Freezing In Chicago

..again. Nothing got me jetted out to Hawaii quicker than after a winter month in Chicago. That and for not quitting my job after 3 weeks. It's the only thing that can still warm my heart in this cold cold cold city where I'm turning into a zombie hermit once more, cept I've been blogging less. So what else better to do while your fingers are frozen purple in your cobbler, stone apartment that's 100 years old without insulated walls? Blog about your last tropical trip! Which for me is quite easy, there's just been one.

I think Waikiki beaches are only worth spending time on if you wanna meet HOT Canadians with LOADS of vacation days, otherwise, a trip around Oahu is definitely the thing to do to get the most out of the island! I sat through one of those "Vacation Club" seminars for an hour and got a free car rental which is cool cuz that's pretty much all you need to see all the hot spots. First stop - snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, which is a blast after you get over the fact that some fishes are actually really ugly and scary up close but oh wells, it's still fun as hell!

Then on the drive up to North Shore to see the surfing competition, stopped by some fruit stands where little old local ladies delicious coconuts, star fruits, etc. I ate so much coconut and/or pineapple that day that I literally got sick and couldn't sleep that nite due to nausea. Yea, don't do it kids. There are also lots of snails and chickens roaming around wherever you go on the "other side" of the island. The funny thing bout Oahu is that it's almost divided like the 2 halves of the moon. On one side, it's all pretty, nice, and touristy and the other - rugged, wild, and unseen. Well, the latter is also saturated with homeless people who set up camp on the nicest beaches with the best waves, but they still let u swim in them which is a nice thing.

The weather was sorta lousy - and by Hawaiian standards I mean still f*ckin beautiful on the day of the surfing competition with a bit of rain. The waves were ridiculously high and no one were allowed in the waters...which just means they're not accountable if you drown.