Saturday, June 4, 2011

A peek into life in Hawaii

I realized the past couple posts I haven't told you very much about what's been going on here as far as adventures and all the amazing things I've been able to see since being  here.  Last weekend a group of us went to Waipio Valley.  You'd recognize it if you remember Jurassic Park and the very tall waterfall.  It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.  Our hike was pretty intense.  We never really knew if we were on the trail or not because the trail took you through the river, over boulders, on small step ledges, and basically through the middle of the jungle.  Absolutely my kind of thing.  I hiked the whole way there with my camera in one hand in order to document some of that trip to be able to show you guys what it was like.  There were parts along the way where we were able to see the massive waterfall.  Well, there wasn't a whole lot of water flowing down, because its a bit dry in that area right now.  It was more of a trickle but still a magnificent view.  Once we made it back from the hike we walked over to Black Sands Beach.  I'm talking really black sand.  It was beautiful to see, and the waves at that beach were very powerful.  We swam in waves up to six feet with a current that moved you from right to left hundreds of feet in just minutes.  It took no time at all to be moved across the beach by the powerful current. 

 Most of you have seen the pictures of most of the places I've been.  We hang out at a resort here just about a five minute walk.  We swim in their pool and enjoy walking on the lava rocks as the waves crash on top of us.  There's a pier in town about a 6 minute run away where we can just dive in the water to cool off after.  Two weekends ago I went to a place called end of the world where there are about 15-20ft cliffs.  The waves and current are intense over there.  You feel like they're going to smash you against the walls of the cliffs.  I ended up catching a fish there with some fishing poles I borrowed from a friend.  

A couple of times I've been able to do some snorkeling.  That has been so amazing.  There have to be over 20 kinds of fish that we are able to see in just a small area and in very shallow water.  They live among the coral reefs here and they swam all around me only feet away as I swam across the surface of the water.  I've also seen groups of dolphins jumping high out of the water from the beach.  Another cool thing here are the sea turtles.  Almost anywhere you go they are some near by.  I've been able to swim right up next to some with some snorkel gear on and get a great view of the amazing creatures.  Often times I'll see them swimming in the waves by the shore.  

Well that's a little bit of the adventures I've had here.  Just a small taste really.  It would take much more time to share all the things and places I've been able to go.  Though all of that fails to compare to all the things that God has been doing in me.  Since this post is already long, I'll share with you a little more about that in a future post.  Keep praying because satan would like nothing more than to bring me down right now.  So much has been going on in my life and he's trying hard to break in.  Thanks for all of you who are thinking and praying for me while I'm here.  God has blessed me in more ways than I can say by bringing me here.  And I thank those of you who have been praying for me for being a huge part of that!














                    




1 comment: