365 Inspirations—321: Dolphins and Last Sunset on the Big Island

We drove across island today to Kona. We will take a flight off the island and head toward the mainland at 9:55 tonight. We are sitting along the ocean at the Hilton where we dropped a friend off.

We ventured down to the rocky, white corral beach to eat our packed lunch for dinner from Kalani.

The hotel grounds here are pretty amazing and there are dolphins all around us!

Right now they are chattering and jumping in the dark, but we can't see them clearly.

We are sad to leave, but happy to spend this last warm night on the Big Island and happy we could see dolphins and the sunset. We will be back!

Are you often sad to leave your vacation or eager to get back home?

365 Inspirations—319: From the Top of Mauna Kea to the Depths of the Ocean at Kihena Beach

Full moon on top of Mauna Kea

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”

— Rachel Carson

There's a full moon above me. Out here in the middle of the ocean, this moon glows like nothing I've ever seen. We were supposed to go to a night concert out at a sanctuary tonight, but we got lost on the winding roads. The moon was glistening over the ocean casting crystals everywhere. I had to pull over so we could stand up on a cliff and feel the roar of the waves smashing against the rocks. I can hear that roar from the room where I type this.

I swam in that ocean today at Kihena Beach, otherwise known as Black Sand Beach.

 The beach is black from volcanic rocks. The power of the ocean nearby can be felt even at a distance, but close up it shakes you. The undertow is strong. I braved it twice on this trip. I got hit by one big wave and then swam out as soon as the wave receded. I floated around out beyond where the waves were cresting and breaking. I was safe out there, the problem was coming back in. I had to swim fast as soon as there was a lull in the ginormous waves that were crashing the shore. I found my opportunity and took it. A wave was coming in just as I was running up the beach.

My husband was hit by a wave and lost his glasses. He struggled up out of the wave and made it to the beach and realized they were gone. He came over to me on the black sand and said,

"That wave took my glasses. I can't see."

Later a woman at lunch said she was happy that the wave only took Yoon's glasses. Apparently the waves out at this beach have claimed a number of lives. I swam out there with dolphins in March while we were on yoga retreat here, but the waves seemed quite tame at that time.

Yoon is now wearing my red retro glasses. Luckily we have a very similar prescription and I wear my contacts most of the time. People have noticed that he looks different and then he has to tell the story of what happened.

Not only is the ocean powerful here, but so are the mountains and the volcano, which is still very active. Lava is still spewing out and over the ocean cliffs here.

Yesterday, we decided to drive almost to the top of Mauna Kea, the highest peak in all of the Hawaiian Islands. There was a point when we had to stop because it required four-wheel drive. Instead of driving up to the tip top, we hiked up a small mountain which gave us a 360 view of the sunset, the full moon rise and the clouds below us. We were above the cloud line and could here a clap of thunder in the clouds below us. It was raining and storming down at sea level, but we were up above the clouds at  13,000 plus feet.

Here are some pictures from that day:

Do you prefer the mountains or the ocean? Have you been to both in one day?

365 Inspirations—316: The Sun and the Moon on the Big Island

Sunrise this morning from our ocean vista room

The sun and moon are rulers of our planet—they give life, regulate life and without them we would not be here. I feel a lot of gratitude for their presence here. I believe in my sun sign (scorpio) and moon sign (gemini). I am interested in opposites—darkness/light, sun/moon, chaos/clarity. I believe there is beauty in all of these things.

Here on the Big Island of Hawaii, the nature is so intense. It's pulsating and vibrating every moment. Out here in the middle of nowhere, we become all that is here. There's something very primordial about being here.

We drove along the coast and took photos of the dramatic sunset. We are not on the sunset side of the island, but we can still get the sunset colors.

Last night, it was a completely clear night with millions of stars. The moon illuminated the path Yoon and I were walking on. The silhouette of the palm trees gently rustling in the breeze as we walked on this path of light felt a bit surreal.

We are out at the very end of the point staying in the ocean vista accommodations at Kalani, high up in the hills with a view of the ocean. It's a bit of hike to the main facilities. Sometimes we drive it if the weather is stormy, but last night we felt like walking. We planned to go for a moonlight swim in the pool, a soak in the jacuzzi and a rest in the sauna.

Walking home again in the moonlight, with my body tingling and fresh from the night dipping, I felt so much gratitude and awe. How did I get here? How am I here in this place with such wonderful people and so much love?

It's hard to sleep on this island. This place is so alive. To connect ourselves more with nature, there is no glass, only screens on the windows. We feel every breeze, we are part of the rain, the Coqui frogs sing and keep the rhythm with the beat of our hearts. We are also alive in every sense of the word.

I arose for the sunset (something I rarely do). The rosy pink in the sky illuminated the ocean with the very same color.

I headed off on my own to Prosperity Yoga in the main yoga building. I decided to drive, since I was running late. On the way, I saw the teacher walking along the path. She was going to be late to her own class, but she seemed to be in a state of awe and wonder without a care in the world. She was listening to some lovely music when I picked her up.

"This is Kathy Zavada I'm listening to. I went to a retreat of hers on Mt. Shasta. It's lovely, isn't it?"

I felt synchronicity making its rounds again. Mt. Shasta is on my list for high energy places to visit. It's part of my book research for my next book.

I enjoyed the class immensely and gained so much from it.

Today, at 1pm, I teach 'First Thoughts: Intuitive Writing for Greater Clarity and Purpose.'

I'm excited to see how it all unfolds.

Have you connected recently to the sun or moon? What do you remember about your experiences?

365 Inspirations—85: The Geo-Thermal Hot Pool, Big Island, HI

"Look into nature, and then you will understand everything better."—Albert Einstein

We are on the plane heading to Oakland, CA where we will stay a night before we head on to Seattle. We had an amazing trip on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was really hard for me to leave. I feel like the Big Island really fits my personality and it’s a place I would consider living.

Of course, I also said that about Sedona, AZ where we also had a yoga retreat. Every place we go seems like a place I’d love to live. 

One of our nightly rituals was to soak in the Geo-Thermal Hot Pool on the Hilo side of the Big Island of Hawaii.

After hiking, doing yoga or other strenuous exercise, this pool was just what the doctor ordered and very unique to the Big Island. I do not know of any other Hawaiian island that has this kind of pool.

It is warm, but not super hot like hot springs. I’d say the water is around 85 to 90 degrees. It’s just perfect. It’s like sitting in a bath at home. The water is so soft. 

It’s a salt-water hot pool because the water comes in from the ocean and is heated geo-thermally by the hot volcano rocks. I’m sure there are lots of natural mineral deposits.

It was such a relaxing end to our day for our group. You could also snorkel in the hot pond, but we found out an even better place to snorkel within walking distance of our house. I’d never seen so many kinds of coral and fish. These were also pools that were protected from the rough ocean, but they weren’t as hot as the hot pool.

Kapoho, where we stayed with our yoga group was the perfect place. It had so many unique features and I experienced so many new things. 

Some of the highlights besides the hot pond were walking on Pele, an active volcano, snorkeling in coral reef pools with amazing fish right near our house, beautiful canopies of all sorts of jungle-looking trees on our trips to different sights, the sunrise every morning near our house, whales breeching right in front of my eyes while watching the sunrise, doing yoga and swimming with dolphins on a black sand beach.

Most of all, I can’t forget the bonding experience with our group. The time we spent together was the most precious time. I’m sure we will all remember it fondly.

What was the best part of a trip you recently took?