We call it “Hangover Sunday” and, hungover or not, my friends and I have established a water sport tradition: we wake up as early as possible on Sunday morning, drive to Makapu’u Beach, and drink a beer (or two) before jumping in the romping surf for at least a full hour of bodysurfing heaven.  Indeed, Makapu’u Beach is world-famous for its perfectly bodysurfable waves, but to my friend and me it means so much more.

We were a group of four--my sister Irene, her boyfriend Jason, my friend Diane and myself--hiking the Na Pali Coast on Kauai three years ago.  Located on the North Shore of the “Garden Isle,” the Kalalau trail is one of the most breathtaking stretches of coastline in the world.  The valley is also reachable by boat or plane, but these modes of transportation are susceptible to the unpredictable changes in climate

            “Let me show you something,” Witek says to me. 

Buildings pop up like tourists wearing tacky aloha shirts.  Shops come and go like the trade winds, but somehow ABC stores never close.   Traffic is part of keeping Hawaiian time--there's no wonder the speed limit is 45, but the feeling of stepping off the plane and walking in the warm, open air to the baggage claim is unmistakable.