Pua lani - Pualani

Life is a surprising and unpredictable journey. At any given moment in the past 33 years, various paths have been presented to me. I have chosen to take some and forego others, decisions which have ultimately determined my life today. I have learned invaluable lessons, met wonderful people, and seen beautiful countries, yet I know that I still have so much more to experience. Some of my life’s choices have been made with my head - the “voice of reason” - leading the way, while others have been a result of the emotional influence of what my heart says. There is no doubt that I have made mistakes along the way, and I’ll continue to learn as I go, but my faith and the support of my family and friends have given me the confidence to follow a new, unknown path. I am excited for what the future holds, and hope that you enjoy experiencing this journey with me from afar. My life, as I know it today, will change for certain...but my head and my heart are telling me that there is no other decision but to take the first step on this journey of a lifetime.

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Joined on: June 20th 2007
Last Login: June 27th 2009

Blog Entries: 77
Photos: 1123

TB Code: [blogger=41318]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by Pua lani, order by Date newest first.

By Pua lani
August 31st 2007

Coming to a Theatre Near You... North America » United States

Home Sweet Home...Lanikai Beach in Kailua, Hawaii

FYI...press "play" by double clicking on the "My Journey of a Lifetime" video icon to the left. Replaying the past two months in my head like a motion picture film, I can’t believe that I am sitting here on my final flight from Europe returning to the United States. As I scroll through my digital photos, I remember each moment as if I am still there reliving the experience all over again. A part of me is definitely ready to return home to Hawaii and to start living my “normal” life again. But another part of me feels like leaving Europe [View Full Entry]

By Pua lani
August 30th 2007

My Final Destination: The Acropolis in Athens, Greece Europe » Greece » Attica » Athens

The Parthenon (Temple of the Greek Goddess Athena at the Acropolis)

Our flight from the island of Mykonos to Athens took only 30 minutes. Once we arrived in Athens and collected our very heavy luggages, we took a cab directly to the Economy Hotel. As its name suggests, the Economy Hotel is a budget hotel and pretty much offers little to no amenities, but is located near the only point of interest that we wanted to see in Athens, the Acropolis. The lady at the reception desk provided us with a map of the area and highlighted the route to the Acropolis. On the way there, we stopped at a local [View Full Entry]

Theatre of Dionysus at the Foot of the Acropolis

The Densely Populated City of Athens (St George's atop Lycabettus Hill in the Background)

Erechtheum (Ancient Greek Temple) on the North Side of the Acropolis

By Pua lani
August 29th 2007

Our Last Day in Mykonos Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Mykonos

Dinner at Avra's in Mykonos

We decided that today would be our lazy day. After taking our time getting ready, we walked into town and found an outdoor Italian eatery called A Modo Mio, where we ate a makeshift brunch (fried calamari, vegetarian omelet, and seafood linguine). We spent a couple hours just enjoying our last lunch in Mykonos. Although our original plan was to check out another beach during our final day in Mykonos, we decided to walk around town and finish up our souvenir shopping. It was definitely easy to pass time perusing the many back alley shops. Somehow we did just that and [View Full Entry]

Chicken & Mushrooms for Dinner at Avra's

By Pua lani
August 28th 2007

Psarou Beach in Mykonos Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Mykonos

Waterfront in Mykonos

After our 12 hours of rest, we rolled out of bed and walked up to the main lanai area where breakfast was served until 11am. Although breakfast is not included in the price of our stay, we didn’t feel like walking into town for a bite to eat. Yiannis’s mom made us an omelet and a panini, and we hung out on the lanai overlooking Mykonos’s old port. During our meal, we met a girl from San Francisco who works at Yahoo and who was traveling with three of her friends. We talked to her for a bit before heading [View Full Entry]

By Pua lani
August 27th 2007

Mykonos’s Paradise Beach Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Mykonos

Heading to Paradise Beach

We left Omiros to start our first full day in Mykonos and were starving. We enjoyed a late breakfast at Camares Restaurant overlooking the main port. Countless tourists filled the streets of town due to the influx of multiple cruise ships. After a leisurely breakfast, we walked to one of the two bus stations in town at Fabrica Square. We caught the bus to Paradise Beach just as it was leaving. The ride took only 20 minutes but due to the popularity of Paradise Beach, we stood the entire way. Paradise Beach is actually a nice, sandy beach lined with a [View Full Entry]

At Camares Restaurant on the Water in Mykonos

By Pua lani
August 26th 2007

Taking the Hydrofoil from Santorini to the island of Mykonos Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini

The View of the Mykonos Pier from Omiros Hotel

Due to our unplanned early night last night, we got a good night’s rest and woke up early to pack and get ready to head to Mykonos. Before our taxi arrived, I walked up to Café Skiza and bought a couple pastries to go for our breakfast. After that, I met Rose at the Chelidonia reception desk and checked out. Luckily, he called someone to come down and carry both of our heavy bags up the 60+ stairs to the cab pickup location. We were in the cab heading to the Athinos port by 10:30am. Although our hydrofoil to Mykonos was [View Full Entry]

By Pua lani
August 25th 2007

Wine Tasting at Santo Winery & Relaxing on Santorini’s Red Beach Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini

The Sunset at Ammoudi Bay

We couldn’t leave Santorini without going wine tasting at least once during our stay here. After checking out reviews on the Internet, we decided to visit Santo Winery, the largest one on the island. We caught the bus to Fira, then boarded the bus to Perissa/Perivolos. Santo Winery is one of the stops along the way to Perissa/Perivolos, so it was a very easy trip even though we were without a rental car. Once inside the tasting room, we were presented with a few different options, so we chose the most complete option: a cheese, tomato tapenade, and bread platter, complete [View Full Entry]

Wine Tasting at Santo Winery in Santorini

The View from the Top of Santo Winery in Santorini

By Pua lani
August 24th 2007

Donkey Riding in Fira on the way to the Santorini Boat Cruise Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini

Fira, Santorini

I don’t think anyone could ever tire of the Caldera views, particularly as the sun breaks through the clouds on another gorgeous Santorini day. Although we attempted to find a different breakfast café, we were unsuccessful and ended up at Café Skiza once again. We sat at the same table, ordered the homemade cheese pie again, and decided to try the quiche lorraine with mushrooms. After leisurely enjoying our breakfast, we caught the bus into Fira and strolled through the many souvenir shops up and down the main road. A couple of days ago, we booked the Thalassa sunset boat cruise, [View Full Entry]

The Line of Donkeys Waiting to Take us Down to the Old Fira Port

By Pua lani
August 23rd 2007

The Beaches at Perissa and Perivolos in Santorini Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini

Thao and I in Oia at the Church Square

Like clockwork, I woke up after 8 hours of sleep. I immediately walked out on the lanai to enjoy the beautiful Oia views. The temperature felt a few degrees cooler than yesterday, and there was a slight breeze that made it much more comfortable. Thao woke up soon after and we leisurely got ready for our first day together in Santorini. Researching various websites prior to coming to Greece, Thao brought a list of some of the recommended things to see and do in Santorini. Our first goal was to find a breakfast place, so we stopped in to see [View Full Entry]

Picturesque Oia - Right Outside our Villa

Our First Greek Gyros from Oia Souvlaki for Dinner

By Pua lani
August 22nd 2007

Exploring Oia and Baxedes Beach Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini

As the Sun Sets in Oia

The powerful Santorini sunlight pierced through the windows and notified me that the morning had arrived. I walked outside on the lanai and quickly felt the wave of heat, even though it was only 8 in the morning. The views from the lanai are indescribable, even the pictures probably won’t do it justice. Santorini is everything I expected it to look like. However, actually being on the island, staying in one of the traditional whitewashed caves, is a bit surreal. I sat outside on the lanai taking it all in, until the heat was too overwhelming. Since the sun rises [View Full Entry]

The View as I was Walking Down the 300 steps to Amoudi Bay

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