Koloa Gulch

 Finally convinced people to go on this hike with me! Well actually I kind of tricked them... this waterfall is probably the most well kept secret on the North Shore. OR maybe it's because no one wants to go on it because it's long (6 hours), but also exhausting. The beginning is pretty steep (I got winded real fast haha), but then you have 2.5 hours of crossing the stream--FORTY TIMES. That is the killer. The rocks are pretty slippery, we all ended up on our butts a couple times at least. It is impossible not to fall in. Fortunately I didn't bring my nice camera, because it probably would have gotten beaten up... Because there is so much water down there it is MUDDY. Like you could lose your shoes in the mud haha. And I mean the mosquitos are just a given. Also it isn't heavily trafficked, so the person in front was the dedicated "spider web remover" (or they wouldn't see it and walk into it). We all got pretty cut up, and were all really sore the next couple of days haha. I'm pretty sure they were pretty mad that I didn't tell them it was a kind of hard hike.... 

I think this hike is also called the "Guava hike", but it was past harvest season so we didn't see any. There is a memorial at the beginning though because a scout died a couple years on the hike... Since it's a "gulch", if it rains, there can be a massive flash flood. 

It was pretty though! And an adventure haha. None of us regretted it, butttt probably won't ever do it again.

Hauula Loop

Just slowly crossing things off my bucketlist...

I tried to do this hike during Christmas break, but I was alone and started getting FREAKED out. So I made Sammy come back with me the second time. Seriously one of the best hikes ever. It's so pretty. And there are great views of the ocean and mountains. Also it's super easy and doesn't take long at all.

PCC Falls

 

 We were originally looking for Koloa falls, but I had no idea where the trail started, so we spent the first hour of our adventure just wandering in the stream... Fortunately there was a different (and much shorter) hike nearby, that neither of us had gone on before, so we opted to go on that one. 

It was a pretty muddy hike, but only like an hour to get to the top! It ended up being pretty picture perfect. I loved the palm trees and the little waterfall. The water was FREEZING though! And kinda sketchy...I'm not going to lie, getting in random pools of water in the middle of the jungle is really scary. I don't think that there is anything living in there, but STILL.

A Christmas in Hawaii

Ever since I decided that I was going to transfer, I realized I needed to start living it up in Hawaii! I had been constantly going back and forth between staying here or not, so unfortunately, I hadn't been doing everything like I should have been. 

So I was actually pumped to stay here for Christmas! My 2.5 week vacation in Hawaii!

I originally started out with what day I did stuff, but then it all got clouded, and I just started posting all the pictures hahaha. Most of the cool stuff I did will actually be posted in separate posts because they were that fun (aka i took a bajillion pictures)

Are you even in Hawaii if you don't go to the beach every day? 

(I have to work on my tan so I am super tan by the time everyone gets back!)

my cute little buddies

cutie little crab

...that still scared the crap out of me...

sammy's and my sandman haha

Sunday

Not that 3 hour church is a bad thing, but I had heard that it was only sacrament meeting...I was very disappointed...

holy pretty

went to the Christmas program, but it was so busy we ended up sitting outside and wishing we could hear the music haha

tried otai for the first time!!!!!

Otai is a Tongan drink that is made of shaved coconut, mango, watermelon, or pineapple with coconut milk and sugar (my favorite). This one was a mix or pineapple, watermelon, and coconut. 

SO YUMMY

There is always a tent outside the school on Farmer's market Fridays and they have mango, so I NEED to get that next time!

also tried "pudding"

You know in Other Side of Heaven how the lady at the funeral asks if the pudding is done? Well this is it. It's served at funerals because it is easy and can feed everyone. It is warm coconut milk with cooked balls of coconut milk and flour bobbing in it. 

not my fav.

Monday

Went to Van's Triple Crown surf competition!

A lot of the North Shore beaches have these super cute little white stones and they definitely kept me entertained haha

Yes we do! 

Unfortunately John John didn't win....
(yes, he is one of like 5 surfers I can name lol. there was a surfer that they kept calling "parco" and i was so confused! but it turns out his last name was parkinson so they call him parko!)

Treated myself on the way home. This sucker was $13!! It was a large though hahahaha 

Guess who ate it all....

Tuesday

Woke up at 6 AM to do "shop work". I had no clue what I was doing... I sat there was awhile and decided it was horribly boring and left. My boss ended up giving me some work, but it was brutally boring.

Then I went to the beach! I am getting pretty bad tan lines though so I need to switch my swimming suit haha. The waves seemed especially loud today though..? I don't know if I never noticed that before or what.

Then I went to the PCC. I wandered around for a bit, but it was so awkward haha! So many Asians asked me where stuff was, and all the workers thought I was a worker! HAHA. The attention was kind of scary. I went and talked to Hannah, and watched the Tongan show a couple times--that is BY FAR my favorite show, I can watch it over and over. It gets you laughing so much! My second favorite is probably Samoa...I don't know, I need to watch them again. (Got to take advantage of getting in for FREE!!!!!)

I walked around looking for some ripe bananas, but once they ripen, the workers usually take down the whole bunch super fast haha. I heard the Fijians had some, so I went and asked them for some. They thought I worked there haha I wonder if they wouldn't have given me them if I had said I didn't.

Not going to lie, I LOVE the feel of the PCC. Really wishing I worked there right now....

Came home, and worked on transfer essays! YAY. If I don't get in, I swear......

Wednesday

Attempted to go on a hike alone and got scared SO BAD. I started getting super paranoid and did not feel good about it. (Yes I realize that was dumb in the first place, but like....I didn't have many other friends here...)

From here on, I am just writing about separate experiences in different posts.