Da plane! Da TV! A FEMA “necessity”

May 3, 2015 by dustinthewind The Book Travel Tips

I can’t live without the TV show Survivor. As you know from the stories in my book, I have had some experiences in American Samoa and in the Bayou of the deep American south that could qualify me for this show and have given me some useful survival skills. Enough so that when I watch the show, I can’t believe how dumb these people are!

TV is an important thing in life. I enjoy it, certainly, but did you know that FEMA considers your television set a basic living necessity? What TV show can’t you live without?

Speaking of television, and back to the #AlohaSpirit of stopping-to-smell-the-roses in Kauai point of all this, another spot you must see is “Tattoo Falls.” Anyone who was old enough to watch Fantasy Island in the 1970’s will remember this line, “Da plane, da plane!” They will also remember those beautiful waterfalls that “da plane” circled around during the opening credits of the show. These are found on the island of Kauai. Driving through cane fields, you see the random signs for these falls and a quick walk from a parking area brings you to the ridge that looks out over them. They are a must see.

“Ricardo Montalban Herve Villechaize Fantasy Island 1977” by ABC Television. Public Domain

#traveltipstuesday – Tubing in Kauai

January 27, 2015 by dustinthewind Travel Tips

Back in 1993, my friends and I used to drive up to the end of the Wailua River where there was a deep pool to swim in and have fun. It’s also where one of the canals for the sugar cane water system starts. This canal diverts water from the river into the canal right there and goes around the corner of the mountain into a cave and comes out the other side back into the canal. It was real scary but we wanted to try to float through the cave and come out the other side. We thought a lot about how we could do it without drowning. So we floated a tennis ball at the mouth of the cave and had our friends look for it on the other side. When it came out on the other side of the mountain, we floated a bigger ball to see if it would make it through. We put a soccer ball and a beach ball through, and they all made it. Once in a while the ball would have some dirt or slime on it, so we knew it was hitting the ceiling or the walls as it floated through the cave. The really scary part? Rain in Kauai would raise the river really quickly as it rushed down the mountains.

Finally, the day came when I put all my scuba gear on and tied a rope around my waist and went for it. I had an underwater light with me. We picked a day when there wasn’t much rain, and luckily I made it to the other side of the mountain and lived to tell the tale! We thought we could get rich selling this ride, but our business plan kept getting shot down. We made it through the cave, but were dead in the water as far as making some money sharing this awesome ride with other people.

We were daredevils back then. They were still growing sugar cane in Kauai and someone still owned those canals. It was too risky!

But since then, they quit growing sugar cane and someone else managed to get the idea approved and that person is making money off of this awesome tubing adventure. Now, you can float in peace with no worries of drowning. It is all kosher and insured as far as I know.

“Witness Kauai’s spectacular engineering feats as you float down the tropical waterway consisting of open ditches, tunnels and flumes all of which were engineered and hand dug around 1870.” See more at this discount ticket site. #traveltips