Pure Classic!
Good morning 6am.
Happy to be home!
Ala Moana head high and clean.
Diamond Head shoulder high and windy.
Pipeline knee high and not breaking.
Rocky Point chest high and side wind.
East winds at 20mph.
Clouds, showers, sun, and rainbows!
Going surfing.
Have a wonderful day!

when in Cuba, do what the Cubans do right? jumped in a 1949 classic chevy convertible and took the 40 minute ride to the airport. it couldn’t have been a better way to end a perfect Cuban trip! it’s called “going out in style!” all i needed was a Cuban cigar and i would have felt like Ernest Hemingway. haha.

got to Havana airport at 11am. flight supposed to leave at 1:30pm, then got delayed to 4:05pm, then the flight disappeared, then reappeared to 6:05pm, then finally left at 6:30pm. it was the first time i was at an airport wondering “what’s going on?” luckily i never got stuck there because if i did, i’d be sleeping at the airport. why? because i didn’t have a visa to re-enter the country.

so stoked to land at Cancun and see my amigos! the greatest place for a layover! had an awesome dinner with Ambo-san, Hiromi-san, Shin-san, and Satoko. we were talking about our next surf trip! where and when? nobody knows but if it is meant to happen, it will happen. thank you Satoko and Shin-san for picking me up from the airport.

finally made the connection to LAX. have a stopover and hopefully get the next flight back to hawaii. this trip has been so long. 7 airplane rides, 6 bus rides, taxi’s, convertibles, bicycles, and lots of walking. in fact, i must have walked a marathon in these past 8 days. looking forward to going home after eating this airport ramen and water dinner for $17. omg!
see you back in hawaiian paradise! can’t wait to surf!

my mexican amigo talked me into going on a long bus ride to the beach. the beach? why would i want to go to the beach? i’m from hawaii right? but after spending 3 days in the busy city, i needed to get back into the ocean. yes, remember that i’m a fish.
l left my hotel at 7am in the morning, got into a taxi to the bus station, then a 3 hour bus ride. arriving there at 11am, we had to catch the 4pm bus to make it back to the city in time. got a cab and headed to the beach. spent some time there, ate lunch, got back to the station, and another 3 hour ride back to the city. i got back to havana at 7:30pm. we spent only 2 hours in the ocean and 1 hour for lunch. that’s pretty much it. was it worth it???

shit yeah! omg, it was one of the most beautiful beach i’ve ever seen in my life. i thought i saw the most beautiful beach a few days ago in cancun, but this beach was like cancun without all the hotels. pure white sand and the most beautiful emerald water. i got into my shorts and couldn’t want to jump in.

i couldn’t believe how clean the water was!!! who would think that Cuba’s beaches were like this? i had no idea all these years.

when i first jumped in, i felt so refreshed. from the busy city to the slow sea. what an amazing change. reborn!

i spent 2 hours here so had lots of time to play around.

this is my mexican amigo Rudy. i was so happy to meet him on the 2nd day because he became my translator for the rest of the trip. a very cool guy that i have lots to talk about. will get into that later. but yes, we had a wonderful lunch.

got back to the city kind of late. showered at my apartment, then went to my favorite restaurant for dinner. it was my last night so i wanted to shower me with love. got there at 8pm and the line was crazy! the guy said 2 hour wait??? i ate here twice on this trip so i know it is very good and inexpensive. i wait, wait, and wait. the line goes down and i’m next. the only lonely single person. i get to my table, it’s set up for 3 people. i wonder “umm, maybe some beautiful latina salsa dancers will join me?” i was so hungry that i started having weird dreams like that. haha. the food was excellent, the service excellent, and everything excellent. another awesome day in Cuba.

this was my appetizer. the most amazing cheese cream soup ever!

then woke up early on my last day to finish up taking photos for my journal. here is a cool looking school. watched as the kids were eager to study. i wanted to yell into the window “hey kids, study english! the americans are coming so get ready to make lots of money!” haha. took so many beautiful images on this trip. can’t wait to go home, upload them, and relive my Cuban Dream Trip!