So recently I had the most amazing trip to Hawaii. Crazy...right?! Who would of ever thought my lifetime would have promised me a trip to such a beautiful place. It made me calm yet excited, peaceful yet intrigued, lucky yet worthy. Aside from the hours on a plane- my entire being has never felt so blessed. A graduation gift turned into one of the most unreal experiences of my life.
When I got off the fifteen hours of flight to get there, every stereotype of the eight islands came to life. Blue/clear waters, palm trees, sea life everywhere, fresh fruit, gorgeous weather, surfer 'dudes'/gals everywhere, the best hospitality, and any other thing you can think of. And the best part of being on that side of the country was that we didn't keep track of the time or what day it was. It was just us and paradise. The sun was either up or down. We did not care. Imagine that-a life we now live where we are occupied with routine and know exactly what day and time it is to the minute. Our lives are run by appointments, technology, and always having a place to be. In Hawaii it is far from that. They actually frown upon the use of technology-not that you would ever want to drown in technology being there. My vision when I woke up every morning was sand going miles, blue waters, and smiling faces. I mean really how could you be anything but happy in paradise right? That is something I needed. Going from the hardest semester of my college career, personally and educationally, to graduating, to attempting to find a job. This was an incredible break and trip.
Our first stop was Maui for five days, and I will say it was the most breath taking place I have and probably ever will lay eyes on. Then we went to Oahu for five days as well. While Maui had more of the Hawaiian flare, Oahu was definitely more of a commercialized island- like a mini New York City.. While I am writing this blog not to bore you with too many details, but I'd like to share some of the incredible things that occupied my ten day trip across the country. First and foremost, at both of our hotels we were blessed with such amazing hospitality. It was as if we were part of their families from the second we got out of the car, literally. Hula shows every night, Tiki bars, pools, ofcourse beach everyday, and during the day: Ukelele lessons, lei making, hawaiin language lessons, surfing lessons, and an oober amount of other fun activities. Whatever you want to do they offer on a daily basis. We also went to things such as: a Luau, a sunrise tour on top of volcano Haleakala (which was the most incredible thing I have ever done), boat rides, and lots of shopping.
Throughout the entire trip the most incredible thing, although freezing and exhausting, was being over 10,000 feet above sea level on the most active volcano in the United States. We went on a sunrise tour which left at 2 am in order to make it to and up the volcano (which occupies 85 percent of Maui by the way) by sunrise. We were so far above the clouds in a mere 30 degree weather watching the sunrise. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Then we took the bus even higher to the summit, went for little hikes, barely being able to breathe because of the height above sea level, looked at craters and all that consumed Maui and the other islands. I have never felt so small. Yes... I may only be 5 foot 1 haha... but on this mountain I felt like an ant. This world is so enormous and beautiful and we as humans in a modern world unfortunently do not take the time to appreciate the beauty in each look we get. Throughout my entire trip I have never been so grateful and intrigued.
Bottom line if any of you have a chance to ever go I highly recommend it. No doubt in my mind what so ever. I posted those pictures above to give you a tiny taste of what my eyes saw for two weeks, but realistically pictures could not capture the simplistic beauty. So next time you get to go somewhere or even you walk out your front door, look at the little things all around you. Take those things for what they are and savor each of those moments. I hope we all can start to realize how lucky we are to live in the world we live in, and possibly we can all stop taking things for granted. Until next time, much love:)
Perfectly Imperfect
xoxo
Crystal Kimberly
No comments:
Post a Comment