Remembering Oahu - Republishing my article from school paper

Tonight I'm thinking about my past and living the nomadic lifestyle. In particular I'm thinking of Oahu island in Hawaii.

I never felt as free as laying on the beach in Wakkiki looking up at the stars. I was on my way to Australia from America with a week stopover in Oahu, Hawaii and there was just something about ... being an ocean away from both the problems past (an ocean east of hawaii) and the problems to come (an ocean west of hawaii).

The air was fresh, the sky was clear, and the sound of the waves hitting the beach was the most relaxing thing I've ever heard. Everything seemed so far away, just experiencing life...

I won't say I wish I was back there feeling that, because I know it's only a matter of time. I always knew I'd be back and I still know I will.

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I'm re-publishing something I wrote and a video I taped while I was passing through Oahu in 2015. First I have to give a small background on my life.

Programming and computers is what I've always done as work but what I studied in college was actually digital arts at that time "multimedia design and production". We did everything from coding websites, editting videos, photos, and sometimes even taking photos.

Even though I was into computer programming our program was in the school of contemporary media. Due to that I later had a chance to upgrade my diploma to a bachelor of arts in journalism. The bridge-program was mostly online but because it was offered by an accredited Canadian university there were grants that helped me cover tuition and living expenses.

It was kind of short term decision choosing to study something because the grants would allow me to travel, though I do love writing and photography ... either way it seems to have worked itself out. Plus I got to travel around for two years while finishing the bridge.

As part of that period in my life I also had the opportunity to get paid to write for our school paper/website. Not a huge amount since I only published one or two articles a week but it helped a lot and it felt great to have the acknowledgement of having been paid to write something.

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Oahu Scooter Ride

April 10, 2015

I used to own a motorcycle in high school, so I felt right at home on the rental mopped. Matt took a few minutes to get used to it but after that we were speeding along Waikiki Beach. It seems like everyone in Waikiki was having a good time, I couldn’t help but grin as I passed Matt, taking the lead.

Only minutes from Waikiki beach we passed Diamond Head, a state park inside a volcanic tuff cone formation. Still having too much fun on the bikes we passed by and drove along the beach. It didn’t take long to get out of the city. Soon we were driving beach on one side, grassy mountains, palm trees, and wide open fields of grass on the other. Using a GoPro I managed to get some footage of the ride.

After an hour or so of driving around we stopped at Waimanalo Beach. Compared to Waikiki beach Waimanalo was empty. Running into the water, I wasn’t expecting to be knocked off my feet but the first wave hit me so hard that I did a full flip underwater. Apparently the waves are always pretty strong, which is great for surfing.

We continued from Waimanalo Beach to Maunawili Falls where we were told that part of the show Lost was filmed. It didn’t take us long to figure out why they chose the location. Within minutes we met people walking back to the entrance telling us that further up a sign says you’ve gone too far. According to the sign we had to go back 500 meters and turn right, but we didn’t remember passing any paths. Walking back we ran into a couple to whom we explained the sign, they, like us, ignored the warning and wanted to see it for themselves.

It seemed a lot of people had given up on ever finding the falls and just turned back and left. We considered doing the same but spotted a lightly tread path leading up a steep hill. We still weren’t sure it was the right path until we saw someone heading back who confirmed. As we went a bit further in we started seeing discarded shoes and clothing that was completely covered in mud.

Getting to the falls requires an hour long trek through small rivers and paths where You’re up to your knees in mud. That’s assuming you don’t get lost. After trying to race Matt I ended up going off the path and getting lost. I only met up with Matt again once I’d finally made it to the falls. By the time we made it I had lost my shirt and sandals to the mud. Maunawili Falls is definitely not a trek for the faint at heart. So, exhausted, we drove back to the hostel.