Tongfamily Website

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OK, so maybe we didn’t see the Ompa loompa man, but this whimsical shop has just about everything form Jawbreakers to Vomit Jelly beans of Harry Potter fame. A great place for that little bag of treats from after dinner.

There is a great pizza place across the way, so its a great after the ‘za treat place.

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OK, it ain’t the biggest water park nor the most exciting, but as a family-oriented place that doesn’t feel commercial, it is hard to beat. By noon on any sunny day it is incredibly crowded, but we’ve been there when it is raining and its great.

The key is to get there by 9:45, so you are the first folks in the door. Normally, they have a separate line if you have cash, so make sure you have $15 per person and you will fly in. We get all our rides in by 11AM it seems.

There are a total of ten slides and they are all different and fun. The most amazing is the Purple Haze, which is a completely pitch black and I mean black slide where you go down the tube, you go this way and that. Water splashes everywhere, you can barely breath and then you come shooting out just a millisecond after you see a dim light. Then if you are seven years old, you laugh and go running back up the hill. If you are any older, you collapse shaking. It’s a great experience. really!

They have a set of slides where can go down head first and race. Alex thinks the heaviest person wins, but we’ve seen some great technique. A great team sport. The center slide features four with different layouts that are fun to disentangle.

There is also a gigantic hot tub to warm up in and a great kiddy area with slides from 3 feet to 30 feet tall for the little ones. They have a nice snack bar and we normally get there at 10 and can be out by 2PM feeling just great!

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We’ve been to Campbell’s for both casual upstairs which is mainly bar food and also the more formal dining below. It’s not 5-star elegant, but the upstairs has a nice view and its fun to see the whole city move below you.

The more formal place isn’t pretentious, but it is nice to have one place with linen table cloths in this town where you can live the whole week in your bathing suit :_)

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It is amazing how many people don’t prepare for interviews at all. In any case, since I’ve probably done one a day for the last literally 15 years (yikes am I that old!) and I’ve also gotten jobs way above my head, I suggest that you pick up this book when you get a chance. It’s been out for close to 30 years now and is not out of date.

But since the interview is soon, I’ll leave you with the advice, the smartest guy I’ve ever met gave me about interviewing. Ken could literally get any job he wanted and here is the trick:

1. Before the interview, read the website. Figure out what the company is about. The number of people who never read the annual report if the company is public or the interviews by the CEO are amazing to me. It is all out there on google.

2. Know the three reasons why you are the only and perfect person for the job. Why are you uniquely prepared for it and why can you hit the ground running. No one really wants someone who just wants training, believe me. Nor does someone a person who is running away from something. They want someone who passionately believes in what the company is doing (the psychology of this should be pretty obvious).

3. Know the three reasons why this is the perfect company and job for you. That is, why after 4.5 billion years of evolution, this is really the only place for you. Where you want to grow old and have grandkids, etc. I know I’m being comical, but the point is, folks want people who will stick and if people sense it is a stepping stone, they have other choices.

Net, net, it all sounds kind of tough to do, but the main thing to remember is that it is easier if you actually want the job you are interviewing for. Maybe that’s the biggest lesson of all

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Wow, you are right Dr. Beach (http://www.drbeach.org/) really does have it right. What a great idea, the top 10 beaches. So instead of voting for my own, let’s see what he says. First of all, I see that he only rates US beaches. I have to say, IMHO, that its a big world and the US is great, but there are a few other places (can you say Bora Bora) that might have something on us. A google search for Best beaches (http://google.com/search?q=”best%20beaches”) reveals quite a few lists. I kind of agree with the Travel Channel (“http://travel.discovery.com/convergence/beachweek/world/world.html” on the best world beaches and Bugbog (http://www.bugbog.com/beaches/best_beaches.html)

Here is my list of just the places I’ve visited:

1. Bora Bora. Wow, what an amazing place. Not to mention an amazing island
2. Great Barrier Reef. OK, this isn’t just one beach, but 2,000 miles of it. Heron Island is amazing. No other snorkeling can ever really compare
3. Santorini. Not just the black beach there, but the whole crater is amazing
4. Kailua-Lanikai. Still my vote for the top 10

Here is the list from Dr. Beach with some comment for ones I’ve been to:

1. Fort DeSoto Park – North Beach, St Petersburg, Florida – National Winner. I havent’ been there.
2. Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina
3. Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii. A little rough for me.
4. Caladesi Island State Park, Clearwater, Florida
5. Fleming Beach, Maui, Hawaii. A nice place
6. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
7. Coronado Beach, San Diego, California. Wouldn’t have won my best beach. Actually, I think farther up at Delmar is way nicer or maybe in La Jolla
8. Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Florida
9. Main Beach, East Hampton, New York
10. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii

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We’ve been going there for 5 years now very regularly. The kids absolutely love it.

For the great budget stay, here are some recommendations. I have a few more on tongfamily http://tongfamily.com but didn’t have time to ferret them out, so here are the tips from the cheapest to the most expensive things to do:

1. STay at a condo. Hotels are expensive and so are meals. The best thing to do is to find a condo. We found ours in Kailua, this is 20 minutes from Oahu but in a great suburb. You hit the Costco (they have a monster one near the airport) on the way from Honolulu airport and you are great shape.

2. Go to the beach. The best things in life are free and I don’t mean the Honolulu beach. This place is just overrun. There are an amazing number of community beaches out there that no one goes to. Now of course, all Hawaii beaches are dangerous. the tides are very tricky as are the currents, so be careful. Probably the safest we’ve found is the Kailua Beach (hence why we stay in Kailua). It is five miles of perfect crescent. There is a state park there, so it is free. It is one of the top 10 beaches in the world. The locals are not money rich, but they are life rich. Do what they do, load up the kids, rent a boogie board and head for the beach. Most are smart, they do it in the evening and the morning when the rays are not as strong though.

2a. Everyone raves about Honumulu Bay (sp.). Frankly, it seems overrun and there are fish, but it is a disaster after 10AM. So if you do it, get there as early as you can. Much better is Diamond Head. The hike there is really amazing, although you should have a flashlight, there is tunnel right through the crater wall that defines the term dark. We’ve done it a couple of times though and loved it.

3. Go to North Shore. In the summer, there is a beautiful Audubon park there with a waterfall. The beach below in the winter is an awesome spot where there are 20 foot waves, but in the summer, there is a great river and the swells are just fine.

4. Head for the water park. They have a water park just north of Honolulu airport. It isn’t expensive (there are ticket books everywhere). And the kids really love it. Get there early.

5. The pineapple plantation. Dole has a completely kitsch pineapple plantation int he middle of the island, but the kids just love going through the pineapple maze.

6. The Missouri and the Arizona. These are in the Navy base. Even 50 years later, seeing the Arizona 50 feet underwater while you hear taps playing makes everyone quiet. It isn’t expensive and makes you think. The Missouri is just an awesome site. The biggest battleship in the world. If you have boys, they will absolutely love it. There is a very cool submarine next door too. Not expensive.

7. Avoid all the cheapo luaus. We’ve done them and they stink. The Polynesian Cultural Center is incredibly expensive but worth it. Just make sure to get there early as the various tribes and games are super fun. It is a huge drive and most of the folks there are actually college students at the Mormon university there (branch of Brigham Young), so it is more Disneyland than authentic, but the show is amazing. If you have young kids be warned, it is a good hour plus to get there and back and the luau show ends after 9PM.

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Hey, great question, we went on a three week trip through Europe in July/August (boy did that define hot) and through China in October which was also warm. Here are some brands to try:

1. If you don’t mind toting lots of stuff, then Tommy Bahamas http://www.tommybahama.com/index.jsp really makes nice stuff. It is cotton and very comfortable. OTOH, it is like any traditional clothes that looks great, but doesn’t pack well.

2. Go to REI and you are in lightweigh tropical clothes heaven. I ended up with less attractive, but way more functional clothes. The REI convertible pants are great http://www.rei.com/online/store/Search?storeId=8000&query=*&title=Mens+pants&text=1&link=1&cat=4501396%2C5074258%2C4501397&cm_re=toc*toc*mns_pants which are zip off and have nice pockets. They also are super quick dry and very light.

3. Similarly their Mohave shirts are terrific http://www.rei.com/online/store/Search?storeId=8000&query=*&text=1&link=1&cat=40002358,4501436%2C4501437%2C5074259%2C4501438%2C4501439&title=Mens+shirts&cm_re=toc*toc*mns_shirts and I have a bunch. These feature everything from short to long sleeves, they have sunblock protection and if you are traveling somewhere where pick pockets live, terrific hidden pockets.

4. Ex Officio. These are usually more expensive than the equivalent REI, but are just a touch more fashionable. In many ways, they invented this kind of travel clothing http://www.exofficio.com/ and it shows. The cut of the clothes is just a little nicer. REI carries these as well but you have to wait for their annual end of the summer sale. Like the REI clothes above, these are incredibly quick drying. I’ve had them get wet and you can rinse and they are ready for the next day.

5. Poly Pro T-shirts and shorts. You didn’t mention it, but while you are out there, I really do recommend that you get poly propalene t-shirts, shorts and even underwear. Same reason. They are super breathable and don’t get damp and disgusting in the hot climates. If you jump into a pool with these shorts, they are dry like 30 seconds later. In terms of brands, I haven’t notice much difference, so I normally get REI generics that are lightweight http://www.rei.com/online/store/Search?storeId=8000&query=*&cat=4501407

6. Eagle Creek bags. Finally there is the baggage to carry all this in. The trend right now is to ultralightweight materials so the bags themselves aren’t heavy. The midweight Eagle Creek stuff http://www.eaglecreek.com/ seems quite durable and good. The Tarmac series http://www.eaglecreek.com/20158.html is what I use. They come in 20”, 22” and 25” and they have one of the best lines of little bags to stuff thing in http://www.eaglecreek.com/packing_solutions.html.

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