Returning to Hawaii

We really love Hawaii. Since 2014 when I came here to do a convention called Hawaiicon, I try to visit every year or so. It turns out Glenn, my husband since 2022, has also been a fan of the Big Island, and a frequent visitor. Sometimes the parallels in our lives previous to each other blow me away.

I didn’t have a lot of money to take fancy vacations! But I did have skills, and I could trade on those to make myself valuable enough to be sponsored over here for a working holiday. That’s how I have managed most of my travels.

When I found plane tickets to take us to the Philippines through Hawaii, I got very excited and we booked a stop here for a few weeks. I needed to recover from a chest cold. The Los Angeles pollution gets to me, and needs to come out!

Plus I could take my new hip out for some hikes and snorkels. Get it into some shape!

The air here is so clean and soft. I LOVE getting up early to get some writing done and be in my own thoughts. Waking up early in Hawaii had a lot of benefits. One of my favorites are the sounds of the birds.

Francoline, little zebra doves, myna birds, red cardinals, green parrots and many others I do not know yet. They wake and chatter with each other, planning their days. It builds to a crescendo then quickly tapers off as they go about those plans.

The moon was full this week and I got up early enough to watch it set, as the new sunlight on the clouds changed moment by moment, and I watch the distant sea, looking for signs of the last whales of the season.

Earlier this week we watched from shore, having been out for a snorkel, as a baby whale frolicked directly out in front of us. Then another baby joined in, a ways away from our ‘little’ one, making colossal splashes with their massive bodies, clearly enjoying themselves. Then mama joined in. Holy moly. We oohed and clapped and finally ran for our phones. We waited for another 5-6 minutes but they had moved on. I have a lot of footage of the quiet ocean.

The visibility has been pretty bad since we got here. Wave action has stirred up a lot of sand and makes it hard to see much of anything. The reefs get covered.

It’s still wonderful to be in the ocean, and we still swim for an hour. Optimistic.

On Saturday we will head out for a tiger shark dive out of Honokohau, the harbor here on the Kona side. I’m ambivalent about seeing sharks. Maybe it will be good for me. But I understand this is a pretty dive even without sharks, and I should get at least this one dive in before we head for the Philippines where we will be on a dive boat for a week. Hopefully we will get some good pictures and I can share them next month! The visibility is often better a bit deeper.

I am posting on my Quest Retreats travel social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram). Please give me a follow! My photos will be going up there.

By next month we will be in the Philippines! Happy Spring!