A hammock under coconut palms... this is one of the iconic scenes in my mind when I dream of a tropical island
First sunset on the island -- not very colorful, but so mellow -- the soft sea breeze, the murmur of the waves...
Next morning, there is sunshine
Yummy breakfast -- fruits and bacon
I LOVE tropical fruits... (missing them badly)
At Kahaluu beach, schools of Raccoon Butterflyfish
They are almost touching my face!
Is this a parrot fish?
Turtles are at home here, despite the heavy traffic of snorkellers
Almost bumped into this one, resting in shallow water right by the shore
Others are resting on the sandy bottom
Taking a breath
Moorish idol
Lined Butterflyfish
Self-serve Leis on the roadside
Revisiting Punaluu beach -- the first black sand beach we met, 6 years ago
Volcano parking lot -- it's hard to tell that the flat looking mountain (Mauna Loa) in the background is the most massive volcano on this planet, over 13000 feet high, with a volume estimated at approximately 18,000 cubic miles. Looks, are deceiving.
Rainbow from a smoking crater -- Halema`uma`u
smoke or cloud?
As night nears, the vent starts to glow
This is all our camera would capture at night, just imagine this with the smoke flowing for miles, glowing under a brilliant starry sky -- absolutely surreal
My eyes light up when I see this beach -- Maniniowali, a perfect stretch of soft white sand, with the bluest water
Perfect for a quick dip
Leaving the beach we take Saddle road up to the tallest volcano on earth
Without a 4 wheel drive we cannot drive up to the very top to see the observatory ("Earth's connecting point to the rest of the Universe". So we have a picnic at the visitor center at 9000 ft.
It's a bright, desert-like landscape up here
Would Mars look like this?
Blooming silversword
Driving down saddle road, we arrive on the east side of the island -- I remember this as a wet, rainy place, but this time it's bright and sunny
All green things are happy here
This looks like my house plant, on super steroids
Akaka falls
lovely, fragrant ginger
Near Akaka falls, this intersection has an eclectic collection of a variety of obscure churches (temples) and stores
