Chapter 6: Shangri La

Because of my cold, I had to spend a much needed day in bed following our hike. The next day, even though I wasn't up to par, I had to get out and enjoy Hawaii. Danny had heard of a secluded beach down the road that was the property of Doris Duke. We set off to find said beach.

With plenty of water and a few snacks, we headed down the road. It was quite the walk but we finally got to an area overlooking the coast. It really was a perfect Hawaiian day - hot, sunny, blue skies, gorgeous waves. All the stuff that makes you want to quit your job and move to an island. Because we were on a cliff overlooking the ocean, we had to scramble down a steep path to get to the actual beach. Once on the beach, we had to walk almost a mile to get to palace a la Doris. And a mile in the sand ain't easy. We weren't entirely sure what we were looking for so we just kept walking. Eventually, up ahead we saw something promising. Although it doesn't look all that impressive in photos, it really was beautiful.

I won't get into the history of Shangri La, Doris' Hawaiian estate, because apparently my history lessons are "boring." (Brian had to lie to me about it, but he's a terrible liar and soon admitted that he skimmed my Hawaiian history lesson, bored to tears). Oh well, I like my history lessons so maybe I'll just recite them to myself... But for those of you who don't know, Doris Duke was a heiress who puts Paris Hilton to shame. She was born in 1912 and was certainly something else. For more history (for those who like boring) check out Wikipedia.

Shangri La boasted it's own little cove and a pier made of lava rocks with a little fishing area at the end. We were able to snag the fishing area and made up a little picnic/relaxation area. Soon we were sipping on cold beers and munching on boiled peanuts (they're actually good).
Danny fully passed out on the rocks. That kid can sleep anywhere, ha!

The sun was starting to go down and we knew we had to do a few jumps into the water from the little cove. Having a waterproof camera makes such activities a bonus. Plenty of flips and cannonballs.