Trip to Hawaii Part II

I tried to link each of my 100 some photos posted on this site, to the mapping site on Flickr (by the way, you can click Map to see where the photos were taken). In case that mapping function does not work in your computer, the general vicinity is - Hawaii!

We had a fabulous time on this trip. But when we pulled our car to the garage, we knew it was still good to be back home. Home sweet home! There is absolutely no substitute, not even the famous down feather Hilton bed you paid over $249/night for, for the comfort of your very own old bed. There is also no substitute, not even the best views of sandy beaches, for the view of your very own backyard and all the familiar belongings you've accumulated over the years (things we call stuff).

If we had stayed home, we could have enjoyed the surprisingly long nice weather and our pool. But if we had stayed home, we would have missed all the new experiences and fun in Hawaii, specifically Maui and Big Island. You see, it's all good. Lucky are those who can balance a split personality between a homebody and a vagabond.

"The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endless changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." To spare time elaborating every photo and the story behind it, I will just mention some of the new things we did for the first time on this trip:

- Traveling with family members. My husband and I have been to Hawaii three times previously. This is the first time we had the pleasure of traveling with our family members. Saw the line on a Hawaii T-Shirt which reads "Relatives: a bunch of lovely coconuts." If that's true, guess in this case, my husband's older brother and my sister-in law are lovely. My husband and I are coconuts (nuts). Together we had very enjoyable time. Thanks, relatives!

- Canoeing. While staying at the waterfront Maui Lu resort in Maui, we saw some canoes passing by every morning. We thought it would be fun to try that so we started asking around. We learned there were no organized canoeing trips for tourists in Maui. The canoeing was for canoe club members only. Next morning we went there and asked them to bring us along. They graciously agreed. My husband and I were the only armatures. The boat captains put us into separate canoes. They gave us instructions and off we went. Canoeing with them was a real workout. They had their own set of canoeing rituals and the captains used Hawaiian language when giving orders. We saw many colorful corals and sea turtles while canoeing.

- Dolphin Watching. We have never seen dolphins in person and up close until this trip in Hilton Waikoloa Village on Big Island. They are just adorable.

- Kona Coffee Tour and Macadamia Nut Factory Tour. We toured 17 acre Bayview coffee plantation farm and Macadamia Nut Factory nearby in Kona.

- Cava Drinking. Cava is an ancient Hawaiian drink. The 'awa (also called kava) root was pounded and the juices were made in to a muddy looking water. Per the hippie girl who sold the juice to me, Cava was drunk by Hawaiian chiefs in old days. It was supposed to give them visions. It tasted like Chinese medicine to me so I drank the whole bowl in one breath. I didn't see any higher vision though, or maybe I already have the vision?!

- Boogie Surfing. There is a video clip at the bottom of the page. I had a few fun runs the first day I tried boogie surfing with the help of my husband. The second day I got nailed by the waves. You can hear in the audio background "Oh my God!" from my husband and see in the vido the lifeguard rushed to the shore.