an octopus and stuff

I don't really have too much too report on, unfortunately.
The vertigo gradually left a few weeks ago, hopefully for good. I was starting to fear it would be something I'd have to deal with the rest of my life.
Riding the bus was the worst part of that experience. I'd be feeling fine, only to have my brain rattled by the one hour trip home on the ragged roads of Honolulu. Not so fun fact: The conditions of Honolulu's roads rank third worst in the nation, behind LA and somewhere else. The roads around Waikiki are fine of course, but everywhere else looks pretty neglected.  I'm constantly dodging potholes on my bike.
 Not as bad as Costa Rica's though.


So with that behind me, I've been able to return to the water a few times.
I went snorkeling a couple of weeks ago. I was swimming across a reef and noticed a piece of algae float up a couple of feet ahead of me. The algae then spread out eight tentacles and propelled itself further ahead of me. I followed it a few yards until it found a rock to hide under, not without squirting out a tiny puff of ink first towards my general direction.
It was an octopus, a young one I assume, about the size of a softball. Still, I was excited, as it was one of the sea creatures I had on my mental list to spot, along with the sea turtles I swam with in Hanauma Bay.
I hadn't know about their camouflage ability until I saw it first hand. It was literally the same color as the algae, with patterns and everything. Once it detached from the rock it turned a deep purple.

It looked like the one in this picture I found on google images, except bigger:




I also moved recently, only about a mile but closer to the beach and a stone's throw away from Diamond Head. Still in Kaimuki, further south though closer to Kahala. The ocean breeze keeps the air cooler, which I appreciate since my last room was very hot, being on top of the hill near a windless valley.
Kahala mall is right down the street. Diamond Head beach is very close too. I take the bus in the morning straight to work nearly from my doorstep, and get dropped off there too. Previously, I had to transfer once in the morning, and ride my bike about a half mile home from the closest bus stop. Not a big deal, but riding a bike uphill after sitting still for an hour on a bus isn't great fun, neither do I miss getting off at the transfer center downtown to be greeted by the stench of homeless people. That sounds bad, but a lot of them congregate in the bus transfer area downtown, and it's almost unbearable to inhale through the nose at times.

The homeless population is very visible in Honolulu. There is much to discuss regarding that topic but I will save it for another entry.

I love this time of year in Texas and it's strange not being there. Hopefully I can visit soon.
Lately I haven't been going to beach or exploring much, but that will change.
A visit to the North Shore is up next on the itinerary, so look for an entry on that within the next couple of weeks.

summer's here

March was a wet rainy cool cloudy month. As wintery as Hawaii gets.

Since April 1st though, nothing but sunshine. Bright sunshine. There's a difference between winter sunshine and summer sunshine. And heat. In January, it was hot, then seemed to cool off a few degrees in February and March. Now we're back to being hot. I work inside of an igloo, so by the time I get home to my non air conditioned apartment, I'm ready to defrost. 

I finally went surfing for the first time since the first week I was here, crazy I know. Being afflicted by vertigo for a month really kept me out of the water and in bed. 

Not what I came here for. 

I've only surfed three times so far and probably only about a dozen decent waves. 

On Sunday, I woke up, felt my natural balance and energy had returned for the first time in awhile, went to church to get my worship on, then headed to Waikiki. 

Wai Waikiki? Because you can rent boards right on the beach. I'd much rather surf Diamond Head, but since it's a protected area there are no little surf board rental shacks. Way bigger south shore swells off Diamond Head. Waikiki is fun though if you can stand the crowds, on the beach and in the ocean. The waves weren't coming often but when they did they were nice and the rest of the ocean was pretty smooth. 

The summer is when the swells get big on the south end of the island. During the winter is when Oahu's famous north shore gets its massive swells. Unfortunately I was unable to go up there when they were really big. I would love to get good enough to surf some of those giants or the world famous banzai Pipeline. 

Catching waves in Hawaii is tougher than Costa Rica for a number of reasons. One is you have to paddle out much further. In Tamarindo I taught myself how to surf by catching the little baby waves that came right up to shore. Great beach for beginners. Once you move past beginner you can paddle out further or go to a nearby beach with bigger swells. 

The ocean floor here isn't sandy either, for the most part. You really want to stay on your board or risk stepping on a sea urchin, getting needles implanted in your foot, or cut yourself on coral, which I've done before. As I've explained before, the cuts take awhile to heal because the coral is living and contains all kinds of bacteria. 

Soon I will be moving very close to Diamond Head beach and hopefully buying a board not long after that to enjoy the world class waves there.