Tofu and frolicking

This past week I have been on the Big Island of Hawaii enjoying the Kona side of the island. It was a shock, but I didnt find a single place to eat brown rice. What a relief that I took some precooked things with me for breakfast so that I could enjoy it still at least once a day.

I did get to see some really cool things, such as the Place of Refuge, a very sacred Hawaiian site. At the Place of Refuge, we met a local Hawaiian man who carved the tikis for this national park. Later, we also took an airplane ride over the volcano, and it was completely insane. We could see inside the crater with all the lava sloshing around. My mother and I gasped out loud in awe. Another great thing was Queen's Bath, a fresh water pool underground that was right next to the ocean. You climb down inside and peer up into the palm trees. I put my hands above me onto the rocks, and they were buzzing with energy. Mother Earth held me inside of her, and I felt very refreshed and renewed. For the first time, I also got to paddle in an outrigger canoe. My very athletic mom met them and found out anyone could go. We took an hour out of our morning to experience this. It was great fun.

My father went snorkeling and forgot to put on sunscreen. For 4 hours he was like a turtle without a shell, so needless to say, his back was very burnt. I thought maybe they were maybe 3rd degree, but my sister who is a nurse corrected me and suggested that they were 2nd degree burns. Nevertheless, after we spotted the blisters popping out all over his back, I went to the local grocery store to buy some tofu. We cut it up and placed it on certain areas that were the worst. It was very uncomfortable for him, but he was a great sport. The tofu actually cooked on his back. We were so surprised to see this. I hope that it helped reduce the pain he felt. After a couple of days taking it easy, he was feeling better.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a great time. It was great to be there with you. I am happy George could come too.