Sunset Bunker

Laguna Beach Canyon

Aloha!

Hiking is my all time favorite thing to do. It’s great exercise and it gets me away from the gym. Back in California, I spent the majority of my weekends hiking 1-4 hours a trip.  I loved trying to get away from the noise and enjoy a bit of mother nature. I especially loved hiking by Laguna Beach and Newport; it’s only because it brought me closer to the water. That nice ocean breeze comes in handy when you are trying to climb mountains and hills while sweating up a storm. Now in Oahu, I have a new playground. The biggest difference is that there’s always an amazing view, an ocean breeze is never hard to find, it’s always mother nature and there’s never any noise!

On a peaceful hike, it’s the girls that bring the noise!

My first hike with Joe was Sunset Beach by the school. At first I wasn’t quite sure where Joe was taking me because the trip literally starts at the school’s parking lot. There’s a little path off to the left. The first 15 minutes of the hike is pretty gnarly.  The hike starts off very steep. Fortunately, past hikers left rope on some of the trees. It makes it easier to get down safely. When it rains, the mud sure gets slippery!

A little cave at the end of the long haul up the steep hill.

A view of all the major surf spots!

My love!

This hike is tricky! There are so many paths you can take which leads to everywhere! Looking at a map on google, I notice that if I were to ever get lost, it could get ugly. It goes pretty deep east and could even take you into Pupukea and Waimea! Even though it’s been a while since Joe’s been here, he knew how to get where we wanted to go. I wanted to see the bunker! Bunkers are cement structures that the military use to occupy as a look out. It was their way to see who was coming in from sea.  After WWII, I believe the bunkers became vacant. Now the only visitors they get are from hikers and graffiti artists.

Inside the bunker you can see many local “talents” using this as their canvas.

I can definitely tell you that so far, Hawaii’s awesome. It’s only been a short while but everything is pretty amazing. I have a fantastic boyfriend, who’s family is equally amazing and the adventures keeps coming.

Next Blog: Family or Famiglia!

California Girls Visits Hawaii

It’s been about a month in a half since my arrival to Oahu and I get my first visitors! Who visits me? Crystal and Naomi, my favorite Tran girls.  I have known Crystal for a couple of years now. Although our relationship hasn’t been very long, I feel as though I’ve known her forever.  Because of her I totally wished I perused a career in nursing! Not only does this beauty save lives but she LIVES life too. She has the best schedule ever that allows her to travel the world.

While the girls are here, I decided to get a rental car to hang out with my girls and explore the island together.  They were here for about 5 days and we packed those 5 days with adventures! Naomi is a foodie so we definitely hit the spots her friend recommended for her to try out. As a foodie myself, I had no problem obliging on these foodie trips.  Our first night out, we went to Rum Fire. It’s a great place with either live music on some nights or a DJ on other nights. They have pretty good food and drinks.  The next morning we did back to back hikes at Manoa Falls and Diamond Head! These girls are troopers! With the kind of beauty the island had to offer these girls were on a mission. I was even able to convince the girls to do Sacred Falls with me. After a long night of partying, they reluctantly met me at the entrance of Sacred Falls. After a couple hours of hiking, I could tell they were exhausted and not the happiest. It was a bit rainy and foggy. We crossed the stream a couple of times because some of the trails weren’t possible to go through but after the long hall was over, we made it.  It wasn’t until the end of the journey they claimed it was all worth it.

For the rest of the trip, we put up our hiking shoes and enjoyed the beach.  The girls did the shark tour and enjoyed north shore’s beaches. We also enjoyed a night of club hopping and met a new girlfriend name Michelle who is now a good friend.  She’s my first “townie” friend! I won’t give names or which sister but someone brought back home a souvenir of a potential love story.

As for me, I missed home and I was very excited that a Crystal and Naomi were able to bring me a bit of California. Seeing them again reminds me how lucky I am to have great girlfriends.

Thanks for coming out girls!! See you this winter!! Aloha ‘oe, a hui hou aku!! (Goodbye and until we meet again)

Next Blog: Fade and a Draw

My New Norm

Everyone always asks me “what’s life like on the island?”

It’s been about a couple weeks since my arrival. Island living is indeed very simple and slow. What I love about it is that you really get to take in everything around you. I’m so use to moving at such a fast pace, you really don’t get to slow down and just enjoy the simple things. It’s a big adjustment getting used to considering weeks before the move I was working hard tying loose ends before I left. My routine back at home consist of getting up around 6:30am. I would walk Aiko for about 30 minutes. I get ready and leave the house around 7:45am. I head to Nektar to grab my smoothie for the morning and I’m usually in the office around 8:15am-8:30am. Then from 8:30am to about 7pm I manage to run around and manage a bank with a staff of 16-20 people. I head home, walk my dog, make dinner and work out until 10pm. Life was definitely more fast pace and routined. I was constantly moving and I sure as hell didn’t do it in flip flops.

Now I wake up at 5:45am Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I wake up at 3:45am on Mondays. Joe has Tuesdays and Fridays off. We wake up, he makes his coffee while I make breakfast, lunch and snacks for him to bring to work. What do I make for breakfast? He gets pita bread stuff with anything from chicken, turkey or sausages. I’ll change it up with a breakfast burrito. For lunch, he gets a sandwich, burger or a pita sandwich. For snacks I pack him chips, cookies, pistachios, beef jerky or goldfishes. As you can see, Joe has a very good life. He is very well fed. I pack it all up and I send him off to work. I kiss him see ya later and off he goes.

Now what do I while Joe is gone? I do what I want! I get the morning to myself until about 2pm.  I keep the house tidy. Back at home, I hired someone because it’s so much work with a full time life. I can’t believe it but when you have the time, keeping a home clean is very rewarding. There’s a lot of elbow grease involved but it’s definitely satisfying and it’s quiet a work out.  I work out at the beach or on the patio. A gym is about 20 minutes away so it’s difficult to get to without a car. I will bike around the North Shore. I visit Joe on bike or bike around the area to get familiar with it. It’s such a beautiful place. I go snorkeling by the beach across the street. I pretty much take a dive in the ocean every day. I went from a girl who own a couple dozen work suits to owning a couple dozen swim suits. Joe always says life is better in boardshorts…. well life is definitely even better in a bikini.

HIking Sunset

Aligator’s Beach

One of the many beautiful sunsets!

Next Blog: Snorkeling Adventures

Meet Christian and Crystal

For the pass decade, Joe has gone to Tahoe every year for about 3 weeks. Tahoe is like a second home to him.  Every year he would meet up with a few friends who shared the same passion, snowboarding. This year was no different. Of the few friends Joe was with, I got a chance to meet his friend Christian. I was very happy to meet another good friend of Joe’s. One of the things I liked about Joe was how much his friend cared for them but also for how he treats them. You can tell a lot about a person on how he talks about his family and friends. Joe is extremely kind, giving and patience!

On the mountain during our first time, I got to see Joe on his board. Good snowboarders make snowboarding look so effortless. I make snowboarding look like a train-wreck.  I figure Joe and I would start off the same each time we started a run and end down at the mountain differently but meet up on the lift. I figure why on earth would he want to wait! The last time I went with a significant other, I remember being yelled at the entire time. Let’s just say it was a horrible experience. Joe however was by my side the entire time! I was shocked and pleasantly happy. I could definitely use the pointers. Seeing how patience he was really made me happy. Mind you this is the kind of boarder that could zoom right pass me and probably already made his second run down the mountain still passing me again. During the way down, he was right there observing me and giving me pointers. I loved that he was patience and great at teaching me. My skills improved a bit but we both are still unsure if I’m a goofy or a regular. Goofy or regular implies which foot do you start with in the back. According to Joe, I tend to go both ways.

When Christian came to visit that evening, I decided to see if my girlfriend Crystal was able to come up! She booked her flight and came the next day. She’s so adventurous and I love her work schedule. I wish when deciding a career earlier on they told would ask you what kind of work life balance you wanted.  I picked her up in the morning at the airport and Christian and Crystal joined Joe and me on the slopes.

It took a bit of arm twisting but after Joe and Christian boarded with us a couple times down the slopes, I was able to convince them to go off on their own and that we’d meet up with them for lunch. I had so much fun on the mountain with Crystal. We are on the same skill level with her being a bit more advance than me but regardless I had a blast with her coming up! We took our time trying to carve and not fall on our asses. My best run was with Crystal,  maybe because I wasn’t as nervous with her. Love you Crystal!! The rest of the day consist of lunch, movies and the hot tub. By the way, I have to say if you ever get a cabin, you  need to get one with a hot tub. Especially hot tubbing at night, under the stars, it’s one of the most romantic things ever. It also does wonder to a sore body after a long day of snowboarding. After this trip, Joe will always get one with a hot tub outside.

Before Tahoe, I was able to convince Joe to let me plan one date I could surprise him with. I tried to be discrete by casually asking about what he’s done in the pass on a mountain and what he hasn’t done. I booked…. snowmobiling!! I figure, it’ fast and what man doesn’t enjoy fast toys! Joe and I decided if we ever got a cabin, we needed to buy snowmobiles. We also agreed that mine would be pearl white with glitter all over it. That way every where I rode, you’d see me sparkling. Corny but he agreed!  I was very happy that Christian and Crystal joined us as well.

This is a picture of Joe very happy about his surprise!

What would a surprise be without a prom pose picture!

From left to right: Christian, Crystal, Jen and Joe

Joe and I are very pleased that Christian and Crystal joined us. It’s so much fun to be with friends in such a beautiful area. After a fun time together, we took Crystal to the airport and Christian went back to South Lake Tahoe. We ended our perfect day together at In&Out. Apparently that is the one food Joe and Christian enjoy because there isn’t one in Hawaii.

 

Next Blog: Valentine’s Day

Joe Askes Me “Will You…”

Steaks and potatoes. That’s the kind of man he is. He likes his meals simple and hearty. I on the other hand prefer color and healthy. I marinated the steak and he grilled the steaks and potatoes. We opened a bottled of wine, stacked the fireplace with wood and had a nice dinner.  I couldn’t help but notice his grin on his face the entire time. He genuinely enjoys my company and is eager to get to know me more. After almost two months of just talking via phone, text and FaceTime, it was great seeing him in person.  We enjoyed the rest of our night with good conversations and a hot tub.

The next morning, we made our cup of coffee and looked outside. I got a clear look at where we were.  Our cabin location was amazing. It was cozy, warm and comfortable.  I realized something when we went outside to explore, he got a cabin next to trails! Our cabin was on it’s own little street and no one next to it. It was very private. Next to the garage was the entrance to the trail.

Walking the trails behind our Cabin.

I am usually great at keeping track of how far I walked but I had so much fun laughing with Joe I had no idea. We talked a lot about our families and swap sibling stories. I’m the oldest of 5 kids and Joe is the baby of 3 older sisters.  It does explain a lot on how we get along so well.  We come from a similar background of blended families. We have had our shares of difficult and happy upbringings. We are both close to our moms and siblings. I loved that he comes from a big family. I have dated men that are the only child and I have to say they tend to be more difficult. Let’s just say I use the term “only child syndrome” a lot in those relationships.  Joe estimated it being several miles. Since we weren’t wearing the appropriate shoes, we headed back to visit the Lake. I never realize this but I’m a very clumsy walker. I’m a natural at walking in heels. Give me a pair of 5 inch heels and I’ll work them. Flats and ice combined isn’t a good combination for me. I fell twice and on the second time back, he held me closer to keep me a float. He was practically carrying me.

Joe and I at the Lake.

We walked around the lake. It’s freezing and gigantic for a lake!

I have lived in California for 20 years and it’s amazing to me that I still have not seen majority of California. Lake Tahoe was breathtakingly beautiful. It’s so gigantic! It even had little waves from the wind. Joe told me that because the lake was so big, it couldn’t freeze over for ice skating.  I was a bit bummed I couldn’t ice skate and then decided that was probably a good idea. I had no intentions to find out how cold the water really was.

That evening we decided to stay home, make dinner, hot tub and watch a movie. After being in the hot tub Joe and I headed to wash up. As I was entering into the house I headed to the fireplace to get warm for a second.  Joe pulled me close to him. He held me tight and kissed me passionately. He then looked at me and asked “Jen, will you be my girlfriend.” I grinned from ear to ear and answered “yes.”  He picked me up and held me even tighter. Then it lead to the next question “will you move to Hawaii?” Without hesitation, I said “yes”.

 

Next Blog: Meet Christian and Crystal.

Keep Me Warm in Tahoe?

New Year’s Eve was spent with my second family.  The Liu’s, Tran’s, Muchowski’s and Howard’s. I have known them for about 6 years and I love them all. There are 4 couples, 6 kids, a dog and two cats.

Meet my midnight kiss partner.

Meet Sierra, my NYE kiss partner.

We spent the night eating, drinking and gambling. We even made it to midnight! None the less, my New Year’s Eve was accompanied by amazing people who were all really tired by 12:01am, myself included.

Joe and I continued our conversations after I left Oahu. We said hello every morning, in between and nights.  We would talk for 2-4 hours everyday.  Our conversations always were always natural, long and easy going.

If you missed the earlier post, I wrote about how Cat asked him what does he like in a girl. Instead of giving Cat an answer he pats me on the head. That was too easy of an answer so I decided to follow up with more questions.  I got my answer!

During the first week of chatting with Joe, you can only get so far with “how’s your day?” and “what’s your favorite color?” I decided that I really wanted to get to know him. Weekend trips are not possible. That’s 12 hours of flight time and less than 24 hours together. So say goodbye to date nights on Friday/Saturdays. Joe was willing to do anything to prove we could make this work. This whole time I really wonder how can you be so sure about someone you’ve spent less than 24 hours with. His response was simple. “I have never met anyone like you.” Typically, I would roll my eyes when guys tell me this but there’s just something about him that made him sound genuine about it.  I decided to be open minded and give this a shot. After all, the greatest love isn’t always conveniently in your backyard.

I am a believer of online dating. When I was working in the financial world, it is very easy to pull 10-12 hour days and 60 hour weeks. If that’s the case, where do I find the time to meet anyone! I find that it’s easier to look through a bunch of profile to see who I am physically attracted to and then proceed to read their profiles to see if there’s any compatibility.  Then we’d pass a few messages and perhaps go on a lunch date or happy hour.  With Joe, I got to meet him. I saw him in an environment where he was a leader. Then I saw him in a relax environment. I saw his bachelor pad and I witness him cook.  I even felt his lips for a second when he kissed me goodbye. I decided if I were to even consider this, I needed to know what cards I’m holding.

So what did I do, I consulted with my girlfriends. I asked fellow online daters on what they would do. We concluded that I should ask him questions from a dating website to see if we were compatible. Here’s an example of what I asked:

Looking back on your life, what are you most proud of? 

How often do you lose your temper?

A: practically never
 B: once in a while
 C: on occasion during a week
 D: probably once a day on average

When in a relationship, how much personal space do you generally find you need?

A: I don’t have a great need for “personal space”. I like lots of together time.
 B: I find my time spent working is enough personal time, the rest I like to spend with my partner.
 C: As long as I can get one night a week to myself, my personal space needs are met.
 D: When I’m with my partner I’m completely there, but I do need considerable time for personal reflection.

If you had three wishes, what would they be? Why?

If you had to characterize the end of most of your romantic relationships, they would be described as:


A: pleasant as breaking up can be, with both people feeling it was the best decision
 B: sad, with one partner being hurt and feeling betrayed
 C: very dramatic, with lots of hurtful accusations
 D: angry, with lots of feelings of disappointment

Which of the following marriage issues do you fear most?


A: fear of growing apart
 B: fear of marrying the wrong person
 C: fear of becoming “your parents”
 D: fear of being hurt

How important is chemistry to you? 

A: I need to feel that instant “click”
 B: within the first couple of dates I need to sense a certain chemistry
 C: I think chemistry can be generated over the long-term with someone I really like
 D: I don’t believe chemistry is really important to a successful relationship

For more questions click on this link:

Eharmony Questions Part 1

Eharmony Questions Part 2

21 Questions to Ask a Guy

Questions to Ask Someone Before You Marry Them

These questions could be very forward and extremely personal. Maybe because I’m in sales, I have no fear of asking questions like these but I feel that these are questions that I needed to know about Joe before I could even pursue the idea of anything serious.  Now keep one thing in mind, these aren’t questions where if they score enough points you should date them, they are meant for you to understand how your potential partner feels about certain topics. We all adapt due to our experiences in life so finding out why your potential partner feels about certain things are important. I wanted to know how Joe felt about things through his life experiences. I wanted to hear how he coup with difficult experiences and what he wanted  or what he wouldn’t tolerate.

Needless to say, I learned  A LOT about Joe. I told my friends that I was doing this to Joe. My girlfriends thought it was brilliant while majority of my guyfriends were impress he stayed around to be interrogated. The more I learned about Joe, the more I liked him. He was really nice. Nice sounds lame, but there are not enough of nice guys in this world.  I have had my fair share of fun and adventures. I never thought I would say this but I did wanted the husband and kids.  If you asked me a couple years ago, I would have say “no thanks!”.  Could he be the one?  Well, only one way to find out!

Next Blog: Tahoe Adventures

Dinner and Joe’s

As we headed back to the car from the beach, we sat in the car trying to straighten ourselves out. I had sand all over, no make up, brush or even clean clothes.  We made do with what we had. Thank goodness Cat had some eyeliner! I remember my hair was such a mess, I kept my hat on.

At Giovanni’s after the shark tour.

As we got out of the car and headed inside, I really had no idea what to expect. I found the bar and immediately found eyes smiling at me.  This time his sunglasses were off and I noticed when he smiled, his entire face lit up.  I couldn’t help but smile and proceeded to approach Joe and Tali. They both gave us hugs and kisses on the cheek and asked how our adventure was. What I love about Hawaiian culture is that everyone gives hugs and kisses. It’s a great way to make anyone comfortable immediately.  Cat and I told the boys about our adventure.

One of the things Cat and I enjoyed doing was being practical. Instead of buying drinks along the way, we decided on getting plastic cups, vodka, cranberry,  sprite and a bag of ice! Why pay $8-$10 for a cocktail when you can make our own! Everywhere we went, our hands were occupied with our cups. They weren’t just any cups, they were plastic ones with straws. Yes, we upgraded from the red cups to these cool Hawaiian inspired eco friendly cups.

Cat and Jen’s adult sippy cups.

We are at Sunset beach catching some sunshine.

As we were talking more people came. I soon met Mack and his then girlfriend, Matt and his fiancé Renee and Ryan. I can’t recall the exact conversations we had. I remember a lot of alcohol, appetizers and laughters. We started our night around 5:30pm. It had to be around 8:00pm when people started leaving. Renee however seem to have other plans. She was pushing really hard on the idea of heading to Joe’s house for drinks afterwards. It appears Joe had a wing-girl. She sure did a great job in comparison to the guys!  I have to admit, if Renee didn’t push as hard to head over to Joe’s house, I really had no intentions of going to a stranger’s house. One of the things I did realize though was it’s rare for a girl to support a guy friend like that. I made the assumption that if Renee was trying that hard to get us over to his house, Joe must be a good guy. It’s rare that girls would support jerks. So I pretty much hoped my assumption was right and said “what the heck, let’s go for drinks”.

When I got to Joe’s house with Matt, Renee and Cat, I immediately saw one thing that caught my eye, his golf putting set up.  I bee lined straight to it and started putting. I could hear Joe ask “you golf!” I said, “sort of and not lately”. I started talking about the golf tournament Tiger Woods played the week before and he just looked astonished. I could hear him tell Cat “and she watches golf.  I think I love her.” I pretended not to hear it and proceeded with playing. I could hear Cat and Renee talk as I saw Joe turned the television on. He turned on the Laker’s game. Without realizing it, I started to bash on the Laker’s season. Needless to say, that got Joe and I arguing for the next 30 minutes. I am a Clippers fan and I’m sick of people saying that I’m on the band wagon. I have been a Clipper’s fan since the Laker’s kicked Nick Van Exel off the team. That was in the 90’s. So since then, I became a Clipper’s fan. I made Joe believe I knew more then he thought by sharing statistics and the pass games I’ve seen. I always enjoy bickering to a Laker’s fan. Your time is up! Clipper time is here.

I was consciences of the clock because I knew Cat and I were suppose to head out to Waikiki nightlife.  After a couple hours passed by, Cat and I left. We said our “see you laters” and headed to our car. As I drove away from Joe’s house I got a chance to talk to Cat about our night. She immediately asked me how I felt. I had to collect myself for a moment because I didn’t expect any of this. Joe seemed to have very strong feelings for me and he had no fear of verbalizing it.  I was pleasantly surprise by how kind and nice he was. Even his friends were nice! He was genuinely sweet and the thought of him made me smile. I have to admit, I was excited about the thought of seeing him again.

Next Blog: Wanted: Nice, Kind, Adventurous and Romantic

Hawaii (Ha-wah-ee) Outdoors

Oahu is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream! There’s so much to do but Cat and I narrowed a few things to do while we were here. Our adventure consist of amazing views, breaking laws and near death experiences.

Our first outdoor adventure was Diamond Head. Diamond Head has some of the best aerial views in Waikiki. Cat and I decided to hike from our hotel to Diamond Head. That was 8 miles round trip! This hike isn’t for the faintest of hearts. It has lots of hills, steep and little ones. So come prepared!  Bring lots of water, sunscreen and a towel! What mainly made it difficult was hiking pass families especially the toddlers and the elders. After we made it to the top, the complaining stop and we just took in how beautiful Oahu was. Despite the craziness of Diamond Head and it’s tourism haven, I was glad we made the hike. The sight was a high and it definitely gave Cat and I the buzz to find other special hikes in Oahu.

Cat and I made it to the top! The view is spectacular.

I love an adventure and since our stay in Oahu was a short one, we needed to pick THE best hike to go on. We value quietness, tranquility and awesome views. Also, how could you not see a waterfall traveling to an island! The hunt was on and after reading many reviews and blogs, we found THE hike. Sacred Falls.

What made Sacred Falls special was that it is a closed trail. Which meant that it was more exclusive! Cat found a blog that shared the directions of this hike. Sacred Falls is known to have the most beautiful waterfall of Oahu. What made it infamous were the deaths of 8 hikers  and 50 plus injured back in 1999. It was caused by a landslide.  Because the park was found unsafe in a lawsuit, the state lost millions of dollars therefore forcing the trails to be closed.  I think the fact that it was closed made it so much more exciting to me. I did my research while Cat did hers.

What was even more intriguing was this blog Cat and I found about the Legends of Sacred Falls. The blog pretty much sold me on visiting the Fall.

“The potential physical dangers are not the only things that you should be worried about. Make no mistake, Sacred Falls is indeed sacred to the Hawaiian people. The falls, known to Hawaiians as Kaliuwa’a, means “leaking canoe.” And according to Greg Cleghorne, this place is filled with legend. Folklore says that the valley’s name is derived from the story of a mischievous demigod known as Kamapua’a. This demigod was able to take the shape of man and pig. Legend says that this demigod would often steal food from a local village. The village people became tired of the mischief and set out to hunt the demigod. The demigod then ran into the valley to create a double-hulled canoe to help with his escape. The demigod was only able to finish one-side of the canoe, leaving the other unfinished. The unfinished hull is what is now known as Sacred Falls.

Meanwhile, ghost hunters believe that the falls is the starting point for night marchers on the Ko’olauloa side of the island. And let’s not forget the many people that have died here. Let’s just say that the mana in this area is strong. I could definitely feel it as it sent chills down my spine.

As I crossed the old and rusty yellow gate and into the abandoned park, every internal alarm went off. It’s as if my superego, as Freud had intended, was telling me that it was not morally acceptable to be here. That I should not be messing around with the mana here. And yet I continued on.”

The full article can be found on: Exploration Hawaii

As we made our way to find this hike, Cat made numerous efforts to rationalize the reasons why we shouldn’t do it. We are both good girls so the idea of getting $2500 trespassing ticket didn’t sound too hot. Also, I told Cat I would pay her fine because it was my idea!  I really wanted to go and each time Cat gave a reason why we shouldn’t, I rebutted with the whys we should! So she agreed to check it out and we would decide there. I knew at this point if she was down to check it out, we would go.

Morning arrived and it was a beautiful day. I could absolutely get use to the birds chirping and hearing the water crash on shore every morning. Its the kind of morning that would make you smile regardless of what kind of night you had before. Determine to make my way on this hike, we got up and headed to the east side of the island.

Along the way we found our first shrimp truck! We had to stop by to see what the buzz was all about. I got the spicy garlic shrimp plate. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, not well-done. The flavor of the sauce was spectacular.

Our first shrimp truck!

Shrimp Shack’s garlic shrimp plate with butter sauce! Of course I had to make it spicy.

I got my fix and off we went to find Sacred Falls. It took a while to figure out where to park because we were cautious of the neighbors reporting us.  When we found the gate and the entrance, we had a dilemma. What prevented me from starting the hike was a fenced locked gate. To climb over the fence or to not climb over the fence, that was our question. Cat gave me 10 seconds to make a decision, so I picked to jump over the fence. Five minutes into the walk, we realize we could have walked around the fence. Duh.

One of the many signs that made us turn around!

After walking in about a mile, there were signs everywhere that reminded we were trespassing and that it would result into a fine. Cat reminded me of that and after a while contemplating the repercussions of trespassing, we decided to head back to the car. Hike FAIL. I think the shamans were on my side today because as we were walking back out, we ran into a couple. Determine to still go on the hike, I asked Cat if they knew were they were going would she be ok if we continued the hike! She agreed and I asked. Despite the fact they were probably on a romantic hike I asked anyways. How did I knew they were on a romantic hike? They were all over each other and their backpack was packed! Cat and I soon found out what they were packing. They had champagne, wine, cheese and salami! Boy did I pick the right group to follow!

The couple that helped us through the hike.

After finding our way through the jungle, we made it to the water fall. It was worth the stress, anxiety, bruises and bug bites. I will definitely come again.

There’s no turning back now!

The beautiful waterfall.

Did I mention I swam and jumped off the tiny ledge? I’ll just prove it.

Click below to see my video!!!

Jump Off the Cliff

The video cut off right before I jumped so here’s a picture to prove I did!

Do you have a bucket list? I do! One of the item on the list that I was determine to do in Oahu was the Shark Tour! It was the first thing I did after booking the vacation package. I read numerous reviews and found a company I liked. I booked the shark tour and it was official. I’M GOING TO SEE SHARKS!!!

Below is the link to the company I booked my tour with!

North Shore Shark Adventures

If you are anything like me, I read everything prior to making a decision. I check out prices, reviews, locations and most importantly convenience. I read a lot about other shark tours and I do not want to spend hours riding out to find the spot to see sharks. I also want a guarantee to see sharks. Can you imagine traveling hours on boat, probably feeling seasick and not being able to see sharks? I would be so disappointed and miserable from being sea sick.

Here are things I recommend you do:

1.) If your in Oahu, book with North Shore Shark Adventures

2.) Read the reviews: Yelp Reviews, Trip Advisor Reviews, Facebook, Gogobot Reviews, Google Reviews

3.) Take Dramamine. I know the directions say to take 1 pill 30 minutes to an hour before your trip. If possible I recommend taking 1 pill the night before and 1.5 hours before your trip. If your body isn’t use to it, taking it the night before helps your body get use to it!

4.) Do not eat anything heavy. Keep it light in the morning. From personal experience, I saw my food twice that day. I saw it once before I ate it and a second time about a couple hours later.

5.) Buy their HD photographs. Ever heard of GoPro? That’s what they used when they took pictures and it’s unbelievably clear.

6.) Keep moving and talking. It helps with the motion sickness.

7.) Ask the guys a ton of questions! They are knowledgeable and nice.

8.) Never book the tour on the later part of your trip. The tour is dependent on good to decent weather. If it’s really bad out at sea, they will cancel due to your safety. If you book earlier and they have to cancel, they will try to book you on another one. If they cancel you get your refund back which means they lose money. They would never cancel intentionally but will do it base on safety of their crew and you.

9.) Lastly, tip them! They work extremely hard to  make sure we had a good time. It’s not their fault the water is rough or if you throw up.

My experience seeing the sharks was unbelievable. They aren’t as scary as they are suppose to be. I learned that we aren’t food for them however they are curious. They are as curious about us as we are about them. They are breathtakingly beautiful creatures.

Cat (right) and me (left) waiting for our tour to begin!

Beautiful Haleiwa

We had visitors!

Hello Sharky!

Needless to say my outdoor time in Oahu was amazing. Everything is breathtakingly beautiful and awesome to experience. If I could do anything differently, I would have tried to add one more hike to my trip!

Next Blog: Drinks? I’d love to.