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Published: December 10th 2009
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HAWAII
For the first 2 weeks on the Big Island of Hawaii, Xiomara and I spent most of our time sunbathing by the pool and drinking rum. We did make it to a few beaches and managed to do some snorkeling as well. We had very enjoyable time with the family. Which included a big game of beach football. I think all four of us, (Randy, Rick, Rod and myself) will all make full recoveries from our injuries by next season… Just in time to play again next year! We also managed to see a “BIG LUAU” at The Royal Kona Inn. At the Luau, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset, authentic Hawaiian food and an excellent display of hula dancing and fire twirling.
During our last week Xiomara and I rented a jeep and headed south. The first stop was an hour long hike down the mountain side to a beautiful snorkeling spot and the Capitan Cook monument. The views were amazing and we were very impressed with snorkeling. The huge coral reef was full of colorful fish and Xiomara even saw an octopus! The hike back up the hill was grueling… Unfortunately, Xiomara did not drink
enough water before hand so about ¾ of the way up she started to have some difficulty. So as she drank the last of our water, I decided to be her knight in shining armor and take her backpack in addition to mine and make haste to the top. I planned to refill one of the water bottles and return down to her. As I turned a corner I saw a tree that I thought was close to our jeep. So I ran to the next bend in the trail only to discover that I still had a long ways to go…
Nearly out of energy, I finally reached the top… Only to be met by a wild boar (pig)! He ran right in front of me and was squealing like crazy! Before I could reach for anything that resembled a weapon he disappeared into the jungle. Once adrenaline rush subsided I dropped off the bags, grabbed a bottle of water and headed back down the hill to meet up with Xiomara. She was very happy to see that I had brought her water. Once we made it to the top, we found the boar waiting for us.. This time
he seemed a little bit more friendly. So I took a photo and then he ran off again…
From there we headed around the south point of the island to a sleepy town of Volcano. There we checked into our simple but beautiful accommodations. The next day we visited the top the Volcano and viewed the steaming crater, sulfur banks and lava tube. We then took a short drive and viewed a few more craters, and past lava flows. It felt like we were on the moon… Black lava rock as far as one could see, all the way to the ocean. We also viewed some petroglyphs which were carved by the first settlers of Hawaii.
That evening we drove to another area were we could view the lava pouring into the ocean. This was an incredible display.. As the waves would crashed against the lava flow, there were small explosions of fiery lava into the night sky.
The next day we drove up the lush green coast to Hilo. Once there, we viewed Rainbow Falls. Which if viewed at the right time of the day , you will see a bright rainbow protruding out from the pool
below into the blue skies above. We then took a beautiful drive up to Waipo Valley. Here we locked in the 4wheel drive and put the jeep to the test! After the steep drive down we drove deeper east into the valley after crossing a few rivers we were amazed by the breathtaking waterfalls that fall nearly 2000 feet (609.6 meters) to the jungle below. Passing by some of the local people and friendly horses we headed west to the black sand beach. Another incredible view here of the cliffs with waterfalls pouring into the ocean. Enchanting to say the least…. As the sun began to set we headed back towards Kona to meet up with the family. The last few days in Kona we spent sending everyone off and making preparations for our next stops.
On the 6th we flew to Honolulu, Oahu. Once there we walked around Waikiki and then I tried paddle surfing for the second time. A humbling experience indeed!! We watched the beautiful sunset and dined at a simple but delicious Japanese restaurant. The next day we walked around and purchased a few last minute items for our adventure to Australia!
After a
10 hour and 20 minute flight to Sydney we could not wait to get out of the airplane and into our beds! Today we are getting our bearings and make some adjustments to our travel plans. So far it has been a cool experience.
Stay tuned for our next blog entry about our encounters in the outback!
~by Rustin
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Roy
non-member comment
Sounds like you're having fun down there. It's 2 degrees here in Custer this morning.