Geeks in Paradise

There's so much to see and do in Hawaii. Particularly on the island of Oahu. There are people on just about every corner and in every hotel brokering their own "Experience the Aloha" type sightseeing trips. It's very important that you "Experience the Aloha" and there are tons of tours available to see the Dole Pineapple Plantation, or Hilo Hattie's or Hanauma Bay or the Polynesian Cultural Center.

We experienced NONE of the above Aloha, we just rented a car and "experienced the Aloha" - OUR WAY. (a pair of Aloha rebels, that's what we are!)

Eric's choice: Let's go see the big waves on the North Shore. It turns out that the Billabong Monster Energy Pipeline Pro was in session and the waves were BIG. Double overhead big. So fun to watch.

There is nothing sweeter than watching the perfectly shaped waves of the Banzai Pipeline. It was quite the amazing show. We hung out long enough to take over 100 pictures and weasel our way into the pro photographer's area. (God, I love my camera! ;-D)

NOTE: There are two classic surf movies which will totally make you salivate for the waves here: Endless Summer(1966) and Five Summer Stories (1972). (we always watch these before going to Hawaii to get psyched up and listen to the soundtrack from Five Summer Stories, arguably one of the very best soundtracks EVER, but that's not important right now.)

To be able to experience the North Shore on a day like this was absolutely magical and my surfer husband was completely satisfied with this moment or just "stoked," in surf-speak. What an amazing, magical day. (Thank you, God.)

Part two of our own personal "Aloha Experience" involved a 4-wheel drive Hummer taking us on a back country tour of . . .

(wait for it. . .)

Movie locations! That right there is what I call uber-geek heaven.

This is the back country where they film LOST (we hiked around Hurley's golf course and climbed the hill where Sayid and Shannon get the signal from Danielle, the Frenchwoman in Season One, and sat on the same logs where Ana Lucia kills Godwin, - and, no, we don't have tv so how is it, you're wondering that I know this stuff, well, I blame Helen for starting me on this addiction, but that's not important right now. =D). Our appropriately geeky tour guide, Jeff, would show a movie clip and point out where in this valley they had filmed the scene. He let us get out a few times and hike around and experience being, well... LOST. (so awesome. =D)

This is also the location for the films: Pearl Harbor, Godzilla (yes, we stood in the giant lizard footprint - what a moment!), Windtalkers, and Jurassic Park (which, by the way, is one of my very favorite books of all time, but that's not important now,either).