Hawaiian Vacation Musings

It's hard not to contemplate where you fit into the universe when faced with the vastness and power of the Pacific Ocean. As we sailed to and from Hawaii over the last two weeks, four days and 2000 miles each way, plus five days of touring, my husband and I were struck again and again by how small and insignificant we felt in comparison to the unbelievable force of the Pacific.  As the swells grew from 8 to 18 feet and back over the course of our journey, we recognized yet again the absolute fragility and finiteness of life, and how important it is to remain engaged and present in your own life. 

We had the same sense of smallness and wonder when standing on the edge of Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii on our first port day. As we gazed out over the smoking crater from the visitor center, our van driver advised that if we felt the earth shake we should run like mad away from the crater. As I pondered the likelihood of being able to outrun a violent eruption (clearly not very likely!) I understood yet again that any thoughts we might have of being in control were just that . . . . thoughts. Nature always has the upper hand, try as we might to believe otherwise.

From the Big Island we moved next to Oahu. We spent the majority of our day there at Pearl Harbor National Monument, viewing the Arizona memorial and touring the USS Missouri. What can one say about the sacrifice, devastation and deaths of over 60 million people during World War II? I was at a loss until I spotted the poem below, which eloquently summed up my thoughts over the course of a very moving day.

Dear Lord

Lest I continue my complacent way

Help me to remember somehow out there a man died for me today

As long as there be war I then must ask and answer

Am I worth dying for?

Our next stop was Kauai, where we simply had fun, all the more enjoyed because of the awe and somberness of our previous two stops. We went river tubing through an old sugar plantation, enjoyed tropical drinks and appetizers at Duke's Barefoot Beach Bar, and watched surfers and paddleboarders navigating the impressive surf at Nawiliwili Beach.

My husband's post-tubing grin 

Hanging loose with a local

We headed to Maui next, where we hit a snag and found ourselves unable to get off the ship in time to explore Lahaina. Not to worry however. . . there were, no exaggeration, dozens upon dozens of whales swimming, leaping and diving through the water all around our ship. We were completely enthralled, and barely left our balcony the entire day lest we miss out on a sighting. What a moving experience to see mother and calf swimming side by side, and to watch whale after whale breach again and again all around us. It is simply incomprehensible to me how any nation could endorse the slaughter of these magnificent, highly intelligent mammals. 

We left Maui and headed back to California after making a final and quick stop in Ensenada,  Mexico to satisfy the Jones Act foreign port requirement. We had a wonderful time and returned home with more than just memories . . . we also came home with much to contemplate about life in general, and where we fit into it's grand scheme. 

(And a thank you to my friend and fellow cruiser Peter H., 

who took several of the photos displayed in this posting.)

Heading for Hawaii!

The suitcases are down, and we are in the midst of packing for an upcoming vacation cruising to Hawaii and back. This will be our splurge vacation for the year, and we are excited to board the ship and set course.

How and where we decide to go for our splurge trips (versus our more frequent and economical RV'ing trips) often depends on what travel deals pass our way in the months preceding. This year's splurge vacation was decided as a result of receiving a promotional mailer from a cruise line some months back offering reduced rates of about 33% off of a sailing to and around the Hawaiian Islands.

The total promotional cost of the 14 day cruise for two in a balcony category room, inclusive of taxes, fuel surplus fee and port charges, was just a bit over $4,000. We also received a $400 onboard credit from our online travel agent as a "Thank You" for booking the cruise through them, rather than through a brick-and-mortar travel agent. We plan to use the $400 onboard credit to cover the cost of tipping, generally around $10-$12 per day, per passenger, plus an excursion at one of the ports we'll be visiting. Our other port stops will involve a combination of on-our-own and guided trips, for which we've budgeted an additional $750. 

With just a few exceptions, most cruise lines allow passengers to bring their own wine onboard, so we plan to carry on six bottles for this trip, which should see us nicely through the 14 days we'll be cruising. Otherwise, our goal is to spend no additional money while onboard, which should be very achievable in that the majority of food and entertainment options available are already included in the cruise fare. And yes, though cruise lines definitely work to separate you from your money as frequently as possible by continuously promoting for-an-additional-fee beverages, drinks, dining venues, art auctions, spa activities, bingo and gambling, it's really very easy to avoid the call and focus instead on what's already freely available.

Like enjoying morning coffee and afternoon wine on our private balcony while gazing out at sea, working out daily in the well stocked gym,  laying by the pool each afternoon alternately swimming, sunbathing and reading, attending a variety of dancing, photography and foreign language classes, listening to interesting live lectures on a variety of topics, enjoying recently released movies, going to Las Vegas style live shows in the evening, dancing to live bands, and the opportunity to dress to the nines and flirt with my husband every evening - and vice versa!

And then there's the matter of calories . . . 

Having cruised before, we've already learned our lesson about eating indiscriminately, and now approach the dining aspects of cruising as if we are going to a fancy spa, rather than a sky-is-the-limit food fest. Just as we've learned that there is much to enjoy about cruising that has little to do with spending additional money, we've learned that there is much to enjoy about the cruise dining experience that has little to do with gaining weight. Which means that rather than diving headfirst into the food and never looking up, we focus instead on finding the freshest and most wholesome ingredients the ship has to offer. So these days we focus on whole grain breads, oatmeal, nuts and fruit options at breakfast, and whole grains, salad, soup and fresh fruit options at lunch.


At dinner we ignore the bread basket, select lighter fares for our appetizer and salad courses, fish or vegetarian options for our main course, and one dessert that we share. And before anyone trots out the old "But you're on vacation!" or "Life is too short!" adages . . . . keep in mind that we are on vacation a lot, and quite simply, we feel vastly better when we take care of ourselves and eat well, than when we do otherwise. 

So that's our plan. We anticipate coming home tan, relaxed, on budget, and hopefully the same weight we were when we left!

Leaning Into Change

One of my most consistent attributes is that I love to try new things, and then share my excitement with other people in the hope they might want to try it as well. I've had varying degrees of success over the years in getting other folk to join in on my fun, but as an eternal optimist I keep on trying.

This post, therefore, is to share my excitement at how giving up meat, dairy and processed sugar has impacted my life, and my husband's, over the last few weeks in the event any of you have had thoughts about doing same.

We've been leaning into vegetarianism for some time, reducing the amount of meat we ate at home to just two to three times a week as a result of feeling increasingly worried about the way livestock was being chemically re-engineered to increase overall profits. As a result of this long standing concern, we were intrigued at hearing about a new documentary called Forks Over Knives, that attempted to make a correlation between our consumption of animal products and a variety of illnesses like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

We viewed the documentary a few weeks ago, and felt the arguments presented were compelling enough to make us consider giving up meat altogether, as well as begin a move away from dairy. And for good measure, I suggested we also give up processed sugar since we already knew it detrimental to so many things in our lives - energy consistency, weight management and overall health. (I want to stress here the importance of both my husband and I being in agreement on this lifestyle change. I can't imagine anything of this significance succeeding unless all impacted parties are on the same page.)

So these last few weeks we've changing things up and leaning into veganism. And if spite of the risk of being stereotyped (yes, we do live in California), I have to say my husband and I have never felt better in our lives. 

We are eating delicious food, very similar to what we ate before but tweaked. Meaning instead of traditional chicken parmesan we're now eating eggplant non-dairy parmesan; Boca burgers instead of hamburgers; oatmeal with soy milk, cinnamon topped apples and walnuts instead of oatmeal with just milk and brown sugar; and soy yogurt with bananas, berries and sunflower seeds instead of strawberry flavored yogurt topped with just bananas. As well as snacking on plain popcorn, honey pretzels and hummus w/veggies instead of chips, cookies and crackers.

The hardest part has simply been doing things differently. The food really doesn't taste any different, other than we get fuller faster and are less apt to get hungry between meals. We also have more energy, it lasts throughout the day, we aren't feeling weighted down or bloated after meals and there is a lightness in our bodies that feels really nice. And we're both losing weight to boot - not necessarily a goal going in, but heck, we'll take it!

So, while giving up meat, dairy and sugar may not be your thing, I'm confident there is something in your life nagging at you to be changed. Give whatever it is a try . . . I suspect it will move you forward to a new place in your life you never even knew existed.