I’ve been promising Shayna that I will contribute not only tech support but also content to the blog, so here I go…

On the last leg of our Hawaiian vacation we spent a few days in Oahu where the capital Honolulu is located. After being 11 days on Kauai we enjoyed the contrast of arriving at a developed island where we could find a Starbucks around every corner; some addictions are hard to overcome.

I’ve been curious to see Pearl Harbor, especially after the recent Hollywood movie with Ben Afleck, my hero (am I being sarcastic or not? I’m not gonna tell). We headed for the harbor and boarded a submarine that was built after the attack to avenge the countless vessels that were sunk the morning of Dec 7th 1941. Shayna took the helm and swore to finish the job but then I reminded her that the score was settled and that we now are on great terms with Japan.



We then boarded a destroyer that was used until recently during the Gulf War, in the early 90s. It was amazing to see how they managed to retrofit a ship that was built decades ago with modern day technologies. The control room had DEC 386 computers… which are a bit better than the slide rulers that were tucked away under the keyboards.

The larger the ship the better the conditions were for the sailors and so compared to the submarine life on the destroyer was luxury living (except for the going to war part).

While on the ship I kept thinking of my Dad who used to fix all the electronics on a destroyer during his time at the Israeli Navy. So many switches, devices, controls, I’m amazed at how he managed to learn all of these systems.



Shayna and I received multiple recommendations to see the Polynesian Cultural Center while in Oahu.

We headed 1 hour north of Honolulu to the center and had an amazing day learning about the various Polynesian islands and their traditions.

Our favorite stop was Samoa, which had a couple of funny performers. Check this clip out:


The evening show was great as well. It felt like we were watching the Lion King but with people as characters. The highlight was the fire jugglers who I’m certain burned themselves multiple times, especially during the part where they put out fires by sitting on them. Btw don’t warm things like laptops (and fires) reduce sperm count?

The Napali coast: an incredibly beautiful terrain on the Northwest side of Kauai complete with 3,000 ft jagged cliffs, waterfalls, canyons and remote beaches only accessible by BOATS. You would think that after our last encounter with a boat we would want to stay as far away from the Hawaiian coast as possible. But Ofer and I were determined to see the views after hearing from so many people how breathtaking it is. Plus, it didn’t hurt that we were told the experience is more ‘yacht’ than ‘dingy‘. That sounded more up our alley.



We got up very early that day and drove south to the port we would be leaving from. As we were waiting for our guide we met a sweet older couple from Arizona who were spending the week in Kauai. We talked about traveling and eventually we mentioned that we were on the first leg of a 19-month world trip which had begun with an engagement. I think Ofer and I need to start writing down how people react to this statement. So far we have gotten total shock, people thinking we were lying to them and jealousy…most are accompanied by some really priceless facial expressions. It should be like those rides at Disney World when a picture is taken at the exact moment your car on the rollercoaster begins to drop 100 feet into total oblivion. Some people break into sheer joy, others look like they are staring straight into the eyes of Satin himself and others double over in pain hoping they keep their lunch down. Yep, it looks kinda like that. But I digress.



We boarded the yacht and started taking off down the coast. Ofer and I were pros now and knew that the best place to sit on a boat of this size was on the top deck toward the back and that is exactly where we put ourselves. I won’t go into incredible detail here but the Napali Coast was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I don’t know if I would be able to describe it and do it justice so take a look at the pictures and videos and hopefully you can get a sense.



While we were sailing along the coast our guide kept his eye out for sea turtles and dolphins, of which we saw many. I had never seen so many dolphins in one place. They were called Spinner Dolphins and go their name for the way they jump out of the water and spin as many times as they can before splashing back in. It was beautiful to watch although very tough to catch on film. They were far off in the distance and also right by the boat swimming and spinning in the waves our boat was making. Amazing.