I am unsure if you remember me mentioning back in April of this year that my family and I went to Hawaii for two weeks (the Big Island)…well I never did an official post on our trip. I really wanted too, but when I uploaded my photos from our trip I had a total of 1200 photos.
Needless to say I was overwhelmed.
This past weekend between going to the mall with my mom while she Black Friday shopped and being in a induced comatose Turkey state, I browsed 1200 photo…and came up with select few…
Okay…okay…more than a few photos to share with you.
Get ready for an overload of photos!!!!
If you are anything like me, once you find your gate at the airport…you are in immediate search of a Starbucks….and probably a restroom.But 13 hours in the air…I believe decent coffee is a must for traveling.
And we are off….Sophia is a fabulous traveler; I believe she enjoys airports just as much as I do. Truth be told…she literally slept the entire way there, and even when we arrived at our timeshare that night…she fell right back to sleep.
One of my favorite parts about Hawaii are their natural flowers, they are absolutely beautiful.
One semi-rainy day we decided to go walk on hardened lava, I have to admit it was not my cup of tea, but it was quite interesting to do. I was trying to not get jacked up while vacationing. My mom, Mike (stepdad), Timmy and Sophia were admiring the ocean..all of a sudden this huge wave appeared and my first thought was “oh crap their going to get soaked,” the water hit the rocks and sprayed them all.
It was quite amusing to watch; mother nature paid me back a few days later for laughing. I got caught in a rain storm that left me looked like a drowned rat.
We all learned how to pick and crack Coconuts just in case we ever find ourselves stranded on an island; like Tom Hanks in Castaway. It’s a lot of work, but totally worth it.
All natural Coconut water is very tasty, it totally beats what you find in the Organic section at the grocery store. Sophia really enjoyed herself.
Oh and by the way this is my nephew Timmy.
Ahh so beautiful, it’s like the closest thing to Heaven on Earth. Hawaii is so peaceful.
Sophia and I are water people, we love it. When I go to the beach you won’t find my laying out…I find it to be quite boring.
The sun is so intense that we layered Sophia up with 100% waterproof sunblock. I carried in my bag a hat, cover ups and even a change of clothes. The last thing I wanted was her to get sun poisoning.
Tip: If for some reason you don’t have Aloe (if you do put it in the fridge) or a pool, take a lukewarm bath with White Vinegar…you may smell like a salad but the vinegar draws the fever out.
King Kamehameha or also known as King Kame is one of my favorite spots. The water is still and there is so much that you can do here. This is where I Snorkel, Canoe, Paddle board…or just swim.
My nephew Timmy and I rented a Canoe for a few hours and canoed way past the docks; and ended up landed about 50 feet away from a group of traveling dolphins that were swimming and jumping in-and-out of the water. That was amazing.
I was hoping Sophia would want to come, but she was too scared.
This day, I took my snorkel gear and swam past the docks and saw some of the most beautiful fish in the world. If you have never saw a Yellow Tang, put it on your bucket list…they are the most vibrant shade of Yellow…just breath taking.
I enjoy swimming, I get lost doing it…especially in the ocean. You won’t find me in the Pittsburgh rivers swimming…they freak me out..plus they’re dirty.
But Hawaii…yeah.
Apparently, out past the docks a bit, one of the parasailing guys were telling me that there is a 50 foot shark that likes to hang out there, if memory serves me right I believe they named her Betty.
I still went out.
A typical photo of us!
I walked into town one morning a{“type”:”block”,”srcIndex”:2,”srcClientId”:”1b6496cd-b2aa-4f32-89c5-b43fdf6f7a60″,”srcRootClientId”:””}nd sent Coconuts in the mail to some friends and family back home. They were so much fun to do. I sat outside of the store with a bunch of markers and decorated 4 Coconuts. One tourist thought I was making them for the store and asked to buy one from me; but unfortunately I had to tell her otherwise and pointed in the direction of where I got them.
My little love!
On the side of their main highway you will find these white rocks all over the place. Everyone spells their names to pay tribute to Pele the Fire Goddness of lightening, wind and volcanoes; and the creator of the Hawaiian Islands.
If you hear a local say “Pele, must be mad,” there is usually a rain storm happening.
Hapuna Beach is my second favorite spot. If you are looking for waves that you would typically see at Florida or Ocean City, then this your spot.
We all had a ball here. Timmy and I went out past the waves for like two hours where the water was warm and you had those mellow waves that turn into boogie boarding waves.
We bought donuts leaving Hapuna Beach that day! They were fantastic and massive! Some of the biggest donuts balls I have ever seen before!
Sophia learning how to do the Hula at the timeshare, I made her the Lei crown.
Heading to a Luau. I love going to them, they are my favorite; I don’t go every time I visit Hawaii, but this was my nephew Timmys first time visiting…so we had to go.
If you find yourself going to hawaii (the Big Island) and want to go to a fantastic Luau, contact me…I’ve seen them twice and they never disappoint. Plus the food and alcohol is amazing…and the sunsets never disappoint.
Heading to meet Grandma Sue at the local restaurant for Taco Tuesday, and I made Mike pull over to get some sunset photos.
Basik Cafe had the best fresh fruit Asai Bowls in the world. I snuck away one morning and are the entire bowl myself. It was amazing, my only regret wasn’t trying their Asai Bowls earlier during the course of my trip.
This is Sophia and I heading home to Pittsburgh. I have so many other photos that I would love to share with you…maybe a future blog post. BUT taking Sophia to Hawaii was the highlight of 2017; I loved it so much. She got to meet family for the first time and I got to meet the grandkids and see some family that I have not seen probably close to ten years.
My goal is too not take so long to go back. It truly one of my favorite places to vacation. If you are thinking about going to Hawaii..GO!
Sarah Chavis Blog 