Hawai`i 2009: Day 10

We awoke at 5:00am today to see the sunrise down by the tide pools. However, it was overcast, and then began to pour rain. We could not find shelter, did not have umbrellas and were generally a little too out of sorts to push through. So, back to bed until a more reasonable 8:00am rise.

Today was massage day at Kalani so I thought I'd do a little epsom salts treatment on my sun burn. As far as sun burns goes, this one is mid-range. I've had much worse, though this one does seem to be a bit stubborn - even after 2 days of non-stop aloe treatment. I spotted the epsom salts in the one of the bathrooms and then read on-line that they were a common remedy for sun burns. After dousing a wash cloth in the salty mixture, as suggested, I began rubbing it on the affected areas.

And then the itching started. I don't know if it was coincidence, an allergic reaction or bad espom salts but I was borderline miserable for about 30 minutes. We tried milk and oatmeal, which felt a bit ridiculous but kind of worked. The thing that seemed to help the most, though, was the hot tub followed by vinegar.



At any rate, the hazards of Paradise were abated, and we set out for our afternoon retreat. Dan had a 2-hour Thai massage booked with his usual therapist and I had a 90-minute lomi lomi massage with a therapist I had not yet worked with before. He was 30 minutes late, very apologetic, and was able to give me a thorough 60-minute massage and a refund for the extra 30 minutes. Kalani is a retreat center set on acres of lush grounds, and centers on all things holistic: massage, watsu, yoga, energy flow, and togetherness. Several weeks out of the year groups come in and stay for a week - whether they be yoga retreats, female or male bonding, or even a week of hula.



They also have a very nice pool, which I enjoyed while Dan was finshing up. To my surprise, his therapist offered to work with me to make up for my lost time. So indeed I ended up with the 30 minutes after all - and it was perfect because I got to experience two very different types of massage in one day. Thai massage is all about stretching and pressure points. You lay right on the ground with a pillow, and there are much less lotions involved. I liked. Very much. It helped my neck and shoulders quite a bit in just thirty minutes.



With our bodies humming, and the rain returning, we headed into Pahoa for some groceries. Dan made sushi for us, and we enjoyed watching the rain fall through the windows. The weather has been very erratic here, but fortunately the mornings and afternoons have been sunny and pleasant. And when it rains, it usually doesn't last longer than 15 minutes or so.

The past two trips we've made were both 10 nights so this is the point at which we'd be packing up and dreaming about the next one. This time, though, we are only halfway through! While the 3-week vacation involves much planning, careful choices and steady saving, it is hightly recommended. We may not get to be away for this long ever year, but we certainly are enjoying it. The pace of this adventure is wonderful!