29 10, 2016

Souvenir Saturday: Haunting Tales

By |October 29th, 2016|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

As a child I wanted to grow up and be a Librarian (well and a paleontologist or Indiana Jones!) As I just loved books! I would go to a few book stores on each trip, mainly to purchase more to read as I would have gone through all of the books I brought (thank god for the Kindle...no more separate bag just for books!) On two trips when I was in middle school I picked up my two favorite Ghost Stories books! In 1997, I stopped by this little bookstore and picked up a few of Rick Carroll's Hawaii's Best

25 07, 2015

Souvenir Saturday: Money Cat

By |July 25th, 2015|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

It is a bit ironic that I was ripped off buying a Maneki Neko (Beckoning/Lucky/Money Cat) at the old International Marketplace in Waikiki. I was young, and didn't know you were supposed to barter in the open air tourist shopping bazaar. So when they gave me a price for this golden cat, I immediately agreed. I was just starting my obsession with Japanese culture and just had to have a Money Cat. But it was an expensive purchase...nearly all of my spending money...and at the start of the trip. My parents were shocked I spent so much on it. They

13 04, 2015

Travel Missteps: The Legend of the Hubcap Nachos

By |April 13th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

When I was in middle school we took a family vacation to Hawaii.  I...didn’t enjoy it that much. The first day I got the worst sunburn I’ve ever had in my life and was miserable the entire trip. Our cheap hotel was going under major renovations...and smelled like cat pee. (I also think it was a sweatshop, as the 2nd floor was a warehouse room where many women were making cheap jewelry from beads and shells.)  I didn’t know you were suppose to barter at the nearby marketplace and spent all of my spending money on a Japanese money cat