The Amber Waves tour has now skipped over the Pacific Ocean and landed in the Hawaiian islands. The first portion of our tour of the 50th state has us cruising to Maui, the Big Island (Hilo and Kona) and Kuai. The second portion will take place on Oahu.
So... our day of travel went well, we arrived to the ship on time, and fell sound asleep by 9:00 (2:00 a.m. Hollywood time). Today we arrived in Maui. We rented a car and took the "most beautiful ride in the world," the road to Hana. Now, we've taken quite a lot of beautiful rides, and I'm not sure it earns the superlative. Still, it's quite wonderful. We bought the recommended CD tour, narrated by two Hawaiian notables, who offered historical tidbits, insight into the landscape and some great Hawaiian songs.
One of the several stops along the road was a short excursion to Keane, which promised to offer restrooms and more breathtaking views. It delivered on both counts. The title for today's entry, however, comes from the mishap (my mishap) that occured there. The above photo was taken roughly five minutes before I took a step (or should I say misstep) to offer Daniel a helping hand (insert irony here) to come down from the rocky pinnacle upon which he had perched. Whether the rock was slippery or I simply stepped wrong, I don't know. All I know is down I went, first feeling the pain in one ankle, then the next, then my palms (oh! the camera!), landing in a small watery oasis, only to come to a full stop when my head hit one of the rocks. Now Mom, realize I sit in our cabin writing this hours later, so I AM FINE. However, it was a scary afternoon. Dana and Maddie ran over, Daniel easily maneuvered off his perch to offer help, and I got up slowly, mostly feeling angry that I had broken my camera and frustrated that I was likely going to ache all over tomorrow. When Dana noticed the blood streaming from my head, worry set in. The kids later told me they were amazed by my calm, while they proceeded to break down sobbing (Daniel felt guilty; Maddie was just scared I wasn't going to be okay). Through tears, Daniel proclaimed, "this is the worst family vacation ever!"
As we were more than halfway through our journey to Hana, we confirmed with a local that it was closer to get to Hana's medical center than to return to the ship. I was given napkins and ice, and we headed on our way. While the blood soon stopped, I couldn't get Natasha Richardson out of my mind. When we finally arrived in Hana only to find that their sole medical center is closed on Sunday, I realized I was either going to be okay or I wasn't, so I better enjoy my time with my kids :) The photos featured below show you our time on a truly fantastic beach, with "salt and pepper sand" (the black sand comes from the volcanic activity on and around the islands), fabulous surfable waves (with lots of cute surfers for Maddie to ogle) and the "Secret Island of Awesomeness" that Daniel named and adored. With each passing minute, I was more convinced that I would live, and we managed to restore Daniel's faith that this family vacation had some promise left in it after all.
We concluded our first day in Maui at Mama's Fish House, an apparently world famous restaurant frequented by Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, Hurley and Jin from Lost :), Owen Wilson, and Ray Romano, the final two making the biggest impression on the kids, of course. What a truly stunning place. Set directly on the beach, the menu lists not only the dish, but the name of the captain who caught the fish you will be eating.
Tomorrow we wake up early to go snorkling at the equally famous Molokini Crater. I promised myself, the kids and now I promise you to do nothing remotely resembling anything that could cause me any harm. I go to bed tonight realizing that each day is truly a gift, that it takes nothing more than a slight misstep to cause catastrophe, and that I am a very lucky woman. Not only to have made a less dangerous misstep but to have a family that took such great care of me when I did.
Oh, and Dana has rigged his Blackberry to connect to the Internet and to our laptop to enable me to continue blogging our journey across this amazing country of ours. Until my next entry...
(the photos don't seem to want to upload tonight, so I'll add them as soon as the computer starts cooperating... I got a couple posted at top.)
4 comments:
oh my god! well, it is good that I am reading this long after your fall. I hope you don't have any soreness or headache, but I'm sure you will feel something. The ship does have a doctor on it, doesn't it?? Anyway, it sounds like you're seeing beautiful sights and having fun. Please be careful everyone. Love Mom
Amy, I'm so sorry about your fall but I'm glad you seem to be okay. I know that you won't ignore anything you might think is not quite right so you'll be fine.
I'm also sorry that your camera didn't make it... That said, I am very happy that you have revived the blog spot to bring us the "Pacific Waves Tour 2009." I will look forward to reading about your adventures. :-)
Stay safe and have a wonderful time!!
Kerrie, thanks for the title idea :) I was thinking of just revising it to read "Amber Waves Tour, Established 2008," but maybe I can work yours in as a subtitle :) Yes, I've been paying attention for any symptoms, but luckily none has appeared. Other than a sore bump on my head, I seem to have survived that fall. As did my camera, by the way. It has some cracks and scratches, but so far it seems to be working just fine (fingers crossed).
Ouch! Glad I'm reading this after you survived to ride in a helicopter. Looking forward to reading all about your less painful adventures. :-)
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