Wedding happened, and it was beautiful and great. Craig and I felt so special, loved, and supported. We couldn't have asked for a better day. We're now on our honeymoon and I thought it would be worth it to write some things down.
Day 1: Went for a long walk down Ali'i Drive to see the area we're staying in. It is so beautiful. Ocean/beaches on one side, mountain on the other. It's so lush, green, and full of flowers. The walk was a bit longer than what we would like to do everyday, but it was nice to take in the area. We stopped halfway down for some coffee at Green Flash, and became acquainted with the owner. Not only did they have one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had, but she gave us great advice for what to do for the day. She suggested we went to the Greenwell Farms, Kealakekua Bay, The Painted Church, and the City of Refuge. At Greenwell Farms, we helped make the popular portuguese sweet bread. It was awesome to be able to help with this process and watch them put all the loaves in the giant oven that reminded me of a woodfire kiln. Kealakekua Bay was beautiful, but I think we want to explore it more with kayaks. We could really just stay at the shore. The Painted Church was beautiful. It was all open and had a beautiful cemetary in front. There were also some lizards running around at the sanctuary. Craig went to smell a flower and found a lizard right in his face. It looked like an anole, which we had as pets as kids, but more colorful. When we arrived at the City of Refuge, it looked like a place we would want to hang out for awhile but we were pretty hungry. So, we decided we'd come back. We went and got some groceries from CostCo and Target, and came back to our condo to eat some lunner. It was nice to grab some easy to make food so we don't have to eat out all the time. I think eating out can be exhausting if it's done too much. We later went out for some ice cream and ate it on the beach. We're excited to be able to see the Green Flash.
Day 2: We had our pool session first thing in the morning. Our instructor was a German man named, Sven. He and his wife have lived in Hawaii for at least 10 years. He was a great instructor with a good sense of humor. The class was a bit overwhelming and made me nervous for the next day. My college friend, Laura, was going to be a on the dive with us, so that made me feel better. It was a lot to think about with the bouancy, breathing, and equalizing. But we had to try---We're in Hawaii! So, after our lesson we went to a Japanese restaurant I had heard about called Teshima's. It's owned by a woman who is 106! I've never had a meal like it before. I could tell it was the most authentic Japanese meal I'd ever had. I had sashimi, some pickled cucumber and cabbage, sticky rice, miso soup, and some kind of hot mix of tofu, chicken, carrots, and udon noodles. I felt healthfully full after eating. Craig and I then went to a thrift store where he found some Hawaiian print swim trunks and a green shirt that everyone has seen and thinks he's a local. It says something with "Kona" on it and looks like a Coach's shirt. We then came back and got ready for our picnic dinner on Magic Sands Beach. It was a nice one and plan to come back for a day at the beach.
Day 3: Before going to our scuba dive, we stopped by the keohuo farmer's market. It was awesome to see the variety of fruits and vegetables. Things I have never seen! We bough lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, dragonfruit, and apple bananas. Then we were on to scuba diving. We let Laura know we were nervous upfront and she reassured us we'd be fine. I was glad when she said she would handle our bouancy. That was pretty confusing. We got all our gear and headed to the boat. It was pretty cool cruising out to the spot. We saw some dolphins in the distance, and we were on the front of the boat. It was also nice to get to catch up with Laura and hear about how she made her way to Hawaii. We'll get to spend the day with her Monday, and I'm really looking forward to that. Our first dive wasn't very successful. I was having a difficult time equalizing my ears, and then my mask was bothering me. About 5 minutes before I went to the surface, Craig had done the same and got out. I felt like I needed to regroup for the next dive and take it easy with Craig. He ended up getting sick and puking off the side of the boat. I felt really bad for him especially because we had to be on the boat for a few more hours. He said he felt better and was going to just lie down for a bit. I tried again on the second dive and just made sure to take my time going down the line and equalizing every few seconds. I was scared about my mask again once I got below the ball. When I would exhale, the bubbles would shift my mask and make a vibrating/farting noise. It was something I hadn't experienced yet, but eventually got used to it when I could trust water wasn't leaking in. Eventually, Laura grabbed my hand and started to lead me around the reef. The fish were so beautiful and bright. It was a rush to be down there in another world. The coral wasn't as brightly colored as you see in the media, but the fish were. If I felt more comfortable, I would have loved to peek in all the crevices, but I was more just floating there and looking while Laura pulled me around. I was really thankful for her. It was scary, and I appreciated her patience. I didn't stay looking around much longer than 15-20 minutes because I was freezing. We kept hitting pockets of cold water. Laura said she could feel me shaking, so I went up. We went back and they unloaded everything. Craig and I spent some time in our condo just relaxing. I showered and washed my hair for the first time in like 4 days and felt so much better, except for being sunburned! I thought I put enough sunscreen on and applied 2-3 times while we were out, but apparently it wasn't enough. Craig was really burnt on the tops of his thighs. I made us some dinner from the stuff we got at the market: salad with cucumber, tomato, and chicken. And then I sliced up our fruit. The dragon fruit didn't have much flavor, but was beautiful magenta inside. I really liked the apple bananas. They tasted like bananas but more tangy and tart. We pretty much just took it easy the rest of the night, except for when we went out to the Big Island Grill for dessert. I had heard great things about their Mud Pie. It came out and was gigantic! Kona Ice cream on an oreo crust, with hot fudge and whipped Cream on top! It really hit the spot and Craig said it was the best dessert he's had so far. I hope we go back for a meal because their menu looked authentic and I could tell it was a popular local hang out, so you know it's good!
Today, we plan to go to Hilo. It's on the opposite side of the island about 2 hours away. Craig made friends with a couple that is having a party. I want to go to Rainbow Falls State Park and Tex's Drive in for some malasadas! But first, breakfast and some Green Flash Coffee.
Pictures of the trip so far:
Day 1: Went for a long walk down Ali'i Drive to see the area we're staying in. It is so beautiful. Ocean/beaches on one side, mountain on the other. It's so lush, green, and full of flowers. The walk was a bit longer than what we would like to do everyday, but it was nice to take in the area. We stopped halfway down for some coffee at Green Flash, and became acquainted with the owner. Not only did they have one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had, but she gave us great advice for what to do for the day. She suggested we went to the Greenwell Farms, Kealakekua Bay, The Painted Church, and the City of Refuge. At Greenwell Farms, we helped make the popular portuguese sweet bread. It was awesome to be able to help with this process and watch them put all the loaves in the giant oven that reminded me of a woodfire kiln. Kealakekua Bay was beautiful, but I think we want to explore it more with kayaks. We could really just stay at the shore. The Painted Church was beautiful. It was all open and had a beautiful cemetary in front. There were also some lizards running around at the sanctuary. Craig went to smell a flower and found a lizard right in his face. It looked like an anole, which we had as pets as kids, but more colorful. When we arrived at the City of Refuge, it looked like a place we would want to hang out for awhile but we were pretty hungry. So, we decided we'd come back. We went and got some groceries from CostCo and Target, and came back to our condo to eat some lunner. It was nice to grab some easy to make food so we don't have to eat out all the time. I think eating out can be exhausting if it's done too much. We later went out for some ice cream and ate it on the beach. We're excited to be able to see the Green Flash.
Day 2: We had our pool session first thing in the morning. Our instructor was a German man named, Sven. He and his wife have lived in Hawaii for at least 10 years. He was a great instructor with a good sense of humor. The class was a bit overwhelming and made me nervous for the next day. My college friend, Laura, was going to be a on the dive with us, so that made me feel better. It was a lot to think about with the bouancy, breathing, and equalizing. But we had to try---We're in Hawaii! So, after our lesson we went to a Japanese restaurant I had heard about called Teshima's. It's owned by a woman who is 106! I've never had a meal like it before. I could tell it was the most authentic Japanese meal I'd ever had. I had sashimi, some pickled cucumber and cabbage, sticky rice, miso soup, and some kind of hot mix of tofu, chicken, carrots, and udon noodles. I felt healthfully full after eating. Craig and I then went to a thrift store where he found some Hawaiian print swim trunks and a green shirt that everyone has seen and thinks he's a local. It says something with "Kona" on it and looks like a Coach's shirt. We then came back and got ready for our picnic dinner on Magic Sands Beach. It was a nice one and plan to come back for a day at the beach.
Day 3: Before going to our scuba dive, we stopped by the keohuo farmer's market. It was awesome to see the variety of fruits and vegetables. Things I have never seen! We bough lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, dragonfruit, and apple bananas. Then we were on to scuba diving. We let Laura know we were nervous upfront and she reassured us we'd be fine. I was glad when she said she would handle our bouancy. That was pretty confusing. We got all our gear and headed to the boat. It was pretty cool cruising out to the spot. We saw some dolphins in the distance, and we were on the front of the boat. It was also nice to get to catch up with Laura and hear about how she made her way to Hawaii. We'll get to spend the day with her Monday, and I'm really looking forward to that. Our first dive wasn't very successful. I was having a difficult time equalizing my ears, and then my mask was bothering me. About 5 minutes before I went to the surface, Craig had done the same and got out. I felt like I needed to regroup for the next dive and take it easy with Craig. He ended up getting sick and puking off the side of the boat. I felt really bad for him especially because we had to be on the boat for a few more hours. He said he felt better and was going to just lie down for a bit. I tried again on the second dive and just made sure to take my time going down the line and equalizing every few seconds. I was scared about my mask again once I got below the ball. When I would exhale, the bubbles would shift my mask and make a vibrating/farting noise. It was something I hadn't experienced yet, but eventually got used to it when I could trust water wasn't leaking in. Eventually, Laura grabbed my hand and started to lead me around the reef. The fish were so beautiful and bright. It was a rush to be down there in another world. The coral wasn't as brightly colored as you see in the media, but the fish were. If I felt more comfortable, I would have loved to peek in all the crevices, but I was more just floating there and looking while Laura pulled me around. I was really thankful for her. It was scary, and I appreciated her patience. I didn't stay looking around much longer than 15-20 minutes because I was freezing. We kept hitting pockets of cold water. Laura said she could feel me shaking, so I went up. We went back and they unloaded everything. Craig and I spent some time in our condo just relaxing. I showered and washed my hair for the first time in like 4 days and felt so much better, except for being sunburned! I thought I put enough sunscreen on and applied 2-3 times while we were out, but apparently it wasn't enough. Craig was really burnt on the tops of his thighs. I made us some dinner from the stuff we got at the market: salad with cucumber, tomato, and chicken. And then I sliced up our fruit. The dragon fruit didn't have much flavor, but was beautiful magenta inside. I really liked the apple bananas. They tasted like bananas but more tangy and tart. We pretty much just took it easy the rest of the night, except for when we went out to the Big Island Grill for dessert. I had heard great things about their Mud Pie. It came out and was gigantic! Kona Ice cream on an oreo crust, with hot fudge and whipped Cream on top! It really hit the spot and Craig said it was the best dessert he's had so far. I hope we go back for a meal because their menu looked authentic and I could tell it was a popular local hang out, so you know it's good!
Today, we plan to go to Hilo. It's on the opposite side of the island about 2 hours away. Craig made friends with a couple that is having a party. I want to go to Rainbow Falls State Park and Tex's Drive in for some malasadas! But first, breakfast and some Green Flash Coffee.
Pictures of the trip so far:
The view from our condo balcony.
Greenwell Farms
Where the breadmaking happens!
Breadmaking on our honeymoon.
The oven.
The bread that has risen.
Putting the bread in the oven.
Me in front of an avocado tree at the farm. They were all over the ground!
Kelakekua Bay
The Painted Church
Inside the Painted Church
Inside the Painted Church
Inside the Painted Church
Cute little lizard Craig found.
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