Days one and two

Days one and two have been fairly busy for me here in Hawaii.

Picture unrelated (Hibiscus from next door)

Yesterday, my first full day, started at six am. I woke up and just could not sleep anymore. I don't know if it was the time change, or the chickens (more on that later) or what. So, I did the most logical thing: Took a shower, got dressed, and looked for a coffee place. Of course, since they're everywhere, kind of like a plague, I found a Starbucks pretty close (two minutes driving time).

The only place to get a coconut mocha frappuccino...

While there, I relaized (mostly cause I heard it) there was a chicken in the parking lot. This chicken looked exactly like the ones I had seen on the side of the road near the airport. So I took pictures.

Seriuously, they're everywhere. At Starbucks...

...The Taco Bell drive through...

...Office parking lots...

...And even at the crew house.

When they see a car pull up, I guess they expect food, because everytime I stopped to take a picture of one, it would walk up to the car and watch me for a moment or two before resuming it's chicken activities.

Apparently these chickens are a state protected species. They have no idea that crowing is for sunrise, as they do it constantly. They also seem to get confused by full moons, which is actually kinda damn funny. Apparently there's a phrase that utilizes them too - "Shit a Kauai chicken", used in the same context as "Shit a brick". (for more info check out http://www.kauaicountryinn.com/Pages-1/Kauaian.html)

Once my med crew was up (We're all staying in the same crew house), we decided to hit a local beach that was only ten minutes from the airport. However, as we left the crew house the day pilot arrived, so we instead went to the airport where I got my orientation. There were many items of interest, like: numbered/stored flight plans, only a few destinations to have to worry about, not being authorized to use the fuel truck, etc.

Once that was done, we decided to once again hit the beach. So, off we went down the road. We were a minute from the beach (maybe five minutes from the airport), when my flight nurse got a call for a flight. So we turned around, and I got to make my first flight in Hawaii.

I tried to get a few pics of Pearl Harbor and HNL in general while on approach. They aren't the best, but I suppose they'll do. For now.

Pearl Harbor is towards the left, the airport straight ahead (Runway 8L)

While in HNL we headed out for lunch, and I think I found my new favorite sushi place: Ninja Sushi. It's good, cheap, and accessible. It meets all the important criteria.

Taste so awesome, it will kill you silently.

Once all the sushi was nommed, we headed back to LIH, where my flight nurse and I, in our "spidey suits" took a pic. We had our pic of the newer "Smurf suits" (all blue), but we liked the two toned ones so we grabbed those.

Me and my flight nurse, post-mission

Then, once the plane was secured, we went for a drive. We weren't gone long, but we were able to see quite a bit, including the only rummery in Hawaii, the old sugar cane mill, and some awesome interior of the island. We also hit up the ABC store before heading back to the crew house for a bit before heading out to dinner at Kauai Pasta. It's a damn good pasta place, and while I did buy some tiramisu to go, I have not eaten it yet and therefore reserve my judgement on their dessert menu.

A panorama from the Rice memorial (the only panorama I can get to post)

A Kauai sunset

When we got back, I had a couple of rum-and-pineapple-orange-mango-nectars. I bought a six-pack of them for like four dollars earlier when I picked up the best rum ever: Sailor Jerry. While I was picking them up I noticed that there were a few other things I hadn't seen before.

I so wanted to a buy a bottle of each.

I haven't tried them yet, but I'm assuming they're awesome.

And that was the end of day number one.

Day number two started with my flight nurse and I getting up early to try and go get a picture or ten of the sunrise at a beach nearby. We got maybe a quarter of the way there before realizing the overcast and light rain wasn't going to work for us, so we headed to Starbucks to get coffee before we had to head over to HNL for safety stand down day (SSD).

While on approach to HNL, my flight nurse decided to try and take some pics of me flying in Hawaii. It was interesting to see them, as I've never really seen pics of me flying.

Appraoching HNL (Pearl Harbor in the windshield)

In HNL the day started with a blessing of the aircraft, crews, and administration. It was pretty cool to see and be a part of: It was a Catholic blessing, but done in Hawaiian, with Hawaiian customs and objects (ie to spread the holy water they used a local leaf and a bowl made from local wood, etc).

Just before the blessing (notice the leaf lei on the nose of the plane)

With that done it was down to the days lectures and such. One activity we did was to draw a slip of paper that had the name of an animal on it (I had "pig"). Then we were blindfolded and had to find the other person who had drawn the same animal. I found my counterpart quickly by staying quiet till I heard it quiet down, then loudly announcing "OINK!" to my surprise the person was near, and when we met I was even more surprised to see that it was the flight nurse that is one of my roommates here.

While in the hangar at HNL, I was able to take a few pictures of planes.

An old cargo DC3

A Beech 18

A lovely radial, the sexiest of all the recips.

A G-I

And Hawaiian Airlines first aircraft.

After SSD was over I grabbed a bunch of Hawaii Air Ambulance/Hawaii Life Flight stuff, then we returned here to Lihue, and then to the crew house. Right now we are napping till I'm no longer on call (another hour) before heading out for the night. Because of SSD, we are all going on mandatory rest for ten hours, so we're going to probably have a few drinks and have a good time tonight before our pre-scheduled six am flight to HNL in the morning.