One of the cool things about this island is the range of strange coloured beaches, probably due to the multiple lava flows and volcanic eruptions that deposited this "sandy ash", which resulted in a black sand beach. Next, we moved on to the Volcano park. For some reasons, I was expecting actual lava flows and crater eruptions but was disappointed to see bland views of valleys and dormant volcanic craters. It was educational but definitely didn't live up to the hype as I thought it was a "chasing the thrill" adventure like National Geographic photographers do when they take volcano photography. However, there was a single crater that erupts everyday around 6pm and we caught that just in time. It was a surreal sight and my first time watching an volcanic eruption with a crowd of people around me. That was very memorable.
This was the only snorkelling site we went to, and probably the best.The beach itself isn't exactly hype material, as it is rocky and jagged. However, you can see fishes and even sea turtles (I saw three) just from swimming a little bit away from shore. Sunscreen didn't help me at all, and I knew I was going to get burnt, but not as bad as I did. The reflective sunrays on skin definitely does the most sun damage. The fish were beautiful and the waters were clear, I saw a lot of parrotfish and brain-like corals. I definitely recommend going here! We had the infamous shaved ice afterwards and Thai food for dinner before sleeping at 9pm due to heat exhaustion. It was a solid day.
I had no idea which side of this island the valley was on or what was happening with the weather. It's very strange in Big Island because it is continuously sunny on Kona while it's chilly and rainy on Hilo (the opposite side) so by the time we drove to see the sights, it was pouring hard. However, it still made for some nice pictures and the elevation of Hawaii is pretty crazy. When looking down, it seems like a new planet. Compared to Honolulu, this island definitely has a more authentic feel and more natural sites for exploration. The sunsets here were some of the best I've seen in my life.
On the first day, I was still relatively pale before hitting up the beach and getting burnt. We went to Hapuna Beach, probably the best white sand beach on this island and everything looked perfect and surreal. It still didn't sink in that I was on a vacation yet again, my 5th country in 3 months. The vibes here were super chill!






















































