It’s kind-of funny, but not really, how vacations go by at the speed of light, yet my everyday work life goes by pretty much at the speed of sloth. But I am still sooo thankful for the opportunities I’ve had, and will hopefully continue to have, to travel and explore this planet! I just wish time would slow down during these occasions. 🙂

The last two full days of my 2009 vacation in Hawaii (*tear*). The weather during our time in Kona was very interesting. Not a lot of sun actually but plenty of vog (or volcanic smog). So we were a bit concerned that upon returning home we would not look like we had just spent 12 days on a tropical island. When we woke up to this…

…our mission for the day turned into working on our tan lines. 🙂 We spent some time lying out by the pool, then went into town to do some souvenir shopping at Hilo Hatties and the Kona Village.

We also drove to Banyans to watch the very talented local surfers there.

In my dreams….

That evening we all drove into town to have dinner at Quinn’s Almost By the Sea (love that name!) and enjoyed fresh, yummy fish and chips. We then strolled through town to the seawall and watched the outrigger canoes come in for the evening.

One of the things I wanted to do on this trip was to go on a nighttime snorkel excursion to see the manta rays. I’ve heard this can be an amazing experience! Unfortunately I never got around to actually doing it. Instead we drove to the Sheraton Kona Resort which is located near the coast where the manta rays tend to congregate. We stood by the sea wall and stared intently at the spotlight lit water. This is also one of the places the dive boats bring people to swim with these huge creatures (some of which can grow to the size of a small plane!). Unfortunately we didn’t really see much. But I am determined that someday I will swim with these creatures!!

Our last day of an incredible 12 days in paradise! And where did we want to go on our last day in Hawaii? Why Paradise Beach of course (aka the beach at Kukio)!

We now have three names for this beach: Paradise Beach, Turtle Beach, and after our final trip there, Bootleg Beach. Why “Bootleg Beach,” you ask? Well, our last trip there was quite interesting! While snorkeling, my dad discovered what looked like a human leg bone with a boot on the foot. The entire thing was crusted over with coral but you can still make out the shape of the leg and boot:

We all dove down to look at this object that was stirring our creative minds to come up with some fantastic explanation as to how it got there. It had obviously been there for quite some time. Janellen came up with the theory that this was a missionary to the island who was killed by natives; another person speculated that this could have been a pirate who died whilst going about his pillaging of the seven seas; I announced that we were going to become famous for discovering the remains of Amelia Earhart.

But this is a mystery that shall remain unsolved. The next day my Uncle contacted the local authorities and told them about our discovery. They went to the beach but could not find the bone. So my Uncle went back with them, donned his snorkel gear and took them right to the spot where it laid. They closed off the beach so they could excavate and bring it to shore. After examining our exciting find, they came to the conclusion that it was not, in fact, a human bone and a boot but just some coral that had taken this unusual shape. We, however, are not convinced.

I mentioned in a previous post that the community of Kukio is very exclusive, with multi-million dollar homes along this beautiful stretch of coast. If there was even a hint of mystery or the possibility of this area being sacred, the beach would be closed indefinitely. I’m sure the residents of Kukio would not be too happy about losing access to their Paradise Beach.

So we’re sticking with our bone and boot story and various theories anyway! 🙂

Leaving Paradise/Turtle/Bootleg Beach, we spent the rest of the day working on our tans one last time by the pool, having one last shopping spree, packing, enjoying pizza for dinner, and thanking my Aunt and Uncle again and again for their generosity and for being the BEST possible hosts and tour guides!

My time in Hawaii was full of fun, adventure and beauty!

You might also like:

• Aloha Hawaii!
• Hawaii: Craters, Volcanoes & Hiking Them
• Hawaii Beach Time!
• More Adventures on the Big Island
• Surfing, Hiking & Canoeing in Paradise