My family has a convenient way of living in beautiful places, so my arm didn't have to be twisted too hard to make Hawaii my last stop. From Manila, I flew direct to Oahu, where my aunt and uncle live.
I was reminded almost immediately of the modern conveniences the U.S. has when I walked into the first public restroom. Actual toilets with toilet seats and (very Western US) toilet seat covers. I have to say I was a little overwhelmed.
But anyways...
Visiting Hawaii always correlates with eating and drinking well. Almost immediately, we were seated at the Ala Moana, a beautiful hotel right on the beach, tropical drinks in hand, listening to the live Hawaiian music while watching the sun set. I don't think it gets much better than that when paired with conversation about what the family's been up to.
Throughout the week, we got a good variety of food, from French to Japanese to Korean (very
ono, or delicious in Hawaiian). We took the traditional Hamada island tour, stopping at the beach to look for beached sea turtles, stopping at Matsumato's for our requisite shave ice over ice cream, and passing through the beautiful Byodo-In temple, where I had ample opportunities to take pictures of the coy.
And.. this is why I need to write sooner about what I've done, I'm already forgetting bits of what we did. But the whole week was a lot of fun - hiking, shopping, and enjoying the island from different vantage points.
Well it's not going to be nearly as interesting now that I'm back home, but since I'm stilling taking photos and want to start learning how to enhance them, I started a new blog: http://prettyphotosandsomewords.wordpress.com/
I guess I now have to admit that my turtle year's over! A week out and it's still hitting me just how much everything (including myself) has changed. The lack of avocado tree on the front lawn when we pulled into the driveway was just a prelude for the many other changes I've been encountering. I'm now being filled in on nine months of my friends' lives, housing projects on the street are now done (and new ones started), and American politics... well, are still the same.
As for me, certainly I feel older and more mature, but nothing that can be concluded with "a nice pretty bow" as my friend said, referring to
Eat Pray Love. Because, as with the meditation practice, there are good days and bad days, and while there are lasting changes, those are variable as well.
I've gotten better perspective on the world, but traveling more has made me realize that there are always
so many more places to visit and things to learn. And there are so many more ways to grow.
