Hawaii: Part Two

Monday (Pearl Harbor Day):

On Monday we spent the day at Pearl Harbor. We were incredibly lucky to have a connection through one of our group members to Commander Jeff James, who is in charge of the Pacific Navy. He spent the day with us, talking about his life in Hawaii, answering countless questions about the memorials, and spending time with us.

First we went to the Arizona Memorial, where it was incredible to be suspended over the sunken battleship, looking down on its remains. You can still see oil leaking out of the tanks and it sends a chill down your spine knowing that bodies lay entombed in the battleship underwater.

After walking around the visitor center for a while, we took a bus over to Ford Island, where we got to take a tour of the Battleship Missouri. Since we were in the company of Commander James, we were taken on a special tour of the battleship that went deeper into the ship as well as through restricted areas. It was one of the coolest experiences to be down in a battleship, trying to imagine what it would be like to work there.

Tuesday (Free Day – sunrise hike, Chinatown, luau):

We woke up at 5:00 am on Tuesday to make our way over to Diamondhead for a sunrise hike. The mountain looked much less intimidating from the hotel, but it ended up taking an hour to hike straight up to the top going at a very rapid pace. The reward for the hard trek was astonishing, and it was beautiful to see the sunrise in Hawaii.

From there, we headed over to Chinatown, where we quickly discovered hundreds and hundreds of jewelry stands, clothing stands, and restaurants. Hawaii’s Chinatown district is unlike most in the fact that it is not a huge tourist location. It was an authentic experience and we enjoyed some incredible Chinese food while we were there.

In the evening we went to a luau. This was not a traditional luau by any means; it was the supped-up, Six Flags/Disney version of a luau. It was entertaining to say the least, and while it was certainly not authentic, it was fun to see dancing and try Hawaiian dishes, like poi (which is not the most delicious thing to try).

Wednesday (North Shore Day):

We spent Wednesday on the North side of the island, travelling on a charter bus with an incredible tour guide. He took us to Pali Lookout, which is the highest point of Oahu and looks out on the whole North side of the island. It was beautiful.

We then went to Kuala Ranch, where many Hollywood movies were filmed (and Lost is being filmed there as we speak). We took a movie tour and took pictures in the famous areas.

We had lunch from a popular shrimp truck, where I got to have the best shrimp ever (and I am quite a shrimp person). From there, we went to the Dole Plantation and learned more about the pineapples, as well as having a competition to see who could get through their human maze (which is the largest in the world) the fastest. My team lost, but we put up a good fight.

Thursday (Free Day – Hanauma Bay, shopping, puka dogs/shave ice)

Our last full day in Hawaii was spent snorkeling in beautiful Hanauma Bay and shopping for last-minute souvenirs.

The real highlight of the day was getting to try some popular Hawaiian beach cuisine. The first was a puka dog. This is an amazing invention that involves drilling a hole into a loaf of hot-dog bun bread and putting all of your condiments and the hot-dog inside. This may sound simple, but the real treat comes with the condiments. The most popular things to put in a puka dog is mild lemon-garlic sauce, mango relish, and lillikoi (passion fruit) mustard. It was delicious.

Then we went to a shave ice stand. The shave ice in Hawaii is not the same as a Sno-Cone. It is actually the texture of snow and they put it on top of ice cream. Plus, the flavors are much more diverse. I had peach and banana flavored ice on top of ice cream with sweet cream on top. It was delicious.

Friday (Travel Day 2)

Leaving Hawaii was hard to do, knowing that we had school starting in a few days, but we all made it back safe and sound by early Saturday morning.

And with that, I leave you with one last charge to have some more adventure in your life. Try something new whenever you can and enjoy!

Adventure on,

Katie

Hawaii: Part One

For Spring Break I had the absolute privilege of going to Hawaii with one of my classes. Fourteen of us went to Oahu and spent a week in Honolulu to learn more about Hawaiian culture and to have a good time.

Since a week’s worth of activities in Hawaii is more interesting than anything I could ever do in Fort Worth, the next two weeks I will spend talking about the fun things we did during break.

Friday (Travel Day 1):

The day we flew to Oahu, I spent eight and a half hours on two different planes with a four and a half hour layover in the middle. It was the longest day ever, since time changes and a long amount of time sitting down tends to exhaust me.

We got to Waikiki at around ten that night and after eating, we all fell asleep. I was dying to see the ocean, but after a long time travelling, sleep is the only thing that matters.

Saturday (Free Day):

Saturday, we all got to go and explore on our own around Waikiki. It was so cool to see the island for the first time, and it was even more beautiful than I anticipated. Here are the views outside of our balcony in the hotel.

Ocean to the left

Main street down below

Mountains to the right

We woke up at about 7:00 AM (the time change was rough), and went to find breakfast. After walking around for a while, we found a restaurant that looked delicious, and went in. It was our first meal in Hawaii, and it was delicious. Fresh fruit, exotic breads, and unusual coffees and juices were on the table. This is when I knew I was going to be in trouble when it came to food for the week.

The rest of the day was spent at the beach and in the ocean. The waves at Waikiki were much larger than anything I had ever seen before. It was so different and much more fun than any other beach I have been to, and I loved getting to float around for a while. We also found a park with awesome trees that we climbed all over for about an hour. It was a good day where we took the time to get acclimated to the island and rested up for the rest of the week.

Sunday (Outrigger Canoe Club and Obama Tour):

Sunday started out at an exclusive beach club where we all got to go for brunch. It was one of the best meals I have ever had. Not only was the food amazing, we also got to spend the morning on a private beach. We watched the waves, swam, and enjoyed the sunshine.

After the time at the beach, we met up with a local named Uncle Jack who took us on his popular “Obma Tour.” We spent the rest of the day walking around Honolulu to different places relating to Obama. We saw his apartments, the hospital where he was born, the basketball court where he played, and the Baskin Robbins where he first worked. It was an illustration of history in the making. We went to places that weren’t significant until Obama became president, and it was fun to see where he came from.

Uncle Jack - our tour guide

The hospital Obama was born in.

Next week I will continue with the rest of my Hawaiian adventures!

Adventure on,

Katie

Phantom

Last Sunday was one of the most exciting days I have had in a long time.

I finally got the chance to see “Phantom of the Opera” at the Dallas Summer Musicals in Fair Park. I am a huge Broadway buff and I have been dying to see this show for a long time. It was perfect timing this year, because there are rumors that Phantom is going to be packed away for a while and taken off of tour.

I have seen the movie version with Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum approximately 12 times, and can recite and sing every word with few errors. It was about time I finally got to see Phantom in the way it was intended.

While nothing quite compares to a Broadway musical on Broadway, the touring versions tend to be extremely well made. We were lucky to get to see Tim Gleason as the Phantom and Kim Stengel as the hilarious Carlotta. Both of them have made history by playing their respective parts a record-breaking number of times. All of the cast was wonderful and captured the essences of Weber’s masterpiece (though, I would have liked the Phantom to be a little more vicious).

Tim Gleason as Phantom

Kim Stengel as Carlotta

Besides the amazing soundtrack that most people have heard many times, the musical was incredibly creative when it came to set design and costuming. The scene where the Phantom first takes Christine down to his dungeon, the stage turns into a lake covered in blue fog, while the two sit in a boat that glides across the stage. The whole time they are taking their voyage, the background is slowly changing and smoothly transitions to another setting entirely. It is no wonder the people who made the movie changed very few scenes. It was almost like watching a movie on stage.

With the exception of “Wicked” (which I have seen three separate times), there are few musicals that have impressed me with their production quite like Phantom. It was such a treat to see the origin of one of my favorite movies.

The only problem I have with seeing musicals is that I have to constantly resist the urge to sing along. When it came to my favorite song, I couldn’t help it and I sang under my breath along with Christine as she sang “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.”

Here are a few lines from this amazing song:

"Too many years, fighting back tears, Why can’t the past just die?

Wishing you were somehow here again, Knowing we must say goodbye. Try to forgive, teach me to live, Give me the strength to try.

No more memories, no more silent tears. No more gazing across the wasted years. Help me say goodbye."

For now, I am off to Hawaii for Spring Break, so look forward to hearing about my adventures there!

Adventure On,

Katie

Wonderland

This week I went on an epic adventure to a magical world none other than Wonderland. How did I do this you ask? By diving into Lewis Carroll's literary classics or watching the old and beloved Disney animated "Alice in Wonderland"? Sadly, no, but I'm sure you all know the answer, and that is that I went to see Tim Burton's new 3-D cinematic version of "Alice in Wonderland."

The movie is an extension of the original Disney classic, not a remake. It is a story about Alice returning to Wonderland after many years. In her struggle to come to terms with the fact that Wonderland is real, she eventually comes into her own and is able to gain enough courage to fight (and defeat) the evil Red Queen.

My personal opinion about the movie is that it was a visual masterpiece and its aesthetic beauty more than makes up for what it lacks in character development.

The Real-D 3-D was used in such a way that it only served to immerse you more in the story. It is not trying to be a jumper 3-D movie and instead uses the technology to draw you closer into Wonderland.

The story is smooth and full of appropriate quirkiness (though some critics say not enough). It is always incredible to see Johnny Depp completely in his element, and as the Mad Hatter, he really shines. Depp and the Cheshire cat steal the movie together and really embody the spirit of Carrol’s classic tale.

The scenery is gorgeous and the CGI technology is used in this movie to portray a whimsical and imaginary land in a stunning fashion. While Avatar may have stolen the attention from Alice, I believe Alice uses the technology to tell a much better and more entertaining story.

Along with costumes and soundtrack, the movie really excels in all aesthetic aspects, even down to the specific colors chosen in every scene.

Make sure you check out Alice in 3-D sometime soon and see for yourself the incredible immersive experience Tim Burton has created.

Watch the trailer here:

Adventure On,

Katie