I Think I Died and Went to Turtle Heaven

Boats are being seen more often here in the cove.

Today was amazing. It began with possibly best snorkeling experience I've ever had. Paul and I went out at around 7:30 AM and swam with at least nine different turtles. What a wonderful way to begin a day. It was awe inspiring. The weather has been working to our advantage. Honokeana Cove isn't as much of a secret as it used to be, so it can get fairly crowded in the cove with everyone wanting to spot a honu (turtle). Since we can assess the crowd, and since the rain comes and goes randomly in Napilli, we are fortunate that we get to go out to swim with the honu when no one else is there. It's like a gift from the Universe. I am always in awe of these magnificent creatures. They seem to be the epitome of aloha: friendly, patient, and wise.

After a delicious muffin and a cup of steaming jasmine green tea, we got cleaned up and went for an outing to the Maui Ocean Center. The place is dedicated to teaching ocean conservation as well as educating the public about Hawaiian marine life. Every time I visit, I learn something new. This time we purchased a week pass, so that we can come and go as we please, but still, we stayed there enjoying everything for over four hours. We touched sea cucumbers and sea urchins. We viewed sand through a highly magnified microscope (an incredibly surprising and beautiful sight). We learned about the various types of sharks and we discovered that the center is involved in Green Sea Turtle release program. We watched everything get fed, and I even purchased a lovely lithograph by Joelle C. entitled, Almost Like Angels.

A Window Display at the Maui Ocean Center

Back at the Cove, people were beginning to gather. We've become close with the vacationers who witnessed us get married. They feel affectionate towards us, as we do to them. We've made some friends from quite close to home. Some even from Santa Cruz!  So we sat and watched the sunset as we ate a delicious spinach salad and sipped sparkling wine from Napa Valley. To sum it up, today I conversed with friendly and intelligent  people,experienced the aloha spirit, adventure, romance, and consumed delicious food and drink. I must be walking in the fields of gold. Yeah?