Hawaii Adventure, or how I ended up doing pull ups right next to the Pacific Ocean…
Those of you on Instagram already know some of what’s in this post, but I wanted to kind of fill in the details here and there. In recent years I’ve gotten into a travel habit, so much so that if I have to stick around in one place too long I get a little annoyed. Granted the constant need of my neighborhood to use leaf blowers and other noisy lawn equipment EVERY morning as soon as legally possible (7AM by city ordinance, which means they crank up full volume at about 7:01AM… I know because I looked) may contribute to this fact. There are many plus sides to Florida, particularly my specific location, but it also drives me nuts sometimes and I like to get outta here. In fact, I’ll pretty much fly out at the drop of a hat. We’ll chalk it up to strange (misplaced?) priorities, but I won’t pretend to be normal, no one is that easily fooled.
In the usual fashion, everything likes to happen at once, so right after I booked a crazy whirl-wind trip to Hawaii (mostly to retain Delta Medallion status for 2015), I got a message from someone in casting for American Ninja Warrior?!?! I arranged a call with him the night before my flight out (had to get up at 4AM the next day…) to hear the details. It was fun to even think about. I used to watch the Japanese version of the show on occasion and of course had seen the recent video of Kacy just absolutely obliterating the obstacle course! In fact, it seems that Kacy and her resulting popularity and serious inspiration had encouraged ANW to reach out and encourage more women to audition.
Of course, they were quick to say that they weren’t just looking for athletes, but for people who have other things going on in their lives too… being a reasonably private person (compared to my younger friends I’m positively cryptic) this does give me some pause, but I am still going to give it a go. I’d love to get a chance to try one of those craaaazy courses… Having seen many versions of the show over the years (and trying to figure out how to overcome some of the obstacles with brute strength where I lack flexibility/balance) I’ll admit to being more than just a little intrigued. How would my current level of training need to change? How would I do “as is?” Later on I decided to try a short approximation of the “spider wall” and found what might become a new weird hobby*… …because I need more of those…
So it was with all these thoughts that I ignored the funny numbers on the clock and one-foot-in-front-of-the-other headed out for my very brief trip to Hawaii. It was the most miles/MQMs for the least $ and I’d never been there before… I can do my writing and strategy work anywhere I can set a laptop down, and I found a decent budget hotel right within walking distance of Waikiki Beach. Why not?! Something that’s a priority for me is the ability to just go and do stuff like this. While it always requires some effort, some cheap skate (or feral) thinking, and maybe ditching on sleep, adventures and cool experiences are at the top of what I like to do.
A few people knew what I was up to, but it was fun to do a “where am I” game on Instagram a little bit too. Drove a few people nuts with that last year on a similar “why not” trip out to Portland, Oregon. After a mind-numbingly early flight to LAX, I finally boarded the flight that would take me further across the Pacific Ocean than I have ever gone before. Another good reason to go. I’d also had the happy realization that Uber was in operation in Honolulu, making any and all transportation out there even easier. After a 4AM (Eastern) start, over 10hrs of total flight time, and going back in time, erm I mean crossing plenty of time zones, “easy transportation” sounded like a good idea.
The funny numbers on the clock when I had to wake up were 4:00AM. The same doleful hour that Leonard Cohen references in the first line of Famous Blue Raincoat… It’s too early for anyone to be up, and I call it the time between days. Ouch my eyes. But regardless what the goofball mainstream media tells you, no one is truly being “brave” for going on camera without makeup. I do it all the time and it only has to do with priorities. Bravery should be saved for more appropriate and necessary occasions.
The funny numbers on the clock when I had to wake up were 4:00AM. The same doleful hour that Leonard Cohen references in the first line of Famous Blue Raincoat… It’s too early for anyone to be up, and I call it the time between days. Ouch my eyes. But regardless what the goofball mainstream media tells you, no one is truly being “brave” for going on camera without makeup. I do it all the time and it only has to do with priorities. Bravery should be saved for more appropriate and necessary occasions.
In fact, my Uber driver ended up being super cool, so I got a little bit of a free “tour and local insight” info session on the way to the hotel. AND it turned out (thanks to traffic we had an extensive conversation) that for 15 years, he and his wife have maintained a little organic garden on a rented spot (reminded me of those little summer cottage/gardens so commonly seen from the train in the Alps) like the ones we were passing on the highway. Then we got talking about coffee, and the serious role of roasting in the finished product etc… but I’ll stop there because that’s a whole other thing. Having arrived at the hotel, we decided to schedule up tomorrow’s late afternoon trip back to the airport (my whole time in Hawaii was very short, just over 24hrs – but I somehow manage to make the most of time when necessary). The lobby of the hotel was very interesting, somehow.. indoor and outdoor at the same time.
Since it was still early in the afternoon I dropped off my small backpack in the room and wandered the few blocks to Waikiki beach to get a feel for the place, grab a snack and of course get my paws on some of that famous coffee. Lucky for me, right after seeing the incredible water, watching some skilled surfers, and posting a photo revealing my destination, I noticed a “farmers market” in the base of a building right there. While it was obviously designed for tourists, there were all kinds of goodies available, and most of it organic. I chowed down on a surprising array of tropical fruit, macadamia nuts, chocolate, coffee… you know… the good stuff!! In fact, I bought so many bags of macadamia nuts (I’m a sucker for a bulk deal) that I took the short walk back to the hotel to drop all that stuff off – this was the ultimate excuse to FINALLY get one of those Tumi “Just In Case” duffle bags I’ve wanted for a while. I have a difficult time buying anything for myself that isn’t food, transportation, or directly to my business.
Waikiki Beach is a funny place, on one hand there are these incredibly beautiful beaches, sunsets, vistas, sand, water of an impossible hue… and then there’s like… mall stores right across the street!? I can dunk myself in the ocean (with my iphone… don’t try this at home…) the next I can get coffee from any number of places, Japanese snacks, Hawaiian food, and see stores that normally belong in the mall! It’s very strange!
The other thing I thought was strange was seeing a mountain… while at the beach! Florida is so flat that a few times I looked over, saw some clouds next to a mountain (which were dark because of the mountain) and instantly thought “uh oh, dark clouds… rain coming!!” But no, it was just regular clouds and a mountain! Too funny. So after more exploring, more snacking, and figuring out what I would be able to do tomorrow, I dropped MORE stuff off at the hotel and followed that instinctual drive to the beach yet again to watch the sunset. Everyone was drawn down there, we couldn’t help ourselves. I have to wonder how long this very human practice has been around… maybe forever. For some there’s a near spiritual significance, for others it’s simply what you do.
There’s a story about when I was very very young that while my parents were loading the car to go back home from our beach place that I’d toddled my way down the short trail to stand on top of the sea wall and watch the sunset. You know… like you do. I can only now begin to understand how completely freaked out my parents must have been when they realized I was gone. Fortunately I wasn’t too far away, and was just standing there by myself, shirtless, watching the sunset. You know… like you do.
Well I kept my shirt on to watch the sunset this time around. It was quite a show — there were still tons of surfers and paddleboarders out in the water like schools of fish somehow floating on the surface. Sailboats were coming in with small loads of tourists, and the light and colors rapidly changed. As I was walking away, a good friend called and after we talked for a bit, both of us got to hear the blast of a conch shell as several men began to light the torches at the edge of the beach. It was a very cool thing to see and hear (and share in some weird way). And in the strange contradiction that was Waikiki after this I made my way to the Tumi store en route to meeting a friend in the fitness business for food and a chat. Around this time I’d realized I’d been up for close to 20hrs straight and did the smart thing. That’s right, espresso.
Met up with Andy of Gold Medal Bodies (which you will be hearing more about in the coming weeks) to hear about the cool stuff that they’ve been up to with their online programs for bodyweight/calisthenics/flexibility. Amusingly, our conversation was punctuated by a strange holiday and Hawaii themed light show they kept projecting on the rocks near a swimming pool. And yes, it was as strange as it sounds. And oddly hilarious… loud but hilarious.
After eating quite a bit of ahi tuna poke, all that staying awake was starting to catch up with me. So I wandered back to my hotel, and finally got some sleep. Considering the age and construction style of the building it’s no surprise that I woke up in the middle of the night and thought I was at home. It was fun to realize I was in Hawaii before I fell back asleep. The next day I discovered that in Hawaii, I could be a “morning person”. This was good because I wanted to cram as much fun into a few hours before I would have to head back to the airport for my 4PM flight.
In the course of exploring the area I ended up walking another four miles just to get a closer look at Diamond Head and the surrounding areas. It was great to see so many people outside doing healthy things, I saw plenty of people running, jogging, swimming, surfing, paddleboarding, racing by in outrigger canoes, small groups were practicing yoga, and several people were engaged in their personal tai chi practice right in the sand or the grass. After doing some of my own workout stuff from a thick bar I could barely reach (and realized that while in the air jumping for it), I even found a nice outdoor fitness area with pull up bars of all heights, monkey bars, and a kind of freestanding stall bar alternative that was just great for practicing human flag regressions.
Still in the process of collecting all the photos off of my phone, since there’s even more than just what’s up on Instagram and Youtube.
Also, I’m now figuring out how to best approach the American Ninja Warrior audition, how to best approach some of the obstacle types that are most likely to trip me up due to my own limitations… and to minimize these limitations as soon as possible. All while also gearing up to instruct with Al Kavadlo and Danny Kavadlo at the next PCC Workshop in Encinitas, California
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