Aloha From Ishemel

Aloha! I've arrived to the nice warm sunshine, palm trees and warm sand of Hawaii!

There are eight islands that make up the state of Hawaii and I’m on the biggest one, which is named Hawai’i or “the big island” as the locals call it. This island is made up of five volcanoes, two of which, Mauna Loa and Kilauea, are actively erupting. I didn't see any lava, but sometimes you can smell the sulfur gas (think rotten eggs) in the fog, or as they call it – vog. All the lava that flows into the ocean is actually making the island bigger.

 

Some of the island looks like the moon because old lava flows have dried black and not much grows on them, but the other side of the island is wet, tropical and very green.


I took a ride in an outrigger canoe which can cut through really rough waves. It was lots of fun! Also, I climbed a Banyan tree. It’s a cool tree that’s limbs grow out, then grow down until they find the ground again. So one tree can look like a whole forest.



Well, gotta run, the beach is calling my name. I think I’m going to do some snorkeling and look at colorful fish under the pretty blue water then eat some pineapple later. Ahh, this is the life!

Aloha,
Ishemel

PS…the word Aloha means both “hello” and “goodbye” in Hawaiian.