I loved Palo Alto when I visited there several times and Paris, Vienna and Prague were amazing, but my heart wants to go back to Hawaii, Oahu specifically.
Originally Posted by slackjawyokel
I concur completely and, lucky me, arrive Oahu in just 13 days, for at least 3 weeks. I actaully bought a one way ticket so I can stay as long as it's working for me! I keep looking at pictures on line and imagining the floral scent of the air. The second I get off the plane the lanquid, moist ambiance embraces me. I slooow down, rent a convertible, buy a lei and spend my days writing in the mornings and beach hopping in the afternoon. This time of year there are surf contests on the Pipeline, which is where I will be staying. Plenty of entertainment.
The North Shore, where my best friend of twenty years lives very simply, is Country. She lives in an Ohana complex, a group of six bungalows which share a common outdoor space. They have a pet pig, no joke, who wanders from home to home begging for scraps. Her name is Priscilla and she wears a pink bandana. We will bar-b-que (not Priscilla!), drink mango margaritas while lounging in hammocks, and listen to whomever wants to stop by and play guitar.
I have done Hawaii in many fashions and just don't see the need to stay in a fancy resort when in one of the most beautiful spots on the planet. The Turtle Bay Resort is down the street should I desire a bit more sophistication. I'll wander into the casual restaurant/lounge on the Turtle Bay golf course; I think it's called Lei-Leis. There is a very private beach on the resort where I like to swim topless, and they offer horseback riding in the mornings.
My local friends are extreme sports professionals, sky divers, surfers and kite surfers. We build bonfires and share myths and knowledge about the stars, which hang low and unobstructed in that part of the world. We sleep in tents and around 8am, when the sun heats up the interior, jump into the water and then have an iced coffee from the cooler.
With any luck I'll get to visit another island or two, hopefully Maui. But it doesn't matter; in Hawaii
, time stands still and just being in your skin is enough.