe. MUCH slower pace, much more beautiful, and therefore much more relaxing. We actually drove straight from the airport to Waimea Canyon, which looks eerily similar to the Grand Canyon. We got there just in time to see some good vistas before the mist enshrouded everything. From there we drove the 2 hours back to our hotel and settled in. The next day we drove all around the north, which is ridiculously beautiful with the majestic peaks everywhere. I wasn't impressed at all with any of the beaches as the water isn't that clear or blue and the sand isn't that white or fine. It's the backdrop of the mountains that makes it all worthwhile. We hiked the famous trail along the Napali coast and took a few swims at different beaches. ************************************** I woke up early on Sunday morning hoping to play poker, but the wi-fi internet connection basically sucked. It had been working good enough the day before as I gave it a quick test. I went to the hotel next door and they had a hardline connection in the rooms, so I just got a room for the day and played for about 8 hours. I love to play a little bit on my vacations because I really feel like a champ knowing that I just made enough to pay for the whole trip. It's always fun to also see everyone's reaction when I tell them what I do and how I play on "vacation". After wrapping up my session, I met Michaela and her friend Eileen at the beach pool. Eileen moved to Kauai about 4 months ago and has a 2 year contract to practice medicine there. She's a real champ as she runs for about an hour everyday and gets in a daily surf. She totally convinced Michaela to move there, but I'm not totally on board yet. I definitely love the Mayan Riviera more, but it would be fun to spend 3-4 months in Kauai just to explore the entire island and get a better feel for the local vibe. We're thinking maybe fall 2010, but I also think Brazil would be fun during that time. I don't have much scheduled for San Diego in the next few weeks. I just read another article about how bad diet-sodas can be, so I'm going to cut those out, eat more salads, and try to make sure I get in a daily workout, not just the wavehouse. I've put on about 5 pounds since Mexico, where I was really hitting the runs, swims, and weights hard. I need to be in tip-top shape before ski season since it's hard to do anything but ski, which means I'll slowly lose my fitness over the course of the season. Anyways, I'll post again when I something interesting happens or I make some plans of some sort. Good luck to those that are on the final stretch of the SuperNova Elite race! -PinPB
| 
