Borders & Bucket Lists

Today is a special day in Hawaii for two reasons. First, today is May Day, also known as Lei Day! Put simply, Lei Day is a time to celebrate aloha spirit through the creation of Hawaiian flower lei. Second, Oahu’s botanical gardens are open today! These two events coincide perfectly. While you might not be able to partake in the usual Lei Day celebrations, you can still spend your day among the beautiful flowers used to make the lei at the botanical gardens. For a list of the best botanical gardens on Oahu, check out the link in the bio. Plus, Hawaii’s florists opened today too, so if you don’t know how to make a lei, you can purchase one! For a few local florists and lei makers to support, check out my stories.

Since Hawaii parks opened this past weekend, most of Hawaii’s hikes are open again too. Which Hawaii hike is your favorite? For a few Oahu hike ideas, check out the link in the bio!

Hawaii beach parks are now open for walking! While you still can’t lay on the beach, you can soak up the sun while getting your exercise. I’m hoping to go for a walk sometime this week and catch one of the sunsets that I’ve missed out on this month. P.S. Do you have any other photo requests? This sunset photo request was made by @christinelozada :)

Waiting until the day when I can go back to this little piece of paradise 🏝

I’ve been digging through my photo archives lately to keep the content coming. This shot was taken during a surf competition at the famous Banzai Pipeline in 2018. It’s actually one of the only pictures on my feed that was actually taken with a legit camera (the rest have been taken with an iPhone). I remember when I took this photo, I was struggling to balance my time between taking an awesome photo and experiencing the surf competition in real life. I love to take photos to remember the events in the future, but I also want to experience them in the present. I decided that once I snapped a single picture that I was happy with, I would sit and watch. But capturing a surfer just as he or she comes through the barrel of the wave is harder than it may seem. The window of time is so small! It seems impossible to zoom, focus, and capture the picture in just mere seconds. I was about to give up. Every shot I had taken was blurry or boring or just completely missed the surfer coming out of the barrel. I gave myself five minutes before I would just sit and enjoy the competition. And that’s when I took the shot. I didn’t even look through the viewfinder, because I was so over trying to capture a photo. When I looked down at the screen, I thought I was imagining the shot with the surfer in the perfect position. It was just what I wanted! My patience and persistence paid off. To take this story full circle, while we’re patiently waiting in our homes and I’m sifting through old photos, what sort of Hawaii content do you want to see?

It’s Monday! What are your plans for this week? I know we’re all quarantined, but, if you dig a little deeper, you might be surprised by a few of the things you’ll still allowed to do. As an example, in Hawaii, while you can’t sit on the beach, you CAN hang out in the water. I wonder if this fisherman is abiding by the rules.

How have you been finding and connecting with your community during these past few weeks? Over these past few days, I’ve been thinking about the ways in which Borders & Bucket Lists can become a little more of a community during this isolating time. While I came up with a few ideas (check out my stories!), I want to hear what you have to say! You could recommend something as simple as “post more consistently” (that’s definitely not my strong suit lol), or if you have a more complex idea, I’d love to hear it too! To share your ideas, feel free to comment on this post. Thanks in advance for your help

Hey everyone! I don’t know about you, but I’m bored. As you can probably tell by my feed, I like being outside. I like exploring. I like highlighting the little spots of beauty, like this ‘ilima flower, that we would ordinarily miss. I like sharing the great things to see and do in Hawaii. And I just can’t do that right now. Yes, in comparison to the hardships that others are going through right now, being bored is nothing. But I know I’m not the only one dealing with it. So to give you a few ideas, I’ve created a short list of things to do when you’re bored. 1. Learn another language! I don’t know about you, but whenever I travel, I wish that I knew a little more about that country’s language. I mean, odds are, they speak a little bit of English, so why can’t I reciprocate? 2. Do an art project! This is an anxiety-filled time, so to experience a little bit of catharsis, grab a paint brush or pencil and get creative! 3. Learn how to cook your family’s recipes. Personally, I have a few recipes in mind that I want to master. 4. FaceTime your friends and family. This time is extremely isolating. As humans, we’re social creatures, and we’re not getting much socializing lately. Fix that with a FaceTime call. 5. Or go old school with a card. I actually did this last week. I sent a few of my friends around the country a card, and it put a smile on each of their faces :). 6. Start a website about something that you’re passionate about! (Check out the link in the bio for mine.) What have you done to cure your boredom?

Hi everyone! It’s been a minute since I’ve posted and the world has changed drastically. We’re all staying put in our homes, trying to slow the spread of this virus called COVID-19. At first I thought I didn’t want to post during this time. It seemed wrong to promote travel and start up wanderlust when no one can go out and explore. I mean, most flights to Hawaii have been cancelled anyways! And then I realized that we all need something to look forward to. This is a hard time for all of us. Some of us have been more heavily impacted than others. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, when we’ll be free to explore again. You’ll be able to relax on stunning beaches and watch the sunset, hike exciting trails, dine at new restaurants, and see people that live outside of your home. What are you looking forward to after we get through all of this? But until then, we all have to do our part to stay safe and healthy :).

Are you an early bird or a night owl? When visiting the amazing Wailua Falls on Kauai, being an early bird will play in your favor. In the morning hours, if the sun is out, the sunlight will create a rainbow around the waterfall! It’s truly a magical image! But this only happens in the morning, because the angle of the sun needs to be just right.

TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY!!! We at @bordersandbucketlists have teamed up with @nickkuchar for another amazing giveaway! Nick Kuchar’s vintage-style posters have become recognizable to goth locals and visitors alike. Between his colorful choices and geometric style, he has become one of the most well-know contemporary artists in Hawaii. To learn more about Nick Kuchar and other amazing Hawaii artists, click the link in the bio. Nick Kuchar has generously allowed Borders & Bucket Lists to giveaway one 12x18 Kilauea Volcano Travel Print. Ready to enter? Here’s what you need to do: 1. Follow @bordersandbucketlists and @nickkuchar on Instagram 2. Like this post 3. Tag two friends in the comments! For two more entries, tag two more friends per comment. The winner will be randomly selected on 2/2. Photo courtesy of Nick Kuchar Art & Design Co. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, admonished by, or associated with Instagram.