Freefall

Dear Travel Diary

Monday, May 3, 2021

Usually the alarm clock only rings at 7:00 a.m. on Monday because school starts later. However, today it rang at 6:15 a.m. anyway. This is because we are not going to school, but on a little hike. So today I am skipping school for the first time in my life and I don't even feel bad about it because Monday is absolutely useless at school.

Actually, a different hike was planned for today, but we postponed it because of the uncertain weather. So we took the bus to the starting point of the trail.

The Kuli'ou'ou Ridge Trail is only a few bus stops away from us, and we would have been there pretty quickly if we hadn't missed the right bus stop... Fortunately, another bus came right away on the other side, which took us back a bit.

From the bus stop, it's about another 30 minutes walk to the actual start. The sky was cloudy and the temperatures were pleasant, making it nice to walk through the nearby settlement.

When we arrived at the starting point, we were gradually entering the jungle. Dark green and rooted trees adorned the path (World No. 1). Suddenly, the vegetation changed and we found ourselves in a fairy tale forest with lots of pine trees (World No. 2). After searching in vain for the seven dwarfs, we landed on red rock, which we called a volcanic landscape (World No. 3). Having passed the volcanic world, we found ourselves surrounded by trees resembling pines, which had funny bumps on their bark (World No. 4). Then we came to the eucalyptus trees (World No. 5) and continued to the witch's landscape (World No. 6). It consisted of a pure tangle of countless roots on the trees and on the ground. Now we came back into some light and almost ended up in the Masoala Hall. Not only the sudden change in temperature and humidity, but also the change in vegetation reminded us of this (World No. 7). No wonder we had already called the trail the 7 World Trail in the middle, without knowing that there would actually be seven worlds.

We were overwhelmed and excited by this ascent and let our imaginations run wild with each new world. When we finally reached the top, we were enchanted by the view. The cloudy sky and the misty clouds over the green mountains next to us made it really mystical. Unfortunately, the photos didn't capture the beauty as well as in real life.

Once we got back down, we took a quick look at the house where Obama spent his childhood and then took the bus to the Kokomarina Center. There we had a small lunch in a café.

Back home, we enjoyed a refreshing shower and once again did the dirty laundry. Just as we were getting comfortable in our chill outfits, we received a message from Camille asking if we wanted to enjoy the sunset with her and two others nearby. Of course, we were on board and Tony kindly drove us there, as we had no desire to walk another 3km in the slowly weakening sun after the hike and the shower.

As always, the car ride with Tony was very entertaining. When we told him that we had actually calculated how many days we could skip school and still successfully complete it, he couldn't stop laughing.

As soon as we arrived at the China Walls, the atmosphere was already beautiful. We had a cliff-like landscape in front of us, with occasional surfers in the water and the sun slowly setting to the left of Diamond Head.

Nadine and Risa started their way back home a little earlier because they had to catch the bus. Camille, Chantal, and I, on the other hand, sat comfortably a little longer, as we were sure that Tony would come and pick us up again. After a short phone call, he was already on his way to us.

As soon as we got in the car, he asked Camille if she had been a good student and gone to school today, unlike us. Haha, yes she was, because this week is already her last week here.

When we arrived home again, we were greeted with another delicious meal and happily ate in front of the TV.

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Today it was time to go back to school. Fortunately, today's school day was quite entertaining and therefore passed quickly. We played with our partner as if we were at a job interview and just had to start talking. From bank employees to bartenders, fashion store owners to bodyguards, everything was there. So the individual conversations were also fun to watch. Since I am already a talkative person and also like to improvise, this was a welcome task for me.

After my poke bowl, which is probably already countable on more than one hand, I have now found my favorite combination: brown rice, seaweed salad, fresh tuna & spicy shrimp, edamame, pineapple, avocado & ginger with spicy mayo mixed with house dressing sauce and crispy onions on top. Mmmhhh!

In the early evening, we went to the park behind our house to do a little workout. Since I've been in Hawaii, I feel like I'm not moving properly anymore, even though I probably take as many steps a day as I haven't done in a long time, and we have already done several hikes. Yesterday, for example, it was 24,756 steps = 17.7km, which I'm quite proud of to be honest. That's why we have now made a commitment to do such a workout at least once a week. Emphasis on at least... Let's see how this resolution develops.

Back from the park, we had dinner and watched another surf film, which of course was filmed here in Hawaii.

Debbie then told us some historical facts about Hawaii. At this point, the song Hawaii' 78 by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole can be played to feel more connected to the history.

The Mauna Kea volcano (13,803 ft) on the Big Island is very important to the residents, especially the Hawaiians. It is about one million years old and last erupted about 4,000 to 6,000 years ago. Generally, all peaks in the Hawaiian religion are sacred and therefore well guarded.

Since the construction of the road in 1964, there have already been thirteen observatories on the summit for astronomical purposes. In 2013, the construction of a new 30m telescope was approved, but the groundbreaking ceremony in the fall of 2014 was interrupted by protesters. The work was then suspended until spring 2015. But even with the second attempt, the road to the summit was blocked by protesters, and the construction was hindered. It was eventually discontinued when the protests spread throughout the state. The project was subsequently voluntarily postponed and resumed by the court in the fall of 2018.

In the fall of 2019, there was again opposition from the residents, who stayed overnight on Mauna Kea for days, organized convoys of several thousand cars, and held various protest marches. Debbie and her family were also part of it. Even now, she still gets emotional and tears up when she thinks about it and sees the videos. She never expected such a large community when she heard about the petition. It is clear that the land is extremely important to her and all other Hawaiians, and the history of the annexation of Hawaii by the United States is still far from processed.

It was touching to see the pictures of the many protesters who came together to protect their land. Currently, the TMT (Thirty Meter Telescope) is at a standstill again, as it caused too much turmoil. But for Debbie, it's only a matter of time before the state makes another attempt. However, due to the coronavirus, the number of protesters on the summit has logically become smaller and weaker. But if the Hawaiians can do one thing, it's stand up for their land and fight for it! So it will be exciting to see what the Kānaka Maoli are capable of achieving.

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

The alarm clock rings; it's 5:15 a.m. Luckily, I have already packed everything yesterday, so now I just need to have breakfast and leave. When I arrived at the bus stop, it started raining again, which is definitely not advantageous for today. Hopefully, it will get better, we thought!

Since I volunteered to rent a car and drive to our destination, I had to pick it up first. In Honolulu, there is a simple and uncomplicated car-sharing system, where the mobile phone serves as the key and you can easily get to your rented car.

A Toyota Tacoma, a typical American car, with a loading area. So I was able to load some things in the back legally. When we picked everyone up at the meeting point at 7:30 a.m., we still didn't know if we would actually be able to jump or not.

Finally, when we arrived at Dillingham Airfield, we received the good news that we could fly through the clouds. Hallelujah!

After the paperwork, which stated about 30 times in a different way that you could die while doing this, we were allowed to go to the waiting area. Unfortunately, we had to wait there for about 3 hours, which turned out to be quite tedious. We were all just eager to go and still never knew how much longer it would take. It started to feel like a little deja vu from the airport in Los Angeles.

Finally, my name was called here too and we were put into the safety suits and introduced to our flight partner. Mine was named Misha, he wasn't a talkative person, and the instructions on what to do and when were only briefly explained.

Afterwards, I asked him how often he does this in a day and he said up to ten times. Then came my next question, whether it doesn't get boring and he still feels the adrenaline with each jump. Finally, I was able to get a smile out of him, as he nodded with a big grin and said: "Yes."

So now we got into the plane and up into the sky. We were transported 14,000 feet (4,300 meters) high. Once we reached the altitude, it was time to say goodbye, and one tandem after another let themselves fall from the sky. Always accompanied by the camera jumpers. Max was in charge of me and therefore flew close to us.

A ridiculously liberating and indescribable feeling to fly down the sky at 193 km/h for a minute. You don't notice the speed, except that the skin on your cheeks flaps like crazy.

The view was incredibly beautiful! Above the ocean with scattered clouds and the turquoise shining coasts and the lush green land behind. I even saw a double rainbow circle and was completely thrilled.

When Misha opened the paraglider, he played around with the air a bit so that we could experience the feeling of freefall again. This short flight was breathtaking as well! And when the landing went smoothly without any problems, I was incredibly happy to have made it down.

To my surprise, I didn't feel dizzy and I was doing great. But probably the pills I took beforehand helped too.

After the short but no less cool experience, we all went to Hale'iwa to have something to eat for lunch. It was already 4:00 p.m., but that didn't matter to us.

Tired, exhausted but satisfied, we all drove back home. After dinner, it was already bedtime for me and I fell asleep at 9:00 p.m.