Hawaiian happiness

Here I am, at the edge of the world. This was a beautiful, if not treacherous place - the ground was made up of sharp lava rock.

Greg and Azalea at the serene Byodin Temple. See the black swan and huge koi?

Andrew discovered an 'egg' of some ancient water beast, it seemed out of place among all of the black lava rocks. We found this amazing location where one particular tide pool would continuously fill with water and recede, leaving loads of sea glass. We couldv'e spent the day there, pocketing treasures.

Greg and Azalea hiking through the beautiful Manoa Falls, a lovely forest that changed as you traveled higher and higher. It started out an easy walk through a valley, ascending through a bamboo forest, a damp rainforest and who knows what at the top. I decided to turn back after nearly plummeting to my death down a steep ravine, as my thin flip flops slid around the muddy path. I didn't need to see the falls in person, after all a pic is worth a thousand words.

A sweeping sunset at the very tip of the west side of the island.

Giant clams grown in a huge tank. They put me in mind of stories my mom told about using clam shells as sinks and tubs and how one clam could provide a feast for a big family. I had no idea they were so colorful, or so patterned.

Andrew looks thoughtful as he gazes at the beauty all around. As the sun set and the light began to to dim, I started to get seriously creeped out, as there were weird sounds (probably just the wind blowing through the slash in the mountain that was a cave). I kept imagining sea creatures emerging from the dark pits dotting the shore, so we left before it got too dark to see the holes.

I'd like to say I'm happy to be home, but I'm actually a little sad to have left such a beautiful place. I've traveled to lovely places plenty of times, but the friendliness of the folks combined with the landscape make it such a wonderful location I can't wait to return to. I love the bustling Waikiki with all the shopping and the small towns, rich with polynesian culture. I want to live there and see the ocean every day.

So I'm home and really jet-lagged and too tired to get to work on goods for Faery Con and the NY show next couple of weekends. I spent today unpacking all the goodies I acquired and pretty much relaxed all day. I'll get cracking tomorrow!