Chapter 12

The next morning I made waffles. Unfortunately, they were the frozen kind, since the cabin didn’t have a waffle maker. I topped them off with slices of fresh papaya and mango. Then I poured over them a light coating of fruity local syrup. It claimed to contain ingredients from the passion flower. Angie was very satisfied with her breakfast. After that, we just sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed being together.

As the noon time approached, I told Angie I was going to try to find the path that led to the river and pools. We had been told it was on private land, supposedly known only to the locals. From what I had read, many of the native people were unhappy that their secret areas had become known to the public. Guide books, Google earth, and the internet have been the biggest culprits in getting that information out. Fortunately, our cabin was a good distance off the beaten trail, so the possibility of encountering other tourists was rather slim.

I searched around for some time, but after not finding anything that looked like a path, I made my way back to the cabin and informed Angie. She then proceeded to call the owner to see if she could get directions to the pools. We walked down the road until we came to a hump on one side. It wasn’t much, but it looked like it might lead to some kind of path. I would have easily missed it, if I had not been searching carefully and following the detailed instructions.

Once we had gone a few steps into the jungle, the path widened and we came upon several narrow bridges. These passed over a number of small streams. It was a beautiful hike, full of flowers and palms. Eventually we arrived at the edge of a ravine. Down below, we could hear the sound of flowing water. I helped Angie as we carefully made our way down the steep banks.

The ground was loose, so we had to be careful where we placed our feet. Upon arriving at the bottom, we proceeded to walk across a pile of uneven rocks that eventually brought us to the water’s edge. Looking around, we had a clear view of a series of streams which cascaded down from the hills above.

It was a beautiful setting, and it we had it all to ourselves. We walked downstream for a short distance, where I spotted a small falls. That emptied into several beautiful jungle pools. I searched in the water around the edges, looking for fish. I finally spotted what I would call a crawfish. It was black, rather skinny, and much different from the yellowish-red ones we had back home.

“I’m going in,” I said. Before Angie could reply, I had stripped down and proceeded to wade into the water. Like every other pool I have ever been in, I had to watch my footing. Jagged and slippery rocks were everywhere. One miss-placed foot and I could be limping for the rest of the trip. Just once, I would like to find a beautiful pool in the wild with a soft and flat bottom.

Just then, something nipped me on my bare butt. Of course, I jumped.

“What’s the matter?” Angie asked.

“Something bit me. I don’t know what it was.”

“You’re not going to get me in there,” she said.

“Please come in.”

I really wanted to see her naked body in that jungle setting. That was one desire I would have loved to check off my bucket list.

“Well,” she said.

Just then something poked me again. I jumped once more.

“No way am I going in there now. Maybe it’s some tropical snake, or some poisonous fish. Maybe it’s a piranha,” Angie said.

Part of my dream had been shattered. Yes, I was swimming naked in a pool in Hawaii, and yes I was there with a beautiful sexy girl. I gradually realized I would just have to settle for that. My thoughts suddenly turned to concern, when I realized that my lower appendage was dangling enticingly in the water. Suddenly, visions of exotic creatures nipping at my extremities began running through my mind. Due to the turbulence in the water, it was hard to see clearly, so I couldn’t see if anything was lurking about.

“I think I’m coming out now,” I shouted.

I recalled the warnings about swimming in the streams, and the variety of hazards that might be lurking in the water. I had also read about the dangers of eating unwashed fruit. I really didn’t want to pick up any intestinal problems. All those pictures and movies I had watched seemed to make the exotic waterfalls and pools look so inviting.

I carefully made my way back to the shore. At one point, I came close to cutting my foot on a sharp rock. Once more I was reminded that swimming in a wilderness pool usually looks like more fun than it actually is. And then there’s the problem of treading water. What happens if you kick against a sharp upright boulder? But I had done it. I could check it off my list. “I swam below an exotic waterfall in a jungle in Hawaii,” I could tell my friends during dinner parties.

“Would you please look at my bottom and tell me if you see any marks,” I asked Angie.

She had been busy taking pictures of the cascading streams and the colorful flowers along the banks.

“I took a picture of you in the water,” she said. “I might use it for blackmail.”

“Wonderful, do you see any bites on my butt?”

“I have to say, it’s a mighty cute one. All I see are a couple of red areas.”

“Well, let’s hope it’s nothing,” I said.

After drying off, we found a path that was a bit more navigable, and made our way back up to the top. Back at the cabin, I proceeded to get the grill going. Soon I was flipping some burgers for our dinner.

I soon discovered that Angie was also famished from our hike. I quickly made up another patty. After a wonderful meal, we relaxed on the deck and listened to the beautiful music of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, or IZ, as he’s commonly known. The landlords had been extremely thoughtful in leaving several cds for us to enjoy.

Several days later I would pay for my adventurous spirit. I don’t know if it was the sample pieces of fruit from the old vendor, or my experience in the pool, or the time I forgot and used the tap water to brush my teeth, but I got really sick. I mean ... I got really sick. Fortunately, my attacks would come and go ... so it didn’t put much of a damper on our excursions.

One morning, we got up early to begin our trip down the road to Hana. Since the road to our cabin was close to the beginning portion of the drive, we didn’t have far to go. We wanted to get an early start so we could avoid all the other tourists. The road is barely two lanes wide, with many bridges that are single lane. The speed limit is twenty five miles per hour. It constantly weaves back and forth, with many hairpin turns, so it’s bound to take you extra time to traverse it. If you go at the wrong time, you will find yourself constantly stuck in slow moving traffic.

On the side of the road, we spotted a couple of kids with a bunch of large parrots on their arms. Angie noticed a man taking pictures of them. The birds came in a variety of colors and made for a very eye-catching scene.

I pulled over and parked. We soon learned that the man who owned the parrots would place them on you and then take pictures for twenty dollars. He said he used the money to pay for his parrot retirement home. He told us he took older parrots that had been used in the film industry and housed them in a shelter he had made just for them. Before I could say anything, he had placed several parrots on Angie. He then turned to me, and told me to come over and hand him my camera. He moved me next to Angie, and then began to load me up with parrots as well. After it was all said and done, we had some very nice pictures to share with our friends back home.

The view on the drive was incredible. We encountered steep hills that were lush with vegetation. Flowers of varying colors covered the tops of many trees. Navigate around one curve, and you would see waterfalls coming down from the hills above, go around another corner, and you would see the ocean. Whoever arrived at the bridge first had the right-of-way. I quickly discovered how important it was that you stay in your own lane while going around an outside curve. It wasn’t uncommon for another vehicle to suddenly appear.

“Watch out,” Angie yelled, as a car swerved into my lane.

I quickly slowed and pulled over as much as I could. Anymore, and we would have gone over the cliff. It was just enough to miss hitting the other car. It was only caution and quick thinking on my part that allowed us to avoid any further accidents.

Everywhere one looked there was incredible scenery to be enjoyed. I wanted to stop, but there were very few pull-offs to be found. I couldn’t slow down, because there was usually another car right behind me. I had to concentrate on my driving, so my view of the beauty around me was limited. Angie sat speechless, as she took in all the wonderful things around her.

“Oh, look at that,” or “STOP!” or “Unbelievable,” she would say as I concentrated on keeping us from plunging over the cliffs.

The turnouts near the stone bridges were usually filled. We finally found one with some room where we could pull over. We walked over to the bridge and marveled at the cascading water and the lush greenery. It really was an amazing sight and much different from anything we would have seen at home. Angie pointed out a group of teenagers that were wading in the pool below the falls.

“Now I know we are really in Hawaii,” Angie said. “It looks like the Garden of Eden.”

It really did. I couldn’t imagine how it could get any more beautiful. A little farther down the road, we actually came to an arboretum called, “The Garden of Eden.”

“Let’s go in,” Angie said.

“It’s probably just a tourist trap,” was my response.

“I want to see it,” Angie pressed.