My first time in the 'States turns out to be a conference trip to Sunny Hawaii. Along with over 5000 other people from all over the world, I'm here at the Ocean Sciences biennial meeting, which brings together researchers from physical oceanographers, chemists, biologists and even paleo-scientists to share their expertise.
But having arrived two days in advance, we had the chance to first enjoy the tropical beauty of Waikiki beach and the phenominal views from atop Diamond Head, an extinct, 150,000 year-old volcano.