Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

Have you ever head the song “I Hate This Part” by the Pussycat dolls? If you haven’t, I’m not suggesting you do so- but just know that the chorus of the song explains precisely how I’m feeling at the current moment.

While we are still in Hawaii, and we’ve got a gorgeous view…we can’t get off the ship.

I see land. I could almost reach out and touch it.

(Okay, so the ship is a tad bit too far out to touch…but I can imagine it, you know?)

Our ship traveled all though the night (and part of today) from Hilo to Honolulu because we’ve got to fuel up for the next 12 days. Next stop- Japan. I’m already dreaming of my feet meeting dry asphalt again. Or concrete. Or dirt. Or whatever doesn’t move.

Meanwhile, I’m sure you’re all just DYING to know what I did with my few hours in Hawaii.

I had a set plan in my mind as to what I wanted to do: I needed to find a jewelry store to find a new gold chain (because the one that I wear my scarab on broke), go to a music store, possibly go kayaking, and then go to the beach. Pretty much spend a day alone, because I really cherish time to myself- as you probably know.

You’d think by this point in time I would fully anticipate not having things go according to my plan. I did not get to spend time alone and I did not get a new chain. BUT, I wouldn’t change yesterday in any way.

So, I got into the line to get off of the ship (I was second—I really wanted to get on land) and in front of me was a friend that I had met a few nights prior in a game of ninja! I asked what her plan was, and she said to go to straight to walmart and that she didn’t want to go alone- I decided…I could go for that…I could always pick up some nutella and peanut butter. After a few days of iceberg lettuce and pasta- peanut butter is a beautiful sight, especially after more than a week at sea where the only protein is fish...

And at that point in time…things of the sea will not be on my nice list.

ANYWAY.

We zipped through Wal-Mart, got our goodies- which consisted of beef jerky, nutella, peanut butter, and Oreos and chocolate covered macadamia nuts (we had to take in some of the local culture, you know?), and hopped back onto a bus that took us back to the ship. On the bus ride we made the plan to run to the beach and find a local restaurant to grab lunch at after we dropped off our loot!

In order to get back on the ship, we had to put our bags through a scanner to make sure we were not bringing back anything we weren’t supposed to. Now, the rule for bringing food onto the ship is technically supposed to be limited to food that you can eat in one sitting. So when my Amanda’s bag went through the scanner, the head honcho pulled out her pack of Oreos and said “this can not be consumed at one time.”

Her response?

“That’s debatable.”

It was just funny enough to allow us both to keep everything we had. What luck!

ONTO THE NEXT ADVENTURE.

We quickly put our things in our respective rooms and reconvened downstairs. We then got off of the ship for the second time and approached a couple of locals outside of where we were docked because they were offering up information/recommendations! With about an hour to spare before my kayaking adventure,  I figured we could make it to a beach, eat some delicious food, and then I’d part ways with Amanda and take a taxi back to the meeting place for my excursion. The women told us that the beaches in Hilo didn’t really have any restaurants or concessions on the beaches, so we opted for food.

We were directed to a great place just a mile up the road called Ponds- and decided to take a cab. There were a couple of people (SAS students) just standing around, we asked them what their plans were for the day, they had none, so we invited them to come along! AND, they both had field programs at the same time as me- so it was perfect!

We conducted our introductions in the cab on the way to lunch (keep in mind- 45 minutes remaining until we needed to be back) and headed into our mystery restaurant!

Okay…not so mysterious, it was great! Had awesome food, great selection, but was so SLOW despite the fact that we made sure that we let our waiter know that we were on a time crunch. The four of us had already agreed that we would call for a taxi and request that we get our checks as soon as our lunch arrived- and as soon as it was in sight, we started dialing. Four taxi companies later and 20 minutes until we needed to be back at the ship- no one was available. I asked our waiter if he could hook us up with a cab- luckily he “knew a guy” and went straight away to give him a call.

WHAT A RELIEF.

We were going to be picked up- it would be a 5 minute cab ride, and we’d be ready to kayak. With this relieving thought, we all relaxed, stopped inhaling our food, and began to enjoy it.

Our waiter reemerged and informed us that a cab would pull up to Ponds in fifteen minutes to take us to our destination. FIFTEEN MINUTES. Alright. The eye has passed and we are in the tempest.

We put our money down, thanked our host, and then took off running.

Given, we didn’t have far to go, a mile in 10 minutes is a very doable thing. However, I’m sure we looked absolutely ridiculous- for 20 something year olds with backpacks running up the road. Or maybe it’s the fact that each of us were slightly panicked but laughing hysterically the entire time?

ANYWAY.

We got there with time to spare (don’t worry Mom and Dad), got on our buses, and were off to the bay! There were about nine other students, two instructors, and two life long learners on our excursion- and we split up into pairs, hopped into kayaks, and off we went!

The weather was lovely and the miles went by quickly.

We found our way to a grotto overgrown with trees that had long roots hanging from them.

 Just beyond the roots of these trees we could see a series of waterfalls and we went to go explore. We then took turns going under the (very cold) waterfall you see on the far right.

ALSO, you see the falls in the back? If you get too close to them, your kayak will be stuck in some sort of merry-go-round effect. It will be fun the first few times, then you will desperately want out.

Anywho.

It was well worth all of the hullabaloo from earlier in the day. It was a nice first day in port, and I look forward to being in a different country about two weeks from now.

LESSONS LEARNED:

1. Things will rarely (at best) go your way. And it often give you a good story to tell

2. Time is of the essence. Do not be rely on a cab.

Things I love about today:

1.  The fact that I did not have to kayak in large swells. It made staying out there for a few hours incredibly pleasant

2. My little buddy went home today!

3. So many people came returned from their Hawaii adventures with ukuleles. We could start an all uke band- and we might.