Dolphine Time (part 2)

Wednesday (EXPLORING)

We spent the day exploring the island and hiking with Janine, our tour guide. We learned about the vegetation and culture of the Big Island. I have to admit I don't remember everything she told us, but one think I found very interesting. Out of the 13 climate zones, Hawaii has 11. They really do have it all. As we were driving to our first stop, I saw this first hand. It got a little cooler, I saw grassy plains, mountains, it was like we were on the main land U.S. of A. We stopped for a short hike and saw the glorious landscape of the island – it was very refreshing. We also went into the town of Hilo, to a Farmer's market for shopping and lunch. We saw a beautiful waterfall, Rainbow Falls, and the biggest Banyan tree ever. 

The main attraction for me was to see the Kilauea volcano. It was an awesome sight. We didn't see actual lava flow, but we saw the smoke and were able to hike down through a rainforest to the base. We also walked through a lava tube, which was like a cave that actual lava once flowed through.

Me, Anne, Chrissy, Emily

Some interesting info from Wikipedia:

Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes on the planet. Despite its relative safety for researchers and visitors alike, Kīlauea is regarded by the USGS as the most dangerous volcano in the U.S. In 2010-2011, lava destroyed several houses in the Kalapana area. In March 2012, lava from Kīlauea completed the destruction of the Royal Gardens subdivision by burning the last remaining home there. According to the United States Geological Survey, the Volcanic-Alert Level for Kīlauea as of April, 2012 is "Watch".A Watch status is used to designate escalating unrest or a minor eruption underway that poses limited hazards.

Little history on Pela from Wikipedia:

For Native Hawaiians, Kīlauea is considered the "body" of Pele, the volcano goddess of ancient Hawaiian legend. Several lava formations are named after her, including Pele's tears (small droplets of lava that cool in the air and retain their teardrop shapes) and Pele's hair (thin, brittle strands of volcanic glass that often form during the explosions that accompany a lava flow as it enters the ocean).

In Hawaiian mythology, Kīlauea is where most of the conflict between Pele and the rain god Kamapuaʻa took place. Halemaʻumaʻu, "House of the ʻamaʻumaʻu fern", derives its name from the final struggle between the two gods: since it was the favorite residence of Pele, Kamapuaʻa, hard-pressed by Pele's ability to make lava spout from the ground at will, covered it with the fronds of the fern. Choking from the smoke which could not escape anymore, Pele emerged. Realizing that each could threaten the other with destruction, the gods had to call their fight a draw and divided the island between them: Kamapuaʻa got the windward northeastern side, and Pele got the drier Kona (or leeward) side. The rusty singed appearance of the young fronds of the ʻamaʻumaʻu was said to be a product of the legendary struggle.

  

Thursday (PRESENT)

I couldn't believe I only have two more days left in Hawaii! You really have to take it all in and be present as it goes by faster than you want. I started off the day at the beach learning to paddle board. It was the closest I got to surfing and after figuring out how to balance (and turn) it was a lot of fun. Back at Hale Kai, someone spotted a whale from the lanai. We all rushed over to see the tail dipping down into the water, then watched it dive again. It was super cool. That was actually the only time we saw a whale which was ironic, since we went on a whale watching boat ride that afternoon.

The boat ride was still a lot of fun. It actually felt more like a roller coaster as it was a little stormy and the waves were throwing us around. Someone brought up that it reminded them of the movie “The Perfect Storm” and I had to agree. It would have been nice if George Clooney and Mark Whalberg were on the boat with us, but we did have a friendly boat hand and dog to keep us company. With no whales in sight, we stopped to do a little snorkeling. I stayed on the boat as I wasn't ready to get my wet suit on. We were on the boat all afternoon and into the evening by the time we stopped to prepare for the manta rays. I was ready to get in the water, which actually helped with the slight motion sickness I was feeling.  

Getting into a wet suit is another experience in itself. I have never done it before and by watching the others, it looked exhausting. As we were all getting ready, Jacqueline and I happened to notice Cynthia getting into her wet suit. She had just gotten her leg into what she thought was the leg hole, when we all realized that she actually had put her leg into the arm hole. Jacqueline and I started busting up laughing and could not stop. It was one of those tears down your face, belly hurting, can't breathe laughing fits. And when you think you've can't laugh anymore, you look at each other and just start all over again. I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time and it felt good! Poor Cynthia though was done and decided not to try again.

Swimming with the manta rays was a magical experience. I did not care that it took me 20 minutes to get into my wet suite and it was dark and cold and I was surrounded by hundreds of people. It was all worth it. Our instructions were to hold onto the board that had lights shining down and stay very still with our snorkel gear on. We went to the “campfire” as they called it and waited. The lights drew the plankton and the plankton is what the manta rays eat. Just looking down into the ocean with the lights and the fish and the diver's bubbles was something I'll never forget. Then, it happened, we started to see these amazing creatures swimming by us. You would hear groups of people cheering as they saw them and you would look around for a glimpse. At first it was a little scary and if you are claustrophobic I highly recommend you don't do this. Then, just like snorkeling, it was mesmerizing as you would see this large, circular manta rays gracefully swim by. My moment, was when one swam right underneath me and instead of swimming away like they had been doing, he proceeded to do five flips like he was showing off for me. Unbelievable! That was it for me, considering I was a little cold and knew nothing could top that. Back to the boat and back to Hale Kai with a memory of a lifetime.

Friday (REFLECTION)

Last full day on the Big Island, wow. This day was about relaxing and reflecting on all I had done. I had to get in some more beach time, reading in the hammock and just being. We sat on the lava rocks outside Hale Kai as Colleen led us in some gyrokinesis exercises to awaken the senses. We had our closing ceremony at the tide pools with an avocado and oil scrub. Colleen and Jacqueline gave us a Blessing Bag of “Empowerment” with little mementos. Liz also gave us a stone to take with us that we each blessed with our courage and strength. That evening we ended with play. Princess Tam gave us each a scarf and bracelets that had coins that jingled and showed us some belly dancing moves. It was the perfect ending to a week full of fun and amazing experiences. 

 

Saturday (SPONTANEITY)

I had not planned to do anything, except sleep in, pack and get ready to leave. However, I heard Colleen say they were going to go for a swim and whoever wanted to come should meet at the front now. It was my last day, so I threw on my suit and grabbed my goggles. We jumped off the lava rocks right outside Hale Kai and swam around to the beach. So glad I did that. It was peaceful and beautiful and fun and inspiring and everything from the week wrapped up into that one final swim. Goodbye for now Hawaii. I'll see you again soon.