Caine's Arcade - Promoting Creativity

One of the things I love is stumbling across something across something new, particularly if it is heart warming leaving you with that warm and fuzzy feeling.

How It Started

This one came from one of my friends back home saying that I had to watch this video and go check out this video. I defy you to watch it and not choke up even a little bit! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faIFNkdq96U

Once I saw it I knew that I had to go visit.

 One of the things  didn't realise at the time thought was that it is not open every weekend. Three times I had decided to go, and found that it was going to be closed that particular weekend. 

Then, my family came into town, and I was planning a weekend trip to sightsee in LA, I thought it would be the ideal time to finally go and visit Caine's arcade. After a little research I not only found that it was going to be open, but also that it was going to be the last day that Caine would be opening his aracde, and also his 11th birthday celebrations.

We all did what you absolutely had to do and bought a fun pass. It was fun entering into the imagination of Caine, and playing on the games that he made in his spare time because of his vision. There were mazes and a claw machine, a basketball hoop and a table top hockey table.

Mum with Caine's Brother

Caine's family were all there helping out on the last day. His Mum & his Dad were obviously very proud of everything that their little boy had achieved, and were amazed where this whole project had taken him. But also looking on proudly and very unassuming was Caine's older brother. 

What Happened Next

Well, this little film went viral and gained momentum. More than anyone thought was possible. Out of the mind of one little boy, the Imagination Foundation was born, and Caine found himself traveling the country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul9c-4dX4Hk

Another inspirational event developed for this is the Global Cardboard Challenge of which there have now been two. Children from around the world have been encourage to participate and get creative by unleashing their imaginations.

As for Caine, the hope was to set up a scholarship fund for his university education. He has been offered scholarships already and the money has gone further to help so many more children. But for right now, he is working on his plans for a bicycle shop :)

Modeling the merchandise!

A nod has to be given to Nirvan Mullick, the film maker who stumbled across Caine's Arcade when buying a handle for his car, and saw the potential to make the beautiful film to start with, and arranged a special day that would go on to change a young boy's life.

One of the most amazing aspects of the day, is showing up there with a load of random strangers from around the world that came together to this one small car parts shop on a back street in West LA, for a common cause - We Came To Play!! :)

More information can be found on Caine's Website: http://cainesarcade.com/ and/or Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/cainesarcade?fref=ts

My star of the show: Miss Bieny, my Beautiful Goddaughter!

Oahu - Germaine's Luau

So it felt like it would be wrong to go to Hawaii and not go to a luau to get a good insight to traditional culture, entertainment and food.

There were several different luau that we could choose from. ranging from around $75 - $140. Listening to advice from others and reading online, event though cost wise it is at the lower end of the spectrum, Germaine's was still one of the most highly rated events to attend. We were not disappointed!

We got all dressed up in colourful dresses which we felt would help to reflect the mood for the evening and set off for the coach. Seeing everyone else in line we felt slightly undressed as despite them being sold EVERYWHERE we did not buy any flowers for our hair. Feeling energetic I sprinted to the nearest corner shop where I bought a selection for our group of lovely ladies and a flower each which we dutifully put in our hair after instruction from our tour guide as to which side they should be depending on whether or not you were in a relationship or available.

So first things first, you have to grab a seat. Coaches of people pile out, you have your photo taken then it is a dash and grab to get a prime viewing spot. We couldn't have done any better as we ended up with a front row centre table with an excellent view of the nights entertainment activities.

Biggest Grin Competition - having
such a fabulous night, it was really
 hard to choose between the two! :)

Once positioning is established, next on the agenda is assuring that you are catered up a a suitable beverage of choice. Now, up until Hawaii, I can't say I was a fan of pineapple drinks, but out here, the Mai Tai's converted me, and now and again will now be a tipple of choice! We even had suitable Tiki beakers which yes may be slightly cheesy, but we loved them!

Next, the drama continued with the food. First of all, everything served is traditional island fare, and the main event was the roasted pig which is cooked in the ground in a pit. The retrieving of the pig was part of the show as we all moved to the cooking area where we were given an insight into how traditional local life used to be. The pig is slow cooked in the ground for about eight hours and by the time it is done the meat is falling off the bone. I must admit, that when it was removed from the ground, it didn't really look that appetising, however it tasted amazing! If I could eat this once a week for the rest of my life I would not be complaining!

Next came the dancing - wow can those girls move their hips! Wanting to join in with the spirit, me and another friend joined the dancers up on stage to wiggle our hips, although I don't think we did the hula dancing any justice! Unfortunately due to user error, I can't upload the video footage of the girls, but they did take us on a tour of the pacific islands through native dance which you can view some of them below (obviously, my titles for the dances are not official, but they work for me so I am good with that!)

New Zealand Haka

Pom Pom Ladies

Fire Dancing

I had a great night! I would really recommend that you visit Germaine's Luau if you get the chance! :)

Yes I am grinning like a loon - and thanks go to Laura for not being able to get the camera to work
so we had to stay like this for quite a while which I can't say I was complaining about.

Epic Road Trip - 4 Girls, 4 States, 1 Day

Road Trip Beginnings

State 1 - Our Departure State

First stint of driving and
the bestie as co-pilot!

So the Bestie is currently over visiting, and it is a great excuse to go out and see the sights that the US of A has to offer, and in this case one of the natural wonders of the world - The Grand Canyon, Arizona.

Although relatively close America-speaking, it is still a good eight or nine hour drive away, so a road-trip was on the cards.

The Back-Seat Drivers!

Roping in a friend from work who in turn roped in another friend of hers, the party was set for four and planning began.

The chosen route took place over two and a half days, with the first half day covering four different States. We set off in California, drove through Nevada, touched on Utah and finally turned in for the night in Page, Arizona.

California

Alien Jerky brought in Fresh! The Bestie made a new friend!

Frantically packing for an epic weekend and running a little behind schedule, we set off from Laguna Beach and set off to meet the remainder of the crew in Corona. The toll roads that we used took us right through the mountains, but they were nothing in comparison to the sights we would see later in the trip.

Bacon Beverage Anyone?

Bakers Broken Thermometer

One of the scheduled stop breaks was in Baker, one of the last towns in CA before you cross the state border.

Two things memorable about this place that I learned from past visits was that it was home to the worlds largest (now broken) thermometer, and there is a shop called Alien Jerky that plays off the Area 56 conspiracies and sells really good beef jerky! 

In the middle of the desert and not a consonant to be found!

Nevada

State 2 - Just passing through!

New York, New York - The Strip

Our route took us right by Las Vegas, and although our itinerary did not include the world renowned party city, it would be wrong not to at least show the Bestie, a Vegas virgin, the strip (Las Vegas Boulevard rather than any of Vegas's other activities in case you were wondering!!!).

Posting the Bestie firmly in the front seat and opening up the sun roof, armed with a camera we cruised the strip allowing her to see the fantastic and extravagant hotels that the city has to offer. 

The bridge isn't really broken, but it is hard to hold the camera straight when you are driving
with your head out if the sunroof!

Quick photo in front of the sign to prove that we were here and then were off on our way again.

See! We were definitely here! Albeit a very short stop!

Utah

State 3 - this was all we saw of it!

As much as I would like to give you a glowing account of this state, I can't. By the time we got here, it was already pitch black. What we did experience here though was a crazy lightening storm in the distance. We had no rain, and even with the windows open there was no sign of any thunder. In fact, everything seemed so calm and still it was almost eerie.

The light show was spectacular. I didn't do a very good job of capturing it, but here is a short 5 second snippet of the show we witnessed for around 40 minutes.

At this point of our drive, we are driving through miles and miles of desert barren land. It was dark and stormy in a long straight road, often without another car in sight. Classic horror movie set up! Not necessarily the best time to have an overactive imagination like mine.

Arizona

Yes I realise this was
taken in daylight - we
had to cheat and take
it the next day as we
kept missing it! 

We dipped in and out of our final State for the day on the final leg of the journey. It is hard for me to write anything too descriptive here, as most of it was passed through in the pitch black dark. The day did however end in utter confusion. Our GPS and our mobile phones could not decide what time zone we were in. We either arrived there at 12am or 1am, either way having been on the road for around 13 hours. We may have got up an hour earlier than we needed to the next day, but then day two is a whole other story.

I was worried about the length of the time in a enclosed environment and how it would go down. It was the longest road trip that I had ever done, but it was much more fun than I had been expecting. We laughed so much, told stories and found old fashioned ways to amuse ourselves along the way. It was the first, but definitely not the last I will take whilst I am out here.

Whilst we were on our way, another friend sent us a link which is great for anyone planning a road trip. On this occasion we had a very tight schedule, but future road-trips will definitely be planned using RoadTrippers for our USA adventures! I am looking forward to already planning the next one!! :)

Sweet Dreams Ladies! :)

Snorkelling Hanouma Bay, Oahu

A must for anyone who visits Oahu is a trip to the magnificent Hanouma Bay. As we set off for our last proper excursion before we were due to head home, we drove over to the lesser visited east side of the island for breakfast.

Vista Point Heading to the East side of Oahu

Breakfast Dessert

Trying to find something different, we searched yelp and found ahighly rated little pancake/crepe place that tickled our fancy. It was amazing.And if I could remember the name of it I would tell you as I would highlyrecommend it. We started with savory which was yummy, but even though the hourwas still early, we had to split a couple of sweet delights. They were worth it- we each practically licked the plates clean!!

Volcanic Rock Beaches, East Coast Oahu

After breakfast we headed down the coast stopping off at a coupleof scenic points on the route. There were pockets of sand dunes surrounded byvolcanic rock which had formed rock pools in which crabs and little fishes could be seen. 

There were a couple of islands out to see and the water was crashing against the shore on both sides. There is something therapeutic to listening to the waves. It seem to deafen out any worries or cares - not that I had any of either when I was Hawaii anyway! :-)

Our next stop was the highlight of our day. All excited about what weare to embark on we headed off in the car. Approaching the car park our smilesdropped as our plans we temporarily thwarted as the car park full sign wasclearly displayed and a Marshall ushering on all traffic. Whilst we decidedwhat we are going to do, our designated driver pulled over into a vista pointand we started walking up the hill back towards where the turn for the car parkwas as you could get an amazing view for miles around. 

The Runners!

As we approachedhowever, we say the parking marshal remove the no parking sign and was going tolet five cars only in. Chiaki and I legged it back down the hill at top speedleaving the other two behind with manic broken sentences trying to convince themwe were not driving off and leaving them behind. It paid off as we managed tosqueeze our car in and met them on the other side.

Looking down, our first glimpse of Hanouma Bay and the reef we were about to visit.

When you enter Hanouma Bay, before you can walk down to the actualbeach, you need to go through the visitor centre, and once every year (if youare a regular), you must watch the conservation video that tells you all aboutthe coral reef and how delicate it is, and how careful you need to be toprotect it and its delicate eco structure. 

When you see the natural beauty ofthe place, you really don't want to do anything which would lead to damagingit. Unfortunately not everyone felt the same and regardless some people werestill standing on the reef itself, but they did stop after we have them a pieceof our minds!

First Shoal of Fish!

So, walking down to the beach the view of the bay was spectacular. We picked out out base spot on the beach, and set about gearing up in all of our snorkel equipment which I had bought especially for the occasion.

Wearing flippers and entering the water was entertaining for others to watch with a novice like me, but after several attempts to release the sand and walking backwards I finally made it into the water and set about finding my rhythm. I was always nervous about snorkeling as I remember using my dad's snorkel at a local swimming pool when I was younger and recall that most of the time I ended up inhaling an awful amount of water, but luckily these new-fangled modern whatsits have a stopcock that blocks out the water - much to mine and my lungs delight!

Once in the water, that was it. I was off. I could spend all day in the water anyway, but now being able to breathe underwater, my Pisces fish side was truly in its element so I set of for an adventure with my underwater camera, the results of which you can see here. I know they are not great pictures, but for a first attempt I was pleased!

I found the array of different fishes fascinating, and although Iwould be unable to tell you what any of them were, they came in all shapes andsizes, and they were beautiful. I went on a mission to try and photograph allof them with my new toy. 

Unfortunately, my lack of snorkeling skills andbalance was not helped by my excitement and enthusiasm and I ended of swimmingoff like a mad thing chasing anything that moved.

It was fun I can tell you, and every now and then I would surfaceto check I was still in reach of the rest of the group before resuming myexploration. I should have paid more attention to where I was following thefish though as I found myself right over the top of the reef. 

Remembering thevideo about protecting the reef I froze panicking that any kick of my flippers,or even my stomach was going to touch the reef. All I could think of doing istaking a deep breath, spreading myself like a starfish and repeating the mantra"think thin thoughts, think thin thoughts" over and over again. Assoon as a wave came I would kick like mad until it passed and then I repeatedthe last sequence! It was a bit scary at the time, but at least I could comeaway from it knowing that I didn't harm the reef!!

I think we were in there for a good couple of hours before I realisedjust how tired we were. Exhausted but happy!!

There is one last story that I want to share with you all. When we were walking back up the hill there were hedgerows blooming with these half flowers which were very distinctive. We had met up with a local friend of one of our party that told us the legend behind the flower. There was once a Hawaiian princess who fell in love with a commoner but this would not be an accepted marriage. After speaking with her father, and noticing how happy his daughter was, he told her to seek the council of the elders. 

The princess and the commoner walked to a temple where the elders told them they would need to ask the gods for their answer. They both prayed with all their hearts, but when the heavens opened and it started to thunder and rain and it was known that their union was disapproved of. It was decided that the princess would stay in the mountains, and the commoner would have to go and live by the beach. On leaving, the princess tore a flower and gave half of it to her lost love with a broken heart. The flowers nearby felt their heartbreak, and ever since only bloomed half flowers. These plants are named Naupaka, after that princess.