Surfs Up!
Trip Start
Dec 06, 2009
1
4
55
Trip End
Feb 05, 2010
Where I stayed
Honolulu, Hawaii
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Well today was an awesome day. We got up at 5am (not the thing you normally do on honeymoon!) and drove to the north of the island to Waimea Bay where there was the possibility of the Eddie Aikau Big Wave surf comp taking place.
Parking was terrible and even at that time of the morning there were people everywhere. We found a park and got down to the beach. The waves were simply amazing! They were the biggest I have seen and I could have watched them all day. The event organiser finally announced that 'the Eddie is on!' and with a cheer of the crowd the surf comp started for the first time in 5 years. Waves have only been big enough to hold the event 8 times in the last 25 years so we were extremly lucky to be here for it.
Plenty of big names such as Kelly Slater, Andy Irons, Michael Ho as only 24 surfers compete and they all must be invited. Awesome to watch and the crowd were really in to it! Only waves with a face of over 20 feet would count towards the comp and there were waves twice that height. A guy called Greg Long ended up winning but Ly and I liked Kelly Slater's moves most and the crowd loved him.
Anyway after some huge traffic we made it back for some afternoon pool time. Then I went shopping again and bought some warm gear for later in the trip. Ly is yet to buy something!
Anyway having an awesome time. Hope you are too.
Dan
Hi everyone
Ly here, well talk about sacrifices! Getting up early to watch the surfing was tough. I must admit though it was a pretty amazing sight to see with all these pro surfers and the crowd just going wild. They must love the attention. I tried really hard to get photos of Kelly Slater but I suspect he is camera shy because he managed to sneak past the crowds with all the girls not realising till it was too late!
After using my navigation skills we ended up at a wonderful bakery called Lenards - a very well known institution here in Honolulu. We bought ourselves a dozen of these portugese style donuts called masaladas. And I tell you these were the best donuts money can buy - even better than a warm krispy kreme. We bought a dozen between the two of us in different flavours and I just scoffed one now. They are the best. I wish I could send you guys a box!
After we had our donuts we decided to try some authentic hawaiian cuisine. Can't say I enjoyed it much. The main dish is a steamed pork wrapped in spinach leaves. There wasn't much flavour to it and being the typical asian I had to douse it with soya sauce to be able to finish it off. There was also this nasty shredded pork which Daniel didnt seem to mind. We also warn you never to have this Hawaiian dish called Poi - it's like a sloppy purple play dough mixture made of Taro. Tasted awful!
Daniel has been shopping up a storm and with all the surf shops here I dont blame him. Seems we pay a lot in Australia for our billabong and ripcurl compared to the prices here.
Im glad Daniel is spending, takes some of the guilt from all the shopping I've done since we've been together, he still has a long way to go before he can erase my spending history!!! Tomorrow is our last day, I must say Im pretty happy with my tan. I've got the locals here guessing where I am from.
We're off to San Francisco tomorrow, cant wait!!!
Love Ly
Comments
Wow!m Fantasitc pics, and I am so jealous. Would have LOVED to have seen the surf comp. Used to like chasing the local surfers around when I was younger. Like the sound of cheap surf clothes too. I just know you will love San Francisio. It is an ecclectic city which lots of fun things to do. Have a lovely time and keep the newsy pages coming. They are GREAT! Luv Anita xox
We're all going on a summer holiday...................hmm hmm hmmm
Love your Blog, following it with interest, Enjoy the US
Hi daniel and Ly, did you end up going to the Westin Moame Surfrider hotel in Hawaii? The xmas decorations in the lobby are very special and the hotel being built in 1901 is of historical significance. How great was it to be at Pearl Harbour for the anniversary of the bombing, it would have been very moving. That was the highlight of our trip to Hawaii. Love your picture outside the Cheesecake Factory, did you have a meal there? we had the biggest, tastiest prawn, bacon and lettuce sandwich there, I can still remember what it tastes like. In the newspaper today there were pictures of the big waves, they reported that they expected them to get bigger in the next few days. How great to read your blog, it brings back memories of our trip there. Have you got used to the tipping culture yet?
You should be in San Francisco now, I have set my iphone world clock to reflect the times of the cities you are in, I can then imagine what you would be doing and at meal times what you are eating!
Great to see you looking so relaxed in the pictures,
love to you both Mum xxxxxxx Den sends his love