A Valuable Tip to Enjoy Vacation to the Fullest

Case in point, I love to travel, but there are times when I feel I'm not enjoying my trip. I begin to miss things and then I started to miss people, then later negative things like worry creeps into my mind. It seems that it would take days or months for my mind to reap the pleasure of serenity. Hehehe. I think it takes time for our mind to steadily remove ourselves from our hectic days. Perhaps, it could be the sense of repetitives from work or our usual daily routines. Like worry about things I need to do at work. Did I forget something that I might get in trouble, or could things be a mess when I come back from vacation? It can be even worse when co-workers/boss calls you during your vacation to ask questions about things at work. How do you completely let go? How do you feel when work and vacation does not split? How do you completely tell people that you will be off and can't accept calls without feeling guilty? I am open for comments. I know that it is crucial to have a break from work, but how can you fully relax yourself and not worry?

One tip I can say that works is from reading an article about being mindfulness. Which means to be aware of what you are doing. For instance, if you run or walk, do you ever think about your sensations like the movement of your legs, or intake/output of your breaths for a moment? Or do you feel like your mind roams and thinks of all sorts of situations, negatives or positives? Unaware of your thoughts you start to wonder why do I think about these things. Well, this is the kind of reasons why some people can't enjoy their vacations to their fullest. Their mind is unaware or detached from the beautiful beaches or landscapes. Their mind gets bottled up or caught up to all sorts of situations that they might not even notice what they were doing earlier. Its like doing two things at the same time, but your memory could only capture one.

It takes time to practice to learn to be more aware. As we get older we have more things to think and worry. Which I believe shows responsibilty and judgement. Yet, for us, we need clarity and restoration for our mind/body to be healthy. So the solution is to be aware of your surroundings and focus on any particular event/ place/ object/ scene/ conversation etc... Hopefully, you would be able to remove yourself from the worries or stressful thoughts. Just observe and use your senses to feel or interact with your surroundings. Hopefully, you would notice that you would be able to enjoy and remember more of your vacation for years.

Bon Voyage!

When I was in Oahu, Hawaii

I feel so fortunate to travel and explore more of Hawaii. My first trip I went to three islands, Kuaii, Maui, and Oahu for two weeks period. It was a lot to absorb that I had a hard time to relax. Luckily, last Spring I was able to go for about a week in May. I saw so many cool package deals like staying at the Waikiki Circle Hotel and airline ticket for less that 600 dollars for 5 nights at travelocity. It was during the cooler season so the water was a bit cooler. Especially at the Hanauma Bay. Anyhow, they suggested to go during the summer. Summer may be great but it could be very over crowding. From my impression it seems a bit crowded when I went there. I stayed in a hotel that was located in front of the popular Waikiki Beach, only 1 crossing street away and you are there. It was nice to see some people walking around and activity. At night I would go out of my hotel and enjoy the night life. In Waikiki there are plenty of shops, restaurants, bars, beach, monuments, shrimp trucks, etc.

During the day, I would travel around with my rental car to different areas of the island. Such as, the northern and eastern part of the island. You can always, especially if it is your first time, is to take the tour. Since I'd been here before, I would rather take the time to enjoy the scenic stops. It is totally worth it. Outside of Waikiki you can still find beautiful white sandy beaches and wonderful areas to snorkel (Hanauma Bay). I heard that during the winter you can enjoy watching surfers up in North Shore. There are plenty of things to see. I feel that each island is unique, but if you want to do a lot of activities in one island, I suggest this is the one. Plus, since most of international flights stop in Oahu and many hotels are in the surrounding area, your chances of getting competitive package deals are on your side. What I did was stayed at Oahu and booked a 1 day adventure ticket to the Big Island. I saw the Lava Flow and the famous Banyan Trees that was planted by many famous/political figures like Babe Ruth and Richard Nixon. The funny thing is that the guide said that Richard Nixon's Banyan Tree was planted a little crooked. In case you want more exploration try book a day trip to the other islands by helicopter, interisland flights that ranges $70+, or by cataraman boats, etc..

   

Sandy Beach of Oahu.   

Hanauma Bay, prior to entering you need to watch a 5 minute introduction that talks about the island's history, how it came about and ways to protect the coral reefs.

Honolulu Airport has an outdoor/indoor design. Once you step out of the plane you can feel the warmth and breeze.

This was taken at the International Market located at the Kalakaua Ave. in Waikiki

We found a Shrimp truck! You can find them mostly in Waikiki or Northshore.

Garlic Shrimps yummy!

Looking down from the top of the Diamond Head.

Another picture taken from the top of the Diamond Head.

Shaved Ice with different flavors only about $3.50. I bought it in Northshore. Everyone would eat it right at the store, because the ice melts fast. You have so many options of flavors, like watermelon, strawberry, bubble gum, kiwi, etc. I had so much fun going back there to get seconds.

Sunset at Northshore.

At this park you can see the China Man's Hat Island.

St. Maarten

I went to St. Maarten two weeks ago because my boyfriend needed a vacation. We wanted a place where the water is warm and the people were friendly. I admit, this island sure has it. It was raining when we arrived which comes and goes through out our time there. This is one of the exciting trips I'd ever made. I was a bit hesistant to go to the carribean in September, because of hurricane season. We watched the news carefully for almost a month prior to leaving to the island. So far we heard about the hurricane Igor heading northeast towards Bermuda.  Luckily for us we didn't have to cancel any of our plans. For those that do not know where St. Maarten is, it is located a few hours southeast of Florida. There are many islands in the Carribean that its hard to choose which one to visit.

Orientale Beach located on the eastern part of the island.

Attracting thousands of tourists or more each year to witness a plane taking off in front of them about a couple of feet away. You can also see planes landing above you while you are below them. Larger planes would have to land closer to the water in order to have enough runway. 

Johnny Cake. Taste plain like a fried bread.

Gazing at the Sunset from my hotel in Grand Case.