Another beautiful, long day on the big island has come to a pleasing end. Apparently, I brought strong winds with me, but they did not stop us from enjoying each moment. (The Trade Winds constantly sweep across Hawaii, but not normally this ferociously!)
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| Acai Bowl |
This morning began very differently than yesterday. We had a leisurely morning, no rush to leave the hotel. Since I'm still on Pacific Coast Time, I was up early anyways and enjoyed mimosas with breakfast on the water as the sun rose. We later enjoyed Acai bowls, which are delicious. Acai is grown in Brazil, but popular here!
We eventually made our way to the most popular white sand beach on the island: Hapuna. Not hard to see why with its long stretching sands reaching out towards the blue water and picturesque palm trees. Bonus... its easily accessible and has showers. Super strong sun as I learned yesterday, so I made sure not to miss any spots with the sunscreen.
Next stop was the annual Ukulele Festival. Two stages of young and old musicians showing off their ukulele skills. We got to learn how and make our own leis and watch a kid youtube star perform live! (See below with link to youtube video)
Onwards to a late lunch at the Lava Lava Beach Club. Perfect spot on the beach in 'Anaeho'omalu Bay to enjoy happy hour, hot wings, watch the sun start to set, all while having our toes in the sand listening to a cute, talented singer play. We were also surprised by seeing another giant sea turtle in the water by the rocks. Better yet, as we watched the sun begin to fall, two whales decided to play in the distance - jumping far out of the water, sending visible splashes in the air.
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| Poke at the Lava Lava Beach Club |
Final activity of the day: kayaking snorkel manta ray tour. I was so giddy about this adventure ever since I read about it while planning the trip. A told me it is on Discovery's top 10 things to do before you die list. I was so nervous at the possibility of not seeing the rays, since everything else on the trip has gone so well. Some coworkers of A joined us for the tour. We kayaked out into the bay, pitch black without flashlights. After getting anchored, we floated in the night waters, face down. The guides use flashlights to attract plankton to lure in the mantas. While waiting, our guide dove to the bottom to show us various fish and bring us urchins to touch. I had kind of a religious moment in the water as I internally settled with the fact that we were not going to see the main attraction. You can't control nature! And then he came! (Lesson #2 patience). I was scared and star struck and intrigued all at the same time. His bony rib like white belly gapped from the main part of his body and he constantly did back flip after back flip. It was like an underwater dance. He got so unbelievably close to me and seemed inches away the entire time. Wow. Below is a video I grabbed on youtube of the view scuba divers get, just to give you an idea of how impressive the whole experience was:
Great end to the day. We both were sea sick, so are happy to be home to sleep. Goodnight!
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| Aiden - Youtube Ukulele Star |
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| Talented musician at Lava Lava Beach Club |
Jenn, this is awesome, and you're awesome. Please keep doing this, as it seems you will, even after you leave Hawaii :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Kaylee! I'm having so much fun with it :) It has greatly helped me get out of the house to see more of the city!
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