Skydiving

So I did it.  I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane yesterday.  My mom and sister are in town this week and we went skydiving on the North Shore yesterday morning.  It was a beautiful day for it when we left in the morning.  We already had advanced reservations (which I recommend doing because it is both cheaper and you won't wait very long).  We watched a bunch of people come down before it was our turn and that helped alleviate any anxiety I had over the whole "speeding toward the ground" thing.

We got up in the plane, harnesses on, and were ready to jump when the pilot got a call from the ground saying that it started raining.  This was a problem because hitting rain at 120mph hurts like a bitch.  Yes, you fly to the ground at 120mph.  Anyway, we circled around for a while until it cleared, but it never did.  No one wanted to land, though, so we made the decision to just jump.

It was surprisingly not that bad.  There was an initial feeling of falling (like when you drop in a roller coaster and your stomach jumps in your throat), but once you hit terminal velocity, it's just windy.  The worst part was definitely the rain, though.  It really stings like a bitch.  That was the only time I knew I was really moving quickly through the air.

then we landed.

Waimea Valley

Sometime last week I went up to the North Shore with my co-worker and his girlfriend to hang out at the beach, go surfing, and just cruise around.  We went up to Pupukea and there was hardly a single person there.  It's a vast stretch of really nice beach and big waves.  It's also right next to Shark's Cove, which has some great snorkeling.  Anyway, we hung out there for only a little while because about an hour or two into the morning, it started to rain.

Although it was raining a little, we decided to stay up at the North Shore and across from Waimea Beach, there is a conservatory called Waimea Valley - (59-864 Kamehameha Highway Haleiwa, HI 96712-8411).  Waimea Valley consists of 1,875 acres and has been a sacred place for more than 700 years of Native Hawaiian history.  Waimea, “The Valley of the Priests,” gained its title around 1090 when the ruler of O‘ahu awarded the land to the kähuna nui. Descendants of the high priests lived and cared for much of the Valley until 1886.  As part of a cooperative conservation land purchase, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs acquired the property in 2006.

Anyway, they have daily activities that visitors can watch like ancient sports games, traditional methods of making clothes, etc.  Visitors to the Valley are allowed to participate in several of the activities (with paid admission) including Lei Making, Kapa Demonstration, Hula Lessons, Hawaiian Games, and Crafts, Music & Story Telling with Kūpuna. It costs somewhere around $10 for admission and I'd say it's right on the cusp of being worth it.  78 sites of interest have been identified including religious sites and shrines, house sites, agricultural terraces and fishponds. There is a waterfall in the back of the valley that you can jump into and go swimming.  It's also a lot like a Botanical Garden in the sense that there are more than 5,000 kinds of tropical and subtropical plants including native and endangered Hawaiian plants.  You can actually pick fruit and eat it, too, which is pretty cool.

Overall, it's a pretty fun place to visit for an afternoon walk, especially if you're already on the North Shore and looking for something to do other than the beach or historical town of Haleiwa.  It's especially good for old people who like plants or kids who can't sit still for more than 5 minutes.

Shrimp Trucks

Shrimp trucks are a staple food in Oahu.  Most of the shrimp trucks are on the north shore and are located near the town of Kahuku, which is a well-known shrimp aquaculture area.  You can also find shrimp for sale in several other places on the north shore along the road between Kualoa and Hale'iwa (the main town where you'll find Cholo's and Matsumoto's).  Unfortunately, when I was up there last week, I didn't get a chance to stop by and sample these famous delicacies.  However, there are a couple other food trucks in Waikiki.  Since I have heard so much about these trucks, I decided to risk the tourist trap and give it a chance.  I'll be sure to write about the "real deal" when I make it back to the north shore.

There are 3 trucks in Waikiki just off the main strip of resorts and the end of Kuhio Street (street named for the former prince).  One of the trucks does Mexican, another does steaks, and only one focuses on shrimp and seafood. Shrimp plates are ordered at the windows of these shrimp trucks, and are usually served with two scoops of rice, and sometimes macaroni salad, a green salad, pineapple slices, and/or a lemon slice. They have several shrimp options, but the most popular plates have garlic, lemon butter, hot and spicy, sweet and spicy, or a soy-based sauce. We got garlic and lemon butter.  They cost about $12-$13 per plate.  The shrimp served at these tricks is good, but it is also unpeeled and unveined, thus very messy to eat.  Be sure pick up plenty of napkins. The shrimp trucks in Waikiki have covered picnic tables where you can eat, which is a plus.  A lot of the trucks on the north shore don't always have them so you have to eat and walk (or sit on a curb).

So here's the review:  We tried "Blue Water Shrimp."  This is one of the newest shrimp trucks on the island (both on the north shore and in Waikiki), but the only option in Waikiki.  The shrimp is very good, but it's not gonna leave you in a heroin-type fit of withdrawal if you don't get a regular intake.  The sauce was absolutely amazing, though.  They include plenty of fairly typical white rice that, along with the sauce, went nicely with the 6 pieces of decently-size shrimp you get.  There is also a small, but not terrible-tasting piece of corn on the cob.  Overall, I'd have to say I was not very impressed, especially because of the cost.  I fail to see how you can sell seafood out of the back of a truck, give me only a small handful of "okay" shrimp and rice that I even have to peel myself, and then have the audacity to charge me $13!  No thanks.  Especially since shrimp is so plentiful here, I can't justify making these trucks a regular choice.

I have not given up on the idea of shrimp trucks, though.  I am really looking forward to trying Giovani's, which is only on the north shore.  Giovanni's graffiti-covered white shrimp truck is the oldest and one of the best known shrimp trucks on Oahu's north shore. They usually park in Kahuku and Hale'iwa. They are most famous for their garlic shrimp that has large chunks of garlic in the sauce, but they also offer lemon butter and spicy sauces.

HIC Pro Surfing Competition

On Saturday, I went to my first surf competition on the North Shore of Oahu.  To avoid any confusion, I did not participate.  We took a trip up to the North Shore to see the beaches, sample Matsumoto's, and try a little homestyle Mexican food at Cholo's.  For those unfamiliar with the North Shore, this is where all the famous surf competitions are held.  Some famous beaches for surfing include Sunset Beach, Waimea, and Pipeline.  The waves in the winter can be massive on the North Shore, which brings the world's best surfers here every year.

Watching From Shore

The waves got as high as 30 feet as this weekend essentially signaled the start of Hawaii’s winter surf season. This is big news for the island as the annual surf season brings in $10 million just from tourism alone.  Thousands of people come to the North Shore for the winter just to check out these competitions.  The HIC Pro is the Hawaiian season opener and its "holding period" was between October 28 and November 10.  These competitions are "held" for a 2 week or longer period to make sure the surf is large enough.  Waves, from what I am told, are incredibly predictable several days in advance.  So the competition committee waits until the 3 best days of surf to occur and the competitions are then conducted during those days.  Some competitions may even go "mobile," which means that the entire location of the competition could change a couple days before it's held.  They'll change beaches if the waves are going to be bigger at another beach nearby.

The HIC Pro was held at Sunset Beach and is a major event for Hawaii’s aspiring pro surfers. First of all, it's the final ASP regional contest of the year and it not only crowns the 2010 Association of Professional Surfing (ASP) Hawaiian regional champion, but also qualifies six locals to compete in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing - an international event.  In other words, it is a competition to put Hawaiian locals in an international surfing competition.  For example, the winner of this year's HIC Pro, 20-year-old and Maui local Billy Kemper, doesn't even have a sponsor...yet.  Also, one thing I'm learning from living here is that there is A LOT of pride in local boys here who bring recognition to the island. Everyone loves the Philadelphia Phillies, for example, because Shane Victorino (center fielder) is Hawaiian.  You'll see his jersey everywhere and everyone wears Phillies hats.


The Vans Triple Crown brings over 200 of the world’s top ranked surfers to the North Shore where there is more than $900,000 in prize money, world titles, and international media and surfing sponsors. The "holding period" for the Triple Crown is November 12 through December 20.  The HIC Pro and Vans Triple Crown round out the 2010 ASP World Tour.

So what is this "ASP World Tour" you may be wondering...?  Well, I wondered the same thing.  Basically, there are 45 "seeded" surfers under the Association of Surfing Professionals.  These surfers are invited by ASP to compete in a given year and they accrue points as they compete in ASP-sponsored events (there are 10 events and surfers get to use their 8 best scores from those events). They are continually ranked according to their results in these competitions.  The surfer with the most points is crowned the "World Tour Champion."  Along the way there are various regional and privately sponsored competitions and events that allow more surfers to get involved, get recognized, and get sponsored.  However, these participants don't have the opportunity to win the World Tour Championship.  But the more competitions you win, the more likely you are to get sponsored and eventually invited to compete for the World Tour Championship.


Judging Criteria:  Think gymnastics meets figure skating meets x-games.  Also, it should be noted that there are "short board" and "long board" competitions that involve different criteria.  I am only focusing on the short board stuff, because...well, I am already confused enough.  Anyway, Judges analyze the following major elements when scoring waves: 

• Commitment and Degree of Difficulty
• Innovative and Progressive Maneuvers
• Combination of Major Maneuvers
• Variety of Maneuvers
• Speed, Power and Flow 
  

It is important to note that the emphasis on certain elements changes based on the location and the conditions on the day, as well as changes of conditions during the day.  

Now, what does all this mean to me?  Well, not a whole heckuva a lot.  I still don't really get it.  But what I do get is that the waves are big, the sun is shining, and I sure as hell couldn't do what these guys are doing, so it's pretty awesome to watch.  Plus, you get to see guys wipe out, which is pretty fun too.  I mean, where else can you see things like this:

Surfer from the HIC Pro on November 6

The Verdict on Shave Ice

I tried my second shave ice this weekend.  This time, I made it all the way to the North Shore and tried the famous Matsumoto's.  I am happy to say that the deciding between the two premier shave ice stands - Waiola or Matsumoto's - was not a difficult decision.  In fairness, I did not try the same type of shave ice.  At Waiola, I had the Sundae shave ice while at Matsumoto's I had the Rainbow w/ice cream shave ice.  However, I am confident that ordering the same thing would not alter my opinion.

Without further ado, the winner is...Waiola's Shave Ice. 

Matsumoto's was still good.  The rainbow w/ice cream shave ice includes three flavors: Pineapple, Vanilla, and Strawberry over vanilla ice cream.  Again, the large is PLENTY big enough for 2 people.  The benefits are that it is not as sweet as Waiola's sundae shave ice.  This makes it somewhat more refreshing, but not enough to warrant victory.  It was not as sweet, but both were pretty sweet.  The ice cream mixed with the shave ice was the best part, but you really have to dig for it.  It takes a while to eat your way through the mound of shave ice they put on top.  Another good thing about Matsumoto's is that it is, in fact, cheaper than Waiola's.  A large at Matsumoto's is $2.75, or for another $0.25, you can get a highly-recommended (and re-usable) holding cup to prevent dripping on your hands.  A large at Waiola's is $4.50.

Matsumoto's Rainbow Shave Ice w/Ice Cream

The primary negative of Matsumoto's (and the reason it lost in the taste test) is texture.  It was too "commercial."  Matsumoto's was much closer to a snow cone than "shave ice."  Matsumoto's is so popular and the line is so constant that they "pre-shave" their ice.  They then transfer it to a freezer where they scoop it out like ice cream.  This has the unfortunate side effect of slightly melting the ice and re-freezing it such that it more closely resembles an ice block than "snow."  Waiola's, on the other hand, is shaved for each individual customer and hand-packed by the attendant.  This makes a world of difference in terms of texture.  Matsumoto's also seems more commercial in the sense that you can buy t-shirts, coffee mugs, hats, and other such tourist crap while in the store.  Waiola's is hidden in the middle of a neighborhood available only to locals who know to go there.

The Real Waiola's Shave Ice

Interesting side note:  Waiola's Shave Ice was shown in Hawaii Five-O's November 1, 2010 episode Ho'apono.  However, the Waiola shave ice stand was pictured as being along Ala Moana Beach.  In the show, Waiola's is in front a picturesque ocean front complete with picnic tables and grass, completed by happy people walking by. HA! Waiola Shave Ice is the dessert equivalent of a dive bar.  It is everyone's favorite place precisely because it is NOT set in a picturesque setting frequented by tourists.  It is located in the middle of a fairly run down neighborhood with no picnic tables, limited parking (at best), and certainly no scenic surroundings.  The real Waiola Shave Ice stand, however, would have made for some crappy TV, so the oversight was probably deliberate.  Importantly, I think it is telling that the producers/directors/decision-makers still decided to have the cast eat at a "fake" Waiola's rather than some other shave ice establishment.  Even the fake Waiola's beats the real Matsumoto's.

UPDATE:  In looking through other Shave Ice reviews, I came across Aoki's, which is next to Matsumoto's on the North Shore.  It is separated only by a small church and parking lot.  I actually saw Aoki's when we went to Matsumoto's, but given that no one ever mentions it in serious Shave Ice debate, I ignored its existence.  Anyway, it turns out that at least one person finds Aoki's to be better than Matsumoto's.  Therefore, it seems that another comparison/competition needs to be held.