Hawaii is Honestly Magical
What I've been up to in Hawaii for the last couple weeks
Traveling is the best, you get to meet amazing people, see things you have never seen and eat some amazing food. As some of you may know I booked a one way flight to Hawaii, currently i’m about two and a half weeks into my journey here in Hawaii and am definitely feeling the magic in the air. This place is special, in the sense that the idea of time seems to vanish, everyday feels like a beautiful sunny Friday. I remember when I was a kid waiting for summer break to roll around so I could just go out and play all day, Hawaii reminds me of that feeling expect it’s like that everyday here. I’m a man that loves the great outdoors and Hawaii definitely delivers in that department. It has some of the most beautiful scenery i’ve ever seen, from hiking Haleakalā Volcano to swimming in some of the bluest water, Hawaii offers you incredible views everywhere you go.
I’ve spent the most time exploring Oahu so far however did jet over to Maui and spent a few nights there. In Maui the vibe is much more laid back and it felt less “touristy” than being in Oahu, the guy trying to get you to take picture with a parrot isn’t a thing in Maui. Out in Maui I rented a car and legit just started driving around, these islands are bigger than you might think, driving from one side to the next will take you a couple hours. While wandering around I discovered Haleakalā Volcano and decided to give it a visit, when I went into the visitor center atop the summit, the ranger recommended some hikes in the park. Hiking Haleakalā Volcano literally felt like I was on Mars, i’ve never seen anything like it. Since you are ~10,000 feet above sea level the air pressure decreases and so does the oxygen you get in each breath. I’m an active person and literally I had to stop about 10 times while hiking back up to the car, you legit feel short of breath, it’s an interesting sensation one in which i’ve never felt until now. The views will literally leave you breathless.
Since the summit is so vast once you get going on your hike the amount of people you see dwindles, with that comes a silence that will leave you reflecting on life. You just hear the wind blowing which made for a good time to sit down and think about life, that sitting down turned into a nap and man, that was the best nap i’ve taken, perched up on a nice cozy rock. I thought on life being like a game, we are all dealt with certain cards and the rest is up to you to decide. Everything you have done in life has precisely led you to this moment, it’s something I think about occasionally and in that moment it was really hitting home. Your actions and decisions today do in fact shape your tomorrow, with that i’ve just really started to challenge myself in a way that gets me exploring the unknown and facing my fears head on. Traveling the world solo will definitely put you in situations that feel uncomfortable, eating dinner alone, approaching new people, and just putting yourself out there on the line. However with that comes growth in ways you can’t imagine, an impenetrable confidence.
Wandering Around
Wandering around in a 6-speed drop top, cruising some of the most windy and twisty cliffside roads is definitely an experience i’ll never forget. I’ve always been a car guy and as soon as I saw this car on Turo I knew I had to get it, i’m more than happy to pay for an experience in life, this was one of them. Growing up I played a lot of car video games, Forza, GTA, Need for Speed but nothing compares to the adrenaline you get from banging thru gears in real life on roads like these. A Miata isn’t the fastest car but it’s better to drive a slow car fast than be limited to driving a fast car slow. I’ve said this before but driving manual and being in full control of your car is the analogy I use to using my Leica camera, both put the operator in full control, if you make a mistake it’s on you. I find a calming charm to that, with everything nowadays damn near controlled by a computer, being in full control of your technology is calming to me. As automation continues I foresee a rising group of people who desire the analog life, whether that be cars, cameras, or reading words instead of watching moving pictures.
Be Yourself
In the day and age of social media comparing yourselves to others is at an all time high, being yourself is the best thing you can do in todays day and age. We are all so unique in our own individual ways, i’m learning to lean into what makes me, me. It’s really been a process of deprogramming my brain not to care what people may think of me, ultimately why give that mental energy? In doing so that has lead me to further discover who I truly am and has given me a more clear vision of where I want to go in life. Truly not caring what people think of you is a superpower, it unlocks an inner light in you that cannot be dimmed, if you’re too bright for some people they will just have to look away.
The last 4 months I have been sober, no alcohol, weed, or any other drugs. I used to look at alcohol as a sorta social lubricant that would help take off the edge in social situations but I decided to challenge myself by stopping cold turkey and man, it’s been great. It’s really just grown my sense of not caring what people may think, literally was at a hostel in Maui and they were hosting a margarita night, a year ago i’d be all over that but nowadays I found myself drinking water and still having a blast with everyone. Maybe i’m getting old haha but drinking doesn’t appeal to me like it used to, I never was an alcoholic but did drink socially and really questioned why I was drinking in the first place. Honestly I watched an Andrew Huberman podcast on what alcohol does to the mind/body and that really made me view it in a new light, here is that podcast if you are interested. Sobriety has only forced me to be myself even further, there is no escaping or altering reality with drugs.
What’s Next?
What you can expect more from me going forward is traveling and creating, I view both of those as the next chapter in my life. I plan to continue traveling the world and sharing what I see along the way so if that is of interest to you, feel free in joining the squad. This is my life’s work and we are very early days in this journey, i’m very thankful for being able to take you all along this journey with me and am genuinely excited for what is up ahead. My goal with all this is to inspire you to go on your own personal journey, however that may look to you. I view life as if we all have our own personal callings and destinies to fulfill, go out there and make them a reality.
Life lately has been really wild and very interesting, I choose to go down the road that will yield me the most interesting outcomes, backpacking the world will sure yield something interesting. From the people I have met to the places I have seen with my own two eyes it bundles into memories I will never forget and that is what makes life worth living. Lately i’ve been thinking about life not being guaranteed and ultimately our clocks one day will stop ticking, that has lit a fire in me to go out into the world and live my dreams. Everyone is trying to figure out exactly what to do, there will be no perfect timing to do something, you just have to have faith and put yourself out there, the universe is very giving if you do your part.
Island Hopping
As of writing this I just landed on the big island in Hawaii, so far I have been to Oahu and Maui, if you come to Hawaii definitely add both of those islands to your list, they are well worth visiting. Hopping islands is about a 30 minute flight between islands and where the power of the one way ticket comes in handy. I came to the big island because I heard the volcano was erupting and would love to get some shots of that, i’ll be here for a few nights and am just going to wander around, what I do best. I cannot stress enough the power of staying in hostels, literally since I been in Hawaii I have met people on one island and magically see them on the next island. Hostels are great for solo travelers as you get to meet other solo traveling people and most of them are more than willing to help you with advising on things to do in the area, places to eat, and hidden spots. I got turned on to the hostel life while backpacking Thailand late last year for 2 months, literally just bouncing around Thailand in and out of hostels all around. It was my first experience with hostels and I have forever viewed traveling differently and the icing on the cake is they are cheaper than hotels/airbnbs.
Here is my latest YouTube video, this one I explore the neighboring island Maui, it’s much more laid back in Maui and chiller vibes. Wandering around the island in a drop top 6-speed Miata was great fun, it felt like a video game. I hope you guys enjoy this video!
My Instagram is where I post my latest photography work and also post some behind the scenes of my day to day life if that might be of interest to you.
Great write up and photographs. Hawaii is indeed a magical place. I hope you make your way to Kauai and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the Garden Isle.
If you a chance to get to Haleakala at sunrise... do it! Fly back! 😂 These pictures are fantastic - each and every one. My favorite is that first shot of Haleakala. We did not hike into the crater, so it was great to see your shots from inside.