aloha

Hello, love, & goodbye -- 3 powerful meanings of a single hawaiian word , aloha. The past 8 days I spent in the charming state of Hawaii, on the big island to be exact. Taking the red eye at midnight last night is absolutely draining, but I am eager to share my experiences with you all.

On this trip, we were quite adventurous. We were traveling with our cousins from Seattle, who often push us to be more active and less lay around the hotel all day. As a result of our new "active lifestyle" (that's what we were calling it) we first trekked out to a volcano on the other side of the island to ride bikes. Getting there wasn't easy, it rained harder than I had ever seen rain in my life and we honestly expected our car to float away. The island is seriously bipolar - sunny and warm on one side, cold and rainy on the other. The bike ride was 8 miles and offered various picturesque views of a volcano, a rainforest, a lava tube and a steamy spring. Hands down, one of the coolest experiences of my life and tbh I felt really cool in the biker gloves.

A second active lifestyle expedition was launched as we reached the end of the road - literally - it just stops. Opening up to steep, mossy cliff, a quaint beach hid between the trees and beckoned us down. Once we reached the bottom with no difficulty, a tiny world was uncovered. A cute wooden swing hung between the forest, and a small creek lead to a ocean full of crashing waves. It was a place you could enjoy all day exploring and never get bored. WARNING: the guide book lies - the hike back up wasn't even hard.

2014 here we come

Adventures progressed and New Year's Eve was upon us. Dinner was delicious at the Canoe House and afterwards we attended the so-called party being thrown at our hotel. All in all, it was a bunch of old people dancing to old songs so instead we steered clear and lay in hammocks on the beach waiting for the clock to strike 12 - 4 hours behind my hometown. The fireworks display left our eyes dancing and it was a night well spent with the extended family.

p.s.s. if you ever go to hawaii, try the guava ice cream sherbet - it rocks!!!

me n some fish