Top 5 "Facts" about Maui

#5. Use "Aloha" and "Mahalo" as much as possible! It's good manners! Aloha, you know is Hello and Goodbye. Mahalo means Thank You! Don't be discouraged by the waitresses and bartenders not reciprocating. They're all from the mainland too!

#4 Order a Mai Tai everywhere you go. Every place claims to make the BEST Mai Tai in Hawaii. Obviously, someone is lying. You won't know who, until you've tried them all!

#3 Snorkeling is way easier than it looks. You can rent the gear at any surf shop for a day or a week. You don't even need to take a boat ride! Many of the beaches are great snorkel spots. But if you can get out to Molokini Crater, it's worth it! Even if you don't snorkel, chances are the boat is manned by some hot bartenders. Hey, combine #4 and #3 to maximize your time on the island.

#2 Check out the Hula Show...at the Mall! Why spend $100 bucks to see a highly choreographed spectacle at one of the big Luau spots, when you can check out some fairly enthusiastic amateurs at the Cannery Mall in Lahaina??? It's really cool, and it's free. Um, what's not to like?

And the #1 Fact about Maui:
It's friggin' beautiful. Seriously, no joke. I never took so many pictures in my life, and looking at them now, they don't even BEGIN to do it all justice. From the beauty of Honoloa's hidden lagoon, to the shimmer of the setting sun off the turquoise ocean, from the volcano peaks shrouded by mist, to the many rows of palm trees swaying in the wind. It's amazing. You'll never feel so relaxed and alive at the same time.

Check out my Maui Mini-album here.

Summer 2007 Soundtrack

Every good trip has to have a SOUNDTRACK! You know...those songs that stick in your head long after you return to your real life. Songs you wouldn't ordinary hear as part of your 9-5 office routine. No, these are the songs you hear from the rental car's stereo speakers as you cruise around town. It's the songs blasting from behind the counter at every t-shirt shop along the beach. Every soundtrack is comprised of both songs that make you want to run to Target to pick up the CD, along songs that you are certain will drive you mad if you hear them one...more...friggin' time!!!!

Here are my summer 2007 Soundtrack hits:
Amy Winehouse (bless her soul), Rehab
Sean Kingston, Mi Love
Plain White T's, THE WHOLE DAMNED CD, actually
Rihanna, Umbrella (ay ay ay....)

Most HATED Summer 2007 Soundtrack hits:
Fergie, Big Girls (omg...if I hear that song one more time I may go absolutely insane)
Sean Kingston, Beautiful Girls (ok, this one is growing on me)
Maroon 5, you know the song...

Ok, ordinarily I'm a Maroon 5 fan, but on a recent trip to So Cal, I happened to be listening to a radio station that was presenting Maroon 5 in concert. Sadly, they killed that song for me by promoting that friggin concert during EVERY SINGLE COMMERCIAL BREAK! Since this was a top 40 station, that was basically every 10 minutes! Needless to say, they are now dead to me.
What's on your Soundtrack for 2007?

New England Surfing???

Some time during the research and planning stages of my first trip to California this past July, I became enamored with the idea of surfing. Nah, I haven't seen the movie Blue Crush (yet), and I must admit that although I can swim, I'm a little afraid of the water! And in spite of all this, I've allowed myself to imagine myself on a surfboard. Yeah. Right. Sure!
Ok, with the craptacular shape that I'm in now, it's not really feasible...but I've decided to stop looking for reasons NOT to try it (I don't live in california, my center of gravity is in a less than advantageous location, I don't dig sharks), and start looking for ways to make this happen.
With a little Google help, I found quite a few surf shops on the east coast...yet most in much warmer places than here! But a with a little more digging I discovered Wahine Kai Surf Company. Wahine Kai means Woman of the Sea...or something like that, and it's a Maine based surf shop that not only teaches surfing to girls and women, but they also create surfboards scaled to a woman's body. As much as I'd LOVE to learn with these surf divas, Maine is just a little toooo far from Boston to make it a feasible option for a day tripper like myself.
Then I found a link for Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Company. This shop is based in Hampton Beach, NH, which is a little over an hour north of Boston. They give lessons from May through the end of September, and tout a clientele ranging in age from age 4 to age 70! Hell, if they can teach a 70 year old, maybe they can work with me??? Anyhooo, they're at the top of my list now.
So, I've found a shop that's close enough to drive to from Boston...but what about the surf? I already know that the water this far north is colder than a witch's teet (I never get tired of saying that!!!), but what about the waves? I've never seen a wave big enough to surf on at any of the beaches in the Boston area. Ok, so I've only really been to 3... So, I was a little skeptical that there would be any surf to learn on! Side note: um, duh, I don't think these companies would be in business if there was no surf in these locations, but I like to see what I'm dealing with first hand.
So I've included a picture I took this weekend at the beach. Not too bad. Good waves were coming in, but they looked tame enough to learn on.
Stay tuned! I don't think I'll try it this year, because I have quite a few pounds to lose before I'm crazy enough to wear a wetsuit...but my goal is to be on my feet on a surfboard...hangin' ten, or whatever a year from now. Pray for me!

Florida Sunset

I took this photo on Clearwater Beach in Florida with my old Largan Chameleon camera. It came out surprisingly well, considering it was definitely on it's last legs after many years of faithful service.
Views like this are what fuel my travel bug. I can't look at this picture without sighing. I can almost feel the sand beneath my toes as I type... ;)
Travel on!