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Published: February 5th 2010
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Today was the first day of our honeymoon that we actually got to relax. Kevin cooked a nice breakfast for us and we spent a leisurely morning gazing out the front window at the ocean. Today we had an appointment at Luana Spa for a couples' massage class called "Lomi for Lovers". Our massage was outside in a thatched-roof hut with open sides that looked out over the ocean. I have no idea why I didn't bring my camera, but the view was amazing. There's just something about getting a massage in the middle of a rainforest, listening to the waves crashing, that's just... well... cool. :-) Each of us got on the massage table separately, and she taught us how to give each other lomilomi massages -- a traditional Hawaiian massage that integrates body, mind, emotions and spirit. I'm not sure how much mind and spirit was involved, but after the horseback riding and the long hike the day before, the body was pretty battered and in need of some tender loving care. I'm not sure either of us remembers anything about what we learned, but it was fun, and we got a complimentary bottle of "rainforest" scented massage oil
Hamoa Beach
We called this "our" beach because it was right across the street from our cottage to take home with us.
After the massage, we were ready for some good Hawaiian food, so we set off in search of one of the many roadside BBQ stands that we had seen while driving in to town. If there's one thing that can satisfy any hunger, it's a Hawaiian "plate lunch". Barbecued chicken with a couple scoops of sticky rice... oh man, was it good! They were serving it up right in their front yard -- mom was cooking, her daughter was serving, and her daughter's friend who was visiting from New Zealand was manning a little table selling hand-carved jewelry. They were really nice folks and we had fun chatting with them.
After lunch, we headed off to explore Hana a little bit more. We were in search of the Red Beach... a beach that I had tried to find when I was here with Sheila a few years back. I remember we walked across a field just like the guide book said, looked down over a very steep and muddy embankment at a tiny sliver of red sand, and said, "Hmph. It must be flooded." Little did we know then... we were not looking
at Red Beach.
As Kevin and I stood on the edge of the embankment peering down at the mud, a young local came up behind us with his knapsack and a pair of Tevas. He stepped over the embankment, grabbed a rope that was hanging there, and proceeded to almost rappel down the side of the hill. It was at that moment that I made a new rule for myself... never drive anywhere in Hawaii without a decent pair of hiking shoes in the car.
I trusted my camera bag to Kevin as I knew he would be more graceful than I, grabbed the rope and eased myself down the embankment. The trail wound around the edge of a cliff, very narrow in places, but even in my sandals I managed to not hurt myself. The adventure was well worth it... when we finally saw the "real" Red Beach, it was truly a spectacular sight to behold.
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