Heaven on earth...

OK, so a certain someone put the thought of my favorite place on earth in my mind this week. Now, I can't seem to get it off my mind; so, I might as well blog about it, right?



Hawai`i, and Maui and Kaua`i specifically, have got to be the closest thing to heaven on earth. Well, the climate, the beautiful flowers and trees, and the peoples' hearts, at least. Politics, hedonism, and history aside, it simply is heaven on earth for me. I can't think of a better place to travel on this round globe of ours. There is so much to see, in such a small area of land in the middle of the Pacific. Maui has mountains, the tallest of which is over 10,000 feet; it even gets snow in the winter. Kaua`i has Mount Wai`ale`ale, the wettest place on earth, that averages over 485 inches (over 39 feet!) of rain each year. Not to mention, each island has unbeatable beaches, SCUBA diving and snorkeling.



The best thing about the Hawai`ian Islands is that I can enjoy all my hobbies in one place: SCUBA diving the reefs and craters with my lovely wife, taking pictures, and beach-combing/people-watching. The Hawai`ian Islands provide some of the most amazing places and flowers to capture on film (or CompactFlash, or whatever). It's inspirational, and I have captured most of my favorite pictures of all time here with my camera.



My hope is to return here soon. It's been almost 5 years since I've seen Hawai`ian soil, and well, that's just too long away from paradise....