if you asked me 20 years ago “what the biggest challenge of my life was?” i would say, graduating from college. if you were to ask me 10 years ago, i would say, starting my own business. if you were to ask me 5 years ago, i would say hiking up Mt. Fuji. and if you were to ask me now, i would say hiking up Acatenango. by far, this being the most challenging experience of my entire life.

the whole experience is too hard to describe in words. you kind of had to be there to feel what i felt. i didn’t scream after graduating from college, i didn’t scream when starting my own business, and i didn’t scream on top of Mt. Fuji. BUT, i screamed of joy at the top of my lungs when i reached the top of Acatenango. after that, i knew i could overcome any other challenge in my life.

being that close to an erupting volcano brought more than chicken skin, it brought joy, laughter, and even a tear. i still can’t believe what i experienced. i felt like Mother Nature was staring at me right in the eye.

straight off the airplane, to hiking up one of the tallest volcanos in central america. to think that 24 hours before this photo was taken, i was surfing at ala moana bowls.
“nothing’s going to stop me In The Wind!”

Frozen SUP? No thank you.
Good morning 6am.
Ala Moana chest high sets. Very clean.
Diamond Head overhead and very windy.
Strong trade winds at 25mph.
Super sunny and warm day.
Going surfing.
Have a wonderful day!

seen this cool turtle walking on the sidewalk today. somebody’s pet?

i love my new shower! used it today for the first time and it worked perfectly. thanks again Reid and Yuko-chan! surfed my secret spot this morning and yes, nobody was out! just me and the 4′ sets rolling in at 100 waves per hour. a great workout!

then went for a quick sunset ride. gosh, it was so beautiful!

ok, the list of the 10 most dangerous cities in the world just came out. #8 was Cape Town. went there 15 years ago and didn’t seem too dangerous. it actually was a beautiful city!

#6 was Guatemala City. gosh, can you believe i was riding a bicycle around the city taking photos? now that i think about it, that was pretty stupid. should have stayed indoors like everybody told me to do. absolutely no plans going back there.

i was kind of bummed to see Honduras as the most dangerous city in the world. i heard so many good things about it from my backpacker friends. and was also planning to visit there sometime soon. will have to rethink it over. but someday, i hope to visit Honduras. and yes, just like guatemala, i will go there alone because i don’t want to be responsible for anybody. in dangerous countries, you have to travel on instinct. if something tells you to run, you better run!