did i tell you that i almost got attacked by a fish in a cenote??? omg, it was crazy! haha.

i’d have to say that my whole outlook on Cancun has changed. i knew it was supposed to be beautiful, but not this beautiful! the colors were amazing! here is Satoko and Ambo-san enjoying the mexican lifestyle! surf, friends, and tacos.

we were bodysurfing too and it was super fun.

a guy that use to hate the ocean now loves it. yes, surfing can change your whole outlook on life. keep on surfing Ambo-san!

the food in Cancun is amazing too! i ordered the burrito plate with horchatta. cost $40 pesos or $2.35. and it was super amazing!

if you try to fly to Cuba from America, there are only a few chartered flights. and if you go on those chattered flights, you have to be in a group tour. that group tour will travel together, stay together, and only visit certain places that the government will allow them. so it’s pretty limited and something i will never ever be a part of. but if you want to visit Cuba alone or with friends, the only way is to backdoor it. it’s like pulling in from behind a barrel. and one way is to go through Cancun.

but be prepared to check in 3 hours early because Cubana Airlines has one of the worst records for not being on time, and also for plane crashes. oh, you can buy your visa at the airport for $25USD. and don’t be surprised to see what people are checking in as baggage. i must have seen over 50 sets of tires and bumpers in the line. can’t come from the USA so people have to back door it through mexico. smart!

who ever designed Cancun airport is super smart. to get to and from your gate, you have to pass through the duty free. not around it, but right through the narrow isles. and you even have to pass through the tequila section.

there are staff walking around with the finest mexican tequilas and giving you samples for free. i swear you can take 50 shots for free if you wanted to. a good buzz for your next flight.

i actually took 3 shots for 2 reasons. one was because i wanted to try mexicans best tequila. and the other reason was because i was so nervous to fly to Cuba alone. it kind of helped a little. haha.

$2,000USD for this bottle of tequila. wow! would love to try it someday.

very nervous time for me because i was about to enter a country that was at political war with america for the past 55 years. still illegal for american tourists, and still a very uncertain country to visit. but hey, traveling isn’t fun unless it’s risky right?

My next Truck? I wish!
Good morning 5:45am from Jet Lag Hawaii.
North shore 1-2′ this morning getting little bigger this afternoon.
South shore head high sets and good. Wow!
Strong East winds at 25mph so little bumpy.
Showers, sun, and rainbows.
Going surfing.
Have a wonderful day!

gosh, it was such a blue day today. so stoked to be back home. yes, i had a great time traveling and seeing some amazing places, but hawaii is home for me. jumped in the truck to go surf and battery was dead. then a tire was wearing out too so spent $300 to change both. took 4 hours of waiting so instead of sitting on a chair in the waiting room, i waited somewhere else.

i waited on the ocean. it was blue on blue! felt so good to be in the sea!

little by little, Cuba is getting connected to the world. how do i know? because i was walking around and seen spots where people would gather and be on their smart phones. so i walk up to see what’s going on and was soon approached by guys selling wifi cards. welcome to the black market!

if you go to a hotel, a 1 hour wifi card will cost you $10. if you’re a typical tourist buying one in the black market, you will pay $5. for me, i know how to bargain like a local so i paid only $2.

scratch off the back and enter into iPhone. this is how i uploaded my blogs. i bought 3 cards and that’s it. 3 hours of internet in 4.5 days? that’s my recored of least internet in the past 15 years! i loved the freedom!!!

walked into a store and saw something new. Winter Jack? wow, might have to try some!
well, south swell continues. waves going off! trade winds back. north shore starting to get crowded with contest pros. i’m so jet lagged it’s not even funny. hopefully my body, mind, and soul will get back to normal soon. good night.