Mar 6 - daytrips and durian and dolphins, oh my!

It's been a while since I posted. Now it feels like there is so much to tell that I don't know where to start. I have had a truly rich experience of Hawaii. I am not kidding when I say that everything I wished for on this trip...and more, came true.

-I bonded with my family
-I swam almost every day in many beautiful spots with colourful fish, green sea turtles amd more
-I ate at least one fresh papaya and one beautiful ripe local avocado a day
-I had some rich touching moments with my aging grandma
-I bought the most beautiful locally made koa wood ukulele which I have named Mele (Hawaiian for Merry)
-I played music with my father and had fun doing it
-I made tons of delicious raw meals many which my whole family enjoyed and were inspired by to create once they are back home
-I enjoyed durian for the first time ever, maybe it tasted better because it was organic and local and truly ripe?
-I soaked up a fair amount of sun, but didn't get burnt other than a little bit one day
-I played for hours with my amazing little brother
-I met a woman that must have been my sister or mother or something in a past life because we just...know each other, and I feel like I have met a new lifelong friend and possibly an artistic collaborator
-and the most amazing thing...I swam with wild spinner dolphins! This has been a lifelong dream that just spontaneously took place. Here is the story:

My aunt Helen, who lives in Australia, came out for the family reunion and a few days ago we decided to spend a girls day together. She was staying with a friend just above a place called the City of Refuge who just happens to be a photographer who regularly swims with and photographs dolphins and whales. While we were there her friend came out and said she had got a call that the dolphins were down in the bay. So Helen and I quickly packed up our masks and the one pair of flippers we had between us and drove down. At first we didn't see anything but then we saw a couple little puffs of breath and a black fin out in the bay. We donned our gear (one flipper each) and paddled out, not sure what to expect. The water was the bluest water you have ever ever seen, with these amazing shafts of sunlight piercing through. There were fish and turtles everywhere, but we just kept paddling out towards those fins (which shows how much I wanted to swim with dolphins as I have always had an unnatural phobia to sharks and consequently many nightmares about being approached in the water by dark dorsal fins). After a few minutes I saw a black and white shape appear in the blue, first one, then another, then another. Then I started to hear excited little clicks and calls. We had thought there might be one or two dolphins there but soon we were surrounded by about 100 wild dolphins!!! I lay there, inert and totally amazed, thanking the dolphins and the universe repeatedly, as they slowly swam closer and closer. They seemed to get more and more familiar with us the longer we were out and eventually some swam so close I could have touched them if I had reached out. There were moms and babies, mated pairs making love, playful youngsters playing tag and passing yellow leaves in the same way we would pass a ball. Sometimes they would all go deeper than I could see and I would be floating in this blue abyss alone and then all of a sudden 40 or 50 would rise up from bellow towards the surface circling us and looking us in the eye as they swam past. It was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life! I felt like I was in the presence of the Dali Lama or some other great guru. They had that energetic combination of total calm and peace while at the same time great joy, wisdom and energy. I was completely relaxed the whole time and never felt afraid, in fact felt completely safe. I kept repeating to myself "stay in the moment, stay in the moment." as my mind would get so excited thinking: I wish my mom were here to see this, I wish my cousins hadn't left yet, I wish my dad and brother were here!

There were many other fantastic moments and magical experiences of the past two weeks but this one took the cake. I have some pictures to share but I've run out of time so I will post them soon. Tonight Jasper, my dad and I take a red eye flight back to Vancouver and the Hawaiian part of our adventure will come to a close. Though I feel sad about leaving this beautiful island I feel like I bonded to it in a way I never had before and something is telling me I will return sooner than I think.

Aloha to everyone. I'll sign off by sharing my message from the universe I received today: www.tut.com (such a cool site!)

The very best moment in any long journey that makes your dreams come true, Ariel, comes not on the day you realize they have, but on the day you realize how little they matter compared to loving the adventure they've inspired. Don't ask me why, I just know what I know -
The Universe