When we landed at the Hilo airport, Kamlesh aunty said "Oh my god, you are actually here ! I never thought I would be in Hawaii, and I never thought you'd actually come and visit me here"
That says it right. Hawaii was never on my to do list. I'm not a big one for foreign travel....quite happy to be spending my travel energy within India.
When the plan started, it started on a singular thought......wanting to be with Kamlesh aunty on her 80th b'day, and that slowly picked up an energy and life of it's own, enough to actually make happen.
When we were working out ticket routes is when I looked up Hawaii on the map.........and I was so blown.
It's part of the US, but really nowhere close ( a full six hour flight even from the west coast). It's just this little dot, bang in the middle of the pacific. Like so little, and so way out there...... pretty much like the mythical timbaktu. Feels unreal.
Kilauea, had made us rethink the trip for a bit, after all aunty's house is just 28 miles from the volcano and actually developed a crack in the earthquake, (which is one of the first things she showed us when we got home......but then, here we are, and am I so glad :).
Still a little zoned out, but first impression - amazingly stunningly beautiful..... lush, thick, clean green.... pretty ferns, massive leaves, wild flowers......spcaed out pretty houses.....rains and water and waterfalls (her backyard has a river flowing through it), croaking frogs (she gave us ear plugs to keep out the noise at night) .....little green lizards and millipedes......the ocean a five minute walk from home.....very very quiet ( Hilo's not part of the Hawaiin touristy circuit)......a life that's very far off from what's familiar, a life very close to nature.
Will write again (soon)....it's been travel through so many sunrises and sunsets within the thirty six hour travel time.....it's fascinating how it can alter perspective of time.
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