Adventures Ahead

Tokyo, Bali, Thailand and off to Laos tomorrow on a three day slow boat. Thought I would borrow Nick's most recent blog entry to get everyone up to speed. ( http://nickmitchelltravels.blogspot.com )
Nick writes:
"It has been a busy couple days over here on the other side of the planet. After leaving Bangkok aboard a nighttrain headed to Chiang Mai our group was greeted by our lovely host (or hostess) named Natalee (pronounced NATAAALLLEEEE with a lady-boy glee) who promptly told me he/she would be taking care of me this trip - just ask for anything I need and she will deliver. Awesome. The nighttrain was pretty nice - we had half a 2nd class car which consisted of pairs of facing seats that after 9PM (or when a conductor felt the time was right) transformed into an upper and lower bunk. I was assigned the upper and was priviliged enough to have an air consditioning duct above me, the door to the next car next to me (which did not close) and a bright neon light immediately near my eyes. Thank you to Advil PM for a sound four hours of sleep. Prior to sleeping we had a marathon game of Uno that took up most of the members of Car 11.We arrived to Chiang Mai to be scooped up by hotel salespersons and escorted to SK House where our rooms were only $8!! With warm water!!! Chiang Mai is in the north of Thailand near the Himalyan (?) foothills and is a mecca for the outdoorsey backpackers with trekking, off-roading, mountain biking, anything possible in the national parks in the surrounding hills. We signed up for a three day two night trek through the southern national park. The next morning we were driven about two hours south to begin our trek with our guides Foo and Pot. They were funny characters and provided many laughs, learnings and guitar for sing alongs the entire way. After a two hour hike through the hilly jungle arrived upon a small waterfall (with the COLDEST WATER IN THAILAND and camp for night one. Dinner was pretty tastey until toad stew appeared in front of me (I immediately converted to a vegetarian after a small bite) and then we sat around the camp fire and played cards while our guides proceeded to get piss drunk off "Thai water" (rice whiskey). That night was perhaps the coldest sleep of my entire life. 10 degrees celcius (about 49 farenheit - celcius to appease my NZ friends with the unfortunate luck of living with both the metric and celcius system of measurement) I was literally shivering in a ball with the covers over my head. My feet spilled out of the sheets for a couple hours and were numb when I brought them back to sheets.The next morning we headed out for a six hour hike and while walking through a rice field a farmer passed us atop his elephant strolling through the forest. Very random. Foo went on to explain that some farmers use elephants, others use water buffalo and others use something called a machine - and machines are better because they don't eat or sleep. Useful life lesson. After what seemed like ages we arrived at a village to sleep the night and had a rowdy night of singing and drinking Thai water around the campfire with Pot's stirring renditions of Thai popular songs.Our final day of Trekking had a 2 hour hike out of the valley where the village was located and a short ride to the elephant trek. I shared an elephant with NZ Nick named Tokia with our driver and we headed off to the hills. Elephants do not provide the most comfort but the view sure is good from atop and Tokia, although stopping every minute to reach aruond with her trunk to request a banana from NZ Nick, was keen to pick up any object thrown from atop her to the ground and return with her trunk. Shoes, water bottles, anything.Next adventure was riding a bamboo canoe down a river captianed by a 10 year old Thai boy nicknamed by his patrons "Short Round" - as he was a spitting image of the Indiana Jones character without humor and more Napoleon-like character. I have not been yelled at so much in so short of time in my entire life, let alone my a three foot midget kid. "Hey you, hey you, NO NO NO NO" or "hey you, hey you, SIT SIT SIT" where echoing off the river valley our whole trip. One would think after Short Round fell off the raft twice and had to be scooped out of the water by me and thrown back to safety there would be some appreciation. None, only harsh glares when I was out of line (this I cannot figure as I was standing still not moving an inch, but was still lashed with a "hey you hey you NO NO NO")....Back in Chiang Mai town last night our team of ten went to a hearty Thanksgiving feast at a Mexican food resturaunt where margaritas replaced wine and Chang beer replaced the turkey. As Gabe and I were the only Americans, we taught the Aussie and Kiwi's about our holiday and we all stood and gave a toast to what we were thankful for this trip (mine being that I met such great travel friends after arriving alone in Bangkok and now am amongst ten people!). After dinner we walked to the reggae district and celebrated Thanksgiving properly. This morning we awoke to an all day mini-van trip to the city of Chang Kong which lies on the Mekong River. I am looking across the river at Laos while the sunsets and tomorrow we board a two day slow boat trip into Laos. We stopped along the drive at a temple Wat Karun (?) outside Chang Rai that can only be described as unique - a white palace created in 1997 by a famous Thai artist that has monuments to suffering one most reach before nirvana. This was almost uncomfortable as one mural had the World Trade Center on fire with a dragon wrapped around and Neo (Keanu Reeves from Matrix) standing watch - very eerie."
Thanks Nick!

Pad Thai

Due to a rapid increase in internet prices and a decrease in time, I've struggled to find time to write. I'm currently in Ko Toa, Thailand, diving in search of the highly elusive whale shark. Yesterday I went on two dives with Ban's. On the first dive I saw a 3meter bull shark. My friend Skye was supposed to be my dive partner but she has an ear infection. I've been travelling through Thailand for the past few weeks with my friend Nick from my Bali adventures, my friend Skye from New Zealand, her bf Nick, his brother Cam, Cam's friend from school Izzy and Skye's friend Brooke from Australia. Did you get all of that? Nick, Nick, Brooke and Cam are all getting there Open Water certificates, so we should be here for a few more days. We arrived in Ko Toa after a twelve hour trip from Railey via a long tail boat, 4 hr bus ride and an rooftop overnight ferry ride. Turned out to be quite the adventure. We stayed just north of Raley in a backpacker haen call Tonsai. Both Railey and Tonsai are a Rock Climbers dream, with hundreds of routhes and rock faces as high as the eye can see. Had I not shattered my toe a few nights prior, I would have attempted a few routes. Seeing as no one else in the group had any desire to climb, we made our trip there a short one.

The last few weeks have been nothing but beautiful weather, aside from a few rainstorms here and there that last for a few minutes. Not a dull moment in this group. Especially the four days we spent in Koh Phi Phi. A typical day would consist of waking up early, chartering a long tail boat to some remote island or beach, a few games of UNO, frisbee, snorkelling, lounging around, some pb&js, a hike up to the viewpoint for the sunset, dinner, and then some "buckets." "Buckets" are...well they are just that ...."Buckets" of booze. Most of the bars offer free "buckets" from 10-10:10, 1-11:10, and 12-12:10. Cam and Nick had the system down! Get to bed around 3am and do it all over again.

Gotta run, we are headed north the Chang Mai in a few days for elephant rides and a little meditation. Enjoy the pics!

A Week In Review

Last week as the surf started to drop, Nick, Mariah, Josh and I decided to check out some of the other islands in Indonesia. 

A fast boat took us from Sanur to Nusa Lembongan. The island is very small, 8 square kilometers to be exact. Upon arriving we saw hundreds of small canoes scattering the shore, most of which were propelled by a man standing on the front bow maneuvering himself with a long stick. On the island the main cash crop is seaweed and on a low tide you can see the seaweed plots divided with stakes (you want to avoid the stakes with your surfboard at all costs!) 

We had heard that the island might have waves, so with a little optimism we brought our boards. There are a few different breaks on the island, Playgrounds, Lacerations and Shipwrecks. All of the breaks work best on a high tide. Just in front of the bungalows where we were staying is Shipwrecks. To get out to the break you either pay 10000 rupiahs ($1) or you paddle. Josh and I paddled. By the time we got to the break we were freezing...yes! freezing! There must have been a cold current coming through because after an hour my toes turned white. Mariah, a Mainer', kept laughing at us calling us babys. 

After our surf we rented bikes and decided to ride around the island. We stopped at Mushroom Bay and took pictures on the bridge to Nusa Ceningan. Josh and Mariah were in a hurry to get back to the fruit stands in town. Every day they make me try a new fruit, every one smelling worse than the last. Josh's favorite is a durian. Apparently in Thailand you can't bring it on most buses because it smells so bad. When we got off the speed boat in Nusa Lembongan, the locals were saying in Indonesian, "look at the tourist with the durian." J and M also bought a 20 lb jackfruit the other day, which broke the refrigerator shelf. 

After two days on Nusa Lembongan, we took a different speed boat to  Gili Trawangan. We found the island to be a little funky. With no cars on the island, you either walk, ride a bike or take a small horse carriage. The island is mostly known for its superb diving and magic

 mushroom milkshakes. Unfortunately we didn't partake in either, just a little snorkeling. Mariah and I decided to cycle around the island, and while the island was much smaller than Nusa Lembongan, the roads consisted of 4 inch sandy stretches. It felt like we were walking our bikes through the desert. After two days and no surf we headed back to Bali.

After spending a few crazy nights in Kuta, we packed our things at headed back to the Puri

 Uluwatu villas on the Buket Peninsula ( that is a pic of the villas that overlook the surf!). Nick and I rented mopeds and drove, while Josh and M took a taxi with all our bags and boards.  

The tide was too low this morning so Josh, Nick and I took our mopeds down to the temple Pura Lehur just a few minutes drive away to mess with the monkeys. Mariah started work as

the manager at the villas today so she didn't get to partake. If you're not wearing pants they make you wear a sarong and sell you food to feed the monkeys. And trust me, you want the food so you can barter with the monkeys when they steel something. ie cameras, sunglasses. I played tug o war for my camera and one monkey ran off with Nick's sunglasses. The pictures we took are classic, check out the sequence of the monkey tricking me!

A few more weeks in Bali, then I'm off to Thailand on the 9th of Nov. We surfed this afternoon at Ulu but the waves are a little inconsistent. We are pondering riding our mopeds two hours north to Ubud for a few days, before the surf picks up again on Monday. Fingers crossed!

Aloha

pics...

I love Indo!

Okay, here we go! It's been over a week since my last blog entry, so I have a lot of catching up to do in a short time.
I arrived in Bali on the 12th of October. On the flight from Taipei I met Rodrigo, who is from Brazil, but has been living in Oahu for the past 6months. We spent the first few days staying with a friend at the Hard Rock in Kuta, then headed down to Padang Padang to surf.
After a few days of surf I headed back to Kuta to hang with Ben's friend Mariah. She is from Maine, but speaks Balinese and just got a job as the manager of the Uluwatu villas. Mariah came to Bali with her friend Josh, who owns a restaurant and farm in Costa Rica and I must note that he is a vegan who eats more than any person I know. After every meal he asks ,"when is lunch #2? when is dinner #2?" We are also joined by Nick, who is a former USC grad traveling while in between jobs. In the past week we've been lucky enough to score some epic waves at Uluwatu, Impossibles, Dreamland and Nusa Lembongan.
Bali is amazing... you can live for dirt cheap or you can spend a little bit more and live like a king! It is hard to get homesick when the waves are good, the food is amazingly cheap, the sun is shinning and the beers are flowing. Sleeping in bungalows overlooking the ocean. White sand beaches. Too much Fun! I never want to leave. Gotta run tho. try to get pictures up soon!

Bali

...Bali adventures coming soon! currently on the island Nusa Lembongan, off to Gili Islands today. Will update soon!

Just to give everyone an idea of what the metro in Japan is like during morning rush hour...

トイレはどこですか。

"We travel to have enlightening experiences, to meet inspirational people, to be stimulated, to learn, to grow." Rick Steves.
I'm in full travel mode, safe and sound in Tokyo. My friend Alban says there are two types of people, the ducks and the chickens. The ducks migrate and travel, the chickens don't travel, they lay their eggs and take care of their young. He says I'm the duck! =) It's 5:30 am and I just awoke in Alban's apartment. The view from my room looks out over the Tokyo skyline. What a life! Alban moved to Tokyo with his girlfriend Claire about a year ago. I met him back in my Hermosa Beach days and we've been friends ever since. He is in charge of the Asian region for a French sparkling juice company and she works for a French architectural firm. They are both French and of course, their wine refrigerator is almost as large as their food refrigerator.

Lets rewind back a day, a long day. And don't worry I'm not going to describe every day in detail, just the most worthy ones. At the airport in Honolulu, I was approached by a customs officer. He asks,"Where are you traveling? Are you traveling alone? How much cash, travelers checks did you bring? And how many bags did you check?" I answer, "Japan, Bali, and Thailand. Alone. Hmm... let me check...$2. And I didn't check any bags." So he gives me this look, hands me back my passport and says, "you're crazy, you know that right?" Ahhh shucks.
My flight over was a breeze. This is where I met Gibby. Gibby is originally from Philly, but has been a bouncer for the past 8 years in Honolulu and is off to see his girl in Japan for a few weeks. I slept little on the plane and made the mistake of watching the moving My Sister's Keeper. Disclaimer: Boys! Do not watch this movie with girls around, I cried for a good hour and trust me, I fought it!
Landing in Tokyo I discovered that my ATM card doesn't work at 90% of the ATM's. But thank heaven for 7-Eleven in downtown Tokyo, it finally worked! Gibby decided to tag along, or I decided to tag along with Gibby, in case my card never worked. I would have ended up in China if it weren't for Gibby's japanese. I know I know, I may sound like a stupid American, but I thought all kids in Japan were taught English at a young age. Wow, was I wrong. I was also thinking I might run into some Ninjas and Samurais. Wow, was I wrong ;)
My flight landed at noon. And with the help of Gibby's friend Shiho, we deciphered Alban's address, and I made it just before night fall. Shihu and Gibby introduced me to Kamo Soba, a duck noodle dish, and taught me a few greetings to help me on my way. Alban explained to me that if you ask someone for directions in Japan, they will walk you across town until you find it. Shihu guided me all the way to Alban's apartment and made sure I met Claire. Arigato!

I may have to buy a rain jacket, apparently there is a Typhoon headed for Japan today. In Maui that would probably ruin my day but in a city like Tokyo there are still tons of things to do.
Btw, トイレはどこですか。means Where is the toilet? My parting shot is of the buttons on the toilet at Alban's apartment, I'm yet to learn to use them but he reassured me he would teach me today =)

Here today, Gone tomorrow

Where to begin?

It has been months since my last blog so I have some catching up to do. I continue to work on a sailboat in Maui, surfing whenever there are waves, and enjoying day after day of sunshine. The boys and I raced in the Hana Relay this year, sponsored by Polli's Mexican restaurant and wearing Mariachi costumes, we placed 1st out of 122 teams with a 6:13 mile pace. For anyone who doesn't know the Hana Relay it is a fifty-two mile race, from the airport in Kahului to Hana, along 617 curves and over 56 bridges through the most breathtaking scenery in all of Maui. We even had a support team, also dressed in Mariachi costumes, blaring ghetto mexican music while riding a tandem bike. Definitely the highlight of our year!

Abe and Beth came to visit in August and we borrowed Alli's kmart beach cruisers and rode down Haleakala Crater. Byan Dennis also paid a visit and we drove around the entire island in a 24 hr time window.

I'm still yet to travel this year, other than a short trip to Oregon and Washington in August. Short, but what a great trip! I got to skydive in Oregon and see my niece Blakely. I just said my goodbyes to Oren and Alli who are traveling to South America, Israel, Cali, and Georgia for four months and Kyle and Heather who are traveling to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand (check out http://kylethevagabond.com). And tomorrow...I'm off on a two month trip which includes 6 days in Japan visiting Alban and two months exploring Bali and Thailand.

I've been extremely busy the past week packing, finding places to store all my junk, moving out of my house, working and all the while there has been a south swell, which has made it hard for me to get anything done. Not to mention it feels like a bazillion degrees on the West Side. I'll be sure to blog as much as possible along the way.

Aloha

Year 2009 to date...

SO it's 2009! April 11th! Incredible how fast time flies. Since my adventures in El Salvador, I have made my way back to Maui and I'm not going anywhere for awhile. Atleast not for two months...I had to send my passport in to get renewed. It really sucks that you have to turn your old passport in when you renew. In ten years I somehow avoided losing it, although I did put it through a few spin cycles. Ben and I moved into a new 3 bedroom unit back in December with my friend from UP, Jeff Fanning. Jeff had won a car on the Price is Right last summer, took the money and fled to Maui. Don't believe me, see for yourself on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khtJ8hN8TC0

Where is Jeff now? Back in Alaska, he just left a few days back for a job opportunity. But, not before he stepped on a sea urchin and had to go into surgery! ouch!

My dad visited back in February and we had one hell of a weekend. I took a few days off and we headed to Hana for a night. We visited Red Sand beach, Waimoku Falls, Wainapanapa, and spent a night at a hotel on the water. For those of you that have never visited Hana, there are very few restuarants. We were planning on just cooking in our room, but when my dad asked the cashier at the grocery store for places to eat, she replied, "My house!" We pulled up to a small house in Hana town and when we knocked on the door, we were presently surprised. For only 16 bucks we each got chicken, a small salad, black beans and rice. If you ask my dad, he would probably say it was the best meal of his life. If you know my dad you wouldn't be surprised. My favorite bumper sticker is at the Hana General store, it reads, "NEW YORK PARIS TOKYO HANA."
We are in our last week of whale season, thank god! At one point I was working three whale watches a day and at the same time I was taking medicine for acute toncilitis, which I probably got from doing whale talks on the boat or maybe even from the whale snot...very high in bacteria!
We should have a new addition to the Cecka family, either today or tomorrow. Another girl. I'm sure my sister will start another blog for her.

One of my best buddys Rachel Kvamme visited last weekend. Definitly worth few paragraphs. Rachel and I have been friends for about 8 years now, I had always considered her as my older sister, as she always gives me this "I'm in trouble look" when I do something dumb, then she says, "Gabriellllll." I love it.


So I decided to take the weekend off, which really isn't that easy to do during our spring break season, but yes, thank you Chris. I picked Rachel up from the airport and we headed down to Kihei to go sailing with my friend Michael in close to 20 mph winds, 30 mph on the gusts. If you knew Michael you would tell us we're crazy, actually most of my friends did say just that. Just the three of us sailing down the coast, what a great adventure. Although we almost didn't even make it out to the boat on the moaring becuase we almost undershot the paddle out in the dingy and the wind was holding us off. For a second there I was thinking, crap Gabe, Rachel's first day and we are going to have to call the coast guard for a rescue. That night we headed to Cool Cats, our local hang out, for a little Oren Masserman on the ukelele.


On friday we headed to Lanai for the night. We put up a hammock on the beach and drank a bottle of wine, while listening to the commedian Mitch Hedberg. After dark my local Lanai friend Dustin gave us a short ride up to the Manele Bay Four Seasons Hotel (http://www.fourseasons.com/manelebay/), where we spent the night....NOT! But we did play a little yahtzee on the hotel's veranda, then challenged a few General Electric big wigs to a game of shuffleboard and jumped in the hot tub, before returning to our luxurious double LL Bean tent.


Busy busy weekend. The next day we went up to Lanai City to eat breakfast at Blue Ginger, where we saw George Lopez, had Rachel not pointed him out I would have never known,

actually I still have no idea who he is, so I 'googled' him five minutes ago =)

After breakfast we went to the Lanai Pines Sporting Clay range. Really really fun. We were given a half hour instruction (apparently Rachel has a dominant left eye!), then let loose with a golf cart and our rifles strapped to the side. So don't mess with us, although you do have a 30% chance of getting dropped if you cross us in the woods, which is roughly what Rachel figured we averaged. We took a couple of classic rifle pictures, which you can find on the cover of next months issue of, "Fox and Hound" and "American Rifleman."

We then spent the rest of the afternoon playing crochet and lounging around in the Japanese garden at the Koele Lodge, which is also run by the Four Seasons. After joined back up with Captain Brian, we sailed home, showered, then we were off to the Drums of the Pacific Luau at the Hyatt. Breathe... The weekend continued on much like that...but I have to go for a sunset surf right now because Ben keeps bugging me to get of my computer so I'll have to fill you in on the rest a little later. I'll post the pics from the weekend on my next blog...

Aloha
Gabe

Playa Tunco

Another terribly difficult day of surfing, laying around in hammocks, walking the beach at sunset and drinking dollar beers. Much of what my last week has been at the Papaya Lodge in Playa Tunco, El Salvador. With only a few more days left of my c. america adventures, I must soon bid farewell and head back to "my" reality...Maui. I had originally planned on heading to Patagonia and Peru, but my lack of proper planning made it a little on the unsafe and expensive side.

Almost everyone I've met at the Lodge always says, "You live in Maui, why the hell did you come here?" Yep, don't know, just another adventure.

With almost every ammenity at your fingertips, backed by mangroves, hammocks that swing over the river, and a friendly monkey named Pablo. Papaya lodge has been my favorite oasis in c. america. I'm yet to see a day of rain and there has been no shortage of waves, although the paddle out to the lineup feels like 2 miles. I've also made friends from Whistler, Berlin, Switzerland, Australia, and Vermont.

Last night I joined a little salvador feast for the homecoming of Papaya, who is the most famous surfer in the country. He'd been in Portugal for a competition, while his wife ran the lodge. I gave the women the rest of my maui key chains.

The sunset last night was beautiful and I joined my new friend from Whistler for a little hula hoopin!

Off to the market in La Libertad. Will write again soon. Ciao

What´s on tap?

Perfect waves, kayaking through estuaries with crocodillas, empty beaches for miles, enough avocados to turn you green, beaches littered with shells of every imaginable shape and color, hiking Corcovado national park where scarlet macaws circle above, sailing to remote Matapalo where whales dance and in the waves you are the only crowd, swinging from vines while hiking volcanoes and watching lava flow... just to name a few reasons why I came back to Costa Rica yet one more time. Many stories to be told, but I will have to catch everyone up later as the last few days have been extremely eventful!
Two days ago I woke to yet another day of rain in Playa Hermosa. Up until the last 3 days I didn´t know why they called this the rainy season. My friend Ricky told me that the bridge just east of Hermosa where they feed the crocs chicken daily had flooded and washed the crocs into the ocean. Nope, not surfing today, tomorrow or even the next day. I packed my things and was off to the Jaco bus station.
I came to find that everyone had the same idea and the last bus to San Jose was full. Despite my better judgement I took a cab 3 hrs to San Jose. The taxi driver Oliver lived in Alejuela, a small town near San Jose, and was headed home so he only charged me $24, compared to the normal $120. Deal! A little bit of a crazy driver, but his broken english and love for terrible American songs proved to be entertaining.
When we arrived in San Jose it was dark and if you have ever been to downtown SJ at night you would know it is extremely dangerous (don´t worry mom, happy ending!).
My bus for San Salvador was leaving at 3am and when I told Oliver I was going to sleep in the station he pleaded with me to stay in a hotel. He took me to the bus station to get my ticket, the bank to get some money, the grocery store for some snacks, then to a small hotel just a few blocks from the station, and he insisted I take a taxi at 2 am. All the while not accepting a dime extra.
I tell you this story to show that not all taxi drivers are shysters and I´m a lucky SOB.
the hotel I stayed at was a family business and the kids took an early liking to me after I gave them "cheesy" Maui key chains. They even knocked on my door at 2am and gave me breakfast and coffee.
Yesterday was a long day on the bus, 22 hours long, passing through Nicaragua and Hondurus before finally arriving in San Salvador at 1 am. If you are ever planning on travelling on a strict budget through C America, Tica bus is the way to go. Movies, food and getting through customs is a breeze. Only cost me $58. Running 4 hrs late, I had no idea where I was going to stay and walking the streets of downtown San Salvador at night is a no no!
Fortunatly I made a friend on the bus named Maria Jose Nonez, who was visiting her family in San Salvador and speaks english better than me, although she informed me she was the only one in El Salvador. She was surprised to hear I was travelling to her country bc they don´t get many tourists. With 16 right surf point breaks, some being the longest and best waves in C America and 82 degree water, why not come to El Salvador?! Maria offered me a pull out couch at her parents house and with not too many other options, I accepted. I stayed up late with Maria and her friends. One of her friends even sang Mariache and they told me all the secret spots in San Salvador.
I awoke to a beautiful day and just walked 20 blocks with my surfboard and backpack because I´m afraid to take the overcrowded buses and I´ve done enough sitting to last me a few weeks. I plan to stay in San Salvador for another day, check out the museums and cathedrals Alexis recommended, try some pupuseria, take in some live jazz tonight and head to Punta Roca tomorrow to surf.
One of the travel hints for blending in with locals is to travel with a duffel bag and wear neat clothes and long pants. I´m wearing board shorts, slippers, and a tank top, while carrying my surfboard bag and brick orange colored backpack. I almost caused a few accidents walking down the street.
Has anyone not listened to the "Into the Wild" soundtrack with Eddie Vedder. Listen to the song "Guaranteed." It has been an inspiring soundtrack as I travel solo, which at times can be lonely, but at others it can be uplifting. Life is what you make of it and the attitude that you take can make all the difference.
And isn´t it funny how one moment or encounter or decision can change the coarse of so many! ...something I think about more often when I´m travelling solo.
Pura Vida

Costa Rica

So I've been having some difficulties finding time this trip to write on my blog, but I'm alive and well and loving Costa Rica.
I will fill everyone in when I get a chance. I'm currently in Tamarindo and I'm renting a car and heading to Mal Pais today.
Pura Vida

Where to next?

My sister was giving me trouble tonight for not writing on my blog for the last few months.
Where have I been?...and more importantly where to next? I'll start with the been.
The last time I blogged I was just about to sail to fanning island 100o miles south of Maui. Denver kept a blog of our one month surf and sailing adventure...
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/denvercoon/


We got back on the 7th of July, just a day after my birthday. Ginger cooked me a cake and made Tang frosting. Absolutly delicious. She also gave me these huge crocodile sandals, I've been meaning to try them watersking.


Only a few days back in Maui and I raced in the paddleboard championships with Oren and Ben. I was a little hesitant to race, seeing as I hadn't trained, but I wasn't going to miss a chance to hang with my buddys. It was a little over 9 and half miles, not to mention the mile paddle to the starting line. My french friend Albah was visiting at the time and he made sure to stand at the finish line and take pictures of all the girls that finished before me.

Oren, Quinn, Beadle, Brian, Abe and I raced in the 52 mile hana relay just a week back dressed as "super fairies/super ferrys." Finished 5th out of 123 teams, 2nd in the mens division and we ran a 6:38 min. mile pace. There was an article in the Maui News that read, "Another personal favorite was the Super Fairies, a clever twist on the Hawaii Superferry. The all-male team members got in touch with both their masculine and feminine sides, donning Superman shirts accessorized with delicate fairy wings." Here is the link to the article...
http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/508326.html?nav=5055

So where to now?

Just a few months back Ben or Captain Ben was offered a job on a boat in Golfito, Costa Rica, giving personal surf tours to the owner Timmy's friends. And seeing as we're headed into our slow season in Maui, I've decided to take 3 months off to lend Ben a hand. Oren and his girlfriend are also joining us towards the end of October. My plans are tentative, but I moved out of my studio and I don't have a return ticket from Costa Rica.

I also found my journal from 10 yrs ago when I lived in Costa Rica for a summer, so I'm hoping to trace my footsteps and reconnect with my old host family.

I landed back in good ole Washington last night to spend a few days with the fam. My little niece Ally is growing up so fast. My mom says she has been watching movies lately and one of her favorites is Snow White and the seven dwarfs. When my mom said to Ally that she was "sleepy," Ally said "I'm doppy." I read her a halloween book tonight before bed and it made my week. My sister has been keeping a blog as well...
http://www.allycecka.blogspot.com/

My mom and dad seem to have been keeping busy. My mom has an Obama pin on almost everything she owns. I remember when Bush was elected for his first term, she kept calling me crying. I'm not sure what she will do if McCain is elected...So please for my mom's sanity and our future, vote Obama and if you live in Kihei, vote Michael Geingrich for local representative! My dad is still teaching and throwing pots...clay drums, sushi plates, weird tree ornaments and rock rolling. Josh is back in school at USF after his school year abroad in Geneva, Switzerland and Ughanda, Africa. I haven't seen him in well over a year. When he came back to WA for the summer he assembled a dark room in our Lummi Island house. He keeps a blog as well and writes far better than myself, but hasn't updated it since March. Get with the program bro!! ...http://maxfieldlucy.blogspot.com/

I'll do my best to keep everyone posted on my travels in Costa Rica and who knows where else?!
Pura Vida and Aloha

If there is no risk, there is no adventure!

Aloha everyone!
Sorry for the extended absence from writing. As if anyone actually reads this.
Since I last wrote I’ve been doing much of the same…Surfing, sailing, hiking, carving, and enjoying beautiful Hawaiian sunsets.
A few months back I convinced my friends, Michael, Keith and of course…Oren, to Kayak from Maui to Lanai in the middle of the night on a full moon. The trip is 14 miles. We started at 10pm and finished 6.5 hrs later. The channel can be a little tricky with changing currents, but that night it was a rather smooth trip. It isn’t until about mile 9 that we all started to ask ourselves, “What the hell are we doing?” All I could think about was a big fat burger and a milkshake. The crossing helped me appreciate the little things. For instance, if I would have sat on a couch all day, a cold beer would sound okay, but when you paddle 14 miles, a warm beer sounds amazing.
Oren’s Brother Mickey has since quit his job as a corporate Lawyer and now works for the Obama campaign in North Carolina. Oren has been training for a triathlon, but still eats too much…to quote Oren, “BRO I’m so Fat!” I’d be right next to him training, but I won’t be around in June.
On Wednesday I’m taking the super ferry to Oahu to haul out Randy’s boat ‘Rosinante.’ It is a 63'x 45' custom–carbon fiber and epoxy–Hughes/Perry designed trimaran. Here are a few links to check out:
http://www.graphicdesignstudio.net/Rosinante/
http://sailrosinante.blogspot.com/ (this is our new blog)
In June we are sailing to Fanning Island, which is an atol just a thousand miles south of Hawaii (http://www.fanning-island.com/). It is absolutely pristine and the only way to reach it is by boat. We are planning to stay for a month. I’m officially stoked! We are going to try to update the blog with our satellite phone. The crew is Ginger, Denver, Kenny, Ian, Lilly and Captain Rand (aka Capt. Crunch or RC).
Do follow along. Many Alohas

A Whale of a Story

Back to work. Oren and I arrived safely last Tuesday the 12th and I’ve worked everyday since. All of my free time has been spent surfing, running, swimming, golfing, and hangin out with the boys. My friend from my younger years, Tyler, arrived in Maui last Friday. Unfortunately on his second day he cut his hand on a piece of broken glass while doing our dishes, so he is learning how to relax on the beach now.
In the last week we have had the most amazing whale watches of my life. On Saturday we had a group of males chasing a female and its calf. The 50 ton female was using our boat to block the males. And yesterday we had a mother teaching a calf how to do peduncle slaps just 50 yards away from our boat.
My first day back I managed to do an indo on my beach cruiser and land on my face. Now I have 3 more scars to add to my 20. Maui is amazing and I am so glad to be home. If anyone ever wants to visit, just feel free to give me a call. (808) 344-9536. Aloha

...the girls make me do all the work!

I Got Love for Tasmania

Before heading to Tazmania Oren and I took a ferry and bus to Coogee, to run along the cliffs to Bondi. Oren used to live in Coogee went he studied in Australia years back. His stories of Coogee are classic. The cliffs were beautiful along the cliffs, I kept telling Oren... closer, closer! In Bondi we stopped at an art gallery that Mikey told us about called aquabumps.com. Check it out! For lunch we stopped at Beach Burritos Company and we ate the most unexpected best burrito in a long time. But watch out for the pink ice drink, can't count how many times I got an ice headache.

Thursday night we hopped on a plane for Hobart, Tasmania, with a short stop in Melbourne. As the plane was landing the pilot announced, "The temp in Hobart is a crisp 11 degrees Celcius." I had no idea what the conversion to fahreheit was, but when I got off the plane I soon regretted only packing tank tops, boardies and sandals. That first night I froze my arse off, so in the morning I decided to pick up a fleeze. Hobart is a pleasant city, if you can even call it a real city. That first night we walked down to the marina for dinner as the sun was going down...very picturesque.

Oren's mom Aliza is great. When it comes to directions, places to eat, etc., she likes to get a first, second, third, and sometimes fourth opinion. Of course us boys don't feel like we need any opinions. But we did make it everywhere we needed to be. Thanks Aliza.

Friday was a busy or in other words full day of adventures. We started in Hobart and drove to the top of Mount Wellington. From the top of the mountain we had an amazing 360 degree view of the city and countryside. Of course we took tons of pictures. And on the way down we stopped for a short nature walk. I wish I had some way of bringing back the smells to share with everyone. The euchylyptus trees produce this smell that just makes you smile. Oren couldn't stop walking off the trail and smelling the trees.

On our way up north we stopped in Richmond at the Meadowbank winery. We tried 9 different wines, including an interesting sparkling Shiraz.

There was a great qoute by Madam Lilly Bollinger on the wall at the winery that read, "I drink champagne when I am happy and when I am sad. Sometimes I drink it when I am alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trfle with it if I am not hungry + drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it - unless I am thirsty." Great principal to live by! After the winery we headed down a dirt road to an olive grove, to get some olives and feta for the night. Just a quick fact, Richmond has the oldest bridge in Australia. The bridge was very uneventful. There was also a no parking sign at a local grocery store that gave us a good laugh, it read, "NO PARKING. Every third person parking here without permission gets shot, the second one just left!"

We stayed two nights on Promise Bay in the Freycinet National Park at the Lodge. We stayed in cabins and the lodge had a beautiful dock that extended 100ft out on the water. The first night we just lounged around and listened to a solo guitar CD, while drinking the wine from Meadowbank and eating crackers with roasted chile red spread and tons of cheese. That night before I went to bed I took the longest warm shower. Isn't it so true that long warm showers are the best in cold places!

The next morning Oren and I woke up early and went for a 6k run to Sleepy Bay. On our run we were visited by a Wallaby (small kangaroo). When we got back we ran down the dock at the lodge and took a very very short dip because the water was shockingly cold. Aliza and Jay rounded us up for a 12k circuit hike to Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach. I plan to sail to Wineglass Bay! On the hike I brought along a native Tasmania tree book I borrowed from the lobby and tried to identify trees. I was successful in identifying the Banksia Marginata and Casuarmina Stricta. I had to ditch the book because I was tired of running to catch up to everyone.

Dad: I wanted to grab some sand from Wineglass Bay to add to your collection, but the consensus was I wouldn't make it through customs and agriculture in Hawaii.

Despite being sore the next morning, Mikey, Oren and I decided to wake early and climb Mt. Amos. The hike was a little dangerous and steep, but we made it to the top. One of the best climbs I've ever been on. The pictures I took from the top, do not do the view justice. Standing on massive boalders we could see Promise, Wineglass, and Coles Bay. We had to do some controlled sliding on the way down. You can see why from the pictures. When we got back to the parking lot there was two Wallabys hangin out. There was a mother with baby in her pouch. She would even let us touch the babys head. Surreal experience! Made me thankful that I didn't order the Wallaby on the menu the night before =)

Leaving Freycinet we looked back at the lodge and mountains and all agreed it was a great weekend. Well done on the pick Mikey. We drove another two hours north to the wine and food festival in Launceston. When we got to the festival there was atleast 30 concession stands, a Neil Diamond cover band, magicians and some locals shakin tail. Oren's philosophy was wait until all the venders are about to shut down and throw out their food, then run around and ask for free food. It actually worked and we got pissed and super full. So full, that I had a hard time getting out of my chair. After catching a late flight last night, we are now back in Manly, but just for another day before we head back to Maui sweet Maui.

Jay and Aliza left this morning for New Zealand. They took such good care of me. Two of the most compassionate, generous, and caring people I have ever met. And I don't know anyone that can match, nor come close to Aliza's energy. Cheers for a great weekend!

I absolutly love travelling! No cell phones, no list of things to do, no hustle and bustle , no work (in this case), new things around every corner, different foods, and loads of great new friends to be made. My brother is studying in Uganda right now. How cool is that?! Can't wait to hear the stories he has. Cheers to everyone that followed my blog. Felt like everyone was almost here with me.

I'm tooo lazi two prouf reed so iph I maid som sp mistackes...piss off! Sweet as Mate.