Checkin into paradise.. Our hotel is small and clean and about 15mins walk from the town of Kailua-Kona, which is on the west coast of the Big island.
It has no Internet, TV or air-con... which suits me just fine... but my best friend had a hard time adjusting on the first day haha. Seeing that there are many 5 star resorts along this part of the island, I definitely don't eschew luxury but i'll still take simplicity any time, especially in a place like Hawaii.
The hotel has a wonderful rep among locals and repeat visitors alike. I love it. Our room is just next to the ocean and the crash of the surf greets you when you open your eyes and is the last thing you hear and see before you fall asleep. On the first night, we wondered if the surf will crash over the seawall but we gradually got lulled to sleep from the waves.
The thing I love about the Big island is, it has more than just beaches and so it is with excitement that we went for a hike along the rim of Waipio Valley with Rob, our very cute guide.
Looking out into the valley... which many people have claimed to be Eden.
There are only a handful of farmers living in the valley but it opens to a black sand beach at the valley mouth which we see later.. it's amazing.
Coolin off in a waterfall deep in the rainforest... heavenly! We clamber over rocks in our bare feet and i imagine that the natives of long ago would have done the same... it was fun and scary at the same time.
The coastline and the mouth of Waipio Valley.
After a 4 hour hike, we waited for the Hele-on bus to bring us back to Kona... I try Elmo's punch!
The ride back along the North Kohala coast.
Hitting the beach in the morning!
I love the Pacific surf!
The sun is unforgiving and we turn brown very soon.
The locals thought we were Japanese but after a few days, people started askin if we lived there. Everyone in Kona is brown!
It's a nice life, just living in your bikini and flipflops everyday, not caring how u look. You can wear a tattered top and no one looks strangely at you. Our hair is always wet and tangly, be it from the pool or the surf. Everyone is laid-back and life runs to a different beat.
We stand on the roadside and hitch rides into town everyday and the locals are so friendly and warm... picking us up and dropping us off a few mins later.
Everyone has a different story on how they got here... some were born and raised here, many came as tourists, fell in love with Hawaii and moved here.
Would we be one of them we wonder?
part II coming up soon x
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