Aloha! Part One

Hawaii here we come!

Thanks to Rob's dad, we are able to visit Hawaii about every other year (ahem, poor us, I know). Rob grew up in Hawaii, where his dad still resides with his wife on the Big Island. Our exciting journey began the end of July.

The Farmer's Market is always a great stop. We went to one in Hilo. You find authentic treasures in clothing, souvenirs and of course, food! This year we tried lychee (pic on right) for the first time. The kids didn't love it. I ended up eating them all.

Coconut milk straight from the coconut. I think it's a must try!

Don't forget the shave ice. Another must have when you visit Hawaii. For some reason it really is better in Hawaii. I think it's the finely shaved ice.

Another tasty morsel found in Hawaii is malasadas. Sorry, no picture! But definitely worth mentioning. Malasadas are a Portuguese donut. There are no holes in these donuts, but are often filled with different flavors like custard, chocolate, guava, haupia, and strawberry. Yum!

We visited Laupahoehoe Point in the rain. This is an amazing beach that is, unfortunately, famous for a tragedy. In 1946 a tsunami claimed the lives of 21 children and 3 adults. A memorial is located at the park close to the ocean with all the names of those that lost their lives on that tragic day. Lexi was very touched by this and had many questions.

The zoo was another rainy stop. This zoo is free and very impressive.

This next stop ended up being quite a long drive. We questioned whether we should bag the idea and turn around. But we eventually made it!

At this bake shop, we bought a couple loaves of Hawaiian sweet bread and shared a tasty smoothie.

Then we drove a little further to a beautiful black sand beach.

A sea turtle was quietly hanging out on the beach while people crowded around to take pictures.

The drive was worth it!

Stay tuned!