Reflections

This past week has been very nice.  We just relaxed.  Some days the car didn't even leave the parking lot...well maybe the Menahuna took it out at night while we were asleep.  We've enjoyed watching a sparrow take building supplies up to its nesting sight under our eaves, have worked on some sewing projects, and spent an hour or two most days down at the pool.  Could I "live" in Hawaii like this for several weeks? You bet!  I think I would need to have some activities, take quilting classes or hula lessons, or something...but, yes, I could do it.

Saturday we went downtown to the Hulihe'e Palace for their "Day at the Palace" event.  There was live entertainment and demonstrations of native crafts (see picture of guy pounding poi) The fresh poi was actually pretty tasty, but not something I would go out of my way to get, although that guy could pound poi for me anytime! There were also lots of arts & crafts - some of the handcrafted items were extraordinary - for sale.  We had lunch at the Kona Canoe Club (I had the kalua pig sandwich and Mom had calamari strips).  Then we browsed some of the shops on the way back to the car. A storm was forecast and by the time we got back to the condo the temperature had dropped and clouds had come in.  The pool didn't seem too inviting. We were going to a concert at Keauhou Shopping Center (free for 2 cans of food), but it had started to rain, so didn't go. It rained through the night, but not hard like it did several nights before.

Sunday the sun was out and it was hot again.  We decided to head up country and down island to what has become our favorite Sunday lunch spot - Kona Coffeehouse & Cafe.  It must be about 25 miles from here, but worth it.  Mom had eggs benedict and I had a burger. The people there are so nice and it is so pleasant out on their lanai, which is behind the building away from the road, so it is quiet.  We cleaned out the refrigerator for dinner and it was actually pretty good.

Today (Monday) we will do some laundry and try to get organized.  I'm hoping I won't have to send a box of stuff home from the post office.  We also need to put the condo back to its original condition as much as possible, eg., replace furniture, put kitchen items back, etc.  We don't need to clean.  We're hoping for one more dip in the pool this afternoon, then we're meeting Sue & Dick Roberts for dinner at Jackie Reys. 

Tomorrow we are on our way home.  I think we're ready.  I miss Simon and Mom misses her chair, her bed, and her shower (I miss my shower, too).  There's lots of things that need to be done at home for the spring, to it's time.

As I reflect back on the last few weeks, here are some of things I've discovered:

• I can wear flip-flops. I still don't think they are shoes per se, but I bought some Hawaiian Jellies and love them. They have some arch support and a heel cup and are comfortable. I haven't worn them since I was a kid - then we called them zoris or thongs. In Hawaii they are called slippers or slip-pahs.
• Saw a bird we haven't seen before: the Java Sparrow. See pictures.
• Grumpy people are a rarity in Hawaii. Actually, this isn't a new discovery. But, why should anyone be grumpy here - it's paradise!
• Even though distances are relatively short, it takes a long time to drive anywhere. Again, not a new discovery, but something to keep in mind. We're so used to getting on I-5 and being just about anywhere within 100 miles in and hour or two. Here the same distances take twice as long.
• Pog is good.  Pog is passion fruit, orange, and guava juice.  It is a Hawaiian staple and even served on Alaska Airlines Hawaii flights.  It is especially good as a slushy.
• With this, my 4th trip to Hawaii, I am finally starting to get a hang of the local place names and can even remember some of them, even though I may mangle the pronunciation.
• No matter how many times I come to Hawaii I still seem to find more stuff to spend my money on. 
• Macadamia nuts are good on everything: pizza, salad, green beans.  They are also tasty flavored with Maui onions and garlic, vanilla and Kona coffee, curry, and honey, though I'm not a fan of Spam flavored mac nuts.
• Driving in the rain 100+ miles round-trip for Tex malasadas is well worth the trip.
• Everyone is familiar with Kona coffee, but there is other coffee grown on the Big Island. We bought some Ka'u coffee grown on the south slope of Mauna Loa on the south side of the island.  It is pretty good, too.
• Geckos are our friends.  They are cute, too.  Maybe that little green guy on TV  desensitised us to these little lizards, but I don't mind them.  Wouldn't want to find one in my shoe though (maybe that's why everyone wears flip-flops).  They eat bugs so what's not to like...
• The shortbread cookies from the Punalu'u Baking Company (southern most bakery in the US) are ono (delicious).
• The spirit of Aloha is alive and well in Hawaii and it helps make this a paradise on earth.

Day 25 & 26 - "Living" in Hawaii

Yesterday we began our experiment to see what it might be like to "live" in Hawaii for several weeks without gallivanting around everyday.  It was a nice day.  We stayed inside and worked on our sewing projects, watched TV, and spent an hour or so at the pool.  I think I could manage to live like that.  We will continue this experiment for the final week of our trip, but we'll undoubtedly go out and about a little bit.

Just about the time we went to bed last night it started to rain and it POURED.  I don't think I've ever seen or heard rain like that before.  The downspouts are angled pipes from the roof that stick out about a foot from the roof line.  There is one right above our lanai.  The water pouring through it was about 10 times the water pressure in our shower!  It rained like that until about 1am.  This place has a flat roof and I was thankful for those downspouts; otherwise, I think the roof might have caved in from the weight of the water.  It must have rained 5-8 inches in that length of time though I haven't been able to find an official measurement.

Other than a little standing water in places, there was little evidence this morning of last night's storm. Woke up to sunshine as usual, which is something I could definitely get used to.

After breakfast, I went to the market in Kailua for enough papayas and bananas to last until we leave.  It was hot and I remembered how nice it was to stay in yesterday without having a sweat bath.  Some of the vendors were still dumping the water off their tarps.  I don't know why they haven't put up permanent structures at that market.  It is a rabbit warren of tarps and is pretty tacky, but good prices on fruit and other produce.  Some of the "craft" vendors sell cheap stuff made in China and the Philippines, but there are also some excellent crafts people selling their wares.

I enjoyed snorkeling on the Fairwind II so much a couple of weeks ago that I booked another afternoon trip for today.  Mom went for the ride, but didn't snorkel.  She's afraid that she wouldn't be able to get back on the boat, though the crew assured her that they would help her "no problem."  This time I rented a digital camera with pretty good results.  The yellow tangs are the most photogenic.  I got one or two good shots, but the darn things won't hold still!  This was our 4th trip on the Fairwind.  The crew is so great.  All the guys are nicer than nice and so accommodating to Mom's needs. A couple of the crew even remembered us from two years ago.

The boat got back to port at 5:30, so went home to shower and then went to the Kona Brewing Company for dinner.  I figured it wouldn't be as busy tonight as it would be tomorrow night (Friday). Wrong! 45 minute wait.  We had hefewiesen and a Kohala pizza with macadamia nuts.  Really, really good.  Turns out that macadamia nuts are good on just about anything.  Imagine that!

After dinner we drove down to the Sheraton at Keauhou Bay to watch the manta rays.  We saw several of them and there were some divers shining their lights and the mantas were putting on quite a show for them.  At least we didn't get wet this time.  Two years ago a huge wave came over the railing and soaked us!

Day 23 & 24 - Aloha, Katie & Margie

We had a slow day on Monday.  We went to Quilt Passions where Margie bought a kit for a wall hanging and Mom & I bought kits for projects to work on during the remainder of our stay.  Then we went to Discount Fabric Warehouse and bought some more...fabric!  We had not been to Quinn's Almost by the Sea yet, so chose that as our lunch spot.  I had great fish tacos and a Longboard (Kona Brewing Company's lager beer) while everyone else had calamari.

Before going home we went up country to Holoalua where we stopped in at the Kimura Lauhala Store.  When we were here two years ago, Mom and I stopped here and had a visit with the nicest Japanese lady whose grandparents walked across the island from Hilo to settle in Kona more than 100 years ago.  "Talking story" with her was one of the highlights of that trip.  She is now 87 and still active, but today her daughter was working at the store - also a nice lady. Lauhala is woven strips of leaves from the hala tree (aka pandanus).  Historically, lauhala mats were used as rugs covering dirt floors and as walls in grass-thatched houses, and also made into hats.  Weaving was done by the wives of the coffee farmers and sugar cane workers to make items for their own homes and to supplement income. Today lauhala is used  mostly as decor and the weaving is a cottage industry or done as a hobby.  Lauhala items are not cheap.  I paid $12 for a woven hot pad.  A hat could set you back $100 or more, and I wouldn't want to know how much a floor mat would cost.

Holoalua is sort of an artist's colony, but unfortunately since it was Monday the shops  were closed, so we weren't tempted to buy anything in the town's galleries. 

For Katie & Margie's last dinner on the island we went to the Kona Canoe Club in downtown Kailua.  Mom & I had Blue Hawaii cocktails, and I had a burger while Mom had the chicken salad served in half a papaya.  Margie had kalua pork sliders and Katie had calamari...again.  We had a beach-side table and watched the paddlers out on the ocean while the sun performed its magic and gave us a glorious sunset. A nice ending to their stay.

Tuesday, we dropped Katie & Margie off at the airport for their 1pm flight back to the mainland, then stopped at Costco for pineapple - third time we've stopped to get pared and cut-up pineapple and third time with no luck.  I got 2 whole pineapples, though.  After dealing with whole pineapples I can attest that the price you pay for the cut up ones is well worth it!  Next stop Safeway.  Our plan for our remaining week is to mostly hang around the condo, so we wanted to get supplies so we could eat lunch at "home."

The afternoon was spent washing sheets and towels, remaking beds and moving Mom back into the other bedroom.  Then we went to the pool and splashed around for over an hour, visiting with a couple of other ladies.  This is pretty much how we plan to spend the next week, so this may be the last post to this blog.

Day 22 - Honu & Nene

Another late start this morning and our first stop was the market in downtown Kailua-Kona for papayas & bananas.  Since it was Sunday and the market is closed on Monday, we got a deal: 6 papayas for $2, rather than 5.  Two years ago, the going price for them was 7 for $2.  These are the GMO papayas, but just as good as the others, and the price is right, especially since we each eat a whole one each day.  I cut them in quarters and we each get one-quarter of each papaya.  That way no one gets stuck with a bad one, but they are actually all pretty good, though some are riper than others.

After the market, we went south on Hwy 11 to Captain Cook and the Sunday Market there.  We went to that market 2 weeks ago before Katie & Margie arrived, so this was their first time.  It's a nice little market with lots of arts & crafts as well as food items.  We reached Honaunau just at lunch time, so had lunch at Kona Coffeehouse & Cafe where we also had lunch 2 weeks ago.  Great spot for a Sunday brunch or lunch.  No gecko in our flower arrangement this time - darn!

After lunch, we continued south, and took a narrow 1-lane road 2 miles down to Ho'okena Beach.  A nice little community of houses down there with a very pretty beach and rocky area with surf spraying on it.  This is obviously someplace where locals gather although there seemed to be several other rental cars going down to see what was at the end of the road just like we did.

The road twists and turns through tropical vegetation with coffee and macadamia nut farms, then all of a sudden, the scenery changes to scrubby trees and even lava flows with little or no vegetation.  There are 13 climate zones in the world and 11 of them are represented on the Island of Hawaii, which makes driving around the island very interesting.  Eventually, we got back to lusher vegetation and iron wood trees.  We passed South Point, the southern most point in the US (don't tell Key West).  We went down there two years ago and were glad we did, but weren't up to doing the 12 miles of pot holes to get down there again.  We stopped at Punalu'u Baking Company, which prides itself on its Hawaiian sweet bread as well as being the furthest south bakery in the US. It was a nice stop with nice restrooms and a gift shop.  It was good to get out of the car for awhile.

I had decided we would go as far as we could by 4:00, then turn back.  We arrived at Punalu'u Beach, also called Black Sand Beach, at just about 4:00.  It was very windy and the surf was high, so weren't hopeful of seeing any honu (green sea turtles), but Margie, Katie, & I walked down on the beach anyway.  Unfortunately, Mom just can't manage the soft sand, so she stayed in the car.  We were not disappointed as there were 10 turtles resting on the beach today - the most I've ever seen in the three times I've been there.  On the way back to the highway, we saw 6 nene, Hawaiian geese and Hawaii's state bird, on a golf course.  Both the sea turtles and nene are native to Hawaii and were nearly extinct 30 or 40 years ago, but both have made an amazing come back and are protected.  It's really exciting to see them.

It was nearly 6:00 when we got to the Keauhou Shopping Center and picked up some items at Longs Drugs.  I didn't care what we did for dinner as long as I didn't have to cook it, but the pizza place was closed and I didn't feel like driving into Kailua for dinner, so I popped into the KTA supermarket and bought a frozen pizza and we had that with a tomato and avocado salad for dinner, with some lilikoi bars I bought at the market for dessert.

Another fun day in paradise, even with the little bit of rain we had up in the mountains coming home.

Day 21 - Kohala & Rain

Today we got a rather late start, but fortified ourselves with some reheated malasadas and coffee before starting out for North Kohala and Hawi.  One thing about Hawaii is that there is usually only one or two routes to follow to get anywhere, so you travel a lot of the highways several times while day-tripping around the island.

We stopped off at Spencer Beach Park and got long distance look at Pu'ukohola Heiau (ancient temple).  Since it was Saturday there were a lot of locals picnicking at the beach and lots of people in the water.  We drove right through Kawaihae, but stopped at Lapakahi State Historical Park further up the road.  Katie & Margie & I walked down the rocky, and in some places steep, path to look at the grass huts that are along the path to the ocean.  Of course, what goes down the path must go back up. 

We drove through Hawi, looking for someplace to eat lunch, but we all needed a restroom, so  back tracked to the visitor's center, which has nice facilities.  I talked with the man there who said that the North Kohala area has added only about 100 people in the past 10 years and it has been designated as a no growth area with no chain stores and franchises.  Their economy is strictly farming/ranching with a little bit of tourism as only about 10% of the visitors to the Big Island make the effort to go up there.  Historically, they grew sugar cane in this area and the town of Hawi is like a slice of old Hawaii with 100 year old store fronts housing galleries, shops, and restaurants.  We ate at Bamboo, which was good, then went across the street for Tropical Dreams ice cream for dessert.  After visiting a couple of galleries, we started back south via the Kohala Mountain road (250).  This is a very scenic highway across the Kohala Mountains (extinct volcano), and probably the oldest part of the island geologically.  The clouds were low and we encountered some heavy rain, but visibility was good and we could still see a lot of the scenery, though views of Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and the ocean were obscured.

This morning I sorted through all of the stuff I've accumulated since I've been here and decided I didn't need to buy any more stuff, which didn't keep me from buying a pair of earrings in Hawi today.  Oh, well!

We got back to the condo about 5:30, had some mai-tais and steak for dinner.

Day 19 & 20 - Baking bread and dinner with friends

On Thursdays they bake Portuguese sweet bread in a stone oven at the historical society, so we went down there yesterday to check it out.  The oven is made of stone, lava rock I assume, and they build a fire in it, letting it heat up for 4 hours.  When it is hot, they remove the ashes and charcoal and bake the bread in the retained heat.  First they bake plain whole wheat and white rolls while the oven is hottest, then they bake the sweet bread rolls in a cooler oven.  We didn't get there in time to help with shaping the rolls, but the plain bread was well risen and ready to put in the oven when we got there.   We wanted sweet bread rolls, which wouldn't be ready until 1:00, so we went for lunch and came back.  The baked bread is sold for $7 and there are 7 large rolls in each pan.

We had lunch at Orchid Isle Cafe where we have eaten a couple of times on prior trips.  Had the quiche and watched the geckos.  Nice lunch with a wonderful view from the lanai.

After lunch we continued to drive south towards Kealakekua Bay and on past the Painted Church near Honaunau Bay.  Didn't stop at either spot as we had been to both before, but we enjoyed the drive through the lush tropical vegetation.  We did stop at Kona Pacific Farmers Coop where we got lots of free samples of macadamia nuts (plain and chocolate covered) as well as samples of Kona coffee.  The Kona coffee there is very expensive: $65 for a pound of peaberry (see prior post for description of peaberry) and $40 a pound for regular coffee.  Decaf Kona coffee is scarce because the coffee has to be sent to the mainland to be decaffeinated, then fumigated when it comes back to Hawaii, which adds to the expense and most growers don't think it is worth the trouble. 

From Honaunau, we headed back north, stopped at Safeway and the farmers market, and got home in time to take a swim.  I made chicken teriyaki in the crock pot for dinner.

This morning we went out to do some errands: gas & cash at Costco, and we also needed pineapple, but they were all out of the cut up pineapple and the whole ones were too green to bother with.  Then went to one of the local quilt stores and Discount Fabric Warehouse.  Such an exciting day, uh?  We had lunch at the condo - leftover kalua pork and teriyaki chicken and sweet bread rolls.  Mom took a nap while Katie & Margie read, and I started work on an appliqued Hawaiian style quilt block.  I bought a pre-cut kit of a honu (sea turtle).  Then I went to the pool for a quick swim.

We had dinner with Dick & Sue Roberts, who are my cousin Sue Durbin's son's in-laws.  They bought a house in Kona a year or so ago and this was the first time we visited them in their new house.  It is up on the hill about directly above our condo and they have a fabulous view of the ocean and the coast.  A really nice house, wonderful company, and a great dinner of grilled tuna, purple sweet potatoes, green beans with macadamia nuts, and salad, with tapioca pudding and strawberries for dessert.

I presented Dick & Sue with a wall hanging quilt I made for them as a house warming gift.  They are paddlers and belong to one of the local canoe clubs.  The quilt has an appliqued paddle and canoe with Hawaiian petroglyphs.  They were thrilled with it and know where they will hang it.  We got back to the condo about 9:30 - I think the latest we've been out since we've been here.

Day 17 & 18 - Overnight in Hilo

Yesterday, we got the car packed up and were on the road by 8:30, heading over to Hilo, which is on the east (windward) side of the island.  We have been to Hilo before, but this is the first time we we've taken the "Saddle Road," which is the most direct route between the two sides of the island.  It took about 1 hour and 45 minutes for the trip. 

At one time the Saddle Road, which runs along the "saddle" between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, was so bad that car rental companies would not allow their customers to drive over it.  But now it is an excellent smoothly paved 2-lane, 55 mph, highway with passing lanes.  That is until you get about 10 miles from Hilo, then it is a narrower twisted 2-lane road.

After stopping at McDonald's for a comfort stop, we headed few miles north of Hilo to the Plantation Museum in Papai'kou.  This museum just celebrated its first anniversary in its new location and it is a very interesting collection of memorabilia from the sugar cane plantation days.  The last sugar cane plantation ceased operation in the mid-1990s, but the history of sugar cane on the Big Island goes back to the mid-1800s, and workers were imported from a variety of different countries over the decades to work in the cane fields, including China, Japan, Philippines, and even the US.  The demise of sugar in Hawaii was caused by the increasing cost of labor, water (sugar requires tons of it), and cheaper beet sugar; however, some sugar cane is still grown and processed on Maui.  We had an interesting visit with the two men who operate the museum, especially Ron who spent quite a lot of time with us.  He is especially interested in showing today's kids the toys that the plantation kids had like buttons on string, cat's cradle, and the wooden ball attached to an cup by string where you try to toss the ball and catch it in the cup.  Actually, we have seen several keiki around here with those.

At Ron's recommendation we had lunch at Ponds in Hilo, which just happened to be across the street from our hotel.  It is built out over a pond filled with koi and from our window-side table we were able to watch the koi and a couple of turtles while we ate lunch.  Every now and then, someone would throw fish food into the pond and there would be a feeding frenzy. I had a good hamburger with garlic fries, and Mom, Katie & Margie had seafood pasta and everyone enjoyed their lunch.  Afterwards, we checked in to the hotel.

Hilo has a mysterious system of one-way streets, which when complicated by road construction, makes it difficult to get around, so it seemed like I was always back-tracking and having to turn around, but we managed to find our way to a quilt shop downtown.  Fabric Sensations is a nice shop with a very nice owner, and we spent quite a lot of time there visiting, and spending some money.  We then went into a couple of galleries and did some more talking.  Everyone loves to "talk story" or shoot the breeze in Hawaii, and that's what makes this such a fun place to visit.  Every place you go is enhanced by the friendly people you meet.

I took mai-tai fixings with us, so we enjoyed those back at the hotel.  Hilo Seaside Hotel is a very nice Hawaiian family-owned hotel.  It's an older facility, but well maintained and super clean.  Our rooms were on the ground floor and we had a key to the back door, making it easy for Mom.  We faced the pool and were under the flight path from the airport, but during the night it was very quiet and we had the best shower we've had since leaving home (the showers here in the condo suffer due to lack of water pressure, but we manage).  For dinner last night, we went back to Ponds and had pu-pus and dessert.  The pu-pus (appetisers) were so-so, but the dessert was good.

This morning we went to Ken's Pancake House for macadamia nut pancakes with coconut and lilikoi syrup.  So good.  Then we went to the big Hilo market.  Craft people on one side of the street and farmer's market on the other side.  There was a woman doing chair massages, so I treated both Mom & I to one - $10 for 15 minutes (one of the true bargains of Hawaii).  Felt so good.  After the market, we found Kilauea Kreations, another quilt shop.  Very nice shop with another very nice proprietor.

We had seen an article in one of the local magazines about Two Lady's Kitchen where they make mochi, a pounded sweet rice confection.  As we were driving along we spotted it and stopped.  I went in and stood in line for about 20 minutes before I was able to get some.  It is very popular here and I guess they sell out just about every day.  Mom & Katie don't care much for it, but Margaret & I like it, so I guess that leaves more for us.  For lunch we went to Lucy's Taqueria, another popular local spot.  It is owned by the people we rented from last year on Oahu and Lucy is their daughter, so that is how we heard about it.  We had a good lunch - the biggest chimichanga I've ever seen.

We originally had planned to go back to Kona driving around the south end of the island, but we decided to spend more time in Hilo, so instead we went back over the Saddle Road, which is quicker.  We went up to Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots (water churning over rocks), before heading back over the saddle.  At Boiling Pots we watched some people skinny-dipping (I got pictures, which I'll share privately...). It was so foggy on the east side of the mountains that I could barely see more than 2 or 3 car lengths ahead.  But once we reached the crest and started down the west side it cleared off and it was an easier drive.  We got back to the condo in less than 2 hours.

Because Hilo is on the windward side of the island they get a lot of rain, which makes everything lush and green. We lucked out and got only a few sprinkles.  We also enjoyed the slightly cooler temperatures over there, but I still think I like this dryer side of the island better.