Sunday, April 6, 2008

cuidad de mexico el día uno

This is a little longer then I hoped it to be but to get across the true sense I have to write this much. Hawaii did not require much b/c it was lots of hiking and there is only so much to say about a view- this is all about the people and the culture. We decided to stay pretty central the entire trip and pretty much try and do what the locals would do. The crime thing for us limits that to some extent but not a ton- just have to be smart with where you go and what you do.

The time has arrived, time for mexico. I must admit I was very apprehensive going into this. Reading the info about kidnappings for ransom, theft and just crime in general in the worlds most populated city had me a little anxious. I have known Julie for around 4 years now but our social setting was always with a group of people, never juan on juan- thoughts meandered of how that may come into play with this whole thing too. Our personalities are very similar yet we are drastically different people. Friday morning has arrived and I am getting together the last essential items for the trip, tumbs, pepto and imodium. Right now we are winding down from our 1st day in the city and regrouping for meal in another part of town.

the trip has been wonderful so far. It started out a little rough yet things kind of went in our favor. After arriving @ Julie’s house one drink turned into several next thing we know it’s 5:30 and we have a 7:40 flight. The storms were rolling in and tornado watches all over, luck was in our favor and the flight was delayed 2 hrs. as we were checking in an announcement came across the loud speaker “the airport is closed, your bags will be returned in a few hrs.” the omniscient staff of delta airlines was no help what so ever to whether the flight was going to depart. After much debate we decided to check the bags and go grab a bite and some drinks. After passing through the contra banned lined hallways of turtles and tiger tooth cure alls of the E concourse- that’s E as in echo, we arrived @ our destination, gate E-2- a 757 direct to mexico city with 3 Americans on it, me Julie and some girl that had not traveled much. She was a small talker and I could see this was going to be a long flight. I didn’t want to pick up any single serving friends on the flight but I didn’t want to be a dick either. Just to be nice I did entertain her some before I was put into a self-induced coma listening to thievery corp so soothe the soul for some rest. It was short and sweet till I decided I had enough. I drew the line when her reply to my “where are you from?” was “a farm”- 3 ½ hrs later I come to and see a vast amount of lights for miles. It made the view flying into LA busch league. Some of you may or may not know, I kinda have a thing for airports- hence my degree- I was shocked with how the airport moved people being such a shitty design. One long building almost a mile long. I can hear dr young taking about it right now- this is the airport that was used as our “what not to do“ in a design. This was no kansai but not as bad as I was expecting it to be.

We grab a cab and head to the hotey. Let me tell you what 75 bucks a night gets you in mexico city. This room is super deluxe. They didn’t spare a dime when it came to furnishings that’s for sure. It’s right outta Debbie does mexico city. We got the jr suite. How can it be a jr suite if you don’t even have a suite? It has 3 beds- which is weird- all doubles too. When I yank the cum quit off the bed and it was like finding the holy grail. Staring back @ me was a blanket with a huge tiger on it. This was the 1st of many laughs on this trip so far.

So the first stop was the 7-11 for a few drinks. This was my 1st real language barrier problem, I asked for a coke, she brings a water. After a few minutes of pointing @ a near by parked coke truck I get the coke and a “dumbass gringo“ look, I smile and walk away. So coke is written in arabic on one side and english on the other, so weird to see that. That would cause WW3 in the US.

After more communication problems @ breakfast we hit the town bright and early @ around 8:30 or so. Stores were setting up for the day with their rolox watches and dolce banana purses. I want to add that this is like any other city. There may be a problem of rape, murder and robbery if you take one of the “forbidden cabs” mostly being green and white VW beatles, but I am a mini giant so I am not fitting in the back seat of a beatle anyway. After walking around for a little while like lost kids in the grocery store we find what we were looking for- it was only the 2nd largest square in the world after red square yet we couldn’t seem to find it. We start to notice the crowd around, there are not many tourists and the ones that are, are Europeans or from some other place, not america that’s for sure. To these people we are a freak of nature I think. coming in almost a foot taller then most of the local people and Julie with her bleached blonde hair and blue eyes we must look like a real sideshow attraction. El Diablo is also noted as having blonde hair and blue eyes so there is no telling what they are thinking when they see her. There are lots of stares and oohh’s and ahh’s- people 1st see me coming from a mile away and then they see jules come on the scene lookin like madona circa 1983 with her vintage clothes an her hair. I must say it is quite the pair to be in the land of the dark skinned and black hair. Like many cities in the US mexico city has it share of street performers…with a twist. They are in full Indian dress(I assume Aztec being we are not around the maya) doing their chants and dances then you can have them cleanse your soul with some incense and a few plants. I saw this opportunity and had to do it. My fear was the shaman may freak out and run away when he saw my cloud of black smoke rise from my body. After that we went into some big buildings, I would tell you what they were but I couldn’t read the signs. One was some sort of govt building with soldiers and shit- it was like we weren’t even in a city once in the court yard. We saw some ruins and that was kinda boring yet there was not a whole lot to see really. It was just a few mounds of stones with some carvings on em. As we are in the ruins site we see the city has now come alive. We see a corner with street vendors and a whole lot of ruckus. We head over there and it was really what I was hoping we would see here. It was as busy as 5th ave on black Friday except the most expensive thing was a 24 karat gold plated necklace that will turn your neck green after the 1st shower. I picked up a voodoo doll and a wrestling mask like any good american would. there were a few strange streets that would all sell the same items. 2 blocks of stationary stores, offset printing style. it would have been ok to see 1-2 stores but there were around 20 of them and they were all full. the next was holey ave. this was a street lined with crucifixes in all sorts of styles and sizes, some almost life size. After more oohh’s and ahh’s and Julie getting a few comments from the guys - to which are funny as hell, we decided to head back to the hotel to relax before dinner. We hire a private cab that takes you in an unmarked car and waits on you to come back. I kinda felt important except the car was a corolla or something of the sort. It was nice to see some of the city from a car. I am so glad we did not rent a car but more on that later. We go to this amazing place that has been around for 40 years. It was authentic peubla Mexican all over, aesthetically and food wise. I was very happy with our choice.

After dinner we grow some balls and decide to hit the town. Miguel seemed to know his shit and was pretty honest with us about what is safe and what’s not. We go to the zona rosa district and get dropped off for a few hours. We defiantly got the cold shoulder and gawked @ even more. This neighborhood was more affluent then where we were staying so there were lots of hot women and gel heads in designer clothes. The bars were kind of boring so we decide to go to the casino. After playing the slots for a while and starting to feel the effects of the tequila - we decide to head back to the hotel. That was a chore within it self. I felt a certain intimidation factor for sure. We speak very little Spanish, they don’t want to help you and the cops have machine guns. We tried to go to starbucks being it would be quiet but the cop with the mp5 guarding the door said we couldn’t go in. we find find a place, call Miguel and head back “home”.

overall the city is great. one street will have a very european influenced feel to it then you round a corner and its like new orleans. we have a few more days in the city then we head out to the outskirts and some smaller towns to see what we can find.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

el gigante mini invade México con un entusiasta de jazz

i am embarking on another journey of fun- going to visit central mexico for a week with julie. Tomorrow i am driving up to atlanta, meeting her then we board the plane with goats and whatever else to mexico city. we will check out some ruins, surrounding cities and some heady pharmacies along the way. I can't leave out the best part of mexico- the food- i have a supply immodium, pepto and tumbs. i look fwd to sweating with each bite of a chili and washing it down with cheap beer. so check back as i update this with pictures and whatever else.

Friday, December 21, 2007

it starts where it ends

back in atlanta airport after my 8 hr flight from HI- i must say there is a temp diff already and i am not liking it- my last day on the big island was very refreshing- i went to waipio valley to hike and then on to billy's house to hang out. got to thhe valley and the trails were closed- i did have a spectacular view of the valley as i read for a few hours- and got some thinking done. the next day i headed back to maui- kassi had to work so i cruised with jay and as we rode around i was taking in my last sights of hawaii. costco, k mart and the mall were among them. that night we went and had some thai food @ this place we ate before- it is the best thai i have ever had- the squid salad made my taste buds explode with each bite. we made it an early night- sleeping on the sofa i was awaken with a nice warm wet tongue in the ear from the limp eared hoku- nothing like a big ole "wake up, its time to play" from such a sweet dog. she was way calmer this time around and i forgot she was there even a few times. the last few days were pretty uneventful but i had the urge to go home, sleep in my bed, take a shower and have some clothes that are not getting the musky funk from being in a bag for 3 weeks- after taking a shower i discover that i all the shirts i had looked like they were all wrinkled and under the bed for 2 weeks or had the smell- a quick wipe down with a fabric softener and i am good to go - after rocking some guitar hero for a hr or so it was time to head- to the other side of the island where the amex travel agent flew me out of the smallest airport. i take the dash 8 then jump on a 767- full flight they say- took a while to board but once i got on i was next to a girl in the army- she is crossin her legs- has all kinds of room and i am crammed in the seat trying to stay on my side- i felt like lifting the arm rest and having her lay on me so i could have some room- all i wanted was to be able to sleep for the hrs- i started to read and then the flight attendant comes by and asks these guys if they want to change with this couple b/c they have cats- 1st thing that crossed my mind is that there is some sort of litter box in that cage- next thing was who the fuck flys with cats- why not check em like dogs? what make that fur ball so special? so as she is talking to them she points out a free open row- i don't think the guys caught on- so i ask them what they are going to do- sort of ignoring what they are saying b/c i had my eye on the prize- the open row to myself- i could lay out, cross my legs and have plenty of room. so the plane reaches 10,000 feet and the buzzer goes off for the electronics- so i get up grab my shit and haul ass around the plane to the open row- they stop me and say the plane is still ascending and that i need to sit- they had not turned off th fasten seat best sign- i walk swiftly to th seats and sit- then comes along this old flight attendant telling me the situation with the cats and how they want to sit together blah blah blah- i thought to myself- "what is more important, a 6'5 customer hat has been flying delta for more then 10years or some fur all feline that is gonna make the plane smell like shit- if you don't have room for your cat then oh well- she said she was going to be back and that i may have to move- i find in the seat 4 pillows and 2 blankets- i made a real score here- i took all the pillows and lined every part of my body against he wall so i did not get cold- in the mean time i pass out in case they try and move me- 3 hrs later i wake up and am in a daze- i was very out it from the muscle relaxer and i was kind of "where am i" - i soon look for some pillows and i see that 2 are gone- they slipped down and were between th seat and the side of the plan- i go to take it and the guy behind me took one- he had it supporting his knee- i tried to take it and it woke him up- i just acted like i did not do anything- i passed back out to be woken up by the cabin lights- i slept the rest of the 5 hrs and was in atl when i awoke- it was a nice nap and i am hopefully going to be back on EST as soon as possible- so here i sit waiting for the flight to savannah- i will have to wait an hr or so after i get in b/c my mom had to get her nails done- i mean wtf-- she knew i was coming in and she had to have this done today? what is that- thank the lord i was able to sell her gifts i got her to a guy in the bathroom- b/c after a stunt like that i am not having it.

the trip as a whole was more then i could have expected- the "soul building" def happened, i saw some amazing things, met some wonderful people and this is the break that was much needed- i thought about work- well maybe 2 times on the trip- i knew my dad was holding it down just fine- as much as i did not want to leave i was ready to go home- i will be back there very soon- it is my kind of place- where ya cruise and not really worry about what day it is- just that you are alive and kickin it. my personal legend is being fulfilled, i learned many things about myself in many situations- it was many 1sts for me in many ways and even the bad that happened was not bad- it helped me grow as a person- i was very apprehensive about a solo travel before the trip and now i think it is something i will always want to do - to have some sam time- maybe not as long but i def think that it is something everyone should do- i left a sorta scared guy that had no idea what was going to happen to a more wise person that was able to me the best of the worst- go with the wind and learned the soul of the world and to trust my gut- no matter what- it is always right-

i have some more pics and when i run em all through photoshop i will post the link here to see them all- till the next "mini giant adventure" where ever that may be- aloooooooooooooha for now

Monday, December 17, 2007

the big Island

so i got here yesterday and stayed in kona- met up with jayson and his friend zach to go see some music- i went and ate @ this place across the street and had a few beers and watched some hotties run around with a outrigger canoe- jayson and zach met me when they were done flying and the night goes on- i never made it to the music- i drank a little too much and was praising the porcelain god by 7:00 or so- then went to my room and passed out- so once i bust my ass with him walking out of the bathroom then i yacked another time- so i need a puke bag and a sparing suit when i am with him i guess- this morn went and watched them fly and ate breakfast @ the place on the side of the hill overlooking the water- reminded me of that place i big sur but had some sick ass coffee- which i am not a fan, i like tea more, but i was in kona so...i also met a guy there while watching them fly that is a cranberry farmer- has 40 acres in oregon he works- an old hippie from cali- he lives on the coast and we got to talking about Hwy 1 up that way- he invited me to come stay with them if i am ever up that way- but what was even more exciting was he said if i come in october i can help them harvest- which i think would be bad ass- he says they do it the old school way with not many machines- so maybe i'll go for cranberry harvest some time- i am sure it is hard work but i think it would be pretty sweet to do it for a week or so- i just wanna walk in waders and corral cranberries like the guys on the ocean spray commercial- when that was all over i took the 2 hr trek to hilo- the drive was great- snow capped volcano on the left and 80 degrees with people on the beach on the right- i stopped @ black sand beach for a whileto take a break- it was pretty cool to see the lava flow and how they stopped- the winds were blowing a good 40 mph or so- the waves were crazy and crashing 10-15' in the air- sometimes higher- i dunno i was 200 yards away- so after being lost for an hr trying to find where i am staying i arrive to "fuck you" over and over- it is an adventure hostel- but it does not seem there are many adventure travelers- i do have my own room and bathroom- it is kinda ghetto- but i was not expecting the ritz- it is pretty much a guy that has a bunch of huts/houses (houses are weird here- they are boxes with not much character) all on the property- does not seem to be many people here- yet i get to go to mauna kea- the highest mtn in the world- 33,000 feet from the ocean floor- but only 10,000 above- 10,000' of water here is crazy to me being when it gets 100' on th depth finder that is deep- so i guess that is why i chose this place- they also do a guided hike for the lava flows- so i will give the lush hotel for the chance o do that and not have to worry about anything except showing up. get t tour the telescope and then do some star gazing while we are up there- i just hope it is not that cloudy- i want to see alpha cintauri in a scope- or any star for that matter- plus i am sure they have the filters for the moon and what not- either way my inner nerd in very excited about it.

tonight i had prob the worst meal ever- well 2nd worst after the chinese buffet in tampa that time- imagine denny's with hawaiian flavor- sea food that was not that good and i had a mouth full of capers that just did not taste right- it was ok but not that best- it was a rec from the lady here where i am staying- i will venture off on my own tomorrow.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Some rise, some fall, some climb, to get to terrapin.

so this post is more than a blog of this is what i did and here are some pictures, this is why i came to this place- today i found "my shangri-La" - there are certain events that happen in a persons life that they would consider momentous. this may happen 4-5 times in a lifetime. whether it be a personal achievement, a person you meet that changes your life or see something that rocks your soul so deep there are just no words to describe it. today for me, was one of those days in more ways then one. i decided last night that i would do the "nualolo/awaawapuhi adventure hike" 10.5 miles of the na pali coast. to be honest i was very apprehensive before this trip- the things that crossed my mind were the rain in a place that receives 435" a year, not to mention the fact that it was 10 miles- i don't know if i have ever done anything that was physically demanding for 5 hours except that 250 lb hooker I got my 1st night here(I keed, that was 6 hrs). this is all i could think about on the hr ride to the trail and it left a very uneasy feeling in my stomach. after driving back to the other side of the island by waimea canyon i reach the trail head, across the street from where the canyon hike i had taken a few days before. the sun was shining yet rain was off in the horizon. i start the hike and about 2 minutes in, i hit the 1st barrier- the trail just kind of ended(I think this is the point I lost my 3rd pair of sun glasses of the year)- this was the 1st sign of trailblazers gone wrong. after seeing the correct trail i am back on my way. after about a mile i come to a fork in the road. i could go either right or strait- being the park has great trail signage(there were no signs @ all) i go towards the coast. two miles had passed and i thought i had taken the scenic route and missed the correct trail until i see a sign that says i am going correct- the glazed surface was a nice ride down taking it step by step to not end up on my ass. after 2 miles i come to the point where the next trail is to be taken (it was a combination of 3 trails to make the 10 mile loop). being i was worried to run out of daylight i decided to skip the end of the 1st trail and move on to the second. after hiking a 1/2 mile on the 2nd trail something told me i needed to turn around- i had missed something and if i was going to put myself through 5 hrs of grueling switchbacks and an uphill battle i need to get the full benefit of the hike. i make a u turn and head back- i jump back on the nualolo and head toward the end. and this is when i realized "this is the place" after another 1/5 mile i break past the bushes and these sea oat-esq plants to the open coast- my 1st glimpse of the na pali coast. i was speechless and had a smile from ear to ear. i did not know what to do- this was the moment i was waiting for, the moment that left me breathless with no words to describe my feelings. i had chills that ran deep in my bones, through my soul and i felt i was meant to be here. as i hike the ridge trail to the end, the views were more exceptional with every step i took. as i approach the end i see the coast in all of its glory. the 4000' foot lush, green cliffs that end @ the sea, waterfalls and the years of ash that had a different color for each stage of eruption. there was a rainbow and i defiantly found the pot of gold. the sign @ the end said, in national park brown and yellow "end of nualolo trail" so wandered around for a few minutes and see a some of this and some of that. the winds were gusting @ 40 mph and not a cloud in the sky over me but a mile or so over it was raining. i take a few pictures and before i leave i see some etching on the sign. i look and i see "sam" on the bottom left corner, which was weathered and there for a while. could the return to this trail have been a simple twist of fate? i sit down for a while to soak up the view, do some thinking and move on. i return to the nualolo cliff trail i hike a few switchbacks along the coast. there were many trails to follow. again trailblazers decided to cut their own trails in the sea oats(not sure what they were but they were a pain in the ass towering 7' you could not see around them) i got to the second cliff and made it to the woods, back into the sea oats i get more views of the coast as i make my way back to the woods i start to notice a very familiar foot print, my own. i look @ my GPS and low and behold i just did a 1/2 mile circle on this ridge. after getting my bearing on where i am, i find the correct trail by seeing the picnic area ahead that was marked on the map. i make it to the picnic table and take a break- back on the trail i hear a waterfall ahead- this makes my stomach churn, or maybe it was the cliff bars- i seem to always find the jackass way across these and get boots full of water- this time it is just a trickle of water that needs to be crossed- all is well on the cliff trail. next comes a sign "trail narrows and washed out proceed @ own risk- so i did- i did not hike 5 miles so far to turn back- i was 1/2 way home @ this point and the sun was falling fast. After traversing 3-4 landslides and washed out parts of the trail i dip back into the woods- back on a decline i get a break from the elevation gain. i hear more water off in the distance, this time it sounds larger then before- i pass a guy(1st of the day) that had just come where I was going- i get to the stream and see fresh foot prints that go to the middle- so i follow suite- so here i am now standing in the middle of the river (this trip let me know how tall I was for sure) with no trail in sight. so i push forward and find myself in the middle of this tropical river valley - among to which are thorns about and inch long. after battling these for 10 minutes i make my way back to the side of the stream. i was 6.5 miles in and i was starting to feel fatigued. the 1st thing that crossed my mind were how the marines do something called the crucible @ the end of boot camp- i think that alone kept me level headed and kept going. I have seen video of this and it is 3 days of hell- i battled all of the negative thoughts and bitching to find the trail and i am back on my way- this is when the fun starts- all uphill from here. little did i know i started @ the low end of the trail @ 3400' and the peak of the trail was a little over 4000'. @ the end of the cliff trail i come to the next trail along with lots of day hikers- they are on a nice leisurely 2.5 mile hike to the other vista- it is only 3/10 of a mile to the vista from where I am so i head that way- by this time i have had a lot of time to think, think about how i must push on, how dr scholls needs to go back to school b/c his inner soles suck and how i want to be done- i stop for a minute to take a break and enjoy the less them impressive views of before- when i saw this i was glad that i took the harder trail b/c the reward was so much greater. i head back to the trail and have about 2.5 miles left then a mile back to the car on the road. i start the 2.5 miles back up the coast to 4000'. i took small steps and paced myself. after a mile i was starting to hurt allover. my feet, back and legs were screaming to stop but i kept on going. i must hike really fast b/c i had passed people hat left 20 minutes before me- i tried to slow down but it made it worse- i guess it is my long legs? step after step i was fanaticizing about a cold beer and a place i could stretch my back. i would pass people on their way to the vista and they would ask how long and i would give a look of "how the hell do i know" snot was running down my face, my shirt drenched from mist and sweat and i was in pain. i knew the good parts were over i just needed to get back to the car. i finally make it to the road and the rain starts coming down- on my walk i try and hitch a ride to which was unsuccessful- although a few of them almost hit me. hiking boots on the road suck- the soles do not flex much and all i wanted were a nice chacos on my feet- the boots were hot, the tape on my feet was starting to bunch and it just sucked. as i round the final corner i get another one of the breathless moments- i see the car off in the distance- when i get back i lay on the hood and just had to reflect for a second- i put on my chacos and pour myself into the drivers seat, lick my wounds and go about my way- i que up some tractor beam and head home- with the wiamea on my left and winding roads i push the malibu to the edge- I drove that rental car like need for speed, the brakes were hot the tires were screeching and it was some of the most fun i have had driving- ever- the best way to end a hike like this- some 150 bpm music and one hell of a view to the left- with my head bobbing like it has never before, air guitar in full force, knee on the wheel, i was one happy fool. i asked myself why i did this- was it to prove anything to anyone? No- I live my life how I want- so why impress? not even to prove anything to myself- it was for the love of nature, the love of walking, the love of solitude, for the love of the game- to clear my head and be one with nature in one of the most stunning places on earth. In the end after all the pain, this was a day that I will remember, for the views the agony and who I wished was with me. I have had other monumental days in my life but everything involved I think this may be @ the top

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

kauai loves me

as i was @ the molokai street fair i found a button that said "kauai loves you" i must admit that this s the most tropical island i have been to yet- including the rain in hanalei bay- so i do not get to enjoy the "most beautiful place on earth" in all of its beauty. good thing is i can go to the other side of the island and have no rain- the 1st day here i hiked "sleeping giant" from a distance it looks like a sleeping giant- the hike was 4 miles and had an elevation gain of about 1300'- it was great to get to the summit- met some nice people along the way and got my ass kicked by the giant. i slept well that night- yesterday i hit up waimea canyon- it was the most amazing thing i have ever seen- along the hike i started to hate myself yet i knew here was an even more spectacular view around the corner- the hike started @ 3200' so this sea level living boy was gasping @ the beginning- on the way back i decided to "skate" down some of the hills- and busted my ass- not bad- feet just came out from under me- the dirt here is like hard packed GA clay- yet slippery as ice- i pretty much had to use the poles to keep me up- without them i woulda ate it a lot- again- best purchase for this trip- i will never not hike with them again. last night again i slept like a baby- today i drove around and let my body heal some for a hike tomorrow- the mountains here have a very gloomy look to them- can be shinin on the coast and shit 10 feet to the left- weird- yet i like it- i cruised round and didn't do a whole lot- found a good burger place for lunch and bout to go grab some sushi- if i can get in tonight- went the 1st night, closed, 2nd night party, so i hope i can get in tonight- also got to watch some heady surfer brah's sip some wine last night @ this one place- i mean i like wine but not when you are you with your brah's- but they were on the prowl for some houley poon- kinda funny- i always get the "just one?" when i go eat- i have gotten lots of free beer from it- last night she hooked me up with a few- like she felt bad for me- the weather is blah again- so dunno what i am gonna do but i'll figure out as i go- also a comment on the food- i am no foodie but i love food- the food here is not that great- very bland- i had 2 meals in a row that i did not even want to eat- last night i found a good place and they actually used spices- maui has this place blown away when it comes to food- also "what day is it?" is a great thing- i have pretty much lost track of time here and it is great- this is my 1st vaca over 10 days that i was not ready to go home- usually after a week - 10 days i am ready to haul- but not here- i would def life this to be an annual trip if not more often- 9 days left and i have to leave- go back to the grind- i am not looking fwd to it- although i can work on my chevelle-

Sunday, December 9, 2007

for the love of the game

so i have left molokai- i could not be more excited- the island it beautiful to say the least it is just so behind in the times- i think of the rest of HI was not americanized it is where the rest of the islands would be- it is was kinda trashy except the resorts- but it was good to get away- so the flight from molokai was on a cesnna caravan- which is pretty much a turbo propped 172- UPS mainly uses them to haul cargo- it was by far the best flight i have ever been on- they flew @ about 1500' the entire trip b/c of the fronts- there was storm from molokai to honolulu on the right aand you could see the rain falling and the wall of clouds- i was able to watch the instrument panel the whole time- i have not flown a plane since i soloed when i was 15 so it was kind of cool to see all that going on again- just watching the weather and being in a small plane feeling every bump- only cruising @ maybe 225 or so- was def a highlight of this trip- now to kauai where i will do 5-6 hikes in 6 days- the slackin is over and time to have some fun-

here is a link to all my pictures so far- along with some vids of things

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=189596656/a=115304689/t_=115304689