Well, I am seven days late, but happy new year friends! I have to say that 2013 was a very full year for me, and I'm looking forward to filling 2014 with adventure. 2013 was actually the longest year of my life.. I rang in 2013 in Bali, which is one of the first time zones to celebrate, and I rang in 2014 in Kona, Hawaii, which is one of the last time zones to celebrate! It definitely feels like I made the most of my extra long year, and when I think about all the things that happened in 2013, it is just crazy. I am always writing about how time seems to fly, but really.. it does.
Anyway.. I am back in Singapore after an amazing week on the Big Island Hawaii!! Stephanie and I met up with some friends from the US (kind of the same plan as last year actually), and it was an awesome trip. Stephanie has been to Hawaii a lot, so she basically planned our whole trip, which was fine by me!
I'm really not even sure where to start with this recap.. it was a packed week! We went kayaking, snorkeling (including a night snorkel with manta rays!!!), zip lining, hiking, and whale watching.. here is a look at some of our days.. but honestly, there is too much to really share.. it was an absolutely epic week.
I made the long journey from Singapore to Manila to Honolulu to Kona.. it was quite the journey, but it was totally worth it. (Even though Philippine Airlines totally sucks. And so does the Manila airport.. all I wanted on my layover was a bottle of water, but all the shops only took cash, and I didn't have any pesos!)
After everyone had arrived, we just hung out in our condo and had a cookout!! One of the things that I miss the most about America is a good home cooked meal. It's funny the things we take for granted...
Our first morning in Hawaii we woke up early (jet lag!) and headed over to pick up some kayaks and snorkel gear for a day on the water!
This was my first time kayaking in the open ocean rather than in a calm little lagoon. It was quite the experience! I was lucky to have Stephanie as my kayak buddy haha. The waves were kind of big when we were going out and coming in!! (We actually got totally taken out by a wave on the way back in.. but luckily, Rufus came to help us.. it was a huge wave!) The water was a bit choppy, but we kayaked over towards the snorkel spot and then dove in. The coral was really pretty, but because everything is alive down there, you're not supposed to stand on anything.. you just tread water the whole time.. I got tired pretty easily!
This hike was really different than most other hikes that I've done. Rather than climbing up to a summit, we climbed down into a valley that was all lava rock. It was really cool to see all the rocks and walk on lava.. definitely a unique experience!!
We also did a really short trail where we got to see some more steam pockets and the different colored sulfur gases coming out of the rocks. I think back to the days when I took earth science as a kid, and none of this was that interesting to me.. I wonder why?
We left the park because the storm clouds were rolling in, but by the time we got away from that side of the island, the skies were blue and gorgeous, so we stopped at a black sand beach on our way home.
Day 3 was zipline day!! The zipline tour company sent us out to a farm house to play with animals and get suited up for our adventure.
And then we were off! We ziplined from tree to tree with our two guides.. it was really fun!
This was my first time ziplining, but I loved it! Super fun and not something you get to do often. Also, I think it was good that my first ziplining experience was in the US.. some of the other people in our group were talking about their experiences ziplining in Costa Rica and South Africa.. and that did not seem quite as safe!!
We celebrated New Years Eve with a home cooked meal (ribs and grilled corn!!!!!), and then we headed out for some drinks and dancing. (Side note - we made friends with TONS of Canadians during our stay. Super fun!) I actually didn't really see any fireworks, which was a bit anti-climactic, but it was still a fun night.
The rest of our vacation was more pool/beach time, a luau, an un-photographed night snorkel with manta rays (which are incredible!!!), and lots of Uno. Hawaii is so gorgeous. One last fun thing to share with you.. I discovered this place called Basik Acai that serves acai bowls. Basically, it is acai (you know, that superfood thing?) blended up and topped with fruit and granola. Literally, the most delicious and refreshing breakfast ever! I had it twice in two days and savored every bite. Apparently, acai bowls aren't really available anywhere but Hawaii and San Francisco, but I am really hoping that they catch on quickly!!!
Ok, this post is really long, so I'm going to wrap it up. Basically..
Hawaii = paradise
2013 = good
2014 = exciting
Oh and ps - if you noticed that the photos in this post are way better than normal.. shout out to Lena and her fancy camera!!
Anyway.. I am back in Singapore after an amazing week on the Big Island Hawaii!! Stephanie and I met up with some friends from the US (kind of the same plan as last year actually), and it was an awesome trip. Stephanie has been to Hawaii a lot, so she basically planned our whole trip, which was fine by me!
I'm really not even sure where to start with this recap.. it was a packed week! We went kayaking, snorkeling (including a night snorkel with manta rays!!!), zip lining, hiking, and whale watching.. here is a look at some of our days.. but honestly, there is too much to really share.. it was an absolutely epic week.
I made the long journey from Singapore to Manila to Honolulu to Kona.. it was quite the journey, but it was totally worth it. (Even though Philippine Airlines totally sucks. And so does the Manila airport.. all I wanted on my layover was a bottle of water, but all the shops only took cash, and I didn't have any pesos!)
I landed just in time for a quick drive to the beach
Sunset in Kona!!
After everyone had arrived, we just hung out in our condo and had a cookout!! One of the things that I miss the most about America is a good home cooked meal. It's funny the things we take for granted...
Our first morning in Hawaii we woke up early (jet lag!) and headed over to pick up some kayaks and snorkel gear for a day on the water!
This is where we launched our kayaks from
This was my first time kayaking in the open ocean rather than in a calm little lagoon. It was quite the experience! I was lucky to have Stephanie as my kayak buddy haha. The waves were kind of big when we were going out and coming in!! (We actually got totally taken out by a wave on the way back in.. but luckily, Rufus came to help us.. it was a huge wave!) The water was a bit choppy, but we kayaked over towards the snorkel spot and then dove in. The coral was really pretty, but because everything is alive down there, you're not supposed to stand on anything.. you just tread water the whole time.. I got tired pretty easily!
Hi!
The next day, we drove out to the Volcanoes National Park. The roads were really winding, so it took us about 2.5 hours to get there. Luckily, there was gorgeous scenery along the way.
Aloha!
I think this was my first trip ever to a National Park, and I loved it. We went and checked out the big volcano before doing some of the shorter hikes.
This hike was really different than most other hikes that I've done. Rather than climbing up to a summit, we climbed down into a valley that was all lava rock. It was really cool to see all the rocks and walk on lava.. definitely a unique experience!!
Lava lake hike
In the lava lake
Last year we hiked to the top.. this year we hiked to the bottom
Team jump shot
We also did a really short trail where we got to see some more steam pockets and the different colored sulfur gases coming out of the rocks. I think back to the days when I took earth science as a kid, and none of this was that interesting to me.. I wonder why?
We left the park because the storm clouds were rolling in, but by the time we got away from that side of the island, the skies were blue and gorgeous, so we stopped at a black sand beach on our way home.
So beautiful
We met a turtle!! I think this guy washed into a pool during high tide and couldn't get back out.
Day 3 was zipline day!! The zipline tour company sent us out to a farm house to play with animals and get suited up for our adventure.
And then we were off! We ziplined from tree to tree with our two guides.. it was really fun!
There goes Stephanie!
This was my first time ziplining, but I loved it! Super fun and not something you get to do often. Also, I think it was good that my first ziplining experience was in the US.. some of the other people in our group were talking about their experiences ziplining in Costa Rica and South Africa.. and that did not seem quite as safe!!
Afterward, we stopped for a shave ice!!
I came back again the very next day :)
On the first day of 2014, we headed to Kona Brewery for lunch!
Of course, I had a sampler.. I love trying little bits of everything!
After lunch, we headed to the docks for our next activity!
We boarded the Body Glove boat to do some whale watching!
It was a bit windy and the water was a bit choppy
I don't really have any good pictures of whales.. but we did get to see some! And the boat had some sort of scientist on board who was able to tell us all sorts of cool facts about whales. But to be honest.. I just love being on boats.. I would've still thought it was a great day even if we hadn't seen any whales. But it was really cool to see them :)
The rest of our vacation was more pool/beach time, a luau, an un-photographed night snorkel with manta rays (which are incredible!!!), and lots of Uno. Hawaii is so gorgeous. One last fun thing to share with you.. I discovered this place called Basik Acai that serves acai bowls. Basically, it is acai (you know, that superfood thing?) blended up and topped with fruit and granola. Literally, the most delicious and refreshing breakfast ever! I had it twice in two days and savored every bite. Apparently, acai bowls aren't really available anywhere but Hawaii and San Francisco, but I am really hoping that they catch on quickly!!!
Acai, spirulina, hemp milk, berries, banana, honey, hemp, and granola
Acai, cashew milk, berries, pineapple, coconut, and granola
Ok, this post is really long, so I'm going to wrap it up. Basically..
Hawaii = paradise
2013 = good
2014 = exciting
Oh and ps - if you noticed that the photos in this post are way better than normal.. shout out to Lena and her fancy camera!!
Aloha friends
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