Tsunami

Yesterday we had a brief scare here in Hawaii. A huge earthquake shook the Island Nation of Samoa triggering Tsunami warnings in New Zealand, Japan, Hawaii, and other Pacific Islands.


This was a small reminder of the risk of living in paradise. Just off the tip of my head I can think of the following natural disasters that could occur here in Hawaii- things that wouldn't happen in the midwest, or never have.

1. Volcanic Explosions
2. Earthquakes
3. Tsunami's
4. Landslides

Ohh Paradise, I guess it will be okay for a while though :)

Colombia

It's official- I'm going to Colombia. I purchased a ticket yesterday to visit Cali in December. After I complete my internship here in Hawaii I will be going directly to CO for 15 days. Don't worry mom, I will be back in Indiana by December 23 to celebrate Christmas with the Family.

Vamos!

Just another day in paradise

We made a trek to the beach again this weekend. This time we went to a beach with some real surf and sand- there were surfers, snorkelers, and tourists swarming the beach and waters. One of the guys I was with had brought a mask so I was able to swim around in the deeper waters and see an impressive array of tropical fish.

Tip 1- NEVER EVER watch Shark Week on the Discovery Channel before embarking on a 3 month trip to Hawaii.

I was paranoid the entire time while swimming in the water, not to mention the fact that Tiger Sharks are regularly spotted swimming in the area. I mean, should they even allow people in the water here?

Tip 2- If deciding to swim in the water in Hawaii after watching Shark Week always swim with a companion who has on a brightly colored swim suit. Hopefully the shark will eat companion first.



After surviving the deep waters at Richardson's Beach Park we headed over to a street festival in downtown Hilo. There were a couple stages set up with live Hawaiian music being played and a lot of food vendors all over the place. No elephant ears and apple dumplings though. A lot of booths had ethnic food like- rice, pork, things on sticks, sushi, and lots of other funny things with funny names. I bet they were tasty!

Loco Moco

The Loco Moco is a popular Hawaiian Dish. A scoop of white rice is topped with a hamburger patty, fried egg, and then a large serving of gravy is poured over the entire concoction to make for a tasty but heavy entree.



Mmm doesn't this look great?

23 years old or young?

At what age do people start saying you are -- years young today! I mean I didn't think 23 was that old and I have had people say you are 23 years young today! Is 23 really that old?

Expedition Hilo

I went to Hilo last weekend with 3 other interns. Hilo isn't a hot spot for tourists. The town looks like it's straight out of the 1970's-80's, complete with a 1950's downtown. The Big Island is known for its slow pace of life and country attitude, completely different than the Islands of Oahu and Maui. Everyone here seems to be "local or native." Hence- if you have blonde hair you stick out and if you go to the beach with two other blonde girls you really stick out in the crowd!

We spent the day at the Beach. Two little local boys loved playing with us! In Hawaii, young people refer to elders as Aunty and Uncle. The boys kept calling us Aunty and Uncle all day. It was Hilarious and we have no idea where their parents were all day. Hope the little kiddos made it home okay.


We found some Lilikoi- a type of passion fruit- at the beach. It was delicious,free, fresh, but had a very funny texture.


In Hilo Town we stopped to have a famous Hawaiian Shaved Ice. This Massive Snow Cone beat the pants off any snow cone you will ever find at Swiss Days or the Berne Pool!

Action Jump

A nice tourist lady had a fancy smancy camera and caught my jump off the 60 foot cliff at South Point. She sent me these pictures today.