Eat, Pray, Love: Hawaii. Scared Shitless

My first morning in Hawaii, I woke up before the sun came up and patiently waited for daylight to get my first glimpse of my hotel room view.  

I am still boggled I had no one to share it with and immediately posted to Facebook.  I am cautious not to over share vacation photos, there is only so much others really care to see of your fabulous vacation. And than I think, there's a hurricane back home, it is my civic duty to change the scenery up a bit for my Florida folk. 

My first day in Hawaii, I had absolutely no plan for the day. I got in my rental car and started driving.

I decided I would take tips from Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods and eat anything and everything authentic local.  The weirder the better.

Snacks from the local drug store all worth mentioning and a sentimental reminder, from my childhood, when I lived across the street from my friend Akiko in grade school.

Dried Cuttlefish,
Deluxe Iso Maki, LI Hing Mango

A local grocery store had fresh papaya, the sweetest and best ever.  Then there was the warm rice and spam wrapped in seaweed...ummm...I decided Spam is not really my thing.  

But, by the time I was stuffing my face with unusual foods, I already knew I was headed to ziplining in the waterfalls. 

 YES! I said I would do it.  And now here I am writing and waiting for my tour to start.  Seven runs, all twice as long and higher than the last.  Did I mention, I have a huge fear of heights? Which is probably why I have never ziplined a day in my life. 

My nerves got the best of me. I beelined to the out door restroom, aka the port-o-potty, while texting my friend Sarah for moral support. (Oh yes, I toilet text all the time) That and writing this piece definitely calmed this girl down. 

     Oh and this little guy kept me company. 

Only hours later, I have to admit, each time I do something out of my comfort zone, I adapt effortlessly.  As high, and long as the last zipline was, I was hooked.  It was probably one of the coolest experiences I have had in a long time. NO FEAR!  And I would absolutely do it again on higher and longer runs.   

Best lesson ever: 

Fears are all in our head. Once conquered they will never creep back in.