March 8 hanging at home

Saturday March 8

This day we decided to just hang around the lovely home we were living in and appreciate all the delights of a quiet day on the island. The suite had laundry facilities just out the door that were shared by the residents, but we had no problem finding the washing machine available, and every once in awhile, a chance meeting at the dryer gave us a chance to interact a bit with the neighbors, exchange pleasantries about interesting things to do, and visit a bit. Our day was lovely, with perfect weather and skies, and another extra provided with the suite was leftover snorkeling gear. Rene was sure to tell us that they couldn’t officially rent out gear, but we were welcome to use whatever was left on the shelf in the laundry room, so we found some stuff and headed down Rene’s trail to the local beach.

It was Sue’s first time to snorkel, and just a little bit intimidating but Mo had done it before so we strapped on the masks and headed into the water. Of course, Sue’s snorkel was a bit leaky and a noseful and then a mouthful of salt water was a bit daunting. But I remembered what a coworker told me about staying with it, and of course switching out masks with Mo was a big help. That one didn’t leak, so I eventually got the hang of it and was rewarded with the magical appearance of tropical island fish right under my nose. We were in what is called Aliomanu Beach, and according to our well worn guidebook, this is the beach where local Hawaiians go to do net fishing and to gather other underwater treasures. A man and his wife were hanging out and he showed us how to use some local succulent beach leaves to wipe out the inside of the snorkel so it wouldn’t fog up. I still managed to swallow a good deal of salt water while getting used to it all, and am not sure if the upset stomach was from all that water or maybe I was just seasick. A quiet rest on the beach in the sun and shadows of passing clouds made it all ok in a short time, though.

The rest of the afternoon passed quietly, with actual relaxation a real part of the whole day. Late in the day we went in to Kapa’a and the Coconut Market http://www.coconutmarketplace.com/stores.html which turned out to be a delightful touristy area, that we enjoyed completely. There was even Hawaiian music on the plaza, and all the “stuff” for sale that you expect in Hawaii, including those wiggly hula girls for the dashboard of your classic car if you happen to have one. Sue found a great Hawaiian dress coverup at Bodacious and we ambled back in the late evening to a home cooked simple supper and early bedtime to the music of the ocean and breezes.