Courtney’s Vicarious Journey...
Hawaii
By Courtney DeSchepper  
May 5,  2012 

Hello from Hawaii! I spent from April 24-25 in this beautiful state. I actually got to spend time on two islands, well kind of. 

My first day was in Honolulu. Unfortunately I did not get to get off in Honolulu. The ship just had to refuel and the people on board went through immigration. The ship decided to do it this way to give us more time in Hilo the next day. When I was going through immigration I had to wait in what seemed like the longest line. When I got up to the immigration officer her stoic face was almost intimidating. She thumbed through my passport and stamped it with a Hawaii stamp. AS she handed me back my passport her face brightened up and said “Welcome Home.” WHAT! I had not even thought about that; I was home. I was back in my home country. It was a very strange feeling simply because it was a moment when I realized this journey was almost over. 

The next day I spent in Hilo. There were soft hills, breath taking blue oceans, and distant outlines of nearby islands all for me to gaze at during the day. The rain clouds did not hinder my ability to participate in anything while I was here. The weather was about 70 degrees and it rained off and on all day. 

I managed to find a way into the heart of downtown Hilo. I was dropped off at the farmers market where I got one of the best smoothies of my life. The fresh fruit made the smoothie so enjoyable. Of course I also did a little shopping. I bought all local art which was something I have really grown accustom to while traveling. Then, some friends and I went to a local grocery store and bought our lunch to have a picnic on the beach. We then took a taxi out a black sand beach called Richardson’s beach. We spent the day here just hanging out and relaxing on the beach. We had a picnic ( lunchables and carrot sticks YUM) and then in the afternoon we went snorkeling. 

I think snorkeling was my favorite part of the day. While the Pacific Ocean was cold, my body got used the water temperature. The reef was so alive! Richardson’s is known for some of the best snorkeling on the whole big island. I saw rainbow fish, brain coral (it looks like a brain), lots of angel fish, and a numerous amount of brightly colored fish that I didn’t recognize. One of the coolest things that I snorkeled with was 2 eels! They swam right under me! It was awesome. Another cool or gross thing that happened was one of the rainbow fish had strayed from its school and was swimming alone. Well it got scared and wanted to hid, so it hid in coral. Except that it wasn’t really coral, it was my swimsuit! This rainbow fish was trying to hid in my bright swimsuit thinking it was coral, so I guess you could say I danced with a rainbow fish!    

As my last port I just wanted to relax a little. I enjoyed spending time away from the ship and away from other voyagers. This quiet beach was away from all other people. There were only a few locals at the beach which made for a great day. I can’t believe that my journey is coming to a close. I have only a few more weeks before I am back to Ohio and back to regular life. I look forward to coming back and sharing my experiences with everyone. Until then, please read my blog at: agirlaroundtheworld-2012.blogspot.com