Baby toes
I was at the beach, having a great time in Hawaii. Then I stepped off the boardwalk into the white sand and broke my toe. I’m still not quite sure how it happened. And it might just be sprained. But either way, I swelled up pretty good and my foot has been turning different shades of blue, purple and green ever since.
Here’s a photo, though it doesn’t depict the colours that great.
Oh, it also hurt quite a bit the first evening. But it hasn’t slowed me down too much …
Honolulu
I arrived in Honolulu yesterday morning and spent the day exploring the Hawaiian capital on Oahu. It’s gorgeous here … but I guess that could be said of anywhere on these islands. Here’s a few photos from this trip so far …
The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Hugely emotional and amazing to see.
The Hawaiian Supreme Court. I learned quite a bit of history here too.
A view of Diamond Head from Waikiki Beach.
Another shot of Waikiki, at sunset.
We also checked out the international marketplace and state capitol building, where hundreds of people were gathered for a rally. I’m still not entirely sure what they were upset about. Something about land, justice, and Governor Linda Lingle.
I led our little group through the Honolulu transit system, which was quite interesting. It took us over two hours to get to where we spent the night, thanks to a bus breaking down and then my lack of attention to where we were supposed to get off. Oh well. Other than a broken toe and possibly abscessed tooth, we are doing just fine. :)
Today will be another busy one of touring the island. On the agenda: Diamond Head, Punchbowl National Cemetery, Ioloni Palace and parasailing. Check back for more photos later this week!
Airline mistakes
Ever lost your luggage after a flight? One woman from Tampa Bay lost her grandmother!
Well, the airline did. The 86-year-old woman was in a wheelchair, and the flight attendant pushed her onto the wrong connecting plane – sending her to Puerto Rico instead of home to Tampa Bay. The two ladies were waiting for each other by the airport baggage claims for quite some time before the airline employees figured out the mistake. Whoops!
Hawaiian flora and fauna
This place is absolutely beautiful. Breathtaking. Gorgeous. Stunning. I could go on … and run out of words to describe it. The water is sparkling blue; the greenery extremely lush and bright; the dirt a PEI kind of red; the beaches filled with rich, white sand.
Here’s a few photos of the plants and animals that thrive on Kauai:
Palm trees! There are so many different type and they are everywhere on the island.
A Portugese Man-O-War – not a jellyfish. It’s pretty painful if one of these guys stings you.
An overripe bitter melon … we didn’t try it. Aren’t the colours phenomenal?
A monk seal. Apparently these are pretty special, as they set up fences around them to ensure people don’t get too close. I think they might be allergic to people – this one looked right at me and started sneezing.
This is hala … kind of looks like a giant aloe plant. People dry the leaves and use them for weaving things – after taking the little spikes off.
More photos to come later!
Animal madness
My friend, the fabulous Sheri Gagnon, works at Canadian Geographic, doing much of the online content that compliments the magazine. Their most recent issue was released last week, and she has some great top 10 stories from the year of animals going crazy, becoming endangered and doing simply hilarious things.
Here’s one of my personal favourites:
PLACES NOT TO GRAZE IN A LIGHTNING STORM…
Fifty-two cows met their death in October at a ranch in Uruguay when they were all struck by the same bolt of lightning. When the storm hit Valdez Chico, a village near San José, the cows sought shelter and huddled together near a wire fence. Veterinarians examined the bovine bodies and confirmed the current from a lightning strike killed the cows. Lightning can travel long distances along a conductor and can reach between objects less than four metres apart.
Check out all the goodness here.
Palm tree, check
20. Climb a palm tree
It was difficult, it scratched up my arms, but I persevered. I made it up about three feet before posing for a photo then jumped back down to the ground. Mission accomplished. Hey, I’m in Hawaii. I had to take advantage of the opportunity – palm trees are everywhere!
Here’s proof:
Check out my entire list here.
Anyone missing office supplies?
So, apparently there are some items that were lost and found around my office over the last few weeks. Hmm …
Aloha!
I made it!
About two hours ago, we touched down at the Lihue airport on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. After about 16 hours of travel, our plane descended through the clouds and I saw the eastern coastline of Kauai … the lush green and rocky hills … palm trees and warm breezes …
We found my cousin after about a half hour of wandering the airport, were greeted with gorgeous smelling leis, and driven to this amazing house we’ll be staying in for our duration on Kauai.
It’s currently raining, but if the weather clears up tomorrow we are heading to the ocean for a day at the beach.
Two trains, four hours in a car and three planes later … here we are.
Check back for updates!
The countdown continues
I’ll be in Hawaii in 50 hours!
I also have a flight booked to Oahu for next week. We’ll spend two days in Honolulu, visiting all the big tourist attractions, like Waikiki (where I hope to go parasailing), Punchbowl National Memorial, Pearl Harbour and the international marketplace.
I can’t wait!
Oh, it’s also currently 23 degrees in Lihue. :)
No alcohol allowed
An Ottawa school bus driver was caught drinking on the job. I am thoroughly appalled.
This guy was sitting outside the school, about an hour before classes finished, just relaxing with a case of beer. An observant neighbour saw him drinking and called police. While the 26-year-old driver wasn’t over the legal limit, his license was suspended and the bus company fired him.
School bus drivers are not allowed to drink at all on the job, and any instance of a bus driver seen drinking during the day, even between morning and afternoon runs, will be looked into, said Jacques Campeau, the president of Quesnel Buslines.
Good! That is absolutely the right policy. I wonder how many parents will question who they let their children ride with from now on. I hope this man is the sole person who would drink not only on any job, but especially in a role that requires taking care of other people’s kids. It’s completely irresponsible.
Cheryl