Paging Samantha Scholl... 

Alaska Airlines paging passenger Samantha Scholl

     

The morning started out abrupt as my alarm buzzed ferociously and I was scrambling to leave my house. I had to make sure all 27 of my houseplants (insert plant lady joke here) were aptly watered and set up for success. I'm going on vacation. Wait. I'M GOING ON VACATION! As I shuffled through my apartment shoving all of those last minute, I can't live without things into my already bursting suitcase I started to get a feeling... ahhhh I remember this. That omg I have 2 weeks off... in a row feeling. It's been a minute since my last trip and I miss the road.  

I have a confession. It's been 4 years, 7 months, 12 days and 7 hours since my last blog post. That's just friggin' gross.

These next blog posts will be dedicated to one of my favorite places to visit... Hawaii. And please don't say Ha-vai-i in less you are a local, or super annoying and want people to look at you like you are the Idiot Abroad.

Security was slammed and as per usual I timed it so I could sleep in as much as possible and... I almost missed my flight!
 Jammed into the middle seat, back row, WIFI NOT working, no book to read (I was planning on buying one at one of the over priced airport bodegas, along with something to drink, eat, and  something to hopefully help me sleep), but I was rushing to get to the gate before they closed it, without me inside. 

Now here I was stranded for 6 hours... but heading to paradise so why all the whining?? It's going to be an epic trip. 

Why you not have boyfriend

What's a girl (not quite girl actually, Wikipedia claims that I am now entering Cougar zone) to do with a 5 hour layover in Honolulu? Get a pedicure and some amazing local eats of course! Thank you for the flowers on my toes Holly, and for only 5 dolla mo'...what a steal!


Arrived in Kona late and headed to one of my favorite spots for some mouth-watering fresh Ahi Poke with two of my besties Sarah and Aesha and of course little Arrow. 




DAY ONE
Lava Boat Tour, Champagne Hot Springs, Kapoho Tide Pools and Rainbow Falls

Have you ever imagined yourself chasing a rooster, pinning it down, and literally strangling it to death? Well, if you haven't, come to Hawaii and sleep in the country. They start their early morning "battle of the cocks" at abut 1:30 am...which I guess was OK because my alarm was set for 1:45am...yes...I said a.m. Aesha and I were off to see some Lava!!!

Check these guys out at lavaocean.com

Lava Boat Tour
     The vaporous early morning air slapped me in the face as we packed up the car and started our journey across this lush island paradise to Kapoho. The incandescent full moon as our guide, we meandered through the dark and mystical rain forest, our bodies sizzling with excitement for what was soon to come. The 2 hour drive flew by and we arrived at our destination at 4am...right on schedule. We were about to embark on an epic ocean adventure to watch the lava flowing into the ocean from the active volcano Kilauea. Kilauea is one of  the Big Island of Hawaii's 5 volcanoes, and is a very sacred and magical place. In ancient Hawaiian mythology, the Halemaumau Crater of Kilauea served as the home of the Goddess Pele.
Pele is the goddess of fire, lightning, wind and volcanoes. She is said to be seen at times floating through the rain forest, protecting the land. I certainly felt a very spiritual and magical presence while on the boat taking in the magnitude and beauty of the Kilauea Volcano.

It was a brief 45 minute boat ride to the location where the lava was flowing directly into the ocean. Nothing quite prepares you for the sheer beauty and dynamism of such a powerful moment. The landscape is literally changing every second here as millions of tons of molten lava pours through lava tubes and spews into the ocean.

 It was one of the most spectacular and captivating moments I've ever experienced. The lava  flow is truly mesmerizing.  It was an incredible morning, and to be sharing this with my best friend made it that much sweeter! Our Captain pulled the boat up ever-so close to the lava so we could feel the heat on our faces, smell the pungent smell of sulfuric acid, and feel the volcanic ash cleansing our spirits. Mahalo Pele, we respect and appreciate you.

We were off the boat by 6:45 am...Wow!  We were certainly off to one hell of a start to my first day in paradise! Next stop...Champagne Pond!

Champagne Pond, Kapoho
  Volcanically heated water bubbles to the surface at this island oasis. This sacred pool is used for cleansing and bathing and is protected from the harsh ocean elements. Nestled away at the northern tip of Kapoho Bay it his a small protected pool with a dual personality. The cold ocean water sinks to the bottom of the pool while the hot water fizzes at the surface, giving us the feeling of floating in an effervescent Champagne Supernova.  Our bodies were light as air as we floated weightlessly, in a  glorious natural float tank. It was exhilarating! We left charged with the energy of Mother Earth and were ready to head out for some serious snorkeling at the  Kapoho Tide Pools.

Kapoho Tide Pools

Aesha and I are avid snorkelers, if there is such a thing. In fact, we both got SCUBA certified in Thailand in 2006...on Christmas. What an amazing Christmas that was! Such a blast!(The tuk tuk driver is chasing after me!) That being said, we both agreed that the snorkeling at the Kapoho Tide Pools was some of the best we have experienced.

 If were to design the worlds best aquarium, one that people could actually swim in, I would emulate these Tide Pools. Typical tide pools are too shallow to allow snorkelers but some of these pools and lagoons can reach a depth of up to 10 feet. They were actually created by an earthquake in 1975 that created giant crevices in which these pools were formed.

The constant flow of fresh water into these pools has created an ideal environment for beautiful coral gardens to blossom...and where there are coral gardens...there are fishies! We spent hours here enjoying each others company and indulging in the delicate elegance of this underwater playground.

 My friendship girl Deputy Honey (we call ourselves "friendship girls" because we don't want to use labels, but I'm pretty sure "friendship girl" is a label of some sort. Anyhoo...bought me a GoPro for my birthday. I can't thank her enough for such a thoughtful and awesome gift!!! I'm obsessed with this gadget and have been using it like crazy.  I only wish that I would have had this for all of my previous travels!! Oh well, Sabai, sabai.... Cheers to new adventures! Thank you Honey!!!!

Rainbow Falls, Hilo

As the day started to wrap up we headed to the delightful town of Hilo to check out Rainbow Falls and grab a bite to eat at Pineapples Cafe. Pan Seared scallops and waterfalls? I'm in! (That kind of sounds like an amazing new title for a rap song. I can almost see Lil' Wayne now blurting out " what? ye-ah, pan seared scallops? What?! ye-ah and waterfalls!!?") 

It was a absolutely remarkable first day back in Hawaii! 

As the adrenaline from the afternoon slowly melted away, we drove the winding path back through the enchanted forest and across the island back to Aesha's home. I was sound asleep by 5pm and couldn't have imagined a better welcome to Hawaii. Mahalo Aesha, Lava Boat Tours...and of course, Pele.

Ke Aloha- The Savvy Nomad