Week 17: The Call of the Wind

It's spring! Get your Spring t-shirts out!

It’s almost May. Here in California, spring is in full swing, and it is time to think about spring outdoor activities. Warmer weather is coming, if it is not already here, so it is time to take out our bikes, running and/or hiking shoes, and bathing suits. In my case, it will also include my taking out a harness, a wet suit, and a (rental) surfboard and sail. It’s time to enjoy some wind-and-water and go windsurfing!

The San Francisco Bay Area is a prime area for windsurfing and kitesurfing. With consistent winds coming through the Golden Gate, there are numerous places to sail. My favorite is at the Berkeley Marina – it’s got a good wind shadow for when I want to take it easy, and yet, access to tougher conditions for those who are daring.

Back of the shirt: Woo hoo!

A few years ago, I enrolled in a windsurfing camp so that I could improve upon my skills. The camp was through ABK Board Sports. It was a two-day camp at the San Luis Reservoir, in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley of California. There was lecture, land-simulation, video analysis, and most of all, water time. You even get a camp t-shirt. The instructors were both very friendly and knowledgeable. They probably spend most of their typical weeks on the water, compared to my 1 to 2 hours on a Sunday.

The camp environment was a lot of fun. After dinner, we spent the evening looking at film and discussing what we need to practice and improve. My instructor and I worked on my tacks the first day, providing me with some great feedback. On my second day, we focused on tacks and jibes. Some of the times, especially when the wind picked-up, I just rode the wind. It was awesome!

I’d like to attend camp again one of these days. ABK also offers overseas camps; maybe next year, we’ll attend one in Bonaire or Aruba.

Week 16: To Hell & Back Again!

Have you ever been to Hell and lived to tell about it? I have, and it was actually a rather fun experience; we even met the devil. No, not THE HELL, but Hell in the Grand Cayman Islands.  Our T-shirt for this week is from The Devil's Hangout in Hell, and will be the last one of the Cayman Series (Yeah, I bought a lot of t-shirts while vacationing there).

In this case, Hell refers to a large group of short, black limestone formations. They actually look like spikes rising to the surface (like some type of torture device) and growing another foot or two into the air. The rocks are called “Ironshore,” and are found in many locations on Grand Cayman Island.

There is a local gift store (where I got this T-shirt), a post office, and places where you can get that photo op for your facebook page. The Devil was the shopkeeper and cashier - sporting a red cape, horns, and trident. He even yells out phrases like “Who in hell is next?” and “How the hell are you?”

Per US News, “travelers say the town of West Bay, where Hell is located, is notoriously hard to find.” It is nowhere near George Town or the beautiful beaches, so I can imagine people having a hell of a time trying to find Hell. Thanks to the front desk at our hotel, we were able to get there by taking the local public transportation (they look like sport vans). This will also give you a sense of where the locals live. So, we got on in front of our hotel for a pick-up and got dropped-off in Hell. What a hell of a way to go.

Our visit was about an hour, but it is worth it. Where else can you send postcards from Hell? Although there is no beach or body of water close to it, I chose to get a diving t-shirt from the souvenir shop. I just love the message on the back. Don’t call that phone number though; the Devil may answer it!

Week 15: Hula Time!

Blogger’s Note: I wanted to finish off most of my Cayman Island shirts, but I felt it was appropriate to write about hula this week. The Merrie Monarch Festival, the Olympics of Hula, just concluded in Hilo, Hawai’i last weekend, and this weekend is our hula workshop in Sacramento, California. Cayman shirts will conclude next week.

One of the activities that I enjoy is dancing hula. Every one has probably seen hula dancing, especially if one has been to Hawai’i. To an untrained eye, one may just see beautiful ladies dressed in grass skirts or beautiful dresses, decked–out with flower garlands, and dancing with graceful flowing movements to the sounds of an ‘ukulele or guitar. However, to any student of hula, it is so much more than that; hula is preserving Hawaiian history and culture, and has deep meaning. According to King David Kalakaua, "Hula is the language of the heart, and therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people." For me, personally, dancing connects me to my spiritual side.

Over the years, I have enjoyed any number of intensive weekend long workshops either in Sacramento or in the Bay Area. Epilikakou workshops were one of them, and is where I acquired this T-shirt. On Epilikakou weekends, we were taught by kumu hulas (hula teachers), most of whom are from Hawai’i. We would enjoy four classes, each from a different kumu hula and then perform that hula or chant to the entire group that evening. This can be hundreds of people – but it was a lot of fun! Due to budgetary reasons, I cannot attend Epilikakou anymore since they are now only held in Kaua’i.

Fortunately, I was able to find another intensive workshop taught by Kumu Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett. Kumu Frank is sometimes called a Loea, or some one who is an expert in the art – and that he is. Kumu Frank has been teaching hula for more than 50 years, ever since he was a young child. I took my first workshop with him in my first Epilikakou workshop. He was very strict and tried to instill discipline – wanting all of us to apply ourselves 100% while learning the hula and the related, accompanying chant.

Since that first outing, I have enjoyed my taking Kumu Frank’s hula workshops in Sacramento for several years. As of last year, the workshop is also offered in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Students can attend two classes from him per day, or four for the weekend.

This particular shirt represents Kumu Frank’s tattoos. The one in the front view is his tattoo on one of his shoulders (right, I believe). He once shared with us that these tattoos represent his aumakua, or ancestral guardian spirits. He was one of the first kumus to get a tattoo in Hawai’i.  I really like this shirt for that reason and also, it reminds me of my classes with him. I think it also looks like a neat abstract work of art.

I greatly enjoy attending his hula workshops. Not only do I get to learn new hulas, but I also get to learn a detailed cultural background of the dance as well. Sadly, due to some unforeseen circumstances, I could not attend this year’s spring workshop, which is one more reason that I am writing about this unique shirt. I do plan to attend the one in the fall.

For more information on Kumu Frank’s workshops in California, check out Holistic Honu’s classes in California.  For additional information on hula, check out this article and photo essay on Island’s Magazine. For those who would like more information on the workshops in Kaua’i, consult the workshop home page.

Week 14: Deep Dive!

‘Still staying on (talking about) the Cayman Islands this week and somewhat cheating.  Since we were on the topic of diving last week, I thought this week we would take you on a deeper dive. Our shirt this week is unfortunately not a T-shirt. I bought a lot of T-shirts this trip, so we opted for a polo shirt for variety (hence the cheating).

My husband wanted to go on a deep submarine dive along the famous Cayman Wall.  The Cayman Islands is probably the only place in the world where one can take an excursion of this kind. The Deep Explorer is not the usual submarine that carries 35 people through 100 feet of water. This was a three-person research submarine (One guide/pilot and two passengers) and could go to a depth of 1,000+ feet below sea level.

The submarine itself was very small and rather confining. With my history of claustrophobia, I felt that my joining in might ruin everyone else’s experience once the panic and sweaty palms began. So I decided to go on a much larger submarine (30 people) and a shallower dive (100 feet).

Since my husband would be diving alone, Atlantis had to look for another person who would ride along as a “ballast” – so the small submarine would be more stable. They have a list of locals who normally do this sort of thing. In fact, they even considered me, and I could ride for free. I still thought that it was not a very good idea.

The three of them descended along the Cayman Wall to a depth of 1,024 feet, and then slowly ascended back up again. My husband attempted to take pictures, but the lack of light, artificial or natural, just could not do any justice to what he saw, since they only had the pair of floodlights of the submarine to illuminate the darkness of the deep. He saw beautiful corals, huge sea fans and sponges (some as large as a refrigerator!), graceful manta rays, and even ‘Mr. and Mrs. Squirrelfish,’ who found a way to make their home in the depths of the Cayman Wall.

My husband greatly enjoyed his submarine excursion. He said he felt like one of those deep ocean miners or researchers in the movie The Abyss. If you are interested in trying this deep dive or the shallower one, check out this article for some good info or contact Atlantis Submarines. If we go to the Caymans again, I may actually do this dive. #YOLO