Dolphin Time (part 1)

Everyone that asks about Hawaii, I say it was amazing. I do not know a better word to describe it. It was an amazing trip, amazing place, amazing people and amazing adventures. I knew that first day it would go by fast, so I jotted down words and experiences throughout the week to help me remember. I am not going to be able to capture it all in words, not even with all the photos I took, so here is my best shot.

Saturday, March 3 (PEACE)

After an early morning and three flights, I made it to the Big Island. I flew to Kailua-Kona with my final destination being the Hale Kai retreat in Honuanau. (Please do not ask me to pronounce these Hawaiian words as I would sound ridiculous.)

It was late afternoon when I arrived, so a quick stop at my room to drop off my stuff, then to the lava beach to set our intentions for the week. It was beautiful with the setting sun. We learned what Aloha means: Alo – first to see, front; ha – breath of life. Dinner and then I went to sleep to the sound of the waves. They did tell us that the next door neighbors had roosters and we may need ear plugs as they will wake you up early. I was already awake at 4am due to the time change and by the end of the week the roosters became background noise. I have a video of the waves and every few seconds you will hear a rooster crow – hilarious!

My roommate was Chrissy, a 27-year old mother of four from Riverside, CA. Her husband has leukemia and is doing better now that he had a bone marrow transplant. He found the retreat for Chrissy and wanted her to go do something for herself. I just love that story. Chrissy was so much fun, a kid at heart, with the best laugh. We were the youngest of the group and got along really well. She is so sweet too. She gave me a seashell anklet bracelet and underwater camera the first day we met. I have a new friend.

Sunday (PLAY)

The week really was a lot about play. I did so many things I have never done before with no fear. The first morning we learned about dolphin time. Colleen, the founder of Women's Quest, is a dolphin fanatic. She told a story about swimming in the ocean, practicing for her triathlons, and the dolphins started recognizing her and swimming with her. One day she lost her yellow swim cap and a dolphin swam after it and got it with the tip of his nose and gave it back to her. She now plays the yellow leaf game with the dolphins, which is basically a game of catch.

Dolphin time means wherever the dolphins are that is where we are going. That morning they were in Kealakekua Bay, which was about a 15-minute drive from Hale Kai. So we loaded up all our gear and headed for the Bay. It is considered one of the most beautiful bays for snorkeling. I had a lot of firsts that day including kayaking, snorkeling and swimming with wild Spinner dolphins. The water was crystal clear and the most gorgeous colors of green and blue. I saw so many amazing colors above and below the water. Chrissy and I were so excited to be in the kayak, in Hawaii, with the dolphins. I remember being out in the middle of the bay as half our group took the kayaks across the bay to Captain Cook Monument. I thought “Oh, I'll be fine” and “They won't be long,” however after a while treading water you do get tired and we decided to swim back to the shore. It didn't look that far, right? After I started swimming, I realized it was far and I would have to pace myself. All that I could think about was that line from Finding Nemo “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!” and that I did.

That afternoon we had our one and only yoga class. Yes, I know what you are thinking, wasn't this a yoga retreat? That's what I thought as well, however after that first day it didn't bother me one bit that we didn't do another yoga class. We did so much more than I ever thought imaginable.

Monday (TRANQUILITY)

A great way to start off a Monday is with a Lomi Lomi massage. It was very relaxing and healing. Julie, the masseuse, was amazing (there's that word again). My massage therapist said if I got the chance I had to get one, so I did. It didn't take much convincing.

After my massage, we headed to the beach that was about a five minute walk, for some more relaxation. Colleen was there and so were the dolphins, so we didn't stay on the beach for long. Off we were in the ocean on the boogie board to watch the dolphins swimming and playing. They became our friends quite quickly.

That afternoon more relaxing in the hammock and then Theresa came with her magical, healing crystals. She did a chakra healing ceremony for us. I wasn't really a big believer in healing crystals, however as she was putting the crystals on our chakra, I saw a flash of green. After she was done I looked for the green stone, malachite, which is the heart chakra. I thought wow, she might have something here.

Me & Princess Tam

That evening we learned some new dance moves from Tamara, or Princess Tam as Colleen nicknamed her (by the end of the week it was PT). She owns a studio in LA and teaches belly dancing and pole dancing. That evening, it was a little bit of yoga and a little bit of Pilates with a sensual flare. We had so much fun dancing and laughing on the beach! Ask me to show you how to get the remote control sometime. 

Jacqueline

We finished the evening with Jacqueline's story time. Her and Colleen met while doing triathlons and have been friends every since. She goes on as many retreats as she can. She is also a mother of two, has a pottery business and just recently got into the real estate business because she wants to sell her house. She laughs every time she says she is a real estate agent. Jacqueline is full of adventure and everything is FANTASTIC! She has infectious personality and will try anything once. The biggest thing I got out of her story telling was to be open to new opportunities. Jacqueline is not afraid to take off on her own and do her own thing without a real plan. She once cycled from LA to her hometown of Calgary, Canada as she thought it was a good idea. She is brave and strong and fun and yes, FANTASTIC!

Tuesday (FREEING)

I felt very free the whole week. I didn't wear make-up, do my hair or stress over the agenda for the day. It felt really good. Guess, how we started this day? Yep, that's right, we swam with the dolphins. Can you imagine waking up every day and the first thing you do is swim with dolphins? I was so grateful I got to experience that.

This was also our hiking day to the City of Refuge. We all partnered up and got to know a little bit more about each other. Chrissy and I partnered with Emily, Jacqueline's 17-year old daughter. It was like we were old friends taking a walk, enjoying the scenery. We stopped at a cliff and threw rocks in the ocean, which symbolized letting go of something. It wasn't that hard to do actually.

Me, Chrissy & Emily

By the end we were hot and tired, but we didn't care. We were in HAWAII! We snorkeled at Two Step Bay and searched for turtles. I didn't have much luck, but Chrissy got some awesome underwater photos of one. Then it was off to Kona Coffeehouse for lunch. Imagine about 20 women in a cafe, hungry, laughing, taking photos. We had a blast! And I had the best cinnamon, honey soy latte ever!

That evening to top it all off, we had hula lessons with Puna. One of my favorites experiences while I was there. Puna is a native Hawaiian and she brought her eight-year old granddaughter, Talia, with her. We changed into our sarongs, put a flower in our hair and we were ready to go. Puna was impressed with our moves and I had to thank Tamara who got us started off right the night before. Then Puna and her granddaughter performed for us and it was so beautiful. They stayed for dinner and Puna had so many wonderful stories. I wish I could of listened to her for hours, however after a day like that, we were all pretty tired. Puna is one person I will never forget and so thankful to have met her.

Colleen & Puna