Camping, Shark Cage Diving and Skydiving, Oh My!!!                            

Mokuleia Beach Thanksgiving 2012

  THE  CAMP 
     What better way to spend Thanksgiving than on deserted Mokuleia beach in Hawaii, camping with your vegetarian best friend? No Turkey, no mashed potatoes, no gravy...but we did have Ulu...Yes, Ulu. It's otherwise known as Breadfruit. Sound disgusting?? Hmmm, in order to save my very valued friendship, I will just use the term "interesting" to describe it.
     We arrived at our campsite bright and early Thanksgiving morning and set up our kaleidoscopic tents. One tent for us, and one for the surfboards of course! Mokuleia beach is a hidden gem.
It's off the beaten path and is unknown to most tourists and is rarely visited by locals due to its inaccessibility to the road. It's an absolutely beautiful beach and boasts gorgeous topography as well as an "insane left"(Surfer term for "sick wave"). I loved it for it's privacy and long sandy beach where I spent days relaxing and collecting shells. The best part was that we were completely isolated from everyone which allowed us to go "au naturel" if you know what I mean. Swimming in your birthday suit is an amazing feeling...but enough about that!

     It was a very nontraditional way to spend Thanksgiving but if I couldn't be at home with my family, this was exactly where I wanted to be. We made a fire in the evening and roasted the Ulu's over the open fire.Chatted about love, life and...centipedes!!!!! Yup, as we were tending the expertly made fire(of course I crafted it) we witnessed a ginormous centipede crawling out of the fire towards our unclad feet. It was squirming and burning alive and we were screaming like a bunch of hysterical school girls. At least he didn't crawl into our tent. This thing was huge and creepy as shit

        THE SHARK CAGE DIVE
I would like to consider myself an adventure seeker of sorts. I'm not going to say  I'm fearless, but I will say that I am more than willing to try most things that will get my adrenaline pumping and make my skin erupt with rolling goosebumps. I usually try to seek out harebrained and sometimes risky situations when I travel for a variety of reasons, most of them as an attempt to satiate my seemingly insataiable apetite for adventure, but also to entertain you, my readers. If I were to write solely about daily boring and mundane routines, who on earth would read??!!! So, basically what I'm saying is if anything ever happens to me whilst...fill in the blank...I will partially blame all of you. That being said, let's talk about sharks, man!!!

     I've been SCUBA diving all over the world and have had some random terrifying encounters with sharks, but I've never been able to experience their beauty up close and personal. A shark cage dive seemed like the perfect opportunity for me get to know these spectacular beings, without becoming dinner! I booked with a locally run company Hawaii Shark Encounters http://www.hawaiisharkencounters.com/ and they were awesome enough to give me the local "Kamaaina" rate.
      We left the harbor before sunrise and braved the 30 ft waves. They were minutes away from cancelling the trip due to the crazy swells but they ultimately decided all systems go, and off to sea we went. There were twelve of us on the boat. Six of us were fine, the other six were puking over the side of the vessel the entire time, and a few were even calling for their Mommy. Not I, my friends, not I. I was rearing and ready to go!! Let's see some sharks already!            

In there...really????

      The crew gave us a very informative tutorial about the sharks and what to look for when in the water. I was genuinely hoping to spot the ever elusive Great White Shark..cue Jaws music, but no such luck. However, there were dozens of sharks to be seen. The most common one was the Galapagos Shark. They are harmless unless they are hungry, tired, aggravated, or awake... I believe there may have been a few Mako and possibly a Tiger or two lurking around, but with them charging at my face at high speed, they all seem to blend together. They are sharks, and they were freaking awesome. 
   I had a blast. I actually batted my eyelashes and  asked our handsome captain if I could jump in the water outside of the cage. He just laughed and said...go ahead my dear! Haha. I didn't end up doing that, not because I was terrified, I just didn't feel like ending my trip so soon!!! Thank you Hawaii Shark Encounters for a very invigorating and exciting morning at sea!!

Holy Crapola!!!!!

THE SKYDIVE
Remember when I was discussing my quest for adventure??? Well I finally met my match. 

 Skydive Hawaii, "Hawaii's most exciting adventure", is what the brochure said. http://www.skydivehawaii.com/ 

     Most exciting adventure you say??? Count me in!!!!! I was once again hooked up like a local. Lyndee has many friends around the island and I decided to capitalize on these friendships. Being a savvy nomad comes into play here...
   Kevin my tandem skydiver was fabulous and his sarcasm was appreciated, even though he kept scaring the shit out of me...saying things like "God, I really hope we don't die today", or "Wow, we are really high, I'm kinda scared", or my favorite...he tells me to look into the camera and says "any last words Samantha?? Anything you want to tell your family in case we don't make it??" Kevin and I discussed my previous skydiving experiences and he came to the conclusion that I was experienced and brave (haha) enough to try some insane and absurd tricks after we jumped out of the plane...as if jumping out of a perfectly good airplane isn't preposterous enough!!!
He asked if I was OK with doing flips out of the airplane. Of course I was!!!! He asked if I felt comfortable doing a stand up landing...ummmm, sure? I need my legs though Kevin....
     As the plane smoothly climbed  to 14,000 feet ( female pilot..aww yeah girl!!!), I began to feel that vaguely familar drop in my stomach. The one you get when you are about to do something that may drastically change, or end your life. It's that feeling that makes you want to scream "Wait!! Stop!! I changed my mind!! Momma!!!"
The door opens. It's loud. The wind is daring me to join it's jovial song. Come to me Samantha, Come to me. Kevin screams " I really hope you are attached tight enough" and to the edge we go. "Are you ready??" Before I can answer that question we are free. One with the atmoshere. Flipping and flipping and flipping..

 Screaming and laughing and beaming and grinning and experiencing one of my favorite things to do on earth... the Freefall. For those of you who have never experienced it...It's indescribable. For those of you who have...nuff said. I have yet to find anything that makes me feel that euphoric and free. I apologize to all boyfriends past and present...but you've got nothin' on a freefall.
A special thanks to Kevin and Skydive Hawaii for the best jump to date!!!! Mahalo!!
WAIMEA VALLEY

    Nestled away behind an enchanted path abundant with local flora and a variety of rare bird species lies the North Shore's spectacular Sacred Waimea Valley. www.waimeavalley.net
    Waimea Valley is a world class botanical garden that boasts over 5,000 types of plant species from all over the world. As soon as I entered the valley I felt the Mana (life force) of those who used to live here. It truly is a magical place. As the sun peeked  through the canopy it enhanced the already captivating beauty of my surroundings and I was lost for a moment. The combination of  fresh floral scents mixed with the warm tropical breeze made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I felt completely carefree and ready to explore. Lucky for me I ran into DLopes (his nickname I assume), a long time Waimea Valley employee.

Dlopes and I

Ye Olde Pitiful Waterfall

     He pointed out several endangered bird species for me and guided me to the stream where the birds and bullfrogs like to chill. When I asked him how to get to the waterfall he chuckled and said "it's more of a trickle right now due to the lack of rain, but go for it."     Well, Dlopes, you were right, the waterfall was pitiful. I included this picture not for its beauty, but so you can see exactly what I mean. Pitiful. I'm not upset, the scenery more than made up for the lack of water flux. Thanks to everyone at Waimea Valley for a very special afternoon.  

THE MARKET
One of the super cool things I was part of whilst in Hawaii was the Waimea Valley Farmer's Market, held every Thursday in the Waimea Valley.  Divine Living, Lyndee's Raw Food company plays an integral role in the market. She educates locals and tourists alike on the benefits of healthy living while providing delicious treats for sale. We made a killing when I was there (I'm not sayin, but I'm sayin). Herbest market to date!! I learned how to make and prep raw food and truly began to appreciate all of the time and effort it takes to live a "Organic, raw, vegan, gluten free, diabetic friendly" lifestyle!!!

Mic, the "Tuna" guy...my BFF for the day!!

THE OTHER STUFF...
Let's talk about construction work peeps! I'm from Chicago...you know...concrete jungle, skyscapers, traffic, snow... 
Knowing this Lyndee still decided that I would be the best candidate to help her build a shed for her brand new John Deere riding lawn mower. What??? Me??? Ummmmm...am I being punked? Where's Ashton Kutcher??
Needless to say we accomplished it..kind of. 
    It took several trips to Ace Hardware, many arguments, hundreds upon hundreds of mosquito bites, a lost french press, and Lyndee almost losing a foot by a rogue chainsaw to finally put this thing together. Its not perfect, it's probably not stable, it certainly isn't pretty, but it's ours dammit, all OURS!!!!

   I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 week stay on Oahu. Thank you to everyone who made this trip so amazing...Shoots!!!
It was epic. I love all of you...especially you Lyndee! Thank you for showing your best friend how wonderful the North Shore can be.!!! and the Hawaiian shaved ice...forget about it...Delish!!
 Aloha and Mahalo Hawaii....off to Peru!!!!! Thanks for reading-
-The Savvy Nomad