Hawaii

Getting to the islands is no small feat. It's 2390 miles from the coast of California, 4789 miles from my home and involves a decent plane trip over some open water. My trip had an added complication as well, a 10 hour delay. So instead of arriving in the early afternoon, I ended up getting to the Hawaiian islands at about 2:30am. 

Luckily Delta is a pretty cool airline and they threw me a free cab ride and a night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki. I took a shower, fell into the bed and fell asleep instantly. The next morning I woke up, checked out and started roaming for food. I hadn't heard from my farm at this point so I was lost in Hawaii with my backpack and my appetite as my only companions. I got a meal at The Steak Shack and began to watch the surfers, kayakers, kite boarders, helicopters, sailboats, catamarans, and snorkelers. This place is unreal. The weather is pleasant, the water is refreshing and super clear (although I get cold if the sun goes away), and the views are spectacular. No matter how much you planning and researching you do you'll never be able to really understand or experience a place until you go. This was my first full dose of Hawaii straight in the face. 

Waikiki - First stop on Oahu

I heard from my WWOOFing hosts after a short while and got over to the farm. Within an hour I had shoved a couple things into my smaller backpack and shot over to the west side of the island with the majority of the other farmers for some camping and diving in the morning. My second night on Oahu I slept on the sand under the stars next to a smoldering fire. Pretty epic, but not as epic as the morning. 

Night two accommodations, a beach on the west coast.

Right after we got up Elko, the farm owner and operator, spotted the pod of dolphins we had come to see. We all grabbed fins and masks and went running down to the water. Before I knew it I was swimming with a hundred dolphins. Several came within a few feet of me and a few of them did some spins and jumps in the air. Of course I forgot to grab my GoPro before I ran into the water so I have no way of making anyone jealous. Maybe its better that way, instead of messing with the camera I was fully immersed in the experience. I will certainly never forget the sounds of the pod and being right in the middle of it all.