Kona, Hawaii
If your friend calls you and asks if you want to go to Hawaii, you say yes.
Earlier this month, my friend asked me if I wanted to join her on a trip to Hawaii and that’s just not something I could say no to. We love to dive and explore new places, so a girls trip with her here sounds ideal. Am I flying Spirit one of the ways and only packing a personal item in order to go? Yes. But that is all part of the adventure.
Drink of Choice
Technically, this is not the state drink of Hawaii. The state drink is ‘Awa which is the Hawaiian term for Kava. And while I will definitely want to deep dive into the specific traditions of ‘Awa in Hawaiian culture, I thought I would I pick a cocktail in true Hungover in Airports fashion. While Mai Tai’s originated in Oakland, California, Kona hosts a Mai Tai Festival every year where the mixologists compete to have the best Mai Tai.
Hungover in Kona
Mai Tai’s are a refreshing drink made of Light and dark rum, orange curacao, lime juice, orgeat, simple syrup.
This drink was invented in 1944 at The Trade Vic’s in Oakland, but those refreshing flavors will take you to paradise. Check out me attempting to make one in this video.
Whale watching on landing
I don’t like a wasted travel day and that’s what makes travel timings so difficult. However, I think I kinda nailed it this time. I landed in Kona around noon and immediately headed to the beach because I will not be coming indoors for as long as I can avoid it each day. I also needed a place to go while I waited for my friend, so I headed to Kekaha Kai State Beach. I wasn’t the one with the rental car reservation, so I took an Uber and ran into a bit of a snag. Turns out, if you read more than I do, you’ll see that vehicles with all wheel drive are ideal for the road there and nothing else will really do. So I got dropped off about a mile or so from the beach. As soon as you start walking, you see why the road gives that disclaimer because it is BUMPY. But as a pedestrian, I was able to get a closer look at the lava rock on the way to the beach. Yes, this is a site you will see constantly on this trip, but it’s so unique every time.
After a long walk down, you’ll get to the beach and it just feels like the perfect I-am-in-Hawaii moment. The beaches are as stunning as you see in pictures. The water is so clear. Given that I could only bring a personal item, I knew I couldn’t bring my snorkel, but if you’ve chosen to not fly Spirit Airlines, I would bring a snorkel. I still jumped into the water and read a beach read. My reading was joyously interrupted by a lady freaking out, but in the best way. I looked up from my book to see a whale straight up jump out of the water and do a backflip. It was stunning and also just so unexpected. I think I’ve always grown up with whale watching being from the water that seeing them from the beach was even more magical.
Happy reunion
After a nice long day at the beach, my friend landed and got a car, and headed over. It was such a great reunion because we hadn’t seen each other since my wedding and even then, it’s a wedding so how much quality 1:1 time do you really get. My friend and I have known each other since high school (although technically we met when we were 5, but that is a story for a different time). We’ve been trying to plan a trip for a while and I’m so grateful it finally happened.
Catching up and hanging out
The rest of the day was mostly getting settled and catching up. We spent the evening at Lava Lava beach club. When we got there, they had 2 seats at the bar, which was perfect because the wait otherwise would have been 2 hours. We sat down, chatted, and did so much people watching. The bar seats were conveniently facing the rest of the bar so we played a fun game of where is that tourist from. The best part (besides people watching) of being at the bar was getting to chat with the bartenders when they got a rare moment to breathe. Our bartender was Shorty and no, that is not a nickname. This man is in fact 6’7” with a palpable presence in the room. Shorty is not an ironic nickname but the name his parents gave him because he was evidently really small as a baby. It was a great story on breaking perceptions, and probably the highlight of the night. People tend to be very open and vulnerable while sitting at the bar, and sometimes that vulnerability leads to connections. And isn’t the point of travel making these connections?
I could do without the bird
If you know me, you know I am terrified of birds. This doesn’t bode well for me in places that have primarily birds as their wildlife. We woke up to turkeys on the patio of our temporary residence. They are proof that birds are dinosaurs because just look at them. Seeing them was a great motivation to get the heck out of there and on the road to an adventure packed day. On the agenda for today: Kaumana Caves, Rainbow Falls, and (my bucket list national park) Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
We ran into more birds outside of Kaumana caves. What felt like a whole flock of chickens were there to greet us, and I feel like at this point I was just going through shock therapy. They were actually nice birds and preferred life above the caves, so once we went into the caves, I didn’t have an issue.
Literally off the side of the road
It’s wild to think that if we hadn’t wanted to go to the caves that we likely would have driven right over them and never even noticed. I think that is probably the coolest part about visiting the Big Island is that because of the nature of how the Island came into being, there is never an end to the amount you can explore and the island is ever changing. There is no substantial hike into the caves, rather there are a lot of steps down and then you’re just in them. Who knew it was this easy to spelunk? We spent time pretending to be cave explorers and then went to our next off-the-side-of-the-road attraction: Rainbow falls. My only regret is not leaving even earlier in the day because that is when the light hits the water just right to make a rainbow. However, it was still beautiful and I would recommend taking a few minutes to take it all in.
When in Kona- Drink more coffee
There was a period of time when I didn’t drink any coffee. I honestly used it as a weird flex, but I’ve learned the error of my ways and I’m back on my coffee grind (pun intended). Although basically everywhere is a good choice for coffee, we stopped by Big Island Coffee Roasters and that coffee hit well. Plus, I got to grab an espresso chocolate bar to go for energy all day long. You can find their beans everywhere, but going in person is great for a lot of reasons. First, if you’re lucky, they will be processing the beans and you get to see it when you’re there. And second, the people of Kona are some of the nicest people you will meet. Not only were the people there so incredibly nice, but the people who were also waiting for their coffee were a lovely chat and had great advice for activities and food around the island.
Volcanoes and More!
While the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is obviously known for their volcanoes, there is so much to see there that isn’t just volcanoes. I feel like it gives you perspective on just how diverse the landscape of Kona is. When we first entered the park, you are basically surrounded by tropical forest. The vegetation is so green and vibrant. You can see the exact path we traveled via the itinerary but we basically ended up walking most of the park and it’s so wild seeing how you go from rain forest to desolate volcanic rocks to scenic ocean views. We went during whale watching season and on our way down from the mountain to the coast, we even saw some cutie woot whales. Truly, a sampling of the vast landscape that is Hawaii is found here. While the beauty of the landscape was the the second best part of the day, my first was definitely getting to spend MILES catching up with my friend. Like I said, we have been wanting to do something like this for so long, especially since our last trip together was our senior year of high school. And while phone calls and what not are lovely, nothing quite beats an extended period of in person gab time. I’m not going to go into specifics, but I know this time gave me a lot of insight and perspective into her life that just isn’t feasible when you’re just talking on the phone. Honestly, if this wasn’t the kick in the butt I needed to see your long distant BFFs more often, I don’t know what could have been.
Dive Day!
Thank goodness for friends who love to dive. I love going on ocean side trips with friends and family, but they hit different when you’re able to dive together. The swells were really big, so unfortunately, most bonding and laughter came pre-motion sickness. But once we were under water, the magic is better when you point out sea turtles to your bestie. We did actually have a sea turtle that followed us around as we swam. It was a real high to be that close to a world we will never fully know.
The details aren’t something I want to go through on a public forum, but once we were out of the water, I heard some hard news. I am not a person that believes that everything happens for a reason, but I do believe that sometimes, the universe gives you what you need to make it through. And this day, I think I needed that turtle and I needed my friend or I just couldn’t make it through the day. While the trip definitely took a turn for me at the point, I am thankful I had that moment and that person by my side.
A shift from before
Honestly, staying present and in the moment for the rest of the trip, but it was an exercise in gratitude and (my therapist would be proud) staying grounded. I spent my final day in paradise surfing and relaxing. I know this is wild to say, but I feel most at home when I am by the water even though I never grew up by the ocean. I started the morning with a surfing lesson. If there is a time to be mindful and connected with your body, it’s when you’re trying to stand on a moving board in the ocean. I think when you’re going through a lot internal, it’s easy to get stuck within, and honestly, if I hadn’t had my mind set on surfing from the moment I got to Hawaii, I think I would have probably spent most of the day in bed, but I think that connection with my body physically force me to get out from inside my head and into the world around me. After learning how to surf, I rode that momentum of being out of the room, so sit by the ocean and focus on what I was grateful for. I’m not sure if this tactic is healthy or something I should continue today because maybe it minimize what I’m feeling, but I chose to think of what I was grateful for in that moment. And in that moment, I was thankful for the love and support of my family and friends who knew what was happening in my life and I was thankful that while I was not home, I was in a place where I feel at peace.
Maybe it wasn’t what I was expecting….
But it was ultimately what I needed in that moment. I am thankful for the friendship that was strengthened on this trip. I am thankful for the people I met and the animals and scenery I saw. And I am thankful for the privilege of traveling and having the honor of processing hard things in places where i feel at peace.
