Future trips

Hey everyone, I don't know where to put this, so I got this here.

 

Anyone planning any future trips one day? I figure if you wanted to meet others with dolls in different states or locations maybe it would be a good chance to post here, assuming you want your plans public. For me, I think it'd be awesome to meet someone on my travels, though, I won't have a reason why Im going other than, "Hey, I'm coming here! =D"

 

So where am I going?

 

I'm headed to Hawaii soon! Anyone in Hawaii?!

I'm headed to Hawaii soon! Anyone in Hawaii?!

 

I was... until the end of August.

 

Which island(s) are you going to? Since I lived there for a few years, I went to all 4 of the larger ones: Oahu, Hawaii (aka The Big Island), Maui, and Kauai. My favorite one was the Big Island, just because it was pretty cool to visit an active volcano, see lava tubes, etc. If you only feel like you have the money to visit one, I'd suggest that one. You can go ziplining, visit beaches, go to luaus, etc just like you can on the more popular islands of Oahu and Maui and it'll be less crowded. All of the non-Oahu main 4 have black sand beaches, but only the Big Island has a green sand beach. Seriously. The sand is green. It's just from the composition of the rocks right there and the ocean beating them down. You definitely need a rental car to fully enjoy the Big Island though, because you'll want to drive all around it.

 

I'm planning a trip to Kyoto and Osaka in March, to coincide with the Hometown Osaka Dolpa. I haven't actually made any concrete plans toward that yet, but it'll most likely happen.

 

Which island(s) are you going to?

 

I'm going to the Big Island.

 

Green Sand? Is it a seasonal thing or year 'round? I'd like to see that!

The green sand beach is there year-round. It's a dark green color from the mineral makeup of the rocks in the area, so it does not change with the seasons. (well, even though Hawaii only really has one season: nice).

 

It is one of only a handful of such beaches in existence anywhere, so it's well worth a visit. You will need to be prepared, though, because like many things in Hawaii you can't just drive straight there.

 

It's a little out of the way from South Point (southernmost spot in the US). You'll have to park your car and then walk about 2 miles one-way along the coastline before you get to the green sand beach. It's not a hard walk, but there is no trail to follow so you'll have to be able to see in order to keep going the right direction (i.e. start early enough that you aren't walking home in the dark). Also, when you get there, expect to climb down a steep but climb/walkable rock surface to actually reach the beach. It's in a cove-like area.

 

For more specific directions and maps, a very worthwhile book to buy for your trip is the Big Island Revealed book by Doughty.