Aloha

Well, I'm back. I finished my internship about 2 weeks ago then promptly headed off to Hawaii to celebrate. Five days on Oahu and four on Kauai.

Kauai was by far the more beautiful island. Unfortunately, what should have been one of the highlights of the island, our boat tour of the Na Pali Coast, turned out to be disastrous for me. Although I've never been seasick before that I can remember, it hit me hard here. The trade winds were kicking up, or so I am told, and our boat swayed and rocked on the swells they generated. I ended up vomitting twice.

I decided to be a wet blanket for the entirety of the hourlong trip back to the bay, so while everyone else was enjoying the bluegreen water and towering cliffs, I had a small panic attack. My whole body tingled like a waking up leg, tugging on my skin and pulling my hands into fists.

But hey, the scenery was still beautiful, at least I think so. The Windward and North Shores of Oahu were gorgeous as well. The northeastern corner of the island was particularly striking with its windblown rock formations pummeled by waves.

Now ordinarily, I'm a city person through-and-through, but the slums of Honolulu and gleaming 30-story hotels of the Waikiki neighborhood don't really do it for me. It's a city that has a section cordoned off for the tourists while a huge part of the rest of the city rots from poverty and drug use. Signs on both islands pleaded "please don't smoke ice, it's killing our family." The "interstate" highways quickly shuffle the tourists from Waikiki to Pearl Harbor and other destinations without having to endure any unpleasentness.

Aside from a bit of unpleasentness it was a great trip. I got to relax after completing the internship and ate more seafood than maybe the rest of my life combined. Photos soon, I hope.