Week Five - Cruising and Surfing.

If I gave you a crisp, new 20 dollar bill, and told you to spend it on whatever you'd like, but it has to be gone in an hour and thirty minutes, what would you buy?

There are probably 5,723 things you could think of in less than 2 minutes to buy for 20 dollars, but there is only one thing you should spend it on if you really want to get your money's worth.

The answer: Waikiki Booze Cruise.

The booze cruise was the absolute best $20 purchase of my life. We sailed from our local beach, around Diamond Head and out into open water. The water was picture perfect. It was immaculately clear and taught all of us what pure blue is really supposed to look like. (Hint: not in a Crayola box). We even saw a sea turtle and got a tremendous view of the island.

Sounds great doesn't it?

Wait. It gets better.

It's called a booze cruise for a reason. Did I mention that any and all alcohol you can consume in 90 minutes was complimentary? Free booze. If there is one thing college students like more than free food, it's free booze. There was free beer, free Mai tai's and other free mixed-drink favorites.

I recognize that there are the skeptics out there that say, "No Eric, you idiot, the drinks were paid for in the $20 fee." To that I say, you're wrong, because the cruise itself on a day as beautiful as Saturday was worth at least $20, maybe more. So they were free. In every sense of the word.

The best part of the cruise was undoubtedly towards the end when the crew effectively stopped the boat and let everyone jump off the front. Hence, the picture at the top of me flipping into that beautifully blue Pacific Ocean with Waikiki in the background.

In other water-related news, we have started surfing. I am pleased, and very proud, to report I got up and surfed the very first wave I attempted on the 11ft rented surfboard. Surfing is quite an experience. I love it. Fortunately, it's not a very expensive habit ($10 for two hours to rent a board, that is, if you're kama'aina like us).

We also had to buy "rash guards" as well because apparently you would get ripped up by the board. I can say that these, without a doubt, were a good purchase because I got the rash on my arms and legs, but don't worry. I'm fine now. A full-body "rash guard" would be preferred, but I have not verified their existence.

The surf was great on Thursday afternoon (our first trip) and was good - not great - this morning (Tuesday). But both times have been minorly successful. We're still learning, but I'm getting the hang of it. It's quite the work out too, which I don't enjoy, but, who knows, maybe working out is good for you once in awhile.

A new update to the blog: I've gotten the best of technology and figured out how to display my photos in a public link (instead of just Facebook, in case you don't have an account). So on the right hand side under the Picture of the Week, you can find all my albums, which aren't in chronological order, but are in alphbetical order and categorized by event.

This upcoming weekend we're planning a hike to Manoa Falls, a nearby waterfall, and we're also going on our first spear fishing expedition on Thursday morning. So stay tuned to hear all about those and the other things that may pop up. Until next time, Aloha.