Tales
Slice o' paradise
November was dominated by a fantastic week in Hawaii, supported by dad’s “need” for continuing medical education. We call it our doctor boondoggle. It was filled with the usual Hawaii suspects: snorkling, beach lounging, sand castles, sea turtles, fish tacos, chocolate mochi, and sunsets ignoring our children while chillin’ with many friends.
The best part was the casual and social pace of time. The girls spent hours and hours digging in the sand and playing the waves with Carina, Tobey, Tea, and Maya while all of adults got to hang out and read, talk, and chill. It was a piece of heaven.
On our last day, the 6 families we had traveled with had departed so we packed into our rental car for the drive on the road to Hana. The windy rainy road was uneventful, with the girls reading in the back seat, and Lynn drifting off to sleep in the front…until Koda says, “I think I’m going to throw up.” Are you sure?, we asked. “Yes, I’m sure.” We pulled over just in time — mom asked dad to take mm further from the car but he wouldn't — to have her step out of the car and boot chunks on the gravel. The proximity of the sound and smell didn’t help mom, who had been fighting off her own car sickness until then. Mom drove the last 30 minutes, with us wondering if the trip would be worth it….
It was. 30 minutes of hiking through a section of dense bamboo 40 feet high was amazing. The sound of the leaves and the canes clanking together — took dad back to memories of central China. The girls loved finding young bamboo shoots peeking out, and the hike ended with a view of a towering waterfall above. We drove home along the “back road” that had just opened up to visitors in the last couple years, and and the views were stunning.
