Island Breeze Lu'au

We have adjusted to the time difference now.  Some neat things to know about the island; there are no snakes and the only wild animals are boars and merkats.  Motorcyclists do not wear helmets and hitchhiking is not enforced.  There are no billboards polluting the roads and instead of deer crossing signs there are donkey crossing signs!  They have vog, which is a combo of fog and smog.  The volcano emits sulfur into the air and on some days there is a gray/purple haze around the mountain tops.
We started the clear, 88 degree morning worshipping at Waikoloa Community Church.  It was fun to sing the benediction in Hawaiian.  Afterwards, we headed to the northern part of the island the dead-ends to the Pololu Valley Overlook.

You park on the side of the road and are at the peak of the overlook.  The view is inspiring.  We hiked down the rocky switchback to the bottom.  It took about a half an hour and felt like a scene from the Indian Jones movie; I kept waiting for some huge boulder to come rolling down behind me.  This trail is not for the faint hearted!

We worked up a good sweat, but I find that fun (I know I can be weird like that).  The delights at the bottom are enchanting.  A grove welcomes you with trees and swings and a breeze from the ocean.

It was like being in a dreamy secret, nobody was around, just the two of us.  It actually felt that way the whole time we were on the island, like God had just set aside every moment just for the two of us.

Luckily we did find another person to take our picture on the swing!  After you walk through the grove you come out to this spectacular black beach.  All the stones on the beach were skipping stones, which hubby is a very good skipper!  This is the bottom of the overlook.

 So you see the green hill on the left of this picture, that is the where the hiking trail is hidden.  It is pretty steep!  That stranger in the picture had 3 collies that just sat and watched while he surfed.  We wrote a message in the sand to our kids and took a picture of it since paper, pen and a bottle were not handy!
The hike back up the mountain was vigorous.  We were so glad we had packed a lunch (sushi) and it was waiting in the cooler for us.
We drove through Waimea where there is a huge cattle ranch and sported about 3000 ft. elevation, it was 72 degrees up there.  Of all the different languages on the planet, I really think I could learn the Haiwaiian language.  There are 7 consonants (p/k/h/l/m/n/w) and 5 vowels.  Just right for me!  Plus being on an island,  I geographically knew my whereabouts, and that is VERY exciting for someone who gets lost in her hometown!

We got all gussied up and went to a beachfront Lu'au, along with 300 other people!  The costumes and food and performers were fabulous.  We learned how to open a coconut:

And before we ate they said a prayer (in Hawaiian) and closed the prayer in Jesus name!  Then they sang some hymns in Hawaiian, it was so exciting.

They changed costume at least a dozen times.  Out night-time pictures did not turn out so good so these were the best of the bunch.  The honored married couples and we go to dance (my favorite!).

Can you see the vog in the background?  The Hawaiian locals were all a happy lot, smiling, and relaxed.  "Hang Loose"  is the motto there (thumb and pinky).  They are a people who love tradition and love their land.

Blessings,
E.W.