Road Trip 2015! Salt Lake City and Omaha!

I've been crazy blessed this year!

I've been on 3 roadtrips so far: 

First one: Salt Lake City and Omaha, NE

Second One: Las Vegas!

Third One: San Francisco, Ventura/Pasadena and Ensenada, Mexico!

Not only that, I am leaving for 4 months backpacking Europe on Tuesday!

Its been a while since I've written a blog (but I'll be writing more and more!)

OMG. Who would have thought that I would love Salt Lake City and Omaha, NE!? SERIOUSLY?  

Salt Lake City has a really cool vibe, its somewhat spread out, so its not so crowded, but there's enough people so it feels like a city.  I love that its so outdoorsy too! 

Omaha was beyond fun too!  I imagined corn fields and nothing, but I was met with friendly smiles (everywhere), not to mention the biggest gay bar I've been to is in Omaha (named The Max) hahaha!

Recommendations:
Salt Lake City: The Park Cafe 

Omaha, NE: The Max 

YouTube: http://goo.gl/0vks5e 

Mahalo for reading. 

Until next time.

Another day... #luckyme

Special thanks to that guy on the bus last night who was rocking out to his own music.  Your sheer love of metal music and lack of public shame, made me laugh hysterically (and a bit jelly).

**Still looking for a roadbike, if anyone has one they're not using**

It has been an awesome couple of days, my left ear finally popped yesterday - conforming that my best diving days are probably behind me.

Yesterday was pretty cool.  Nothing super exciting, but awesome nonetheless.  One of the most surprising things about my travels that people don't realize is that I normally spend a lot of time alone - yes, even in Hawaii.  Most people are working and stuff, or I guess assume I'm busy.  

Well, funny how random stuff works out too.  Yesterday, I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy in 3D, OMG it was $15.50, but completely worth it, seeing a 3D movie on a huge screen and proper 3D was amazeballs.  

Before that I was at one of my favorite beaches.  Ala Moana beach park.  It normally gets a bit crowded on the weekends, but on this Monday afternoon it was perfect.  I swam for a bit (of course forgot my goggles), and my pictures of myself didn't turn out that well, but hey, its still super.

Got to hang out with one of my BFFs just walking around Walmart - I know, right?  I was trying to see if they had a computer I wanted (of course, they didn't), we also had some Jamba Juice - what what?!  Acai bowl.  Yes, I know it's not the best place to get it, but hey my first Acai bowl in over year, k.  lol try relax. 

Oh yeah, this is what I had for breakfast yesterday.  I had to get my license renewed (which only took 2 hours BTW - kinda good since it was a Monday).  For the peeps overseas, this is corned beef hash, with fried rice and 2 over medium eggs (I really wanted pancakes, but then I'd need a lot of toast for the beef and eggs).  

Speaking of breakfast - gonna go eat.  I forgot what else I wanted to say.  o_O

CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE VIDEOS HERE: 

http://www.youtube.com/user/hawaiiinsomniac/videos 

Mahalo for reading. Until next time.

TravelTalk - Summer 2013 Summary - Stats

I can't believe that my summer trip is over.

 

I am quite happy to be going back to Spain, but I am definitely going to miss my friends around the world and the new places and experiences I have been blessed to be a part of.

 

Number of flights taken - 16

Numbers of countries visited - 7

(Portugal, USA, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia and Hungary)

Number of first time countries: 4

(Poland, Belgium, Croatia and Hungary)

Number of books read: 10

(I'll write a separate blog, with book recommendations)

Number of Couchsurfer hosts: 2 (Breda and Zagreb)

Number of different hostels: 9 

Number of nights in a hotel: 4 

Number of airbnb bookings: 2

Number of calories consumed: 1,000,000,000,000

 

I could write more statistics, but this trip, like most others are about the things that you cannot measure.  Running in a butterfly costume, seeing Hawaii from 30,000 feet in the air, having a laugh with your best friends over wine (and food), seeing your nephew for the first time, allowing yourself to experience the new world - without fear, making new friends along the way.

 

Thank you for taking this trip with me this past summer.

 

Now, look forward to getting to know more about Spain.

More pictures coming.

 

CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE VIDEOS HERE: http://www.youtube.com/user/hawaiiinsomniac/videos Mahalo for reading. Until next time.

Hawaii... First 72 hours!

Lei'd by Michelle... Times 2!

Wow... I cannot believe I have been back in Hawaii for 72 hours!

So... What have I been up to, since I got home!?

Well... I got lei'd twice upon arrival!

Special thanks for Michelle M. for picking me up at the airport and for my special leis, they are drying on my counter as we speak.

Michelle and I spent an hour or so catching up over beverages at a local bar in Hawaii near Waikiki Beach.

Getting home was quite overwhelming.  I didn't recall my room ever being so immaculate, though now, it looks like my backpack threw up all over my room.

I spent that Friday night sorting through mail, which I'm still in the process of working on, and the same with unpacking.  I've unpacked 1 of 3 luggages so far, and by unpack, I mean dumped the backpack on my bed which I've piled on one corner.

Mail, yes... 3 months of mail is quite a lot, and since I had internet access in most places that I've gone, I had the opportunity to order my school books and supplies while I was gone, which did save me heaps of money.  Yes, the pic doesn't do the amount of mail I've had to sort through...

I originally told people that I wasn't ready to come home, that I could have traveled for another month or so, and being back in Hawaii, I'm happy to report that I'm glad to be back home.  The weather, the water, my friends... have really welcomed me back with open arms.

Well, after sleeping in my most comfortable bed, the next day was completely geeking out and spent most of my day updating my computer, which being gone for 3 months I was surprised that it really wasn't too much at all... I'm just glad to have a Mac and that updates are painless and just requires a couple of clicks and the rest takes care of itself.

Sunday was a really nice day.  It started with getting back on the bike!  I can't believe my race is about a month away and I was just so happy to be getting back on the bike and doing a quick ride to test out my legs and my bike and happy to report, its not too bad... I got in contact with my coach and now I have a training schedule until race day... so basically I just need to make sure I am well enough to train (I'm currently a wee bit sick)...




Sunday was also my brunch celebration.  I try to hold a brunch celebration at my house at least once every two months, which entails having mimosas at my house (which do not tell any French people that you add orange juice to champagne) then off to Blu Water (most of the time).  Blu Water has really affordable brunch, with entrees ranging from $14-$20 and any entree purchase includes access to an all you can eat pancake bar (with 6 types of pancakes).  Needless to say, having friends there and just sharing our stories of our summer was great - our previous brunch was about 3 months ago discussing our summer plans, so it was interesting to see which ones panned out, which plans changed.  It was a great time to also give out some presents.  I was really surprised I received some presents in return.  One of the best presents I have received in my life came in a form of a birthday card.  Many people have different interpretations of what makes a great birthday present - for me I enjoy taking the time to find a birthday card that really says what I want it to say and also even wrapping - I like the finer details and the thought process behind the gift and this card I received made me cry...

The rest of of Sunday afternoon involved getting my grubby hands on a Xbox live remote and playing a new game Top Spin 4.  Yes, I love tennis.  I can spend countless hours playing tennis.  The rest of the time was basically preparing for school the next day.

The first day of school wasn't too difficult nor too exciting, I think once you've attended the same school for a while the novelty wears off - but one thing that was really great is seeing many familiar friendly faces... I think the novelty wore off when I spent 3 classes in the same classroom - YES! and tomorrow I return to the same classroom for another class... ugh. lol

Alright, just some bits on upcoming Blog posts!!
-Monthly Challenge - Smoking
-Pictures from the trip!
-Weekly reflections on a particular summer 2011 place!
-Training and Fundraising - YES a little bit over a month left!

Mahalo for reading.

Until next time.

Question time?!

Aloha readers...

My field school has started here in Antigua and its officially 1 more month before I head home.  I've been sorta of lagging on blogging (yes, I will be blogging about Quetzaltenango) but before that, I wanted to give you the opportunity to ask me anything about my travels...  It could be about anything really, food, culture, Guatemala, Ecuador, my pre-travels in the U.S, Paris, my daily life... etc?!

All questions POSTED in the COMMENTS section BELOW, will be answered in a blog next week Tuesday.

Miss you all very much and can't wait to hear from you...

Yes.. you can ask in English, Spanish, French, Pidgin or Tagalog!

P.S.  We are almost at the $1,000 mark!  http://cyclingforacure.info  Special thanks to Emralino family for their recent donation of $100!

Mahalo for reading.

Until next time.

Torn Apart... + Ecuador Edition!

Torn Apart...

Yes, torn apart... Not between external  forces, but within my own mind (be very scared...)

I've been fortunate to travel to 6 continents, tons of countries, made a few awesome friends along the way, but traveling is starting to have a different meaning for me...

Before my mantra... "if I waited for a friend to travel with me, I'd never go anywhere..."

Now that I'm actually traveling for an extended period of time, I might be having a change of heart...

Porto Lopez, Ecuador

Not saying that I'd travel with just anyone... But if you're probably reading this, you're a significant part of my life... I think I'm at the point of my travel career that I've done a lot of exploring on my own... And maybe I'm ready to travel with a friend to new places, or to just visit friends in general...

I've done a little bit of both on this trip... Visiting friends and family in southern California, Washington D.C., and Florida... whilst (ha! <3 that word!) exploring Guatemala and Ecuador...

Me + couchsurfing hosts...

I'm having a great time here in Ecuador... I'm currently in an awesome place called Porto Lopez, yes a place where not too many tourists venture to, and it if wasn't for my awesome couchsurfing host, I would have never explored this place on my own... An oceanfront restaurant celebrating his friend's birthday.  Great good, great company and great music...

I guess what I'm saying is it's about time that I head back to Australia and visit friends I haven't seen in ages... Yes, Melbourne! :) and perhaps also Portugal, and maybe a new place like Winnipeg, Canada...

Apple pie... Ecuadorian style...

I can't say it enough... I've been fortunate to have been to many places, but I am even more fortunate to have made some really awesome friends along the way...

Yes, I truly miss you and I can't wait to see you soon...

Ha... On that note, I'm still in exploration mode with 7 more weeks of awesome exploring to go!

Desserts and laughter!  :)

Mahalo for reading.

Until next time.

Disneyworld...

Sheryll, Stitch and I

Spinning cups!

Yippie... Yup, I can't believe it, I'm at the happiest place on Earth!  Well, the biggest happiest place on Earth, earlier this year, I was fortunate to visit Disneyland Paris, and I've been to Disneyland before in Anaheim California.  Now I've gotten the chance to go to Disneyworld!

We were in Orlando for only a couple of days, well 2 and we spent most of one of our days at Disneyworld.  It was soo much fun, it wasn't very crowded and we got to ride most of the rides without much wait.

The food wasn't really the best food, but what can you expect...

This is the first time I've had the opportunity to take pictures with Disney characters, such as Stitch, Fairy Godmother, Donald Duck...

I was surprised at the entrance, its very similar to Disneyland Paris, even the food with the hot dogs, ice cream the castle and the layout of the castle.  Needless to say, it was still an awesome time!

Poli and I...

Mahalo for reading.

Until next time.

en paris... (part deux)

yup, i'm on the bridge again.

well 5 years later sans eddie.

here is the old picture: http://hawaiiinsomniac.blogspot.com/2011/01/eddie-et-moi-en-paris.html

oh my how times have changed, but the beautiful city of paris hasn't changed (too much)

well, now i speak a little bit of french.  i've been fortunate to be back to france and my experience of france has changed a lot, no longer staying in downtown paris, i've gotten to known a lot of chateau de vincennes very well, quite familiar with the RER, metro and the area, the lake, and such.

this particular day was awesome, marc and i were hanging out and it was my first time on a bike (in paris) it was great, riding through the streets of paris, with the wind going through my hair, with slight nervousness (well sorta a lot of nervousness) since i don't really ride my bike on a busy street.

ha... well many more posts will be coming with new pictures (of food of course!)

Mahalo for reading. 

Until next time.

Where to go?!

The problem with traveling is that you can only be at one place at one time.

I want to experience new places (Iceland, Finland, Middle East, Bangladesh), yet there are so many places to re-visit and see old friends (Australia, New Zealand, Morocco, Portugal, all over the U.S., Nicaragua).

I am heading to Alaska in June 2010 for my 30th birthday.

I am now planning my travels for 2011.  I am thinking of heading to Australia and NZ to see visit some friends as well as head to Philippines to explore for a little bit.  I've only been to the main island of Philippines (Luzon), I think its time to go back and explore and check it out more.

Where to go?

Hmmmm... Maybe Nicaragua again, I barely scratched the surface on what that country has to offer.  I could see myself spending the summer there learning Spanish, surfing and just hanging out.

Just writing my thoughts, maybe my next travel destination will come to me... hopefully sooner than later...

Mahalo for reading.

Until next time.

Next International Travel Destination

NEXT INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL DESTINATION

Where to go? For my 29th birthday, I definitely want to spend at least 5 days in the Philippines in another island than Luzon.

Upon doing my research, I was surprised the amount of low cost carrier airlines that fly to/from Manila and all over. There are plenty of airlines to choose from (I'll list by website in case you want to take a peek): tigerairways.com, flyseair.com, cebupacificair.com, asianspirit.com, airphilippines.com and even more!

Here is a pic of Cebu Pacific's Route.

I am really having a hard time... I'm debating on Thailand, Vietnam, or mainland China. I haven't been to any of those places.

So little time, so many places...

Where to go???



Mahalo for reading.

Until next time.

Gas Prices

GAS PRICES
Last time I filled up on gas it was $4.079 a gallon. That was about a month ago. Yesterday, I filled up on gas and it was $2.60 a gallon. I should note that yesterday I waited in line at Costco like 1/2 of the island because regular gas down the street was at $3.17.

What I don't understand is airlines have been quick to raise fares, charge for bags and fuel surcharge fees to the consumer in order to account for "increases in gas prices". Now that gas prices are on the decline, can't airlines purchase oil by the boat load? If I recall correctly its called wedging. If an airline practices this shouldn't they start passing on some of the savings to the consumer? Perhaps by eliminating fuel surcharge fees or lowering fares so people are more apt to travel.

I understand that people are in a bind and are stretching their dollars to the maximum, but as an airline wouldn't you rather have people fly at a lower cost than have that seat empty?

Soon with RyanAir coming stateside, US airlines, you better come up with a way to earn loyal clients.

Just my $0.02.

Mahalo for reading.

Until next time.

Weekend, Planning, Book of the Month & Fastest Time Ever!

Weekend
This past weekend was pretty chill. Basically went surfing both days, laid out on the beach, swam in the pool for about 2 hours. Yup, I am getting really dark and toned! Also went to the $1 theater saw Jumper, which was pretty entertaining. Surprising thing of all is that I don't think I spent more than $20 the whole weekend! I am being super thrifty. I have to book my tickets from Lisbon to Marrakesh. I need spending $ for a couple of trips coming up, not to mention I want a new surfboard for my birthday.

Planning
Whew, planning things can be quite exhausting. I want my Vegas/LA/SD trip to be fun filled. I am thinking Catalina May 31st ($60 R/T-pp) if you wanna go, departing out of LB harbor and hopefully Sea World the day prior. I want to book a couple of shows for Vegas. Not to mention FOOD! I want to go to Bobby Flay's restaurant in LV. Here are my official travel dates: Las Vegas: May 24-27, LA: May 27-29, San Diego: May 29 - June 2. Let's start planning dinner dates!

Book of the Month - April
I read about 2 books every month. My pick this month is "Remember Me" by Sophie Kinsella. I read this book in about a 1.5 days. Its basically a story about staying true to yourself, how events in your life change but at the end of all of it, don't forget who you are. Its a cross between How the Devil Wears Prada and Time Travel. I would suggest picking this up. Really entertaining.

Fastest Time Ever!
Today, I clocked in my fastest mile ever. Considering that my knees were bothering me, I really can't wait to push the envelope and see how fast and far I can go. Hopefully soon, I'll be down to 6 minute miles.


Mahalo for reading.

Until next time.