Saturday, August 16, 2014

ALOHA MEANS ALOHA!

Okay, here are some quick lessons in how to speak Hawaiian. I mean, if you're going to go to Hawaii, you need to know the language, right?  Here we go...

Hau`oli makahiki hou ... it means, "Hey, how is that rash?"

Maui nui a kama ... "Look! I got a tattoo!"

`Okole maluna! ... "Oh my god a sea turtle bit my penis."


Really, those are the only expressions I've found useful while being on the BIG ISLAND.


We got in two days ago...myself, Andrew Dodge, my wife, my two doting, adoring daughters who listen to my every request, and then my wife's Sister Joyce and her wonderful family- hubby George and daughters Tyler and Piper... as well as her very close cousin Eric and his son Cayden.

Our flight was as smooth as Morgan Freeman's voice. We jumped in two Chevrolet Cruzes. The "Z" let's you know that it's a revolutionary envisioning of what an American car industry strives to be...thank you Chevy...so groundbreaking with your whopping four cylinders and the soupcon of cloth on the dashboard...as if the car's going through some sort of puberty...anyhoo, these cars get us where we want to go. Thank you, Avis.

As soon as we were in the cars we zipped to lunch at my Valhalla...my Eden...the place that makes my most favorite beers in the world...the Kona Brewing Company. I love you Kona Brewing Company. If you ever need a hug, you can always count on me. 

After we dranked and lunched and I had beer offerings that aren't available on the mainland (Curse you Kona Brewing Company, for split seconds at a time I hate you for this!) we headed to our humble abode for our stay... we rented an entire house at the Mauna Lani Resort...two stories of pure Hawaiian vibe. All the kiddies can run around and we can BBQ and lounge about together instead of being divided up into hotel rooms.


We rested for a few hours and then hit our first beach. A neat little pocket of blue water with "resort access" and calm laps of ocean that allowed the kids to sploosh about happily while we could watch on with our toes dug into fine sands and waving palm trees...

But the next day, we were on a mission to see a king and two beaches. Our first stop was the statue of King Kamehameha...


I think I was the most impressed by this statue...built in the late 1800's in France and lost at sea for years before being dragged up by fisherman and used as a storefront decoration before they realized what in the world they had...and now it is put up on a pedestal and loved by the locals. Nearby there was a tree with a caution sign. So all the adults, naturally, put their precious children underneath it for a fantastic photo opportunity.

We then hit the road and traveled a bit further to check out a pretty sweet view at the Pololu Valley Lookout. It was a nice view and a great chance for more photos. Chase was pretty nervous one of the other kids would just step back over the edge and tumble through the brush below...









The road to and from this view made us all feel like we were in Jurassic Park, which was awesome to try to explain to the little kids what Jurassic Park was... A bit further back from whence we came the road was very rural and we kept seeing signs that said "Self Serve Fruit Stand" in which the locals would put out whatever fruit they grew and then, using the honor system, you left money for the fruit in a cash box left next to the fruit. I can't put my finger on it but something about this really stuck with me, and I've been thinking about it ever since. I wish more of the world could be like this... Eh screw it later we bounded back down the coast and hit a roadside offering of Huli Huli Chicken and ate it at Spencer Beach Park. 
Spencer beach park is neat combination of camp ground and picnic area. The water was warm and refreshing after getting greasy but delicious chicken juice all over our bodies.

The one thing that is remarkable about this island is all of the lava rock everywhere. At least I think it's lava rock. It makes the scenery we zip by be that much more mysterious and different...that is when we aren't rolling down the windows to make the kids giggle.






Let me get real for a second. This vacation is all about beach time. It's what all the kids like most and, frankly, it's what my mind needs right now. So after we swam about at Spencer Beach we then moved on to Hapuna Beach...white sands and big waves. And then today all we did was snorkel at Kahalu'u Bay...where the kids and I saw a sea turtle... and then we went right back to our little beach near our house for some easy-going splashing and drinks....
















Tomorrow...we pay a visit to a volcano! Are we all happy about the long drive? I say...YES. WE ALL ARE!


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