Free Fall, Fall Free Herb....

I met Herb for the first time in April 2009 at Skydive Hawaii through Benj. He's a professional skydiver, the sky is his office and he took me there on my second dive (see earlier Skydive Hawaii post). I wanted to give him a tip for a great time diving and he said, he don't take tips from friends. And I just met him! Isn't he sweet?! Herb and I kept in touch through Facebook and I even tried to hook him up with one of my friends! Herb has been mentioning he wanted to find the right girl and settle down. I didn't think he would have a hard time finding her.

Herb passed away on July 15th doing what he loved doing -- skydive. He was well-loved and remembered for having the biggest heart, the craziest stories and the heartiest laugh. He has touched a lot of lives and will continue to live on in the memories of his loved ones and the recipients of his organs. Right up until the end, Herb was sharing himself.

Free fall, fall free into eternity Herb....

Skydive Hawaii!!!

My First Tandem Skydive (And My Second Too!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F03gX3So59I

It was a busy day at Dillingham Airfield. Tourists and locals piling up for their first tandems. Old timers squeezing in with the newbies. There was a slight overcast in the sky but the day felt perfect.

Today, 3rd of April 2009, would be monumental. I have dreamt of this moment -- to fall out of the sky.... To free fall.... To feel free.... And it is going to happen.

I felt safe with my tandem master, JC Colcasure (superstar skydiver!). A friend of Benj, we had dinner with him, his wife and his cute, heavenly daughter the night before at their lovely home in North Shore. I have to subdue my excitement to make sure I ask the right questions. What happens if you get a heart attack (I saw this on TV once!)? When do I pull? Where do I pull? How do I maneuver? What should I expect?

Benj is my video master. Armed with a CX100 HD camera, he is ready to test his new gadget. And I am excited to document this unforgettable moment in my life or perhaps the last moment of my life! You never know!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F03gX3So59I

This video says it all. I don't have the words to describe this experience. It was out-of-this world, nerve-wracking, ultimate high, heart thumping hell-of-a-ride!!! It felt so good, I did it again!!!

My second time is with another friend of Benji's, Herb Eskelson. Grew up in the airstrip. Parents are both skydivers back in the days when skydiving wasn't safe. This time we went higher. So we jumped longer. We did a sommersault jumping off the plane. We went in circles. And in circles. We flew like Superman. I felt the rain on my face falling through the clouds. Not very pleasant! And then the chute open and we were cruising over North Shore. Oh how beautiful it is up there!

Definitely something I would do again. And again. And again....

To Benj who got me into this, thank you. My life is richer. You rock!

(Note: Photos 1, 4 & 6 c/o Benj)

Oahu, Hawaii: North Shore (Part 1)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow....

Benj said the rainbow won't register in my camera. It did. It was lovely. And it made me giddy (obviously!). A rainbow later on appeared right across our little heaven of a house by the beach. This was the first time I saw the end of a rainbow and there was no pot of gold. Or maybe it was underwater. Or maybe, seeing the tip of the rainbow is already my pot of gold.

Our cute, little, orange weekend house (owensretreat.com) is right smack on Mokuleia beach and away from the hustle & bustle of tourist traps. It was, indeed, a retreat (but with mobile phone signal and wi-fi connection!). The waves pound on your doorstep and the wind whisper sweet nothings.

It's a kite surfer's haven this place and you can catch about ten of them in the afternooon worshipping wind and wave.
At night, it becomes a bit chilly and the moon casts lovely shadows on the shore. Our lively, little house becomes a warm, cozy retreat waiting to wake up to next day's sunshine.


Roam If You Want To....

Ahhhhhh. North Shore. So many things to do, so little time.... We took it easy.

The first thing we did after getting our rent-a-car is drive up to North Shore and hit a shrimp truck for lunch. OH.SO.YUMMY.GARLIC.SHRIMPS. Macky's was our first North Shore stop. And our last North Shore stop. First love never dies.

Had to try the famous Matsumoto's Shaved Ice. I had the classic one with ice cream. Heaven on ice! And psychedelic too.

We also hit Killer Tacos, a recommendation from a friend who missed their Longboard (that was yummy btw!). We really didn't go out for dinners. They were spent with skydiving friends. Although one time, we caught some knick knacks at Hollywood Joe's. It was alright. And we chanced upon this Margarita place and got ourselves a drink. They always card me here and my usual IDs won't cut it (ie Driver's License, SSS ID, etc). Passport is key.

(Note: All photos except Macky's c/o Benj)

Oahu, Hawaii: Pearl Harbour

When you don't have too many days off, you have a tendency to pack your vacation days with itineraries just to feel that the trip has been truly worth it. When I booked my Hawaii trip, I bought a Lonely Planet as a security blanket. Some people laugh me off when they find out I get a Lonely Planet everytime I go somewhere. They say most of it is outdated. It has helped me a lot in my travels so I'm sticking to it.

My holiday started in the right foot. An upgrade to business class is very much welcome! I suddenly felt Philippine Airlines is my PAL. I arrived in Oahu (after 9 hours flight) 5 hours before my friend Benj's arrival from LA. Before I flew in, I already knew I will not be able to leave my luggage at the airport due to security reasons. The lady at the customer service was very, very helpful. I am sure she would have taken my bag if she had been allowed to. She help me get a private company to hold my bag for $20 (that's $20 for 1-4 luggages, no discounts!). I thought it was worth it than sitting around for 5 hours.

Pearl Harbour

I took TheBus. It was a little late (they have a bus schedule here unlike Manila buses) but the security guy kept me busy until my bus arrived. The Hawaiians seem to be a bunch of friendly people! I simply told the driver I wanted to get off at Pearl Harbour and I was there in about 15-20 minutes. Apparently, you are not allowed to bring big bags here (some people have stolen things over the years, a pity really) so it had to be deposited on one side and I had to walk back to the entrance.

The Harbour is nothing like the movie really. I would say it, it was very manicured and organized. I quickly checked the memorial for the soldiers who have died defending America. I realized to get on any of the ships, I have to shell out some money. Since I do not know much about Pearl Harbour and WWII, I took the tour for USS Missouri.


Our tour guide Jim is a WWII veteran who knew what he was talking about. (Here, Jim was congratulating a navy officer who just got "leid"!)



So instead of just walking in and out of the boat, I got a better understanding of the boat. That it takes more than a hundred men to simply maneuver the big guns. That it takes about 3,000 men to run the boat. That there are less than 300 men trying to maintain it right now. That they used bullets bigger than this kid!

Jim took us inside the labyrinth of cabins.

But the most special place is what I would call the "war room". Here, decisions were made. Make or break!



After an hour or so, it was time to go back to the airport to meet Benj. I was just right on time to catch TheBus.