a real smart dog knows how to misbehave

I’m starting to realize that some things just can’t be captured by words.

Right now the Explorer is leaving Hilo and traveling towards Honolulu, Carly is sleeping like a baby in her new Volcano National Park hoodie, and I am writing to more or less neglect the 600-some (seriously, no exaggeration) photos I have taken over the past two days.  I’m going to watch “Strangers with Candy” and edit them in a moment, but first I wanted to update my blawg.

To be cliché, Hawai’i is beautiful.  To be honest, Hawai’i is perfect.

I’m not going to be able to recap in the same detail that I had been previously.  I realized yesterday that that will be impossible.  It’s hard to convey the emotions and general vibe of this voyage so far, which may be another reason (aside general expensiveness) for our lack of technology.  To try and explain the camaraderie among the students, as well as the incredible things we’ve already experienced…well, it just falls short.  I’m just not that good.

And we’ve only gone to Hawai’i!

So, the first port.  We woke up at 5:30 AM for customs.  Fine, good, nothing so interesting.  Jeff, Emily, Aleeza (formally Elysa – whoops spelling errors), Jenn, and I rented a car.  Our cab driver was our first experience with a local Hawaiian, and he proceeded to tell us all about the history of Hawai’I (during WWII and the removal of the queen) as well as fun things to do in Hilo.  In short, he was incredibly kind.  We rented the car and drove to the Botanical Gardens.  The users on websites like yelp had said it was worth the $15 entry fee.  Spoiler alert: it was.  We spent two or so hours just taking pictures of waterfalls and plants we had never seen before, as well as calling loved ones (especially DAD who I MISS SOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!).  That’s pretty much all I can say about that – especially without pictures!  Afterwards, we asked the guy at the front desk if he could give us directions to Café 100, a restaurant that had great reviews on every travel blog I read.  At first, he told us the directions, then gave me his phone number if we got lost.  Great, nice, what a good guy.  Then about 15 minutes later, he noticed that we had found a map and ran outside to draw our directions out, restating his offer for us to call if we got lost.  Hawaiian people are two for two at this point, obviously.

Jeff left us, so the ladies and I ate at Café 100, a little ugly thing on the side of a major road.  I got a loco moco, which is a well-loved Hawaiian dish that have differing features aside from a base of rice and gravy with eggs on top.  Mine was rice, chili, two eggs, four little sausages, and, of course, SPAM.  And guess who loved it.  Aleeza had the mahi mahi one (loved it), Jenn had one with gravy and sausage (loved it), and Emily had a sandwich because she wasn’t so hungry.  The side was a macaroni salad, which was great too.  Just plain excellent – and we got free stickers.

We then spent the next four or so hours walking around – to the farmer’s market (where we bought lycees – amazing!), random stores, Salvation Army (I bought a dress), etc.  It was lovely.  Aleeza and Jenn left to go to the SAS-sponsored lu’au, so Emily and I stopped into a kava bar.  Kava is a type of root (I believe) that has anti-oxidant properties and also, as it just so happens, acts as a muscle relaxer.  The kava is served as a drink that tickles your throat and numbs your tongue, and is drunk out of coconut shells.  So, obviously, I love it.

We spent the next hour there, speaking to the owner (whom I will talk about in-depth later), waitress, and a retired firefighter named Mike.  They told us about the history of kava – how it’s made, how the Hawaiian chiefs used to drink it in lieu of alcohol, etc.  The owner, whose name is Dave for future reference, was making kava brownies and insisted that the root makes colors just seem “a little brighter.”  It’s not really comparable to anything else – at least nothing I know of - it’s just total body relaxation with no psychological effects.

So anyway, this guy Mike.  I wish I could recount how special this encounter was, but I’m not sure I can.  Basically, he was a portly white-haired man who asked us about our trip, and we just started talking.  He told us about the Coconut Revolution in the Philippines (how the natives beat the Australian and Papua New Guinean armies with bows and arrows and guns made from THE EARTH. Avatar but better), life in the Philippines in general (he was moving there soon), his lifestyle (a published writer, friend of the old Hawaiian royal family), and so much more.  He was just incredibly interesting and so knowledgeable.  I was repeatedly shocked at how incredibly in tune every local I met was with ancient Hawaiian gods, the premise of aloha and mana, the history of the island (especially in terms of its relationship with the US), and just general love and appreciation for nature.  It was so unlike Chicago it hurt.  I wrote down a number of quotes from Mike, and before we left he gave me his card.  I’ll probably email him sometime.  Normally I’d be creeped out by some older guy talking to me for so long, but he just had such a good vibe and just seemed to want to talk to somebody.  I’m glad it was us!

Anyway, Emily and I wandered and talked and went home and showered.  Then Aleeza (who lost her lu’au ticket! Bummah), Jeff, Colette, Kellie (sweetest girl ever), and I went out to Kuhio Grille for a traditional Hawaiian meal.  Aleeza and I split a taro-wrapped beef and pork thing, poi, salmon soup thing, rice, kahlua pork, and coconut sauce meal.  It was delicious – not because it was something either of us thought was particularly tasty, but because of the experience of eating the food.  I was so proud of myself for enjoying poi.  It definitely had a weird consistency, but I can see why people eat it – especially when dipping the pork and coconut sauce in it.  Fantastic.

We went back to the kava bar for an open mic night (called Much Love Mondays – did I mention this place was next door to a THC ministry?), which was really just a few locals playing the ukulele and guitars.  Max, Nick, Patty, Spencer, and Emily met us there and we enjoyed more kava.  I bought a pouch to take home to the mainland in the spring because you can’t get it anywhere else.  Dave, the owner, was very chatty and gave us great advice about what to do in Hilo, etc.  He then spent half the time outside with his dog Rufio, playing his didgeridoo in the face of a fat cat who lives in the bank’s window (I can’t even explain how funny that was).  He gave us his number in case we needed a ride home or anything (nicest!).  We split up so Jeff could drive around all night and I went with Max, Nick, Patty, Emily, and Kellie to the nearby beach Dave recommended to see some sea turtles.  We didn’t see any, unfortunately, but it was still beautiful even at night.  On our way back, we ran into Dave again.  He gave us some shells he picked up on the beach earlier that day, and then ushered us inside to use the restroom.  By the time I came out of the bathroom, he had poured all of us a cup of free kava.  Best.  Guy.  Ever.

We hung for a little longer, then went to another place Dave recommended and laid around there.  It was beautiful and so peaceful.  Went home and slept.

Early morning today (this is where sentences get choppy because I’m tired).  Jeff, Jenn, and I left at 7:45 for Volcanoes National Park.  It is, in short, indescribable.  The steam vents, gigantic crater, lava tubes, and general scenery is not something I will ever forget.  Just beautiful.  After taking loads of pictures of the active volcano, we went through the giant lava tube – 300 or so meters.  Half of it was lit by, well, lights, but the other half required a flashlight to see. Basically, it looked like a giant cave (500 year old cave, anyway) and since we didn’t have a flashlight, we ventured in as far as we could using our camera flashes as light.  IT was like a horror movie, where I was afraid one flash would expose a horrible creature and in the next Jeff would be gone.  Plus, because it was so dark their entire eyes were pupils, which was just creepy.  Anyway, Jenn got creeped out when we couldn’t see the entrance anymore, so we went back, then decided to reenter.  We got much farther, but figured this wall of rocks was the end, and turned back until running into a couple with flashlights.  So we reached the end.  I’m a big baby.  Let’s get this fact out of the way right now.  Normally, I’d be scared and kind of regret not doing something later, which is why facing my fear of dark, enclosed places was amazing on a few levels.  But moving on: we walked on a hardened lake of lava.  Gorgeous.

We left the Park (Aleeza was on a trip and met us), then drove to Akaka Falls.  Okay, seriously, people say this place is beautiful, but I honestly think there should be a new word for it.  I understand completely why ancient Hawaiians would have believed in their earth gods.  It wasn’t just the waterfalls, but the land around it.  I don’t even know what else to say.  I want that image tattooed on my eyelids, I was angry at my camera for not taking a better photo of it, I was sad I couldn’t look at it everyday.  After ripping myself away from the Single Most Beautiful Thing Ever, I found a giant Banyan tree that was probably 20 feet across and crawled inside of it.  I don’t want to go into the emotional impact this moment made on me, but I’m 100% positive that I will remember that moment for the rest of my life.  I can’t wait to build my tree house someday.

We returned the car, went to the beach where I had ended the previous night, and Jeff and I swam.  As in, Jeff had his swimsuit on and waded out, and I went in my bra and shorts.  The water was cool, but beautiful (of course – key word of the trip thus far) and the pinks, greys, blacks, and whites of the rocks are not something I’ll forget.  We went back to the ship and HERE I AM.

Tomorrow: Honolulu.  I’m planning on Diamondhead hiking, searching for key LOST spots, eating at Puka Dog (rec by Anthony Bourdain), beach, internet café, and ending the evening in Chinatown.  The following day will be a purely beach day – hopefully involving snorkeling and surfing.

I would say mahalo or aloha, but that would be tacky right?