Kaua'i

Aloha nr. 3

Today I am going to talk about Kauai and maybe a little bit about photography.

Last Sunday, Francis and me flew to Kauai. To explore and conquer! Have we explored? Yes, but we spent many hours on the beach as well. Have we conquered? Well, not really.

Kaua'i is called the "garden island" and it really is. Lush greens whereever you look! What I really like about this island, is the fact, that it is not as touristic as Maui or Oahu. Yes there is some tourism here, but you still get a sense of seeing things that not many people do. Again as on Maui, we rented a car. This time it had to be something that shouts "AMERICAAAAA" in your face. So we got a Ford Mustang. Wohoooo!

I have to admit that Francis and me have quite different opinions on what we want to see and do. While Francis enjoys the beach a lot and wants to do all kinds of stuff involving water, I am more about seeing the interior of the island and tend to avoid any stuff that has to do with water (No that doesn't mean I don't shower). Still with compromises (as a good Swiss should be able to make) we make it work. Usually we go see something for my taste and then spend the rest of the day at the beach. I don't know exactly how Francis feels but for me this works perfectly.

The thing that fascinated me the most so far, must be the Waimea Canyon. Considering the size of the island, this thing is huge! I couldn't get enough pictures. I posted a lot of them on the blog for your viewing pleasure. I know they are far from perfect but should give you some sense of what it meant to stand up on the ridge, looking down. I did see the Grand Canyon when I was younger but I was more impressed by this one.. maybe I don't remember the Grand Canyon that much?

Right now, the only thing left on the list that I really want to see, is, the Na'Palli Coastline. I wanted to do it today but for various reasons this didn't work out. I will try again tomorrow. It has to work out tomorrow because sadly we are leaving Kaua'i on Saturday and I am flying on to Vancouver on Sunday. I am staying in Vancouver for just one night before I head on to Anchorage Alaska.. yeah baby, so freakin excited!

I can't believe that my 3 weeks in Hawai'i are almost at an end. I am a bit sad because I didn't get around to see "big island". Oh well, that leaves something for next time. After more of a low key and relaxing visit in Fiji, Hawai'i was full of adventure and new experiences. The people I met here were so great and I think I have gained a few friends for life! Thank you my brazilian and american friends!

I know it's a long way from home my fellow Swiss people, but if you ever have the chance to travel to Hawai'i, do it!

Considering today's pictures;
I tried to do some basic post processing without spending to much time on each one. I know (again) there are quite a few things I should fix before putting them online but seriously, I just spent 2+ hours for this post and ran them through 3 different pieces of software. I think I am putting quite enough effort into this ;). I promise to edit the pics again when I am at home and if anyone is interested, I will put the best one's online.

hope you enjoy the pictures, didn't fall asleep while reading my thoughts, stay healthy!

I know, not really the wisest choice for a car buuuuuuuuuut it had to be!
Just a randome shot of the islands interior
North Shore
used to be in colour.. about as much post processing as it will get this week
cool driving along here.
Waimea Canyon!
Simon at Waimea Canyon.. ain't he a cool cat?
more Waimea Canyon
a tiny bit of the Na'Palli Coast. Bloody clouds were in the way!
Waimea Canyon the third.
A sunset is always worth a picture.
Today's adventure involved some sand, the ocean, a towel, a book and not much else.
Francis, doing what he likes to do best... doesn't he look happy? I think he does!

Maui

Aloha

Greetings from Maui my friends.
After staying at Waikiki Beach, Honolulu (Oahu) for two nights, I flew aaaaaaaaalll the way to Maui (33min flight). Here I have stayed 5 nights and will be leaving to go back to Waikiki Beach in about 3 hours.

My days in Maui were action packed and a brilliant experience. Due to the nearly non-existent public transport on Maui, I decided to rent a car for the first time on my trip. I was a bit nervous at first because I haven't driven for over 9 months and I spent the last few months in countries that drive on the wrong side of the road.. yes you heard right my friends from japan, NZ and OZ.. the WRONG side. My worries were unfounded though. Sat in the car and instantly remembered how to do everything. I have to admit I loved having a car these last few days. The flexibility to do what I want, WHEN i want was priceless. Especially considering my photography, this was really a plus point. Finally I got to be in the great places for pictures at the right time of the day. What's the use being a great place in the midday sun? the pictures are going to suck!

So what was I up to?
My most memorable experience must be, to watch the sunrise on top of Mt. Haleakala. It was a near spiritual experience.. if it would not have been so cold and I would have gotten some gas before driving up. Since I didn't, I was constantly in worry I would run out of gas. I didn't.. yay! In order to be up there at sunrise, I had to get up at 3 am(!!). It was really really worth it though. I would do it again in a blink on the eye. Sadly I am not at all satisfied with the pictures I took. Yes they look OK but damn the lens flares and damn the noise!

The second thing that I really loved was the road trip to Hana. The drive there is on a winding and narrow road along the coast. Most bridges were one lane only. It took me all day to get there and back again and loved every minute of it. Again I really liked having my own car. I could stop whenever I wanted, to get out and take some pictures or just enjoy the scenery.

The rest of the days I spent exploring various parts of the Island. I was in national parks, I saw plenty of beaches and drove on streets wider than I would expect on such a little Island. I think 5 nights was just enough to explore Maui. Any more and I would probably get bored.

My photography plans are still in full force and I am trying to get better with every shot. Obviously this is not possible but I can try, can't I? If you have any suggestions how you would improve the pictures below.. let me know!

The pictures below have seen some post processing, some more than others. I would like to play a little game with you all. In 5 of the pictures below I have edited heavily in Photoshop. Whoever guesses correctly which 5 these are will get a post card from every country I visit till I fly back home :)...

I hope you enjoyed viewing the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

till next time,.. stay cool


biggest banyan tree in the US. Fun fact: that is one tree, those additional trunks are actually roots extending from the branches.
View from Iao Valley toward the central plains
Mt. Haleakala just before sunrise
More of Mt. Haleakala
and some more then.
The Pioneer Inn in Lahaina.
I asked for a small fuel saving car.. this is what I got.. not really my Idea of small and fuel saving but hey, this is the USA. On the way back from Hana
To road to/from Hana... you can spot it there cut into the cliffs. (ignore the localized halo please)
Sunset from Lahaina Harbour.

Oahu, Hawaii

Aloha

I have left Fiji behind and safely arrived on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. To be precise, I am currently in Honolulu or to be even more precise, in Waikiki beach. Probably one of the most famous surfer spots in the world and no, I have not yet done any surfing.

I have big news considering my photography further down so bear with me, or if your not interested in what i have been up to, skip that part altogether.

My last few days in Fiji were dominated by a lot of rain so sadly no interesting stories or pictures from then. To be honest I stayed in the hostel most of the time and waited for my flight to Honolulu. To be fair, it wasn't just a little rain, it was a bloody monsoon.

All in all I really enjoyed my time in Fiji. Lazily lying in a Hammock and reading for two weeks, it was good! I couldn't have done it any longer though. It did start to get boring.

I have such a massive jet lag right now. It is so massive that I have lost all sense of time. I left Fiji at 9:45 am on the tenth of April and landed in Honolulu at 6:15 pm on the ninth of April. I am from the future dude's!

Although Hawaii is a south sea island, you can instantly feel that it belongs to the U.S. of A. Everything is bigger; the roads, the meals, the drinks and well sometimes the people as well (no offence meant). Reminds me of a insider joke i had with my family when I went to California in 1998. Do you guys remember?

Tomorrow I will head to Maui, which is a 30min flight from Oahu. Maui I will explore by myself before I fly back to Oahu to meet up with Francis. For you who don't know, Franics is a good friend from Switzerland who will travel around Hawaii with me for 2 weeks. I am really looking forward to see a face from home. First time since I have started my travels!


Now about that photography thing. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I have been getting into photography a lot as of late. So much actually that I would like to make it my new career. I am a realistic guy though and I know, doing so, will be very hard. The nice thing about photography is, that I can easily pursue this in my free time while working a different job. Maybe one day I will be able to go full time with photography.. wish me luck!

I have set up a website where I showcase and sell my photographs. You (or anyone interested) can buy prints on paper and canvas. The site would offer a lot more options but for now I will limit it to those. Note that the versions I have on my blog are inferior to the one's on my new site. Those photographs have superior post processing and resolutions.

if your interested please head on over to Simon on SmugMug.

thanks for reading..

For all my male readers ;)
no comment
As I mentioned, things are big here.
Surfing is one of them.
Hotels is another one.