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!

Cruise and Chichen Itza

Over the holiday, my mom and I went on a cruise. I have never been on a cruise before, have you? I saw some large ships in the dock where we were leaving from.

But soon, we left the safety of the harbor and went out into the great, big sea! I wonder how many salmon are swimming around right now.

For some reason, I was left in the stateroom a lot (*AHEM*) so I didn't get many pictures of the cruise ship itself. But I did tag along for one of the shore excursions. We stopped in Progreso in the Yucatan in Mexico and went to Chichen Itza.

Wow! This structure is called El Castillo. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. There is a lot of symbolism going on here. You know how there are 365 days in a year? Well, here there are 91 steps on each side of this structure.

91 x 4 sides + one step for the temple at the top = 365

How interesting!

Hey... I think I see a familiar face over there. Could it be?

Yes, it's Droopy!

"Droopy! What are the chances of meeting you here at Chichen Itza?" I said.

"I heard there is a lot of Chicken Pizza here. That's why I came," he replied.

It really is a small world, isn't it?

They used to allow visitors to climb the stairs, but not anymore.

I'm standing in the ball court. Do you see those rings in the wall behind me? Ball players had to get a 10 pound rubber ball through it using only their elbows, knees, and hips. The team captain of the winning team would be sacrificed to the Gods! It was considered an honor to be sacrificed.

And with that, I think it's time to leave...

I enjoyed the cruise and the trip to Chichen Itza!

Sea turtle conservation

Ooogie asked me to share this article about a sea turtle conservation project. Check it out! He also tells me he has a special project in the works... hmm... what could it be?

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/maldives-sea-turtles-four-seasons/index.html