Mele Kalikimaka!!!!

Aloha and Mele Kalikimaka!  It's a beautiful Christmas Eve day here on the Big Island.  I woke up to the smell of bacon and literally went running to the line!  Bacon isn't a common breakfast item here at Kalani Wellness Retreat, so it draws a crowd!  Here are a couple pics of what Christmas looks like in Hawaii.  This is the kitchen/lanai (dining porch) where I work and eat and currently live above!

As for where I left off last time, I was saying I would see where last Thursday would take me as I was off with no plans.  Well it rained most of the day, but warm rain doesn't stop adventure!  That afternoon myself, Amanda (a sweet volunteer that started with me) followed Chef Ted on a walk down to secret beach.  Ted is one of the kitchen chef's here.  He has a dry sense of humor and a long, slow, southern drawl which pulls off his humor perfectly!  His daughter is my age, so he's seen some life and can tell a great story.  If you need a laugh check out his blog.  cheftedswanderinandaponderin.blogspot.com/ 

I digress, Ted took Amanda and I up the road 2 miles explaining every volcanic rock flow, missionary cemetery and local house along the way.  Eventually we dove off the road and into the jungle, on a path you would never know was there unless someone showed you.  I guess that's why it's called Secret Beach.  Ted did forwarn us that we were going to wonder where this guy was taking us at first.  Once you get to the ocean, you crawl over some volcano rocks to get to this perfect cove filled with naturally made rock pools.  You sit in these pools while the waves crash against your rock walls and shoot sweet, salty ocean spray over you like a shower.  My apologies for no pictures put it was close to down pouring throughout this entire 4 hour excursion.  Once we were done playing around, we started our walk back.  A local Puna resident picked us up about 5 minutes in and we crawled into the back of his truck to hitch a ride back to Kalani.  Walking in the rain is nice, but that doesn't mean you turn down a ride! 


Friday I worked.  My buddy that was assigned to me when I first got here picked me up on her scooter during lunch and took me a mile in the opposite direction from Secret Beach to Kehena Beach.  It's a popular local clothing optional beach known for some strong waves, great views, weekend drum circles and very entertaining people watching.  My buddy wanted to show me this beach as I hadn't seen it yet.  So we hiked down and jumped in to cool off from the hot work day.  She did a quick black sand scrub, we got dressed again and we were back up to work with time to spare.  Now that is a lunch hour!

I went back to Kehena the next day after work with Ted and Amanda and hung out with some more volunteers that were there.  I got a little rocked swimming in the waves.  The current is really strong.  It reminded me to stay humble and grounded, especially when you are in the ocean!  Here are some pictures from the day. 

Yesterday I took the bus into Hilo with a fellow volunteer named India, from Portugal.  If you can get a ride, Hilo is less than an hour away.  We opted to ride the bus, which takes two hours, so we can see the little hidden areas of our part of the island.  It was a site for the ears and eyes as locals called "Puna-ticks" got on and off the bus.  The smells were a little funky at times, but with the National Lampoons X-mas Vacation theme song playing on the radio, and me surrounded by cousin Eddie's, I was happy and entertained.  We made it to downtown Hilo.  Here are some pics of the shopping and amazing flowers from the markets.  We had lunch and soaked up the 4G cell phone availability as cell reception here is few and far between.  Another volunteer drove into town and met up for lunch.  We shopped around and then hit up Walmart on our way out of town for some necessities.  A beach towel, straw sand mat, soft sided cooler and family size box of Cheez-it's were on my list!  Haha.  


This week I'm getting back in my yoga groove.  The retreat was closed down last week for a deep clean of the property, so classes were limited.  This week it's back to regular schedules. So I will be spending the rest of my X-mas Eve Morning in Hatha yoga class.  I work tomorrow afternoon.  With this place being a 24/7 operation, there is no "off" for anyone really over holidays unless you are out of town.  No one seems to really notice or care about having to work.  The attitudes are good and people are happy to be spending the days with friends whether you are working together or have off.  Tonight we have an intuitive white elephant gift giving.  I picked up a box a band aids while in town yesterday.  They have quotes on them like "No Pain, No Gain" and "Everybody Hurts".  I'm sure whoever gets them will enjoy it!  

Well I hope everyone has wonderful holidays and a happy new year!  Aloha until the next post!