Aloha!

Our Hawaiian adventure has, sadly, come to an end.


Above: Germaine's Luau

Our last days on Maui, we rented a car and tried to make it as far as we could around the island on the beautiful Hana Hwy. We drove the one-lane curvy roads up into the mountains to see some amazing sights. We got sprayed by the blowhole at Nakalele Point, saw the Iao Needle (a natural rock pinnacle), dove into the Olivine Pools, tried to "World's Best" banana bread, walked at nightfall on a black sand beach, and accidentally wandered through a pineapple farm. Check out the photos below.

*My favorite* The rain was pouring down, and Michael and I discovered a secluded waterfall and pool off the road. We were the only ones there; it was like a scene from a movie. I swam under the waterfall, which was something I've always wanted to do. I'll never forget how freaking amazing that was.




We took the new superferry from Maui to Oahu. I took too much Dramamine and slept the entire way. We stayed on Waikiki Beach, and I got one last chance to sunbathe. As you can see below, Michael and I learned to surf while starring in a commercial for urinary incontinence.




We drove to Pearl Harbor our last day. Below you can see a battleship anchor, Michael playing in a submarine, and a one-man suicide torpedo. Afterwards, we made it to a luau. Finally. There was a fair amount of cheesiness involved, but we got some great kalua pig, saw some impressive fire twirling, and I got on stage and learned the hula. All-in-all, quite a fun time. And Michael gave me fresh flower lei, made of orchids, which smelled wonderful. We got upgraded to first class on the flight back! Bigger seats. Free drinks.




My conclusion?
I knew nothing about Hawaii when I went. Turns out, there is SO much more to do than just chill on a pretty beach. The highlights of my trip: watching lava spurt out of an active volcano, being above the clouds at the top of Mauna Kea, 4WD-ing over lava rocks to the green sand beach, visiting creepy sites where there were no other tourists, jumping into the olivine pools, and, of course, swimming under my secret waterfall.

So when I think of Hawaii now, I will think of swimming alongside beautiful fish and sea turtles, hiking down lava rocks, seeing shooting stars in the perfectly clear night sky, being completely frustrated trying to catch the unpredictable bus on the Big Island, driving through the strange, ever-changing landscapes, eating delicious lilikoi fruits on our plantation, seeing lots of shirtless men in the grocery stores, and getting lost with Michael on all our mini-adventures.

Aloha.

Maui Wowee

Maui. The more loungin' and beachin' section of the trip. I spend my days working on my laptop and playing in the ocean and my nights jogging around the neighborhood and going out to bars. We are living in Kihei, a lively beach town. I miss the remoteness and excitement of getting around the Big Island, but it's nice to be able to walk down the street and see stretches of long, white sand beaches and lines of bars and restaurants. I bought a ukulele the other day. So far I've only learned to play the version of "Tonight, You Belong to Me" from The Jerk.



The buses are only $1 and run pretty frequently here. One day we rode down to Waimea, where the richies summer. We walked around the ritzy shops and baked on the crowded resort beach (pictured above). Another day we went to Ulua Beach, which is supposed to have some great snorkeling. It was the farthest out in the ocean I'd been swimming. I saw some really long and skinny, eel-like fish that I followed around. Then I got creeped out thinking of sharks and swam back in.



(Above) Mikey and I drinking some cocktails at this bar listening to the music of our Hawaiian friend who performs there.



Another day, we took some buses up to Lahaina, an old whaling town, and walked around. There are tons of shops and galleries there with crazy expensive art from a lot of famous artists. Apparently, Sir Anthony Hopkins is now an artist, and we saw his stuff in one gallery. We walked into a beautiful Catholic church (above) and sat in Banyan Tree Park, made from a huge winding Banyan tree (above).



Above: Me, posing with a tiki man in a Kihei shopping center

We only have little over a week left in Maui before we take a ferry back to Oahu. We're going to rent a car our last days here and drive around the entire island. Check back soon ...



Above: Michael's burger incident at his no longer favorite restaurant, Lulu's.

One Last Hoorah for the Big Island

Here are some photos from the Big Island we just got developed.






Snorkeling at Capt. Cook Monument


Kilauea Crater


Place of Refuge



Driving up Mauna Kea


A Creepy Lighthouse

Volcanoes, Mountains, and a Green Sand Beach?!

OK, we did it. We've done the Big Island. And now we live in Maui. Good-bye, my parrot friends!

Last week was awesome. We got a free jeep rental for three days and drove around the entire island. I was really set on going to the Green Sand Beach because it's one of only two in the world. On the way, we passed by a wind farm (below). To get to the beach, we had to drive over huge, sharp lava rocks, which was a jolly good time. The sand, made from crushed up olivine, wasn't quite as green as we expected but still worth the trek.





From there we went to check into our cheap cabin near the Volcanoes National Park only to find out that we had been upgraded to the $289/night room. Fireplace, hot tub, chocolates on the pillows! I wish we could've stayed longer and pranced around in the complimentary robes.



At Volcanoes National Park, we drove by some natural steam vents (above). Good for the pores. Then we watched sulfur dioxide rise from the Kilauea Crater (below).



The coolest thing we did in the park was walk through a lava tube. It's a cave that's been created by lava. Here is Michael, looking very Indiana Jones.




After dark, we drove down to see the lava flow into the ocean. One of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed. Huge, fiery spurts followed by oohs and ahhs from spectators. Way cooler than fireworks. On the drive back, we passed by a really creepy church (below).




Next, we drove the scenic Saddle Road leading to the summit of Mauna Kea, the world's tallest mountain. Measured from below sea level, from base to summit, it's over 33,000 ft. It's hard to get acclimated, I would jog back to the jeep and be completely short of breath. Beautiful landscape up there. We were above the clouds. Atop the mountain are stargazing observatories (one below) that apparently have the clearest views in the entire world.






With a little daylight left on our Big Island journey, we drove to the most northern tip to a sleepy town, Hawi. With rolling green hills, the most gorgeous drive yet (below).



We ended up at an ancient sacrificial place (below). This place was very creepy and not touristy at all. We drove through some farm land and through someone's front yard to get there. I know it's probably bad luck, but I lay on a large stone where you could see the holes from spears that ripped people's flesh off. When night fell, we drove nearby to see a small lighthouse. Another non-touristy spot where we drove through people's driveways and opened a gate to get there. One of the strangest things, to look up at this towering mass on the edge of a cliff and gaze out into the dark ocean. Heebie-jeebies.



We ended our trip back in Kailua-Kona, where we sneaked into our host lady's other, much more expensive, seaside condo. Living it up in style on our last night.

Now we have arrived at our house in Maui. It's much prettier here (no vog) and easier to get around. But way more expensive. It's just a six minute walk to the beach. I do miss the Big Island and it's crazy landscapes but so excited to explore this one, the herpes capital of the world, according to my cousin.

LYLAS,
Jill

Independence Day! ... and other tales

Above:
Michael at Magic Sands Beach, the beach where that cooky medicinal herb is sold.
Me chillin' with a beer on the farm, watching the horses.
Here I am taking a break from raking to admire the huge Banyan tree behind our cabin.

Fourth of July was a long, lovely day! We were lucky enough that it landed on our days off so we got up around 8:00 and decided to hike the steep trail down to the Captain Cook Monument.







The monument of Capt. Cook, the dude who discovered the Hawaiian Islands and Australia, looks like a miniature Washington monument. He was killed by the Hawaiians near this spot. But it's all good, he and his men more than likely ate all their food and spread STDs to their women. The snorkeling here was awesome. After a nap on a big lava rock, we headed back up the trail. But first took a mile detour because we got lost. The hike back up, which is a steep incline of lava rocks, was a BITCH!

We hitchhiked into Kona after realizing the buses don't run on holidays. We got a ride with a huge Hawaiian who was smoking and blasting island music through his radio. Made it just in time to catch the parade.



And the best part? We managed to sneak the code to our host-lady's downtown condo and got to rock it seaside for the night in this over $300/night condo!!



Above:
Michael enjoying 2-for-1 at our favorite Mexican place in Kona.
Me standing triumphantly in front of our cabin with a red ginger torch flower (they grow here on the farm).

Yesterday, Oscar (another wwoofer), Michael and I borrowed the car and drove down to the the Place of Refuge, where Hawaiians who had committed crimes once went to be absolved of them. We also went snorkeling here, and I swam alongside sea turtles! Spinner dolphins are next on my list.





The three of us just made an awesome-smelling vegetarian chili, which has been simmering in the kitchen. And I'm about to go investigate it. Only three days of work left on the farm before Michael and I head out on our around-the-island adventure before relocating to Maui!

XOXO
Jill