De Young Museum

Back in San Francisco! 

It was a little hard to leave the house today - with all the laundry and sleep I needed to catch up on from the trip (and from days prior!), but the first Tuesday of every month, museums around the city have free admission, and I have been meaning to check out the De Young Museum for quite some time. So, I headed to Golden Gate Park. I first check out the observatory tower, overlooking the park and the city beyond, before moving on to the exhibits.

View from the observatory - looking at the California Academy of Sciences
and the park that the Wedding Planner final wedding was to be held in!

I loved it.  The museum's current main attraction is "The Girl With The Pearl Earring," which unfortunately was not free (makes sense, but I didn't have time to do both anyways). Even without see that famous work of art, the De Young is a worthwhile stop. Such a nice building! I'm not a fan of the way it looks on the outside, but the inside gives a different vibe. Normally all museums feel the same, but each room in the De Young felt differently. They currently have "Objects of Belief from the Vatican" on display on the second floor, and the warm woods compliment the ancient tiki-like, wood pieces of art perfectly. Another moving sections was photography from Iraq - not of American soldiers - but of the lives of the people before the US came and during the first few years after we arrived. I highly recommend checking it out. The rest of the artwork ranged from paintings and sculptures, to glasswork and furniture. Truly, anyone could find a room they enjoy and spend hours looking over the pieces. See my favorite painting from today, below. 

        

My favorite painting. "The Sonata" 1889 by Irving Ramsey Wiles

Hawaii Day 4: Kohala Forest Reserve, Hawaiian Meal, Mauna Lani Beach, and Goodbyes!

Clear view of the entire valley and helicopters flying in the distance. By far my favorite hike I've ever done.

Muddy

Kohala Forest Preserve holds one of, if not "the," best places to hike. This morning, A wanted to show me what her town of Waimea has to offer. We ventured  over a few "No trespassing" signs and fences to get to the trailhead inside the forest preserve. Apparently its "closed until further notice." Oh well! We treked through a bamboo forest then dipped, ducked, and climbed over fallen bamboo and trees as we made our way up the mountain side. We only had to go 300 feet up over the course of roughly a mile to get to the lookout. Waimea is normally cloudy and rainy, but fate gave us the great fortune of having beautiful weather: moist, fresh air and cleared skies making the valley visible 3400 feet below over the cliff. From here, we ventured along the mountain side on the narrow trail, which I should mention is covered in roots, foilage, and mud. Moving along was not an easy task! 

Facing Fears 1,000s of feet above ground

We discovered two caves alongside the path. The first was natural but contained nothing, and the second was likely man-made to access a water line. We eventually came across a part off the trail that had worn away. On the way out, I held onto a board someone rigged onto the side. On the way back, I faced my fears in following A across the water line - thousands of feet above the greenery. Amazing, breath-taking hike. If we had all day, it would have been fun to take the trail to the complete opposite side of the valley. After 2 hours, our stomachs encouraged us to turn around and trample through the mud back to civilization.

In the cave looking out

A took me to Hawaiian Style Cafe in Waimea. She says there is always a short wait, so you know its good! I guess rice is very popular on the island. By the way, portion sizes here are larger than on the mainland. I ordered Hawaiian Style Loco Moco: rice,  caramelized onions, egg, pinapple sausage, and gravy. Very filling. Didn't feel too healthy afterwards! But after this morning's hike, it was well deserved.

After packing my suitcases, we stopped at Mauna Lani Beach for a quick snorkel. Not nearly the caliber of the Captain Cook area, as the coral was completely dead, but still saw some skiddish, colorful fish. No idea what types! I'll have to look them up.

To end the trip, A took me and another friend, who happens to be flying home tonight too, to Bite Me. It sits on the Hokokohau Harbour and has the best prices for the best quality food.  I've never had Marlin before, but loved how they prepare it. Top it off with a tropical sake based drink and you're good to go. Super chill - if I lived here I would come here more than necessary. What makes it even better - there is a cat named fish that hangs out on a barstool.

It has been an unbelievable trip. One I will not soon forget! Time to go sleep on my red eye. Mahalo!

(Update: I am now finally waiting to board my plane. There was a ridiculously long line, due to a cancelled flight, but it was poorly managed. No one was using the self check in stations for those who only have carry on luggage. It would at least thin the line! I eventually jumped it and checked myself in, hopefully starting a trend. I don't think I upset anyone because not a single person had approached the two machines in the hour I was standing there.  Come on United.... I get that you're stressed, but make it easier on yourself! )

Harbor View from Bite Me