E Komo Mai,
That means ‘welcome’ in Hawaiian. We continue to learn more sayings and culture as we go from island to island. Trevor uses the ‘shaka’ wave regularly now. Several people told us to be sure to try Malasadas, after two tries and missing out, we found a bakery here on Kauai and got to try them. It’s a donut with no hole, and typically it’s filled with something or classic style is a toss in sugar/cinnamon. They fill Malasadas with all sorts of things. We tried chocolate pudding, but they had cherry filling, red beans, guava, banana, and more. Good stuff.
Trevor is not a swimmer. He just doesn’t love the water. But he had promised we’d try our hand at snorkeling. Sunday was the day. We rented the equipment, which included flippers, goggles and a mouth piece. I’m the swimmer, but I was terrified of the waves. We chose Poipu Beach near Lihue because it was known to be family-friendly and great for first time snorkelers. Me walking in flippers on sand was a sight to see. It’s just like you are picturing in your head LOL. It took me a minute to relax in the ocean. I wasn’t scared of the fish or the depth, I was scared of being swept away. But our Uber driver to the beach was originally from Minnesota, and he said when his girlfriend first took him snorkeling, they held hands as they floated along. It helped a lot. Mr. Non-Swimmer led the way and we watched the fish swim just below us. Once I got the hang of it, the waves just carried us along and it was fun! Don’t get me wrong, we spit out salt water, had to catch a lost flipper, and cut ourselves on rocks. But it really was fun! We followed the fish along a reef, and saw an eel, too.
We snorkeled at two different times that day. It sure is a work out. While I was resting after the first snorkel, I noticed some commotion near the lifeguard stand on the other side of the beach from us. Sea turtles! Six Honu (green) turtles basking in the sun. It was awesome. After hanging out at the beach for awhile we walked down to a bar at a beach hotel and had lunch while watching the fourth quarter of the Chiefs/49ers game at the ocean. We knew a bar & grill would have Sunday football on…what a game! We were definitely in the minority as a Chiefs fan.
We were worn out and ready for a shower and a nap after the game. Tomorrow we are going for a drive around the island. This trip is definitely one for the memory books. Hawaii is so different from the mainland. Trevor and I have been blessed to enjoy many fun trips - each one is different. One thing to always remember when traveling, it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. Sure it’s epic! But it doesn’t matter if you are spending the weekend in Branson or you’re in Hawaii, stuff happens. Just roll with it. Someone told me recently our trips look ‘so perfect’. I giggled. We do laundry, dishes and sweep floors. We count pennies and cut corners. Sometimes the place we booked isn’t all the pictures said it would be. Highlights from this trip might include: I tripped over a black rock at a black sand beach because I didn’t see it. I was focused on getting to the sea turtles. I ended up face down in the black sand. It was not comfortable, nor did it taste good. Thankfully, the only thing injured were my scraped knees and my pride; and, the turtles waited on me. Also, this trip, Trevor didn’t think sunscreen was necessary and his ankles and the tops of his feet are very sun burned. It is painful. Don’t worry, we got silver gel and he’s doing good. Our trips are far from perfect. I don’t think we strive for perfect. We just want to explore God’s amazing creation while spending time together. And, we are so excited to share it with you through this blog. No matter where we travel, we always have a conversation about how cool it would be to bring family back someday. Like we are on a recon mission. We note our favorite spots and the inexpensive tips we learned.
Maybe someday.
Your friend, B
Comments