Oahu Day Three

This morning a tiny gecko greeted me in our bathroom. It was so cute, just hanging out near our toothbrushes, about the length of a playing card. 

We drove to the south-east side of the island this morning and went on a spectacular hike at Maunawili Falls. I have never been surrounded by such beautiful scenery. There were vines wrapping around the trees and hanging down from amongst the branches. I kept expecting monkeys or sloths to come climbing down to greet me. The bird sounds were unreal; I wish I had a tape recorder so that I could take those sounds home. I was bringing up the rear of the pack for most of the hike because I kept stopping to stand in awe at my surroundings.

Our pathway climbed up and then down and crossed a creek multiple times. At the top of the bluff we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the green, sculpted mountains around us. I could have sat there forever, looking at the view. Ricky really wanted to see a dinosaur come out of the mist but we had no such luck.

Our hike led us to a lovely little waterfall that trickled down to fill a fresh-water pool. Ricky and Chris had a blast jumping off of the rocks into the pool, which freaked me out. I was happy to see Ricky having so much fun though. I waded into the pool and swam around a bit and, after much coaxing from Ricky, allowed the tiny fish to nibble at my toes. Apparently in some countries people pay a lot of money for such services. :) Swimming in a hidden, waterfall-fed pool in a tropical jungle was on my bucket list so I was pleased to have that opportunity in such a gorgeous place.

Our plan had been to snorkel at Hanama Bay after lunch today but when we drove there we found out that it is closed on Tuesdays! Boo. We'll go on a different day this week instead. We drove to a viewpoint instead and then found a beach to swim at. The waves were bigger today and it clouded over a bit toward late afternoon but we still had a salty, good time. I still can't get over the beautiful blues of the water. Everything here is so different and lovely; I continue to be enamored by the giant leaves, coconuts on the ground, and geckos in my bathroom.

Aloha for tonight my friends! Hope you're enjoying your wintery weather up north!