Aloha e Komo Mai Hawai'i

Eighteen hours of travel ended with my hostess placing a lei around my neck and driving off into the steamy Hawaiian air. As promised, the breeze that hit me as I walked from baggage claim into the open air was balmy and tropical, demanding that I shed the protective layers of clothing that now hung limp on me from hours of belabored travel. In response to the sheen of sweat that instantly covered my face Janine promised that my body would eventually acclimate to the heat. I bid farewell to my new friend from the plane and sped off with my best friend into the island air.

The drive from Honolulu to Janine & Derrick's home in Kaneohe revealed a lush terrain with mountains towering in all directions, tops obscured by fog, palm trees swaying, and blinding glints of the Pacific ocean at most bends in the road. I couldn't stop asking questions and forcing Janine to pronounce signs for me (she was very good-natured about it). When we got to her house, we stowed my stuff and went for a walk with Tristan, where Janine warned me about giant poisonous centipedes (?!?!?!), giant slugs & snails, and feral cats. Later that evening, we ate a light dinner and went to Whole Foods to stock the fridge with fruits and veggies, where I witnessed the food price inflation I'd been warned of. A quick stop for a cold treat and we crashed for the night back at the house, where I saw Derrick for the first time since arriving, as he is working long days preparing for his deployment on the 28th. By 8:30pm my was body screaming at me for not being able to nap at all on the multiple plane rides to the island.

First view of the Big Island from the plane. I originally thought it was just a ring of clouds.