Aloha Hawaii <3

I have watched the ocean, seen the locals, tasted the food. Walked on lava. Stepped into the cold Pacific. Smelled the flowers…gardenia smells the best and fills the air. Dark pink plumeria have a slight cinnamon scent. Ate lilikoi cookies. Met two lovely ladies, mother and daughter, that made food to sell at the stand in their driveway, bento boxes, which was delicious with some strips of something chewy and deliciously seasoned, along with homemade malasadas (this was the best food). My kind of people they were. <3 Walked on Coconut Island and strolled through the Japanese garden, complete with an arched bridge. The vibe is slow. No frills. Do what you gotta do. Don’t make too much of things. Get your hands dirty. Don’t be afraid. Gold dust geckos. Drove by Kona coffee bushes and macadamia nut tree farms. Took shelter from the rain under a banyan tree. Held coral in my hands. Seen the destruction that nature can have from the ocean and volcanoes. Awoken at 4 am by two wild boars munching small trees and rooting in the dirt next to our window. Very loudly scratching and chomping. Lauhala matting roll wall covering made from palm leaves. Smell of gardenias in the air. Coconut haupia & mac nut crunch ice cream with coconut mango strawberry jelly. Pineapple ice cream. Shave ice. Mochi. Slow mornings on the lanai. Sea turtles. Beaches covered with coral instead of sand. Walked over a volcano and looked into a steam vent. Ate Jamaican coconut curry under bougainvillea in the breeze with plumeria in pots smelling sweet like Hawaii. The white plumeria with yellow center smell like paradise. Furikake!!! Baldwin Beach. Saw a chameleon. Mounds of coral everywhere. Malasada with custard. Ate lunch under the monkey pod trees next to the mountains, plumeria and bougainvillea flowers floating through the air. Went to the aquarium. Made friends with a beach kitty. Ate acai bowl with bee pollen and Hawaiian honey, it was delicious. Drank mango smoothie…yum…and tropical sweet tea looking out over the ocean. Washed out by the waves on a beach on the south side. Delicious coconut style pancakes with French toast. Lots of farmers markets and fresh fruits. Chickens everywhere. Wild goats covering the mountains in central Big Island. Experienced Aloha.

Mahalo!