SURPRISE & ALOHA!!

before i left home, my family had planned a vacation to Hawaii and when my mom told me they wanted to go in March, which is when i had planned on being in Paris, i pouted. the next day i realized.. if i extended my stay in Australia by 2 weeks (till mid March) i could just pop on across the Pacific ocean to join them. i told my brother and Janice but kept it a secret from my mom, dad and Keira. i have been SO EXCITED to surprise them this entire trip!!! i ended up killing time in se Asia instead of Aus which meant i got to go back to my beloved Bali and meet Tom in the Philippines, so it all worked out!! easier on the budget as well, and also it’s been snowing in Paris in March. they were SHOCKED when i came in the door of their house in Kailua-Kona (on the big island). my parents were just like WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE HOW DID YOU GET HERE, in a daze, and Keira said it was the best day of her life lol. 

i had a 31 hr travel journey to get there including a 14 hr layover in Beijing (won’t be going back there) but told my mom i was doing the rice field trek and out of service, since in China you can’t access Whatsapp, Insta, fb etc. Hawaii was exactly what i needed to decompress, transition out of my se asia “play” mode and get properly excited for Paris. also i am so lucky to have the best family ever who has helped me with apartment drama, etc. while i have been away. they have my back big time. we spent 6 days in Kona and then flew to Kauai for 5. the big island is basically all volcanic ash and we saw a black sand beach, a volcano glowing at sunset and into the night, went snorkelling with barrel rolling manta rays at night (so close they touched us!! apparently this is the only place in the world they do this), checked out a few beaches.

 in Kauai we stayed in the Poipu Kai Regency resorts (highly recommend!! the grounds were so nice and location is prime) and saw beached turtles and seals at Poipu, checked out Waimea Canyon and some waterfalls, surfed at Hanalei Bay (including my mom and Keira, SO PROUD OF THEM!!) and had lots of good meals (coconut shrimp ftw) and lava flows.

 had the best time with Keira, i was so happy she hadn’t grown too big and is still the cutest human ever. i noticed she can finally hold a conversation without getting too distracted which is nice!! sometimes i look at her and she is so cute it physically hurts.

 i’m now in a plane en route to LA for a 20 hour layover (might as well throw another one of my fave cities in this trip) and then off to Paree. i am so so so excited. :)