My journey is nearly over, whilst I am writing this, I am looking into the sun setting over Big Island, and thinking that in presumably five days I’ll be seeing the same sun setting over Germany (until I manage to actually post this it might be less, I’ll be touching down on the 14th of July).

I’ve treated myself to a Hawaiian adventure because from the beginning, I had this vision of sitting on a Hawaiian beach, thinking back on my very long holiday, whilst mentally preparing the re-entry into more normal life (plus, Hawaii isn’t exactly a bad place to be). Yesterday I found this beach, a black sand lava beach on the Southern coast of Big Island, which looked pretty much exactly as I’d imagined it. I sat there and was happy – happy about the last 18 months, in which I had an unforgettable time, with many experiences and encounters, and happy to return home – it’s about time now.

Before I write more about that, I’ll first report on Hawaii and upload pictures – these islands are too beautiful to be missed on my blog. So, first 3 parts Hawaii, then 1 part life – a reminiscence about a journey which was so different from what I’d expected, perhaps with a little outlook on future intentions.

O’ahu and Kauai

I touched down in Honolulu, on the island of O’ahu. Both are probably most famous for Waikiki Beach and Pearl Harbour. I admit that I only spent a very short time there, as Honolulu is full of highrises and I don’t find that particularly attractive, but at least I ascended Diamond Head in the searing midday heat, to bring you this picture:

And the beaches really aren’t bad (in the background, Diamond Head):

I didn’t do much more there, after 2 days I flew to Kauai, the Garden Island and also oldest of the Hawaiian islands – covered by lush forests, with dramatic canyons, cliffs and coast lines – enormously green, fabulously beautiful, for some their favourite island. By the way, also one of the wettest spots on Earth. I treated myself to a helicopter flight to really enjoy the scenery, drove around in my little rental car, sat on lonely secluded beaches, and snorkeled. That was basically it.

Part 2 -Meandering in Maui – will follow tomorrow.