Napali Oranges

I forgot how good the oranges are here. Most people just think of the pineapples in Hawai'i but honestly it's the oranges that they have the rest of the world beat on. Right off the tree, peeling isn't really an option, just bite into it, discard the piece of bitten peel and let the juice run down your chin. You WILL need a shower (or better yet a dip in the ocean) after indulging in this. Yes I forgot about the oranges.

Today we ventured out into the waters to see the great Napali Coast. I was told to expect to be stunned by it's breathtaking views, but such foreshadowing didn't do any justice for what I was about to see.

The trip started out rough. Literally. The rain was coming down like nothing in Seattle and the sea's violent swells were doing nothing to calm the nerves of the 49 passengers boarding the Lucky Lady at 730am. To calm my nerves, I simply took note (even before stepping foot on the vessel) of the catamaran's lovely - and yes, quite able I am sure - crew. Young bronzed surfer bodies, with that unbelievable curly black hair. Hello memories! Yes the images flooding back to me (which were totally innocent and PG13 rated, Mom and Dad, I swear...) would come in quite handy moments later in distracting me from the motion that my fellow shipmates were turning green from.... Oh man, my life in Maui, how I miss you. Ahem, sorry, where was I?

Oh yes... Well, luckily for those without the pleasure of such nostalgia, it wasn't long before we were in clear blue skies, and much calmer waters. And what is that? A pod of dolphins to the right of us? Ooooh aaaaaah!

We rounded the western most point and headed north to the cliffs we had all been anticipating. Scenes from movies we had all seen were suddenly before our eyes in real time. And it was like nothing I had ever seen or expected to see. My pictures won't do it any bit of justice but I'll try to get them into an album and post the link soon.

The return to port was even rockier than the departure, as if to reinforce the notion that nothing comes without a cost, not the least of which being a natural beauty as magnificent as we just witnessed. The BFF didn't fare so well, barely holding her lunch down and willing the captain to speed up this damn boat.

Sitting on the lanai now, letting the aforementioned orange juice drip down my chin, I can't help but feel overwhelmingly lucky to be here, to have the privilege that so many do not, to see the things like I saw today.