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!

A feel good story about turtles

Ooogie definitely liked this story!

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Turtle-Returns-New-Jersey-Wetlands-Group-Saved-Her-19-Years-Ago-512987411.html

A visitor

Hey, what's up everyone? Today I am going to show you this really cool ---

*KNOCK*

Hmm... did you hear that?

Maybe I am hearing things! I don't hear it anymore. Okay, as I was saying, I have this Japanese miniature food kit and ---

*KNOCK*

Huh? There it is again. It sounds like something knocking at the door, but it's a very sloooooow knock.

I will go to the door and see if anyone is there. We aren't expecting any visitors today. I wonder who it is.

I opened the door and...

TO BE CONTINUED...

Ooogie's wish

I noticed that Ooogie had been especially quiet lately.

"Ooogie, what's wrong?" I asked.  "Is everything alright?"

"Aaaaaaaajdin," Ooogie said.  "I wiiiiish I coooulddddd goooo tooo theeeeeeeeeee oooooooocean."

"I'll take you there," I said.

"Reeeeeeeeeeeeeally?" Ooogie asked.

"Sure," I answered.  "I promise."

"Howwwwwwwwww aaaaaaabout noooooooow?" he said.

"Now?  As in right now?" I was not prepared for this.

"Yeeeeeeessssss, riiiiiiiiight noooooooow," Ooogie said.

(NOTE TO READERS: when you make a promise, you have to keep that promise, no matter what.)

"Okay Ooogie," I said.  "I am going to take you to the ocean RIGHT NOW."  I wasn't sure how I was going to get there but a promise is a promise, isn't it?  I mean, I wouldn't like it beary much if someone promised me honey or salmon and didn't give it to me.  So we headed out on our journey.

"Aaaaaaaajdin, are weeeeeeeeeee there yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet?" he asked.

"No, Ooogie," I said.  "We haven't even left the house yet."

Then we got in the car.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaajdin, are weeeeeeeeeeee thereeeeeeeeeeeee yeeeeeeeeeet?" Ooogie asked.

"No, not yet," I said.  "We haven't left the parking garage yet."

Then we drove for a few hours.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaajdin, are weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee thereeeeeeeeeeeeee yeeeeeeeeet?" Ooogie asked.

"No, not yet," I answered.  I munched on my chicken honey sandwich.

A few more hours passed.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaajdin, are weeeeeeeee thereeeeeeeeee yeeeeeeeet?" Ooogie asked.

"No, not yet," I said.  I had to be beary patient with Ooogie today.

Finally, we parked the car and walked across a long stretch of sand.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaajdin," Ooogie said, "areeeeeeeeee weeeeeeeeeee thereeeeeee yeeeeet?"

"Yes, Ooogie," I said.  "We are finally here.  THIS is the ocean."

Then, without a second to lose, Ooogie did something I had never seen him do before.  At super speed, he dashed across the sand towards the water.  I saw his green shell zip through the crashing waves.  He was FAST!!!  (I guess you should not judge anyone until you see them in their natural environment.)

I watched him swim out further and further until he was a tiny speck on the horizon.

Then... he was gone.

"OOOGIE!!!" I yelled, but my voice was drowned out by the ocean waves.  "OOOGIE COME BACK!!!"

I decided to wait for him.

While I was waiting, I bought a boogie board and tried riding some waves myself.  I realized that I am not a water bear.  I will leave the swimming up to the turtles and salmon.  There was no sign of Ooogie.

It was getting really hot so I decided to take off my shirt.  This was not a nude beach but I think they made an exception for me.  Again, still no sign of Ooogie.

The sun's rays were beary strong so I made sure to sit under the shade of a beach umbrella.  I also brought some sunglasses for UV eye protection.

I looked out into the ocean again.  This time, I saw a little green thing coming closer and closer.  It was Ooogie.

"Ooogie," I said.  "I was worried you wouldn't come back."

"Aaaaaaaajdin," Ooogie said.  "Youuuuuuuu're myyyyyyyy beeeeeeeeeest frieeeeeeeeend.  Of courrrssssseee I wouuuuuuuuuld coooooome baaaaaack."

"Okay Ooogie," I said.  "I promise to take you to the beach at least once a year, how about that?"

Ooogie smiled and put on his sunglasses.  Then we relaxed on the beach for the rest of the day.

A new friend

I still have to unpack my suitcase from my vacation trip, so that's what I'll be doing today.  For a little bear, it is interesting how I managed to pack so much stuff.

Hmm... there is this green thing sticking out of the suitcase.  I wonder what it is.

A turtle! 

"Hellooooooooooo thereeeeeeeeee," it said.  "My name is Ooogie."

"Hi Ooogie.  My name is Ajdin," I said.  "I guess you snuck into my suitcase somehow.  Well, you can live with me and my friend Uncle Tibbs."  (My mom taught me to be very welcoming to other stuffies.)

I made a new friend!  He has beary big eyes, doesn't he?