Monday: Getting Wet
Hawaii is loaded with crazy fruit. We eat it for breakfast and bring it with us when we go for swims. Apple bananas, for one, are unlike your typical supermarket banana. They are only 4 inches long, and have a sweet tanginess. Lychee, some crazy little limes, some other little tomato looking things that I refer to as multifruit because it tastes like every kind of fruit all at once.
This morning we drove north to Beach 69 for our first swim of the week. It's a casual, unpretentious place with big swoopy cedar like trees providing shade on the beach. We had a safety talk, discussed a course, and went for a swim. The water was clear and calm, the sky blue. A great start to the week. A turtle swam with me for awhile. So did guests Anette, Deb, and Paul. I love swimming with these 3. Anette and I have the same stroke rate and speed, so it's a blast to swim next to her. I think we could go for 1o miles stroke for stroke with little effort.
I'm still getting used to driving the van. It's really long and hard to park and I feel the responsibility of getting our 7 guests and 3 guides around safely. The drive is spectacular though, with sweeping views of the massive volcanoes that form this island.
Later we jumped in at the pier in Kona to swim the Ironman course. Conditions were a tad bumpy, but it was cool to swim at this iconic place. We split into two groups. One group swam while the other took and outrigger canoe tour. Our guide gave us some Hawaiian history and a paddle lesson. We tried to match stokes with another canoe full of kids (it's an after school sport here) but they smoked us.
Back at the Hale, I mixed up some Blue Hawaiian cocktails while our private chef Dan put out some appetizers. Dinner was another amazing affair with lots of local ingredients. I hung our with guest Janine and we talked about NYC and pizza and bagels and swimming. I also had a chance to talk with guest Lisa who is a wine expert so I always drink from the same wine bottle she does at the dinner table.
The swell here in the south part of the island is still kicking, so we'll head north again tomorrow. This island is blowing me away.
-Hopper