Last Weekend to Play

Yesterday was the East West Center's Alumni Picnic at Kapi'olani Park. It was such a nice event under an ENORMOUS old fig tree, sharing food and stories with Alumni who had been at the Center from the 60's til recently.

In the afternoon we headed down to Waikiki for a swim. I wore some goggles into the water and was able to explore some of the shallow reef area in search of turtles. Although unsuccessful in this venture, I did get to see many fish and even a few sea cucumbers!

In the evening a few of the Fellows headed to a Bon Dancing event being held locally. Apparently Bon Dancing is a Japanese celebration that happens in August involving dancing and traditional music. It was a really sweet affair to be a part of and I think we all enjoyed ourselves.

Today we went hiking along the Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail. It was a fairly gentle trek and from the top we watched a female outrigger canoe competition that was happening on the island. As others ventured down to some fish pools, I perched on the side of Makapu'u and watched the canoes. The endurance of the competitors was very impressive and I enjoyed watching the teams in action. After about an hour or so, I lost site of the race.

In the afternoon I headed to Ala Moana Beach with some new friends. The beach was really calm, as most of the beaches seem to be. Although I miss the Aussie waves, it is really nice to be able to just float and wander, and not be concerned about getting caught in RIPs.


Tomorrow is the first day of classes.
Woot.
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