Oahu, Hawaii

I arrived to U.S. soil and a beautiful island to await me! I may have been one of the happiest passengers to get off that plane.  I know I had one of the biggest smiles, walking thru the airport and that's a hard thing to beat when you're in paradise!

This would be the first time I was on Oahu renting a car and deciding on my own accommodations. In the past I either had been visiting friends or with a friend to share these living costs with. I wasn't thrilled to be coming from SE Asia's low prices and jumping into hawaii's higher costs. It didn't take long (a half hour, maybe?) before I was over it. I was where I wanted to be, home away from home and I had complete freedom to drive wherever I wanted to. I liked it! I rented a gray VW Passat that had a proper trunk so that I could have my backpack with me and out of sight to prevent break ins. 

The car rental came out to around $27 a day plus fuel. If I wanted to stay in a hotel or hostel I would have had to pay extra to park the car there. So I decided to steer clear of those places plus they both cost more then my rental car per day! If you want to travel for a long period of time you need take these things into account. 

The first 2 nights I had couch surfing accommodations lined up and the last two nights I wasn't sure of yet. I was considering beach camping out of the car. 

First thing was first though! Once I got the keys to the car I changed into my swimsuit and headed to diamond head beach! The guy I was couch Surfimg with invited me to come out with him and 2 others to outrigger paddle. 

Because I couldn't take a picture of us (3 guys and myself) in action I borrowed this from the web. But it's the closest photo to what we were doing and oh my gosh it was AMAZING! This sport is so much fun!!! Just that little taster got me hooked. 

My new friend and couch surfing host and I left the beach a few hours later and headed for Banan, a food truck my friend heather had told me to go to. 

The 2 towers overlapping each other on the left is where I lived with my auntie when I was 19 and 20. I lived there and worked at 24 hour fitness in Honolulu. Seeing these buildings off the Pali highway brought back good memories. 

We arrived to Banan! It lived up to the expectations I had for it after she had my mouth watering with her discription.

They represent all sorts of good! Delicious frozen banana healthy treats and good for the environment. Composting and recycle stations and compostable spoons. 

You pick the flavor combination you want from the menu or you can create your own. 

Across from the food truck they have a pretty chill seating area.

I visited this place everyday I was on Oahu and made it a mission to try all their flavors. I shared these three with my cousin Mea. 

The menu board.

After our frozen fruit desert I followed him back to his house so I could see where he lived. I got situated with my room and then headed out to Kailua to meet up with my cousin Ka'aimea (Mea) and meet her boyfriend and their new lil baby boy, Bohdi. 

This is one of many views I don't get tired of seeing on Oahu. This is in the mountain side of Kailua. Driving thru the neighborhood on my way to the cousins house. They live right up against this mountainside. I've also heard there's a good hike up the side it that I'll have to look into n zt time I'm visiting. 

This is Bohdi. My newest cousin.

I met Ka'aimea at the family's house and met Cody (her boyfriend) and their baby boy. We went to Japanese Bbq for dinner that night and made plans to go to the north shore the next day. 

On the drive to the North Shore I just had one request and that was to stop at the shrimp truck. Which one do you stop at thought when there are so many now to choose from? Well I prefer Giovanni's as it's the original. 

The backside of the truck. You order from the other side. 

Garlic shrimp with rice. 

We headed on ward after our quick lunch stop. The next location we hit was Ted's bakery which Mea insisted we go to since I had never eaten there. Her and I shared a mango pastry and a lilikoi pastry, Cody had doughnut holes. The bakery is famous for its Hawaiian cream pies though. A yurt buisness was our next stop. Ka'aimea had just bought one from these people and she was excited to show it off to me. Hers was going to be made in the next few weeks as they are all made to order.

The family who makes these also lives in this one. It duals as their home and model yert. 

The view from above their yert home. I'm standing on a lani where the deck use to house another yert. The view was to good so they took it down.

Sharks cove, North Shore, Oahu. We picked this little spot of beach (behind me) and ocean, to hang for the day.

We stayed tell the end of the day and I captured this little gem. 

2nd and 3rd cousins

I love tossing babies (safely of course!) into the air. I don't know what it is, probably the deep belly laughs I get in return! Bohdi loved it just as much as any other baby I've tossed. 

Im an adventure hiker and Hawaii has some pretty awesome hikes. A few that are still on my list and there's a few I enjoy enough that I keep going back. 

This is the mountain that holds one of my favorite hikes, koko head. A staircase made of railroad ties that's 1106 steps to the summit. 

This is me at the start of the trail. The key it to just keep moving! Your pace will slow down but just keep moving to that next step. If you must stop make it a quick rest. 

This is one of many of the beautiful views the summit will offer you. It's worth the trek! I did this hike 2 mornings in a row. I'd love to be able to do this hike every morning! 

On the second day of my koko head hike I did this hike (PillBox) in the afternoon followed by a jump in the ocean to clean off! 

I liked the artsy sign at the trail head. Reminds me of my friend Spencer's art style. 

So the hike starts out looking like this. 

Some will tell you that this is an easy hike and it is but a hike is what YOU make of it.

More of what the hike looks like...

So I hiked this at a very quick pace got to the first pillbox and took a break for photos. I messaged my dad back in Oregon letting him know what I was doing and he did a gps search on me they the iPhone thru an app called "find my friends" he looked me up and informed me there was another pillbox above me. I wasn't aware of it honestly I thought there was only one pillbox. 

Thanks dad! 

The view along the way! I LOVE the Kailua (windward side) coast line. 

So I made it to the 2nd pillbox and walked just above it to contemplate going on further. My cousin had told me you can keep going and make it to a lake. 

As I was thinking a man in his... Oh... 70's? quickly walks towards me and without stopping he says are you going further? I told him I was thinking about it and without skipping a beat he said, well come on! It's always better with company!

I didn't hesitate any further, I just quickly caught up to him staying just a few steps behind. The man asked where I was from and a little about me. He has 2 sons living in Portland Oregon so we instantly had a connection. He is Irish and a retired teacher in Kailua. 

I mostly listened to him tell me stories about his life and family and I throughly enjoyed every second of that Irish acented story! 

That's him! Such a sweet guy with a mission to power thru the hike! Seriously! I thiught I was going to fall trying to scurry after him and keep up! 

We didn't go in the direction of the lake but it was a memorable hike! I loved it, every minute of it!

We completed the trail coming out into a neighborhood and walking back to my car and his moped. As we said our goodbyes and parted ways we exchanged information and he told me he'd love to have me as a house sitter sometime as I seemed like the responsible type. I of course said, yes! And to call me. It's always great to have another reason to go back to Hawaii! 

Acai bowls seemed to be a big thing for me on Oahu. Similar to how elephants ended up being a big thing for me in Chiang Mai Thailand. Weird how that works.  I had some sort of fruit or Acai bowl everyday. Tropical, light, refreshing and healthy! What else did I need on a sunny day? 

Here's one of my last ones. It was delicious but not one of my all time favorites. Banan won my heart for the best! 

My last full day on Oahu Ka'aimea, Bohdi and I ran around doing an impromptu food tour and partial island tour. 

We visited this cafe, Blue Tree cafe that my friend Jen discovered. 

It reminded her or Portland, I agree and they make their own well... Everything! Almond milk, kombucha, gluten free pastries and more! 

Turns out it was also a cafe Mea had been wanting to go to for a long time. I couldn't decide on a smoothie so the awesome staff made me a sample of all 3 of the ones I was interested in. They don't normally do that. They also let me sample the almond milk and kombucha! Seriously! That was amazing customer service!!! I even asked them for their names so I could write a great review on them and the cafe and I did! 

We headed back towards Kailua and stopped along the side of the road to watch the whales. They were being really active and we even caught one with a baby who just couldn't stay in the water! It was constantly jumping out and splashing around. Whale season here is breathtaking!  

Mea and Bohdi.

The next morning I was Kona (big island) Hawaii bound. I took my rental car back, the shuttle to airport and caught the plane to the next island. 

Siem Reap, Cambodia part 2

I really enjoyed my time in this city. There was a lot to explore and it seemed to be a bit of a foodie city as well. 

A sign I saw while waking that was so typical and wonderful SE Asia. Speaking but more often writing English. 

My friend Sasha from the USA who has taught English in Cambodia for several months told me to be aware of a few things. The main one was the young girls on the streets who pretend to have babies and ask you for food and milk from the stores. IF you fall for this and buy it for them, the girls will sell that product back to the stores once you leave, making a profit. Also, those babies aren't theirs! They have borrowed them to make you think they are even more in need! 

One of my first nights in Siem Reap I was approached by one and for a split second I forgot about the warning I was given. All of a sudden it hit me and when I told her no and she came back me again I hit her with the truth! I told her no because... basically just telling her what I was told about her and she WAS NOT happy! She actually growled at me and stomped off! 

Another warning I was given was to be aware of the little boy who yells F' you! 

Seriously! He's about 8 or 9 years old and he walks around the main streets, usually not begging for anything. However he walks right up to you and gets right up in your face and yells "F' you!" It's so obnoxious and unreal! 

This shirt design is the newest fad in the Asian clothing market. It's pretty funny too, right!? "Lonely Traveller" and a picture of an elephant traveler taking a selfie of itself. 

Back to the topic of this place being a food city... On my last night in Cambodia Sasha, Olivia and I went to this restaurant called Haven. It was amazing! A little expensive but so good!

Entrance to Haven. An outdoor restaurant.

I split a few things with Sasha before the main course came. 

Delicious! Calamari appetizer we ate with an equally great salad that I forgot to photograph. 

And then a pumpkin burger on a homade bun. Words can't describe how delicious this was and the picture definitely can't explain it either! Way to go Haven for making such an amazing last dinner for me! Wish I could have had another meal here but reservations are strongly recommended here. A reason why I only ate here once. 

The second hostel I stayed at in Siem Reap was my favorite. 

One Stop Hostel at night. There are 2 locations of this hostel in SR and this is the newest one and where I called home for my last few nights.

My dorm room.

Rooftop pool (usually pretty empty) with a great view of the city. 

They have a kitchen inside where they will cook you meals for a small price. There's refillable water for a fee less then buying another bottle. Better for the environment too! The staff was friendly and the wifi and air con worked good and strong. This hostel was so new they didn't even have an address yet. 

On my last official day out of the country I decided I didn't have much left I needed to do in the city. I did miss the circus which I heard was worth seeing. I was planning to go but one night they were fully booked and then the next night they were closed. The circus relocated to a new spot so they closed to move. The night I flew out they had seats available but I wouldn't have made my flight.

The Cambodian circus is similar (from what I understand) to cirque du soleil the touring French Canadian circus. Tickets for general seating was around $18 and VIP seats were around $35. If you ever make it to Cambodia make a point to book this show right away, in advance. 

Another beautifully colored alley way along my travels. This was just outside of sister srey cafe. 

Sasha and one of the servers at sister srey cafe.

Since I had nothing to do on my last day in Cambodia I made it a cafe day! Literally! I ate breakfast, lunch and an early dinner. 

Homemade Toast with avocado, tomato, feta and a side of pesto. Simple and anyone could probably make this but it was really good here. 

Believe it or not this is stuffed French toast! I thought they accidentally served me a sandwich. It was a savory French toast with a tomato chutney on the side. 

And my last meal there was a detox salad with 2 power balls (energy balls) and a side of house made sweet potato fries! You can't go wrong with these sweet potato fries. 

I went back to the hostel and waited for Mr. Moon to pick me up at 9pm. He agreed to deliver me to the airport for the best price I was able to find. 

He pointed out to me his home as we neared the airport and then he took me directly to my terminal. It was exciting but bitter sweet to finally be leaving for the USA. There was a long layover in Shanghai China ahead of me but the USA was right around the corner. 

Mr. Moon weeks later found me on FB and has kept in touch with me. 

I made a few friends at the airport including a Cambodian lady. She was making her first ever airplane trip. She was probably in her late 30's and a nurse. She didn't speak freak English but she was drawn to me for some reason and asked me many questions about flying. Cambodians don't often leave the country they aren't paid enough in their jobs to make travel easy. I helped her along and on the plane we oddly enough sat across the aisle from each other. 

Once we were in China I had to make the decision if I was actually going to venture out into the city. My layover was 14 hours but I had just got word from a friend living there that the air pollution was high! So high they were even leaving to go to the country for the weekend. So I stayed in the airport and helped the Cambodian lady until we had to part ways at a certain gate. She was heading to Bejing to see a friend studying there for nursing. 

The layover in shiamghai was dreadful! First of all the majority of the workers were rude and didn't smile. China doesn't allow Facebook or anything google on anyone's computer or cell phones. So I didn't even have those things to distract me. I talked with some guys about thailand and they bought me some dim sum while we talked travel and I have them tips. Another guy from the Cambodian plane bought me breakfast at starbucks an visited with me. He said it was a gift for being so helpful to the Cambodian lady. 

I went into the bathroom before my flight to brush my teeth and this happened...! 

My travel tooth brush broke! It was in my mouth and just snapped! The Chinese ladies around me all heard it and looked with a bit of a smile. Of course they didn't  say anything to me because the majority of the Chinese people didn't speak any English. Wouldn't even try to talk to me. 

Sigh...

14 hours passed by and I made my trip to Oahu, Hawaii! Hello USA! It's been awhile!