The Pali Lookout, a scenic viewing spot along the cliffs of the Nu’uanu Pali, has been a staple in my family’s guide to Oahu for many years. Whenever visitors from out of town would come to our home, I’d find myself back up here again, gazing down upon the Kaneohe Bay and fighting back the incredible gusts of wind that come with such amazing, elevated views.

I wouldn’t learn about the Pali Lookout’s violent history until later, when public schooling would have us study Hawaiiana. It was here that King Kamehameha I (or King Kamehameha the Great, as some called him) drove Kalanikupule, chief of Oahu, and his men off these cliffs in an effort to unite the Hawaiian Islands. It was kind of like that scene in 300, except with fewer chiseled abs and a lot more dead bodies.

Several ghost stories live within these mountains, as they do with many of the holy and historic sites throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Superstitions often involve Pele, the volcano goddess who always seems riled up about something or another. Anyone carrying pork through the Nu’uanu Pali would find themselves deterred until said pork was removed, an effect rendered by Pele’s dispute with a hog-human demigod…

It occurs.

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Never one to ignore peer pressure, I’ve compiled a list of my travel ABCs below, as requested by superstar blogger Suki.

A – Age you went on your first international trip: 4-years-old, Hong Kong. Must have been wild because I don’t remember it at all.
B – Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where: All the best foreign beers I’ve had were in San Francisco (thank you, Toronado, La Trappe, City Beer Store). For the sake of this exercise, I’ll say a nice cold Estrella Damm while overlooking Barcelona.
C – Cuisine (favorite): Sushi and Mediterranean cuisine. When they invent a falafel sushi roll, I will have tasted God.
D – Destinations – favorite, least favorite, and why: Venice is unlike anything I’ve seen before. I love the architecture, the canals, testing my Italian with gruff Venetian bus drivers… It’s a mixed tapestry of wonder.
E – Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”: There are a lot of cats in Turkey.
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I recently wrote a post for the Gogobot Blog entitled, “The Best of San Francisco’s Lower Tenderloin,” where I highlighted my favorite places in the lower half of the TL. I spent the day wandering through the neighborhood, capturing photos for the article and associated guide. Many of the pictures, particularly those of the scenery and the beautiful Heart of the City Farmers’ Market, were unused, so I’m sharing them now.

Here are a few of my favorites.

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