Just a small town girl

My father in law cultivates orchids in the back yard.

Our first full day on Molokai dawned bright and clear. After getting a little settled in, the family packed up and headed into town for breakfast at Molokai Burger, one of only a few restaurants in Kaunakakai. I had a giant loco moco ( rice, a burger and an egg, smothered in delicious brown gravy!!!) and felt so full I thought I'd died and gone to food heaven. To work off some of our food, we walked around town a bit, enjoying the Saturday Market and looking at all the cool stuff. I, of course, took pictures of everything. And I do mean everything. By the end of our trip, the family was used to seeing me with my camera plastered to my face, or near at hand at all times.

T, me, and A at Molokai Burger

The Saturday market was awesome, and the girls all got their ears pierced. I was so proud of them! After the market was done, we decided to head up to the Kalaupapa Lookout, a spot where you can see down to the peninsula where the leper colony used to be/still is. The history of the place is pretty sad, basically "they" turned what would have been a tropical paradise into a prison for sick people. ( Learn more here:   http://visitmolokai.com/kala.html )

The view from the Lookout. 

The park around the Lookout is made up of forest and mountains, but I'd never seen trees like these before. We went exploring a little, and the kids led me by the hand to what's called the Boto Rock. It's a giant rock, shaped like a penis. For generations it's been believed to promote fertility, so of course I had to sit on it.

Hubs and I on the Boto.

I learned how to hike in flip flops that day. It's a lesson I will never forget. We took it pretty easy for the rest of the day, having a few drinks and calling it a night early. Little did I know, sleep wouldn't be easy to come by. Did you know that roosters crow all night long? And that they like to talk to each other like dogs? All night long? I didn't, not that night. But I learned, oh boy did I learn. * grumbles about roosters*