Despite fervent protest from my brain and muscles, my stomach insisted on waking me up at 7:30 am for breakfast. Curse you stomach! Why must you be so stubborn?
The delicious breakfast made me feel somewhat better about having had only three hours of sleep. Since, as you know, inadequate sleep makes me grouchy, Orc-level grouchy (a LOTR reference just for you, ubernerd).
My brother and I both agreed that we should take it easy. That being said, lazying around the hotel was not an option. We were in frickin' Hawaii, afterall!
We headed out to South Point/Green Sand Beach. Just some good ol'fashioned sightseeing.
And I got to drive!!!
And this is why we drove two hours to gawk at green sand.
The beach is located near the southernmost point of USA, aptly named South Point.
We parked at the designated lot (if you could call it a lot) and followed other green sand seekers down the sandy trail.
Did I mention that that entire area is terribly windy? Behold.
I knew beforehand that the beach is about 2km from the parking lot, but I wasn't too concerned. A mere two kilometers compared to what we did yesterday? Cake.
Of course, that was before I saw this.
Now I can see why/how some locals make a living transporting tourists to/from the beach ($15/person/one-way, in case you were wondering).
Whether this sandy maze is natural or man-made, your guess is as good as mine.
How about now?
We got back to Hilo around dinnertime, had a quick bite (a bowl of not so authentic Vietnamese pho), and then it was time to prepare for our journey home. A task, which mainly involved shaking the sand out of everything - which took longer than one would imagine - and cramming them back into my carry-on luggage. The humidity in Hawaii, while wonderful for my skin and hair, was not as helpful with the packing.
The delicious breakfast made me feel somewhat better about having had only three hours of sleep. Since, as you know, inadequate sleep makes me grouchy, Orc-level grouchy (a LOTR reference just for you, ubernerd).
My brother and I both agreed that we should take it easy. That being said, lazying around the hotel was not an option. We were in frickin' Hawaii, afterall!We headed out to South Point/Green Sand Beach. Just some good ol'fashioned sightseeing.
And I got to drive!!!
Perfect backdrop for a car commercial.
About Papakolea Beach/Green Sand Beach
What is so special about this particular beach, you may ask? Well, it is extremely rare, for one thing. Only three others like it exist in the world. The entire world.
Did I mention the beach is green? And not green as in algee-contaminated-green, but good golly wonder-of-nature-green green.
The beach is located inside a cinder cone containing olivine, a green mineral. You might know olivine by another name. Good quality olivine is known as peridot, which happens to be the birthstone for August. And who happens to have a birthday in August? See what I did there?
Anyways, the ocean is continuously eroding the cinder cone and washing out the olivine deposit. Over time, the beach will eventually lose its greenness.
The beach is located near the southernmost point of USA, aptly named South Point.
We parked at the designated lot (if you could call it a lot) and followed other green sand seekers down the sandy trail. Did I mention that that entire area is terribly windy? Behold.
I knew beforehand that the beach is about 2km from the parking lot, but I wasn't too concerned. A mere two kilometers compared to what we did yesterday? Cake.
Of course, that was before I saw this. Now I can see why/how some locals make a living transporting tourists to/from the beach ($15/person/one-way, in case you were wondering).
Whether this sandy maze is natural or man-made, your guess is as good as mine.
Yay! The elusive green sand beach is within sight. Finally.
The beach is located at what would have been the crater of the cinder cone so it was quite a steep descent down to the beach.
Can you see the green now?
How about now?
In truth, the green sand didn't photograph well and not at all what I imagined. Even in person, the sand looked more grey than green. Only when you let the light hit it just so, do the green crystals shine somewhat.
In the end, the green sand beach was kind of a let down. Or maybe we were just too tired that day to fully appreciate one of Mother Nature's many wonders.
In the end, the green sand beach was kind of a let down. Or maybe we were just too tired that day to fully appreciate one of Mother Nature's many wonders.
Shark! Haha, just kidding.
Once we got back to the car, we were both too worn out to hike another 3km to South Point. Maybe one day, if ever I conquer my fear of height and become a much better swimmer, I can go back to try cliff jumping. It's supposed to be a really great spot. For now though, I'm planning to keep my feet firmly on the ground whenever possible.
We got back to Hilo around dinnertime, had a quick bite (a bowl of not so authentic Vietnamese pho), and then it was time to prepare for our journey home. A task, which mainly involved shaking the sand out of everything - which took longer than one would imagine - and cramming them back into my carry-on luggage. The humidity in Hawaii, while wonderful for my skin and hair, was not as helpful with the packing.
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