It's So Pretty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just got my new pack in the mail, and I am already in love. It is so much nicer in real life then anything I could see online, and it even has a few extra little things that weren't in the description that make it way more awesome then I thought it would be. It has fully surpassed my expectations, and I can't wait till I get to use it for the first time!!!!

It's the most fabulous thing I've ever owned!

And the Winner is.....

.....The Lowe Alpine TFX Cerro Torre!!!!!! I just ordered it from Backcountry.com and I feel really good about my decision. It should arrive in a little under a week!!

This is the first step toward what will be my new life in 5 or 6 months time.

 I'm ssssooooo excited!!

Happy Turkey Day from Moloka'i, Maui, & Lana'i! (AKA nice one Courtney Love)

Waiting to board our flight to Moloka'i

I only meet Jordyn 3 months ago, but I couldn’t have picked a better person to go on my Thanksgiving adventure with. Neither of us had ever been to Moloka`i or Lana`i and we decided that taking a long thanksgiving break to do this would be a good idea, we were right. We originally planned on just staying on the before mentioned islands, but because you have to stop in Maui to get to either of these islands from the other we decided to stay on Maui in between.

The trip started with the most fun little airplane I have ever seen, much less been on, in my life! It only carried 9 people plus the pilot. I can’t really explain why, but it was so much more fun riding in this plane than on the big jets I’m used to. I thought I’d lost any thrill riding in planes could give me years ago, but I was actually excited about flying in this little plane! It felt like being a kid again. J

After we landed and got our rental car, (which you have to have to do anything on Moloka`i) the sun was setting on our drive to the hotel. The amber light made the island that was laid out ahead of us even more beautiful than it normally is.

Moloka`i is a very small island and the next day was Thanksgiving. We knew everything would be closed so after we got settled we went into town (the only town on Moloka`i) to get food for Thanksgiving dinner. We ended up getting some different fruits, and a meat (turkey obviously)/cheese/cracker snack box.  We ended up spending the day driving from beach to beach just hanging out. I saw one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen in my life on the west side (Papohaku), and the most idyllic cove on the east side (Halawa Bay). The cove was so spectacular; it is the one thing I think anyone who visits that island must see b4 they leave! The drive down there is just magnificent as well; we saw a herd of deer! Who knew there were deer in Hawai’i? Not Jordyn and me that’s for sure. We flipped out when we saw them; stopped in the middle of the road, backed up and everything to look for them.

We ate our Thanksgiving dinner by the pool at the hotel and watched a Roast of Pam Anderson, this isn’t relevant other than to say that Courtney Love was one of the Roasters, and despite her constant protests to the contrary, she was acting totally wasted. Later that night I was having some (unalcohol related) equilibrium issues and ran into a wall on my way to bed, to which Jordyn replied “nice one Courtney Love!” From this point forward Courtney Love became to most entertaining part of our conversations for the rest of the trip.

Lookout over the leper colony

On our second and last day on Molokai we woke up early to go hiking at the viewing point for Father Damien’s leper colony. On our way back down we stopped at a mac nut farm where we got to see every stage of the mac nut maturation process because, as we learned, the mac nut tree is constantly producing nuts all year long. We then got to pick some freshly fallen nuts off the ground from around the tree and use this really fun holding tool designed by the farm owner, and a hammer to crack open our own nuts. Jordyn was way better at it than me. No matter how hard I tried I kept breaking the nuts, while Jordyn’s kept coming out perfect and whole.

Finally we went back to the room to get our stuff ready to take the ferry to Maui. If you are the kind of person who gets sea sick, this ferry ride would have put you off boats forever. It was the roughest boat experience I have ever had. It felt like we were going to tip over at any moment because the waves were so big, but what made it so funny is that it was still a beautiful Hawai’i day despite feeling like we were in the perfect storm. Jordyn and I just thought that the ferry ride was entertaining but there was more than one person onboard who was very excited to have reached Lahina.

Once we departed the ferry we walked to our hotel which was right next to the main street in Lahina. We got changed from our epic ferry ride which left us very salty from all the sea spray, and went out in search of sustenance. We ended up at a burger place and because we were so hungry just sat at the bar rather than wait for a table. This turned out to be a good idea because we made friends with the bartender who “forgot” to charge us for two of our drinks. The next day was Jordyn’s 21^st birthday! We went out and I bought her a drink. Later that night we meet this funny old local guy at a tee-shirt shop. Jordyn just loved that he called her “honey girl,” and ended up with a job offer if he ever expanded his business to Hilo.

On the plane ride back to Hilo, but it's the only picture I
have of my hat

I have never owned a cap, and from the day I moved to Hawai’i I’ve wanted one because they are the most useful thing ever here, but I digress. We just cruised around the shops in Lahina the next day and stumbled into a bikini shop where we meet the loveliest shopkeeper. She and her son started this business, Pakaloha, which she said doesn’t directly translate to, but is meant to mean, ‘teardrops of love.’ You might be wondering why I have told you this seemingly meaningless story. It is because this is the store from which I bought the world’s most amazingly awesome cap! This was made all the better by the fact that I had been searching for it for 4 ½ years.  

On the ferry to Lana'i

Next we boarded a fairy bound for Lana’i. This ferry ride was much shorter, and totally turbulence free. There is only one hotel on Lana’i, the Four Seasons. Let me just say now, if you ever have the opportunity to stay at a Four Seasons, DO IT! This was one of the most fantastic places I’ve ever been. I count Disney World as the only place more insanely amazing.

First off the hotel itself is a giant estate. Second the insides are decorated to a degree of extravagance that could rival Versailles Palace. The rooms are like a mini wonderland with every toiletry under the sun imported from France, memory foam mattress tops, giant flat screen TV, a telephone in the bathroom, and a beautiful lanai (no pun intended) with a view of the pool and ocean. 

The amazing beach

However the most amazing part of this resort is by far the beach and pool areas. The property is right on top of the most amazing beach! Which they rake every morning to make sure there are no twigs, rocks, or leaves for you to have to walk on or pick out of your sand castle. Then when you get down there the attendants, who are there at basically sunrise to sun set, ask you how many people in your party and proceed to set up that many beach chairs and a table complete with your own giant beach umbrella to shield you from the sun should you so desire. After they have set all this up for you they offer you lemonade or ice water. What makes this beach amazing in a natural way in addition to the man made ways above is that it is in a perfect cove that allows the waves to be big enough to be really fun to play in but never so big that you ever feel worried that you’ll get hurt, and the incline into the water is nice and slow so you don’t just drop off into the ocean where you can’t touch anymore. After hanging out for a while J and I took a little hike to Sweetheart Rock which is a rock formation (gasps of shock!) to the east of the beach. (the legend behind it is pretty cool if you wanna check it out http://www.gohawaii.com/lanai/regions-neighborhoods/south-lanai/puu-pehe)  

This picture really doesn't do the pool justice

The pool is also an epic experience. When you get there one of the many cabana boys asks you how many pool side chairs he should prepare. He then covers your chair with a towel designed to fit the entire cushion covered pool chair. After that he asks if you’d like the hood (which looks something like the hood of an old style carriage) pulled up to shield you from the sun. The pool is temperature controlled 24 hrs a day so it is always perfect to swim in and when you get out of the pool another cabana boy asks if you’d like cucumbers for your eyes and some lilikoi juice to refresh you. The only thing they don’t do is bring you snacks. If you even look like you’re making a move to adjust the hood of your chair, an attendant is immediately there to do it for you.  

Jordyn and I were obviously reluctant to leave this paradise but alas the real world awaited. Our Thanksgiving vacation was exactly what I needed to help me distress. It was super fun and really relaxing. It was so fun in fact that Jordyn and I agreed to go back to Lana’i in 2015 for a reunion. Anyone who wants is welcome to join us. I promise its worth the money.

You know you want to come to Lana'i with us in 2015 ; )

Where in the World Is Rosie Hunerwadel (Nov 2010 - Sept 2012)

(Yes, you should have sung the title of this post like in the show)

I'm gonna start using this blog as a rough planning ground for my travels to help me make sure I'm not double booking things and also if anyone has friends in the places I'm gonna be feel free to let me know. I like meeting new people and its always nice to have someone who lives in a place to give you the local view on a place.

Nov 2010: I'll be going to Moloka`i, and Lana`i for 6 days over Thanksgiving break with my friend Jordyn

Dec 2010: I go back to Tennessee for a week over Christmas

March 2011: I will be going to O`ahu for Spring Break

April 2011: If we can raise the money I'll be going to NYC for the Model UN collegiate conference

May 2011: I am going to Kaua`i to visit my friend Jenni

May 2011-June 2011: I'm gonna ship my car from Hawai`i back to the mainland so Scott(my brother), and I can road trip across the US back to Tennessee. We'll definitely stay in LA for a while, then go to Vegas. Then maybe to Fort Collins, Colorado to see one of my best friends from high school, Morgan. After that off to Texas to visit my friend Beau, if he's not deployed. Then down to New Orleans to visit Scott and I's honorary cousin Marcia. After that we might go to Panama City, up through Atlanta, and then back to Chattanooga, TN.

June 2011-July 2011: I recently applied to volunteer at the 2012 Olympic games in London so if I get selected to interview then I'm gonna go to London for the interview then do a little backpacking in Europe, visit some friends there. The countries I really wanna hit while I'm there are Spain (and maybe go down to Morocco), France, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (maybe hit Amsterdam on my way back to London.) If I get the volunteering gig then I'm gonna try to get a work visa and live in England for the year up to the Olympics.

Sept 2012:  (optimistically assuming that I get the Olympics gig) I want to go into Americorps, or I want to WWOOF. If I don't get the volunteer position then one of these things will just be moved up.

So if all this goes down according to plan then my new backpack should rack up quite a few miles.

The Dark Horse

The Wild Card: I don't think this pack is as pretty as the Crestone but I think I like the Lowe Alpine more on an operational level. It has everything the Crestone has but also has nifty little zipper pouches on the waist strap which is great for me. And I like that it has a removable wall in the middle, so I can have two smaller sections or open up the whole backpack space if I needed to.


http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/311,2161X_Lowe-Alpine-TFX-Cerro-Torre-ND-Backpack-55-plus-15-Internal-Frame-For-Women.html

The L.L.Bean is totally out of the race now. It is definitely down to these two.

Why?

This is a question I get asked a lot when I tell people my plan.

The best way I know how to answer is that I've never really fit in. I've been a little off ever since I was a little kid. Most people are able to find at least one or two other people who are just like them. I've never found anyone like me. I like moving from place to place, never putting down roots because when you first move to a place it's normal to be different. You are given allowances for being off because you haven't figured out how things are done yet. After the year mark people start to wonder why your not fitting in better. It doesn't help that I get bored very easily, so moving around suits me in that respect as well. I also love to learn. Especially about other cultures, and the best way to do that is to live in whatever country you want to learn about.

I know I'm young, but I don't ever see myself turning into the kind of person who wants to settle down somewhere. This is why it would greatly benefit me if I only had as much stuff as I can fit in my backpack.

Searching for the Perfect Pack

The Leader: I like this pack because it's made of waterproof cloth, it has top, side and bottom access, and it has a pouch in the front. On the down side, (the very minor downside,) it does not have an easy access pouch for my water bottle, sad. I also like that it's black, it won't show up as much when I get it dirty.

http://www.thenorthface.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=149579&langId=-1&storeId=207&catalogId=10201


1st Runner Up: This pack has more pouches and pockets than the Crestone, but I'm so short I have to get the youth size which only comes in red. I could get over this if it was an all around superior pack, but it doesn't appear to be. It also has side pouches which are nice on the storage front but suck in making it easy to fit in over head compartments on trains, plains, or any other place I might need to store it on my journeys.


http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/50496?feat=50495-ppxs&dds=y#ppMoreDetails

I'm not sold yet so if anyone has any suggestions I welcome them.