So I really wasn't sure what to expect going to Hawaii with Alex:
Basically, anyone I have ever known to go to Hawaii was for a honeymoon and was super lavish and touristy and expensive. And here we are, going with a bunch of camping gear to this great island for the first time only hearing stories and volcanoes, sea turtles and great surf beaches...
On the way there, Alex explained more about the Aloha to me. He said, "It's a vibe. It's an attitude that kind of takes over."
This still meant nothing to me.
Needless to say, I think it was day 3 of our trip that I turned to him and told him that I was really feeling the aloha now.
Day 3 was the first day that we rented the car and decided to take off on an adventure. The first 2 days were more getting acquainted with our Honoka'a surroundings, hanging out with Alex's Uncle Mark aka Grubby and taking in a couple sites. It was also at this time we chatted with two guys that were building a house on a portion of Mark's land that told us about 2 epic hikes. One involving walking over lava rocks to a secluded white sand beach and another which involved the second largest waterfall in the world and a pool you could swim in around it. As you might have guessed, we made it a point to do both of these hikes :)
Hawaii in some places reminded me of Jurassic Park. So many giant trees with crazy big overgrown vines wrapped around and hanging off them in every direction. Sometimes it was serene and quiet and I truly felt like it was just Alex and I sitting on the edge of the world. ....kinda like Humpty Dumpty
There are not only endless beaches but endless gulches and waterfalls and constantly changing weather. Every road has gulches, which is typically a bridged area that you drive over. These areas contain big rocks, sometimes water flowing through and sometimes just a bunch of debris. Typically you find a big ole waterfall or a series of small waterfalls all along the way. However, with their beauty also comes an inherent danger that rain in the mountains can cause a flash flood and cause the water to rise and push you into one of the many sharp and steep rock edges.
In many ways that that last phrase defines Hawaii; although super beautiful and fun there lies a danger to everything. Except for animals! There is no threat to humans like a mountain lion or any land predator. There are wild pigs that might get up to 60 or 70 lbs, but they are more scared of you. Sure, there are sharks in the ocean, but through all the jungles and rain forests where you would think to find some crazy animal.. All you may see is a cockroach or a mongoose.
The ocean is wild. It is clear and forceful and absolutely mesmerizing to look at or play in for hours. The sand is mostly black but can be white, or salt and pepper or even green! Sea turtles were seen on almost every beach we went to. And just looking out into the ocean you can almost always see a dolphin or a whale in the far distance.
A cool thing about the Big Island is that there are 11 climate zones. So say it is raining and cloudy where you are: you can jump in your car and drive 20 minutes and see blue skies in another direction! And not even blue skies, but straight up super beautiful beach day kinda weather. You just gotta have the will to find it because, it is there and not even that far away!
Then there is the fruit! I have only had one type of banana in my life and here they grow 30 different types! They are mostly baby bananas but the ones that we kept seeing were ice cream bananas, Saba bananas and apple bananas. We also tried Thai banana and Sucretes. My favorite was the Saba which tasted a little more like a plantain, mild and almost slightly gummy but oh so freaking good. I also had custard fruit for the first time. Firstly a soursop, then a rillenia and then something we were told was called a bull's heart. These fruits have kind of layers and chambers to them, but all in all eat like an exotic ice cream.
And flowers!!! So you might right away imagine a large, colorful hibiscus flower but I think I found the ginger flowers to be the most amazing! They look like plastic or maybe a colorful bees wax but are an amazing sight to see. And they smell of fresh ginger!
And adventures! What adventures we had just by being lured down one random road or another. Those I will go over in my next post but I wanted to give you a bit of insight before I give my play by play.
Basically: I love Hawaii. I feel an aloha in my life that I never knew before and I know I will certainly be back. Hell, I already have a laundry list of adventures we didn't get around to in our 12 day excursion!
Xox Big Island Xox
