bathing like a queen

following my solo hiking day, the whole gang met up for a beach day on the South side at Poipu Beach.

we lounged around on beach towels spread out on the warm sand. introductions and catching up. old friends and new. some reading, some snorkeling. everyone relaxing.

it was ridiculously windy. the sunblock became stick-em for the sand. but I suppose the layer of sand was just an extra layer of sun protection.

the blowing sand started irritating eyes, getting in drinks. the "council of women" decided we should head to the North side. to bathe like queens.

the trip up to our final destination was entertaining. I was in a car with my new married couple friends, my new roomie and another guy friend of the bride's from Colorado.

although we assumed Hawaii has a "no open container law", we were sipping on our POG and rum concoctions a bit on the trip.

some more than others. I was not the some, so I got to laugh at them. particularly when we got to the trail. it was very wet slippery red mud.

everyone was sliding. I seemed to be doing ok. perhaps my spill from the day before had taught me how to walk on the wet stuff.

past the beautiful small waterfalls on the trail and past the spectacular first view of the ocean waves smashing into the volcanic shoreline, there it was.

Queen's Bath. a tidal pool. with occasional waves overtopping the lava rocks forming it, sending small waves into the pool.


the snorkeling was amazing, as the water was extremely clear and shallow, particularly in places. we even talked our slightly scared-of-the-fishes friend into snorkeling.

my making fun of the drunk ones came back to haunt me when climbing back into the pool after a short break. I slipped on the slightly slimy rocks and landed in the exact same spot from the day before.

karma. I made a mental note to be more kind to those that slip in the mud in the future.

the day at the beach and the bath was incredibly fun. we topped it off with a group dinner at another fantastic restaurant, serving, of course, fresh fish. then, exhausted from our frolicking, we all retired to rest up for the next day's adventures.