Hawaii, part 5

And then, we finally made it to Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. This is a sacred place that was a place of refuge for defeated Hawaiian warriors and those sentenced to death for violating kapu, the code of conduct.

This sanctuary was protected by Lono, the God of Life, as the native Hawaiians believed. Once you made it here, no physical harm could be done to you.

There used to be several platforms built from rocks on which dances and songs were performed.

We can still see what life was like back in those days. Here is a hut for canoe making. They were very resourceful and used whatever they could find in nature.

Alright, let's go check out our next AirBnb. This is on the western part of Hawaii island. This property has several papaya trees growing. What a view!

I also stopped by a fruit stand and bought a cacao fruit. This is what chocolate is made from. Let's open it up and have a nice big bite of choc--

Wow, this is not what I expected at all. It's very fibrous, and white, and has a slightly sweet taste. A lot of work has to go into this before it turns into chocolate.

For breakfast, we had a scrumptious meal with fresh fruit from the backyard! Yes, there are banana trees here also! I've gained quite a few pounds on this trip.. but it's been worth it.

We highly recommend this place if you visit. It's called Hale Hoola: http://www.hale-hoola.com/

I've really enjoyed my time in Hawaii and I hoped you liked following along.

I'll leave you with a nice sunset view...

Hawaii, part 4

Hi there! Glad you could make it to the BIG ISLAND of HAWAII! We are staying at this cute little AirBnb on the island and --

"WELL HELLO THERE!" a familiar voice said.

"Let me guess. It's Droopy," I replied.

"Looks like we're booked at the same AirBnb! It's pretty cool and has a loft with ladder access," he said.

"Oh, that sounds beary cool!" I said.

Now let's take a ride out to the Hawaii Volcano National Park. There are a lot of steam vents on the way to the volcano like the ones you see here. Be careful when walking around! Some people have fallen in and gotten hurt, or worse...yikes.

Here we are at the Kīlauea Volcano viewpoint. Unfortunately, the volcano stopped erupting 3 days before we arrived, so there was no flowing lava to see either during the day nor at night. *sigh* But that's how it is with Mother Nature - we have no way of controlling it! This just means that we will have to come back again to see it in action.  😉

There also happened to be a hula performance going on in the park! We were lucky to see it.

Then, we drove around the southern part of the island and stopped at Black Sand Beach. Yep, the sand here is black alright!

The shores are made of black volcanic rock. Be careful! They are extremely sharp and feel like broken glass if you fall on them.

Hey, wait! I see something interesting over there. It looks like a few large smooth rocks... or is it?

They are actually Hawaiian green sea turtles! The Hawaiian name is honu and they symbolize wisdom and good luck. They are an endangered species. This part of the beach has been roped off to allow them to come onto shore and rest. Maybe they will lay eggs here.

He or she seems to be sleeping - how cute! I will have to tell Ooogie I saw some of his relatives.

Here is a cool shot from a different part of the beach.

We drove around some more and saw more beautiful scenic views!

Stay tuned for our last and final stop on this Hawaii trip!

Hawaii, part 3

Before we continue on our trip, I will teach you the longest word in the Hawaiian language. Ready? You may need to take a deep breath for this one.

HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUKUAPUA'A

It is the name for trigger fish, also the Hawaiian state fish. It looks like this:

Maybe we'll see some humuhumunukunukukuapua'a in the water? Let's head to the beach!

Our first beach is Hale'iwa Beach in North Shore, Oahu.

The beaches in the North Shore are popular for surfing, and we can see why! The waves are constantly rolling in here. In fact, today there is a high wind warning and waves of 20-30 feet high. There is a lifeguard patrolling the beach to make sure no one goes swimming today.

Next, let's go to Waimanalo Beach in Oahu where it's much calmer. No camera filter here. The water is really that blue!

It looks amazing!

The water is so clear and changes from turquoise to light blue to dark blue.

We drove around the island of Oahu and stopped at another scenic viewpoint. This is called Makapu'u Lookout. The wind was quite strong so it blew my arms up in the air, but it also looks like I am just beary excited in this photo.

Fantastic views from here also!

This is from Lanai'i Lookout.

Okay, our next stop in Hawaii is the actual Big Island of Hawaii. I wonder what we will find there. See you later, Oahu!

Hawaii, part 2

Next on our trip, we are going to visit the Dole Plantation, home of delicious pineapples!

I just love pineapples, don't you? I can't wait to pick a fresh one off of a tree -- hey wait, huh?

What's this? Pineapples don't grow on trees?

Are you telling me they grow from the ground, like this? Wow, I didn't know that. That is beary cool!

And apparently you can grow your own pineapple at home from leftover pineapple crown.

Hmm... it says pineapples take anywhere from 18-24 months to grow, and take up to 2-3 feet in space. That's a lot of work! I think I'll just go to the supermarket.

"HEY! NICE SHIRT!" a voice called out.

It was Droopy, who was also wearing a Hawaiian print shirt.

"Hi Droopy, fancy meeting you here," I replied. (For first-time readers, Droopy and I seem to have the same travel agent.)

"You gotta try the Dole Whip ice cream in the gift shop!" he said, as he ran to join his tour group.

Do you know what this is? It's a papaya tree! These fruits are not easy to grow where we live, so we were very excited to see one doing so well.

And this! Do you know what this is?

Here's a closer look. Any guesses?

If you said cacao, you're right! The seeds of the cacao fruit are used to make a delicious treat -- chocolate!

Now let's check out the gift shop, where you can buy anything and everything pineapple related! Pineapple pillows, pineapple shirts, pineapple art, pineapple candy, pineapple umbrellas, pineapple socks... you get the idea.

There are also pineapple bears!

Stay tuned for the next part of our trip. When will we see some nice beaches?

Hawaii, part 1

Recently, my mom took my measurements and made a custom shirt for me. I was a bit surprised at this, because she doesn't know how to sew. After enduring several pin pricks, she had fitted me in a Hawaiian print shirt!

Then came the real surprise - WE WERE GOING TO HAWAII!

Our first stop was Waikiki in Oahu. Here's the view from our hotel balcony. Check out that gorgeous sunset!

And a view of the downtown scene - can't wait to check it out later! It's a little bit windy so I'm holding on tight out here!

Next, we visited the Byodo-In Temple, a replica of a 900-year-old temple in Kyoto, Japan. The original temple was built without the use of nails - amazing, huh! It's a technique called sashimono. Grooves are carved into the wood in order to bind pieces together.

This temple was beautifully maintained with sand gardens, a really serene place to just think.

You could also buy a small bag of pellets and feed the koi fish. There were some really friendly birds also that would eat out of your paw.

The temple sits in front of a stunning mountain backdrop! The tropical clouds move in and out of here quickly, so the view is constantly changing.

We are just getting started on our Hawaii tour, so check back for part 2 of our trip!