„Sick“

Dear travel diary

Saturday, May 29, 2021

After the successful meal and Debbie's vibrant motivation to cook healthy, she wanted to make something healthy for breakfast. However, we still had leftovers from yesterday's pancakes. At least there were fresh and healthy berries.

Shortly after nine o'clock, Debbie kindly drove us to our car since she had to go shopping in that direction anyway. When we arrived at the car, we realized that it was the same one we used for skydiving. A Toyota Prius Hybrid. So off to Jasmin's and further to the North Shore.

In Hale'iwa, we made our stop, explored many small boutiques, and had lunch at Farm to Barn. It's a container with a kitchen, a grassy area with tables and benches, and a small stage for the band. It was cozy and delicious at the same time.

Next, we headed to Lanaikea Beach, where sea turtles apparently rest on the shore. We actually saw one and I couldn't stop marveling at how big they actually are and how adorable. A little further in the water, we even saw a second one, but it seemed like it was too scared to come ashore.

Our next destination was the world-famous Banzai Pipeline. The towering waves that break on the reef are even challenging for professional surfers. Being wiped out by a wave could result in serious injuries from the sharp corals. I can only imagine how many surfboards have been broken, backs cut open, and heads hit here.

With great expectations, we reached the small clearing, looked out over the sea, and were speechless. Speechless about the non-existent waves and surfers. Of course, the biggest waves are in the winter months, but I didn't expect there to be smaller waves than in certain parts of Waikiki Beach. Maybe we just picked a bad day - I don't know. So no amazement at the tricks of the wave riders and the possible autographs from the pros ;). Unfortunately, no Ezekiel Lau, Jamie O'Brien, or John John Florence on site... When we had enough, since we couldn't admire anything anyway, we drove back to Foodland to do our grocery shopping for dinner.

With some vegetables and fruits, wine, water, and bread with spreads, you can easily spend $100 on groceries in Hawaii. Fully loaded, we drove back towards the Airbnb, but we couldn't check in yet, so we stopped by a roadside fresh coconut stand. We already indulged in some of our dinner there and spent some time in the car.

Suddenly, the owner of the stand asked us to move a little further away because he needed to collect coconuts from that palm tree. So we witnessed the coconut picking and were glad we weren't in his shoes. Those coconuts come shooting down with quite some force and their landing can be unpredictable.

After our little snack, we went to Sharks Cove, a small bay where one could snorkel. However, we only looked from above since we weren't in the mood for swimming and there were too many people.

Now we could finally check into our Airbnb, which was across the street from Kaunala Beach. Once around the house, there was a room with a bed and sofa, a dining table, and a bathroom. Perfectly sufficient for one night. Quickly changed into something else and with food in our hands, we walked to the beach. It was already starting to get dark, so we made ourselves comfortable on the blanket with our picnic. When we wanted to take a nice photo of the three of us with the self-timer, Chantal pointed to the water and we all saw a shark less than two meters from the shore. It was swimming back and forth as if it were searching for something. I could hardly believe my eyes, suddenly seeing a shark here. Just a few minutes earlier, I was in the water, not thinking about anything, and now there's a shark. I have to admit it was kind of eerie. And as with any attraction, it didn't take long for a crowd to gather. So here we were, with a beautiful view of the sunset blocked by the crowd. Grrr, they could have seen the shark from a little further to the right for sure. The word of the evening then became: "Sick." Jasmin had already infected us with her Bernese German and now everything and everyone is "sick," including the shark, that sick one that dared to come so close to the shore.

When we finished marveling at the sunset and eating, constantly greeted by the shark, and with bugs starting to appear, we made our way home. It was so noisy inside the room because of the air conditioning, the fan, the wobbly ceiling, and the refrigerator, so I had to turn everything off or take them off, except for the wobbly ceiling, to have some quiet and be able to sleep.

Sunday, May 30, 2021

After a more or less peaceful and short night, I was already awake at 6:00 AM. Since the other two were still sleeping, I quietly snuck into the garden. Brrr, it was cold! The fresh 20 degrees felt like winter. A while later, I sneaked back into the warm bed because it got too cold outside.

At around 9:30 AM, Chantal and I slowly but surely forced the dawn upon Jasmin. With all our stuff packed in the car, we drove to the Sunrise Shack for breakfast. This roadside stand was originally founded by the Smith brothers (Alex, Travis, Koa) in their younger years to raise money for their surf trip to Australia. It went so well that they continued this project even after their trip. Now it's a well-known place to indulge in açai bowls, avocado toast, and the like.

After being satisfied, we continued driving along the coast to Kaaawa Beach. When we arrived there, we realized that it is more of a beach for the locals. The entire beach is lined with tents, fishing rods stuck in the ground, and the grill with food sizzling on it. This is what I imagine a typical Sunday for Hawaiians to be like.

The weather wasn't so cheerful. Gray clouds were gathering, and a few raindrops fell from the sky. So we just sat on the rocks for a while, looking out over the sea and admiring the beautiful colors.

We then continued along the coast to a macadamia farm or rather an outlet. There, we could taste various macadamia nuts and also coffee. I had hoped to see more of the plantation and learn more about it, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

But we still wanted to go to the beach because we were leaving the dark clouds behind. When we arrived in Kailua, we looked for a parking spot, which turned out to be quite difficult, and then walked to the beach. The beaches on this side of the island are simply the most beautiful. The water shimmers turquoise blue and immediately invites you to take a swim.

Since there was a surprise birthday party planned for Chantal tonight, I had to make sure we got back home on time. So we started making our way back, with time on my side. The deadline was 5:00 PM at the car, to catch the bus a few minutes later. But first, we had to unload Jasmin, or rather kick her out of the car, and hurry on. Chantal was probably wondering why I was so stressed. On the way back, she even said that she wasn't in the mood for any excitement tonight. Because we already knew that Yvonne, Grace, and Hope were coming back to visit Grandma.

So Chantal was surprised by the word "Surprise" when she walked through the door and the whole house was full of people. Lehua and Daniel, Daven and Ivy with two teenagers (I'm not exactly sure how they're related), and Yvonne with the kids. Debbie even wanted to buy an inflatable "21," but they were all sold out because it's graduation season and it's the year 2021. So these two numbers were in high demand. Because I told Debbie Chantal's favorite food when she asked, the whole table had been transformed into a fajita bar. It looked delicious and it was, but it's still better at Ringstrasse 25.

Later, everyone gathered in the living room and showed us a comedian who tells Hawaii-specific jokes and phrases. They were tears-of-laughter funny to us because as tourists, we experience these exact things, so we could really identify with them. For example, Jo Koy said you should never ask for directions in Hawaii because you won't understand the street names, and they all sound the same. "Take a left to Kaaawakaa then Hailalalana, right to Kailaalaa, and left again to Wainalalakaa." I laughed so hard because it's actually true. The Hawaiian alphabet consists of only 12 letters: A, E, I, O, U, H, K, L, M, N, P, W. So the chance of having several identical letters in one word is high.

However, since it was already getting late and I was quite tired from the weekend and the previous days, I had to go to bed slowly. Or not yet, as we received a beach bag and a t-shirt as gifts. This family really spoils us!

Monday, May 31, 2021

Today was a national holiday, Memorial Day, where we remember all the fallen in the wars. That's why we didn't have school today and Tony etc. didn't have to work.

Since we never go to school on Mondays anyway, it wasn't really anything special for us. We had booked a tour at the Kualoa Ranch, the filming location for many movies, including Jurassic Park. The scenery is well known and the green mountains are beautiful.

We took the bus again to our car and met Lisa there. As soon as we arrived in the city, I had to use the bathroom again. Since my dizziness episode almost two weeks ago, I now have a drinking app that helps me drink enough water every day. I do drink at least 2.5 liters of water daily now, but I also feel like I have to use the bathroom constantly, which can be inconvenient at times. Anyway, I looked for a toilet and ended up asking in a beauty salon if there was one nearby. She handed me a key almost silently and I was allowed to use the restroom next door. Once again, I am impressed by the friendliness in Hawaii.

Now we were able to start and I drove with the two girls to Kualoa Ranch, near yesterday's macadamia farm. So up north again. When we arrived there, we checked in, filled out a form, and waited for further instructions. Our means of transportation were off-road golf buggies, in which we could zoom through the landscape with a guide.

Once helmets were put on and Lisa, as the driver, watched a short instructional video, we were already in our buggy. Fortunately, all three of us could sit in the front row, so we all had a clear view. We were also the first ones behind Bill, our guide, who was riding a quad.

Just a few meters and screams after starting, Lisa said that it was our own fault for letting an Italian drive. That's true, but it turned out to be a wise decision. Lisa wasn't afraid to hit the gas pedal to glide through the curves and even drive full speed through a small river.

We couldn't stop giggling because it was just hilarious. Despite that, we could still see a lot of the landscape. There were signs of movies that were filmed here or famous props along the way. However, I had to admit that I hardly knew any of the movies.

At times, we drove through cow pastures, which gradually felt like hiking in Switzerland. Next, through small forests that reminded me of my bike holidays in Tuscany, and finally to a wide open spot where we could see the whole "valley." We were living dangerously in this place because a huge T-Rex was chasing us. Bill made a small video of all of us fleeing from this terrifying dinosaur. The video is really funny and it's also amusing to see how the other groups managed the task (unfortunately, I can't upload videos - would be really helpful here).

After a way too short hour, we had to return the buggies and wash ourselves off since there was a lot of dust on the tracks. The dust was everywhere and even after washing ourselves off, we could have taken another shower to get rid of it completely because it stubbornly stuck to us.

Since it was already lunchtime, we wanted to go to the food trucks in Hale'iwa to have something to eat before starting our afternoon program. So Lisa drove to Hale'iwa while I fell asleep in the back of the car and woke up again shortly before Hale'iwa. The most famous food truck on the North Shore is Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. However, I wasn't in the mood to wait in line for those shrimp today. So for me, it was Kalua Pork, Hawaiian food. We would call it pulled pork, as it is finely shredded pork with rice. Traditionally, it is cooked in a large hole in the ground for a long time.

Then we drove to the west coast to the so-called Mermaid Cove. Along the coast, there are holes in the rocks from which one can jump into the water with courage and luck. However, some accidents have happened here already, so we didn't dare to attempt the risky jump. Nevertheless, it looked beautiful, and we could use a cool-down because today was unusually hot. I was already sweating so much in the morning while waiting for the bus. So we sat in smaller "pools" that naturally formed there.

On the way back, I took the wheel again and after a long time, I felt like I was on vacation. Until now, I hadn't really felt like I was on vacation because it's not really... However, when we sat in the car with still slightly wet bikinis and drove back, that changed.

After parking the car back where we started, we said goodbye to Lisa, bought the bus pass for the next month, and made our way to the bus stop. We waited patiently there for the bus once again and realized at the next stop, where we had to transfer, that the bus that had been suggested earlier wouldn't arrive until this time tomorrow. Oh, annoying, if only we had waited a little longer for another bus, at least we would have been rescued from one bus. But now we had to drive everything back to catch another bus home. These buses are slowly getting on my nerves because we don't have good connections and you can be sure that every bus is at least five minutes late.

While waiting, I finally got to eat my Spam Musubi, which the family prepared for their beach day and then Tony threw to me. This is also a trademark of Hawaii, originally from Japan. You can find Musubis almost everywhere here, but I still haven't had the chance to try one. But honestly, they don't really look appetizing, which might be the reason. However, it was surprisingly good and I was positively surprised.

Finally, at around 7:00 PM, we arrived home and I was looking forward to taking a shower to rinse off the sweat, dust, and salt and feel fresh again.