Hawaii, the paradise... (1)

Our trip started on Thanksgiving Day.  Flew 9.2 hours from Chicago to Honolulu, got to Waikiki right before sunset.  It was very nice and calm out on the island, the park was filled with huge tropical trees.  Kids were playing in the ocean and parents were sitting on the beach enjoying the soft afternoon sunlight...  It was only then when I realized that, perhaps, not everyone cared about the turkey...

The entire 10-day trip was adventurous.  Big Island was such a profound place.  You'd have the opportunity to cover at least 3-4 ecosystems in one day -- from the beautiful coastlines to rainforests to endless black lava fields to fresh volcano ash hills to black sand beaches to green sand beaches and to white sand beaches...  The top of Mauna Kea at 13,000 ft is clear and dry 360 days a year.  You can see the Milky Way and millions and millions of bright stars at night...  Because it's in the middle of the ocean with the least light pollution, Mauna Kea is known to be the best place to see the Milky Way.

From the sea level in Hilo to the top of Mauna Kea at 13,000 ft could be one of the most amazing and unpredictable trips you've ever taken.  You would drive from the peaceful civilization through heavy rain and then thick cloud layers where the visibility was only about 1/10 of a mile, finally, about 3 minutes before getting to the top, you would suddenly see dark, dark clear skies with millions of bright stars.  In the morning, the temperature could drop from 70F in Hilo to below 20F on top of the mountain. 

Some day, I will show you the amazing sunrise photos I took up there under windchill of 15F...  The sun came out from the thick clouds and colored the entire world to orange and then red -- pretty unbelievable stuff, and it's just impossible to capture with a camera!!

For now, please allow me to share the last 2 photographs I took on this trip: sunrise from the Black Sand Beach. When you think about it, even in the black lava covered areas, nature still has its own unique beauty and it has its own moments to shine!


Black Sand Beach
December 6, 2013