Maui must be one of the most predictable locations on earth. 6 days and it never rained, just like the last time we were here. It was religiously 86 degrees during the day and 70 degrees at night, just like the last time we were here. The sun set each night over crystal blue waters, also much like last time. The ono and mahi mahi were fresh off the boat...no one wants to read this.
But we did mix it up a bit. First of all, we flew to Maui from the Big Island on a 8-passenger single-engine Cessna. It was freaking awesome. We were dropped off at the private aviation terminal in Kona (no security, no silly liquid ban), Andrea and I sat directly behind Dimitri the pilot, and up we went. We crossed the 26 miles of water separating the two islands at 5,000 feet – and then Dimitri descended down to 1,000 feet, and we literally flew up the Road to Hana. Those of you who have driven the road know that it's considered one of the best drives in the world, with more than a waterfall per mile. It was just awe inspiring to see from the air -- we bobbed and weaved our way along, zooming past waterfalls and waves crashing on the coastline as we skimmed over lush green hills. This is old school flying – kind of like getting out of a dead quiet Lexus and driving a 1964 ragtop Mustang. It's about as far removed from the sanitized experience of a Emirates 777 or a Qantas A330 as you can imagine, and it made me never want to fly on a big jet again. Andrea might have loved it even more than I did.
We also did some amazing snorkeling. Not far from the Marriot where we were staying is a well regarded spot, so we dove in one afternoon. Good reef, lots of fish, and just as we were about to head in... I saw the outline of a turtle in the distant water. I grabbed Andrea, managed to say “turtle” as I swallowed about a gallon of sea water, and out we went along the reef to look for him. Fifteen minutes later, no turtle, so we started to turn back in – and then he appeared – a giant sea turtle, easily a couple of hundred pounds in size. We stopped moving and he passed right in front of us, taking a look and then slowly moving along. We ended up swimming with two more sea turtles on the same reef later in the week – just incredible stuff.
Maui is just an amazing place. Sure, there are loads of bloated mainland Americans lounging in the sun, and when visitors are offered the local Hawaiian ales, you regularly hear “you got any Bud Light?”. But if you can get past that and find your own way of doing things here, it's as rewarding an island as any.
Friday, 25 June 2010
Monday, 21 June 2010
Brian and the Volcano
We've spent 6 days on the Big Island now, with 4 days lounging on the Kona coast and 2 days in Volcanoes National Park. This is a really different Hawaii. There is black lava literally everywhere. Land at any other airport in Hawaii, and you feel like you have landed directly in the middle of paradise. Land at Kona airport, and you feel like you've landed on the dark side of the moon. Assuming the dark side of the moon has baggage carousels and rental car shuttles.
But it is lovely, and more than anywhere else we've ever been in Hawaii, the Big Island feels quiet and local. At the beach, Hawaiians outnumber the mainlanders. You drive through sleepy villages between the coasts that look scarcely touched by tourism. We saw signs selling an acre of land on the Big Island for $299 (guess what Andrea is getting for our anniversary?). Don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of tourists around – but it's nothing like we've seen elsewhere. Last time in Maui, I regularly had to set off the car alarm to locate my vehicle, because every parking lot was full of white Chrysler Sebring convertibles that were identical to mine.
The beaches here are beautiful too, ranging from powder white to true black sand beaches (made from the ocean pulverizing fresh lava). The snorkeling has been impressive, with sea turtles, beautiful coral, and every tropical fish under the sun.
But in my opinion, the star of the show here on the Big Island is the volcano. 100 miles southeast of Kona is Volcanoes National Park, home to Kilauea, the most active volcano on earth. Today (and it literally changes every day), the caldera is simmering. During the day, plumes of white sulphuric smoke belch from the top – but as the sun sets the red glow of the caldera really comes alive. The glow fades and then brightens, it moves from yellow to pink to red, the smoke billows, and the acrid spell hit your nostrils – this thing is very much alive. And you are watching this from an observatory located less than a mile away, perched up high on the rim of the caldera – it's absolutely wicked. It also means slightly jumpy sleep – we are staying at a B&B less than 3 miles from the action. A car backfired last night and I almost evacuated.
The rest of Volcanoes National Park is impressive too – we hiked across a crater and lava lake from the 1959 eruption today (about 2 miles from the current fireworks), which is still venting steam. We also drove through the park down along the ocean until the road abruptly ended, thanks to a 2003 lava flow (definitely check out our Picasa pics for this – it's just incredible). In fact, lava has been flowing down the coast and into the water continually since 1983 – the longest recorded eruption in human history. You find steam venting all over the park, cracks in the earth that are popping (it sounds like Rice Crispies), and lava tubes big enough to hike through. It's a living, breathing place – even a 2006 guidebook in our room has completely useless information on where the volcano is erupting, which roads are closed, etc. So no promises on what this place will look like even next week – but the next time you are in Hawaii and want to do something other than drink mai tais on the beach (not that there is anything wrong with that), put this place on your list.
It's off to Maui tomorrow. I've got sushi to eat, sunsets to watch, fish to snorkel with, and car alarms to set off.
But it is lovely, and more than anywhere else we've ever been in Hawaii, the Big Island feels quiet and local. At the beach, Hawaiians outnumber the mainlanders. You drive through sleepy villages between the coasts that look scarcely touched by tourism. We saw signs selling an acre of land on the Big Island for $299 (guess what Andrea is getting for our anniversary?). Don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of tourists around – but it's nothing like we've seen elsewhere. Last time in Maui, I regularly had to set off the car alarm to locate my vehicle, because every parking lot was full of white Chrysler Sebring convertibles that were identical to mine.
The beaches here are beautiful too, ranging from powder white to true black sand beaches (made from the ocean pulverizing fresh lava). The snorkeling has been impressive, with sea turtles, beautiful coral, and every tropical fish under the sun.
But in my opinion, the star of the show here on the Big Island is the volcano. 100 miles southeast of Kona is Volcanoes National Park, home to Kilauea, the most active volcano on earth. Today (and it literally changes every day), the caldera is simmering. During the day, plumes of white sulphuric smoke belch from the top – but as the sun sets the red glow of the caldera really comes alive. The glow fades and then brightens, it moves from yellow to pink to red, the smoke billows, and the acrid spell hit your nostrils – this thing is very much alive. And you are watching this from an observatory located less than a mile away, perched up high on the rim of the caldera – it's absolutely wicked. It also means slightly jumpy sleep – we are staying at a B&B less than 3 miles from the action. A car backfired last night and I almost evacuated.
The rest of Volcanoes National Park is impressive too – we hiked across a crater and lava lake from the 1959 eruption today (about 2 miles from the current fireworks), which is still venting steam. We also drove through the park down along the ocean until the road abruptly ended, thanks to a 2003 lava flow (definitely check out our Picasa pics for this – it's just incredible). In fact, lava has been flowing down the coast and into the water continually since 1983 – the longest recorded eruption in human history. You find steam venting all over the park, cracks in the earth that are popping (it sounds like Rice Crispies), and lava tubes big enough to hike through. It's a living, breathing place – even a 2006 guidebook in our room has completely useless information on where the volcano is erupting, which roads are closed, etc. So no promises on what this place will look like even next week – but the next time you are in Hawaii and want to do something other than drink mai tais on the beach (not that there is anything wrong with that), put this place on your list.
It's off to Maui tomorrow. I've got sushi to eat, sunsets to watch, fish to snorkel with, and car alarms to set off.
Saturday, 12 June 2010
Coming To America
Ladies and gentlemen, we have re-entered the country. Despite my longish hair (I can hear my father from here - “you look like a terrorist”), bloodshot eyes from a sleepless night on the flight from Sydney, and a passport full of random stamps, we were waved back into the 50th state with a warm “welcome home” from the customs agent.
It's wonderful to be here, and also somewhat bittersweet. Andrea and I haven't spent more than two straight weeks in the US in more than three years – so there is excitement but also some sadness that this chapter of our overseas life has now ended.
Luckily, Hawaii is a brilliant place for such a re-entry because as far as US states go, it's actually more of a halfway house. We are over 2,000 miles from the mainland, the people are different, the food is different, and there is a natural beauty to these islands that's almost impossible to beat. And as far as I can tell, nothing stressful has happened in Hawaii since December 1941.
At the same time, we are back on the US dollar, we've already rejoined car culture by driving absolutely everywhere (stay on the right Brian, stay on the right Brian), and we are enjoying the local bounty – we've had homemade salsa and chips from the Big Island, beers from Kona Brewing Company, and some amazingly fresh opah fish on the grill – and it all feels great.
It's wonderful to be here, and also somewhat bittersweet. Andrea and I haven't spent more than two straight weeks in the US in more than three years – so there is excitement but also some sadness that this chapter of our overseas life has now ended.
Luckily, Hawaii is a brilliant place for such a re-entry because as far as US states go, it's actually more of a halfway house. We are over 2,000 miles from the mainland, the people are different, the food is different, and there is a natural beauty to these islands that's almost impossible to beat. And as far as I can tell, nothing stressful has happened in Hawaii since December 1941.
At the same time, we are back on the US dollar, we've already rejoined car culture by driving absolutely everywhere (stay on the right Brian, stay on the right Brian), and we are enjoying the local bounty – we've had homemade salsa and chips from the Big Island, beers from Kona Brewing Company, and some amazingly fresh opah fish on the grill – and it all feels great.
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Pondering Sydney
I normally type my blog entries in about 20 or 30 minutes. For my Sydney entry, I'm now on hour two tonight, and I've started over three times. Why? Well because after years of watching Sydney win every travel award on earth, I came in with very high expecatations – and I'm still not quite sure how I feel about the place.
There is a simple way to my heart in big cities. Interesting local food and drink, good transportation to get me around, helpful locals, a nice assortment of places to explore, and prices within reason. Sydney can be maddening on some of these points. 5 million people, and yet it's often 15 minutes between subway trains. Want a 7 day visitors pass for the trains and buses? That will be an eye popping $141. Good, inexpensive local food is difficult to come across, and ditto for relaxed local pubs – the vibe is much more see and be seen, women unable to walk because their heels are so high, and people happily paying $45 for a plate of pasta. And the city neighborhoods don't exude tons of charm – new enough to be ugly, yet somehow old enough to be crumbling.
We have had our bright moments. A friendly waitress pointed us to an unmarked underground pub that served some stellar beers. We had an incredible meat pie topped with mashed potatoes, mushy peas, and gravy at a waterfront institution called Harry's Cafe de Wheels. Another local pointed us to a brilliant little Malaysian place where we waited 30 minutes for a table on a Monday night.
And despite my griping, Sydney does have one undeniable ace up its sleeve – and it's a big one. Quite simply, this is one of the best settings on earth. There is water everywhere, and it's the most perfect complement of beaches, cliffs, and city you can imagine. First you have Sydney Harbour – the iconic Opera House, the massive Sydney Bridge, the beautiful Botanic Gardens. We climbed to the top of the Sydney Bridge today, and I could have watched life go by on this massive harbour for hours. Then you have the coastline – the walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee is just awe inspiring. You alternate from cliffs to beautiful beach coves and then back again for kilometers. We took the ferry to a food and wine festival at Manly Beach over the weekend, the waves crashing as loads of surfers bobbed in the ocean – just 3 miles from city centre.
And the day to day life is very different. People my age ride skateboards around town. Office workers head to the beach at lunch to watch the surfers. Everyone seems to get outside whenever they can, and it's not surprising why -- this is early winter here and yet the days are still predictably bright and warm. You start to see why Sydney wins the awards – and you start to overlook the part time subway system and the extra work it takes to find a decent meal. When you are naturally this good looking, all of these faults suddenly become a lot easier to forgive.
There is a simple way to my heart in big cities. Interesting local food and drink, good transportation to get me around, helpful locals, a nice assortment of places to explore, and prices within reason. Sydney can be maddening on some of these points. 5 million people, and yet it's often 15 minutes between subway trains. Want a 7 day visitors pass for the trains and buses? That will be an eye popping $141. Good, inexpensive local food is difficult to come across, and ditto for relaxed local pubs – the vibe is much more see and be seen, women unable to walk because their heels are so high, and people happily paying $45 for a plate of pasta. And the city neighborhoods don't exude tons of charm – new enough to be ugly, yet somehow old enough to be crumbling.
We have had our bright moments. A friendly waitress pointed us to an unmarked underground pub that served some stellar beers. We had an incredible meat pie topped with mashed potatoes, mushy peas, and gravy at a waterfront institution called Harry's Cafe de Wheels. Another local pointed us to a brilliant little Malaysian place where we waited 30 minutes for a table on a Monday night.
And despite my griping, Sydney does have one undeniable ace up its sleeve – and it's a big one. Quite simply, this is one of the best settings on earth. There is water everywhere, and it's the most perfect complement of beaches, cliffs, and city you can imagine. First you have Sydney Harbour – the iconic Opera House, the massive Sydney Bridge, the beautiful Botanic Gardens. We climbed to the top of the Sydney Bridge today, and I could have watched life go by on this massive harbour for hours. Then you have the coastline – the walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee is just awe inspiring. You alternate from cliffs to beautiful beach coves and then back again for kilometers. We took the ferry to a food and wine festival at Manly Beach over the weekend, the waves crashing as loads of surfers bobbed in the ocean – just 3 miles from city centre.
And the day to day life is very different. People my age ride skateboards around town. Office workers head to the beach at lunch to watch the surfers. Everyone seems to get outside whenever they can, and it's not surprising why -- this is early winter here and yet the days are still predictably bright and warm. You start to see why Sydney wins the awards – and you start to overlook the part time subway system and the extra work it takes to find a decent meal. When you are naturally this good looking, all of these faults suddenly become a lot easier to forgive.
Friday, 4 June 2010
Off The Grid On Kangaroo Island, Australia
“Our mobile phone doesn't have a signal anywhere on this island. Did you email our parents with where we were going to be?”, asks my lovely wife. No, I didn't. And of course I would email them now, except for the fact that the nearest internet cafe is a 2 hour roundtrip drive. Bugger.
We are in the middle of freaking nowhere, otherwise known as Kangaroo Island. A place where even the 1980's “Saved By The Bell” Zack Morris style giant cellphone has yet to make a debut. Not content with the remoteness of the “busy” port town where the ferry dropped us (population 600), I booked us a cypress log cabin clear on the far side of the island -- 150km away. We stopped at the last general store before our cabin, an hour before, to stock up on “provisions”. We came away with 2 packets of instant noodles, 3 apples, and 2 bottles of stout beer. This place makes Borneo look like midtown Manhattan.
But it is magnificent here. We've seen 3 koalas lounging in the trees on the property. The last 3 nights, we've watched the sunset from our porch as kangaroos and wallabies graze right in front of us. The coastline is just as amazing – our first day here, we watched bright blue waves crash against a whiter than white powder beach, as a surf fisherman reeled in 2 ocean salmon. Yesterday we explored more of the coastline, with hundreds of New Zealand fur seals lounging under the lighthouse near the crashing waves. Today, we drove 70km along a treacherous washboard dirt road, but the end result was worth it – the highest cliffs in Australia (250 meters), plunging into impossibly green water. It's true Australian bush country mixed with an incredible coastline, and it's breathtaking to see.
Tomorrow it's off to Sydney, which is 1,000 physical miles and about 1,000,000 mental miles from here. It will certainly be nice to have internet and proper access to food and our BlackBerry say something other than “No Service” -- but one more night with the koalas and kangaroos certainly won't hurt.
We are in the middle of freaking nowhere, otherwise known as Kangaroo Island. A place where even the 1980's “Saved By The Bell” Zack Morris style giant cellphone has yet to make a debut. Not content with the remoteness of the “busy” port town where the ferry dropped us (population 600), I booked us a cypress log cabin clear on the far side of the island -- 150km away. We stopped at the last general store before our cabin, an hour before, to stock up on “provisions”. We came away with 2 packets of instant noodles, 3 apples, and 2 bottles of stout beer. This place makes Borneo look like midtown Manhattan.
But it is magnificent here. We've seen 3 koalas lounging in the trees on the property. The last 3 nights, we've watched the sunset from our porch as kangaroos and wallabies graze right in front of us. The coastline is just as amazing – our first day here, we watched bright blue waves crash against a whiter than white powder beach, as a surf fisherman reeled in 2 ocean salmon. Yesterday we explored more of the coastline, with hundreds of New Zealand fur seals lounging under the lighthouse near the crashing waves. Today, we drove 70km along a treacherous washboard dirt road, but the end result was worth it – the highest cliffs in Australia (250 meters), plunging into impossibly green water. It's true Australian bush country mixed with an incredible coastline, and it's breathtaking to see.
Tomorrow it's off to Sydney, which is 1,000 physical miles and about 1,000,000 mental miles from here. It will certainly be nice to have internet and proper access to food and our BlackBerry say something other than “No Service” -- but one more night with the koalas and kangaroos certainly won't hurt.
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