Hawaii 2007 - Day 10: Yeowwww!

As was becoming typical, we awoke bright and early to take advantage of the entire day, and the lovely 12 hours of sunshine a day Hawaii has to offer. I think one of the coolest things about Hawaii is how warm it gets even in the early hours of the morning. At 8:00 when we would awake it would still be somewhat brisk outside, but by 9:00, the sun starts beating down and you just know that it's going to be another fabulous day in paradise!

We started the day by heading to the market, a place Dad had (by now) affectionately termed "The Feeding Frenzy", mostly due to the barrage of tourists looking to get little Hawaiian trinkets. Unlike the last time we went to the market, today I was all business. I had a list of people to by for, and damn it, I was going to buy for them!

I love the market. You can buy everything from Hawaiian picture frames and albums, to seashell jewelry, to art, to fruit and vegetables (and a whole ton more!) I found gifts for most the people I was shopping for, but since the market is only open on Saturdays, we decided to hit up a couple other actual stores later to make sure I was completely set for returning to the cold white north.

Afterwards, we headed up for a quick trip to the ‘Īao Valley. Now, when you pronounce ‘Īao, it sounds an awful lot like "Yeowww!" I remember visiting this as a child of 7, and seriously thinking that is what they called it. I mean, think about it, the ‘Īao Valley is home to the ‘Īao Needle. Now imagine you're 7. Don't "Yeowww!" and "Needle" go hand in hand? I think so.

Anyway, the ‘Īao Valley is the second wettest spot on earth, second to only Mount Waiʻaleʻale on Kauaʻi (another island in Hawaii.) It is said that the valley receives up to 400 inches of rain a year! You do the math.

Of course, due to this, the valley is very lush, and tropical. It's so surreal to go from the dry barren Kahului into a rich, green rainforest within minutes.

It's kind of cool, because to get to the valley, you have to drive through the mountains, and when you turn around, you see that you've driven through a 'V' shaped path. It was a very Sesame Street moment...

The letter of the day is 'V'! 'V' is for Valley!

Anyway, there are these beautiful, Filipino, Japanese, and Portuguese inspired gardens with really unique flora everywhere you turn! It's like plant overload!

Now, as mentioned, the highlight of the ‘Īao Valley is the ‘Īao Needle, a lava remnant that stands 2250 feet above sea level (1200 feet of that visible.) The needle itself is a bit of an optical illusion, because it looks to be really short due to the fact that there is nothing next to it (ie: a person, a house, etc.) to provide a comparison to how tall it actually is!

It was kind of fitting, that as we were leaving, it started raining. I guess with 400 inches of rainfall a year, you're bound to experience some rain no matter what day you go!

Afterwards, we ran some errands, and went to a couple "Hawaiian Junk Stores" as Dad termed them. (Come to think of it, Dad has a lot of cynical terms for a lot of funky things...hmmm.)

Anyway, we hit up an ABC store, where Kristyn (and later I followed in suit) bought shooters of Hana Bay Rum to empty and use the bottles to put the sand in that we collected earlier that week. Of course, I helped in ensuring that none of the rum was put to waste when taking on the delicate task of emptying these bottles.

Afterwards, we hit up Hilo Hatties, which, (junk or not, Dad) I LOVE! This place is so cool!

As soon as you walk in, they adorn you with a totally cheapo seashell necklace and there are refreshments by the door. As you wander around, you are treated to the finest Hawaiian "junk" money can buy.

Over by the jewelry counter, they had oysters that you could pay to break open and then keep whatever pearls you found inside. As people would open them, they would ring these bells and should "Alo-HA!" for the entire store to hear. I witnessed a woman open an oyster with two beautiful black pearls in them. I REALLY wanted to open an oyster, but the setting for the pearls were so pricey, and really, what am I going to do with settingless pearls?

Anyway, I found some cool Hawaiian trinkets and art to take back for the friends back home, and after spending nearly every last dollar I had, went back to the pool to be lazy. I mean, what else is vacation for?