A weekend in Hana

We were supposed to leave from Kuau on Friday May 19th at 1 o'clock. Pm, of course. The planned start was delayed because of some killer windsurfing conditions at the Kuau secret spot... I HAD to go sail! Check the conditions below at Hookipa and you'll understand...

This is Sharon's truck fully loaded with toys.


And this is Sharon's way of repeating italian verbs' conjugations while driving... a bit dodgy, I'd say.


On the way to Hana, of course, we stopped at Hanamanou. The waves were really nice. Hanamanou is a beach break. The wave itself doesn't even look like Hawaii (where most of the waves are cleaner reef breaks), but the vegetation in the valley around defenitely does. You can have a glimpse of it in this rear view mirror self-portrait. By the way, I returned my old camera and bought a better and cheaper Sony. I take huge advantage of the return policies of the big american corporate stores...


There were a couple of very good surfers in the water. Sharon took some pics (the best below), I took some videos instead: http://www.vmix.com/viewVideo.php?ID=423581




Even though I was quite tired after windsurfing, I had to go surf. I was just too good. Sharon got on her bike and started cycling towards Hana. I would have surfed one hour and then picked her up on the way. That was the plan. But, after my surf session I made the dorkest possible move, locking the keys inside the truck. It was 6pm and my only hope was in the other surfers still in the water. Fortunately, one of them, a guy call Abbaia (Indian name that in italian means 'it barks'), managed to open the back little window with a butter knife and his girlfriend was tiny enough to be able to squeeze in it. They were instantly rewarded by a cold beer. It was almost 7 when I finally could catch up with Sharon that was getting a little nervous waiting on the side of the road in the dark...
All is well what ends well.
To make me forgive, I cooked a good pasta with peas.


Who's miaoing outside the door?


Let's see who guesses what kind of glass detergent I used to clean up the table... Maybe a bit gross, but I love the details... all those tiny bubbles...


Saturday morning. What? The cat barks now?


Well, Hanamanou was so good yesterday that I wanted to go again. It wasn't as good as the day before, but still quite fun and I was completely alone. Sharon took a bunch of little videos that I am happy to share, despite the fact that compared to the previous ones I look like a total cook. Am I humble or what?
It doesn't matter how good you are... it's all about the fun you have...
These little videos are also a very good way for correcting mistakes. I could see how I am used to ride longboards. Basically I ride the shortboard like if it was a longboard. Standing too far back on the board and with my legs not open enough, I slow down the board too much and can't get the speed necessary to achieve the turns that a shorboard would allow to do. Well, now that I know, let's see if I can fix that...
By the way, the first two waves really express the uniqueness of my style. Signature moves, I'd say... Also, notice how effortlessly I get out of the water at the end... http://www.vmix.com/viewVideo.php?ID=423459

In this pretty photo taken by Sharon, you can see a bridge over that waterfall. Who built it and when? It can't be the ancient kings' road! We'll have to investigate...


Cartoon teeth. The snot coming out of my nose is the leftover of an intense post surf nose dripping session I just had... Overall, a funny picture... I'd say!


Pretzels moment in Nihiku.


One of the many streams on the Hana highway.


Plants are happy in Hana.


The proud hunter.


The catch. Freaking delicious...


In the afternoon of Saturday we played tennis. I did another quite dorky move by trying to apply the volleyball jump serve technique to my tennis serve... Not only I missed the ball, but on the landing I injured my already weak (many years ago I broke the meniscus and stretched a ligament) left knee. My mobility after that was quite limited. To make me forgive, I cooked bucatini with tomatoes, mozzarella, parmigiano and basil. I'm quite flexible to be a strict vegan...
Thanks to Julie for sending a few packs of pasta "La rustichella d'abbruzzo" from San Francisco. It's the favorite brand of my father back in Italy. And that means something...


Sunday morning the knee was quite sore. We had to leave. This last photo is again Hanamanou. This girl was pretty good.


That's the end of this post, which I think is the best so far.
I'm loving these little videos. I downloaded a trial version of a software to edit them (Ulead video studio). I like it. But if anyone out there knows a better one (or a free one), please post a comment.
I think that sooner or later I'll buy a water proof helmet cam to film when I sail or surf. I can't wait to show you the flying fish all around me when I sail at sunset at Kuau. You guys are so lucky...
You guys are lucky also because I had the time to do all this thanks (!) to my bad knee. There's a decently sized south swell and I'm typing on this damn keyboard instead of being surfing... dammit! Tomorrow is going to be big. If I still can't surf, I'll go there with my camera... stay tuned, you lucky bastards!

PS Comments, please. I need to know what you think.

And don't forget to check Sharon's blog for more photos: http://www.kinel.blogspot.com/