Day 12

This was it- our last full day in Hawaii.  Our plane would take off shortly before midnight.  We started the day by saying goodbye to our lovely hosts and promising to keep in touch and write.

We had saved a special excursion for this day: Alexis had talked us into signing up for a helicopter tour of the island.  Neither of us had ever flown in one, and this particular company was inside a small shopping center.  Since we had some time, we walked around for a bit and had some pizza for lunch followed by traditional Hawaiian shave ice.  Yes, they call it shave ice, not shaved ice.  I chose guava flavored syrup.  My family always drank guava juice with lemonade when I was growing up.

Before we went up, they had to weigh us along with whatever was going up with us- little Stitch, clothes, etc.  We waited by the landing platform as the couple in the time slot before us disembarked from the helicopter.  They were definitely thrilled with the experoence.

Our guide gave each of us a pair of large headphones and instructed us to press a button and speak into the mic if we wanted to talk- without it, we wouldn't be able to hear each other or him due to the pounding wind.  Soon, we took off, and the motion was so smooth I could hardly tell we were moving at all.  It was as if I was just watching a moving image below me.  I couldn't believe how quickly we reached such heights.

Our guide switched on some music that piped into our headphones.  We now had a lovely soundtrack of gentle Hawaiian melodies as we looked down on the world.  The helicopter glided back and forth in and around the island.  We saw tall waterfalls and lush greenery and ocean shores.  Being that high made everything look like movie set miniatures.  The wind whipped loose strands of hair so hard they stung my face.

(Don't worry- Stitch was attached to my wrist.)

I am not sure how long we were up there, but it was about the right amount of time as I was tiring of getting a beating from the wind.  However, Derek and I both agreed that we were very glad our host talked us into the experience.  Derek commented that he would never feel the need to ride Soarin at Epcot again.

After our flight, we still had several hours left till our next flight- the one home.  We weren't sure what ekse we had time for before we had to head back to the airport so we just explored a bit.  I was disappointed that we were ending the trip, but that wasn't to be.  That will have to be saved for a future "do-over" trip.

We had driven by a little koa wood shop earlier, so we decided to check it out.  Koa wood is something only found in Hawaii.  In the interest of taking home items actually made in Hawaii, we bought cute turtle earrings for me and a nice koa wood picture frame.

We checked our guidebook for other opportunities to explore the area and ended up at a Kauai plantation museum.  We enjoyed the museum which was pretty much what you'd expect- a walk through the history and nature of the area, including an exhibit on Hawaiian tourism and the hospitality industry.

We hadn't done a lot of shopping, so we decided to stop at a big Hawaiian souvenir chain called Hilo Hattie's- they had every Hawaiian souvenir you can imagine...from aloha shirts and grass skirts to macadamia nuts and spices.  They even give you a shell necklace when you enter, and there were lots of free samples to nibble on.  We decided to take home some spices and cooking oil. 

We used our guidebook again for dinner and chose a recommended diner called the Barbeque Inn.  I was intrigued that the meals served there came with a slice of pie for dessert.  Oddly enough, the menu didn't have much that we would identify as BBQ, and we left there feeling underwhelmed and confused at the recommendation (although the pie was good).

After dinner, there wasn't much left to do besides head to the airport, despite there still being a few hours to wait.  So, with that, we said Aloha Hawaii!  Till we meet again!

Day 11

Before we had left for Hawaii, I had insisted that we sign up to go horseback-riding.  We decided on a place in Kauai called Princeville Ranch, about half an hour from where we were staying.  We had some time before our ride, so we enjoyed the scenic route as we drove there.

The main road passed the coastline, and we got out and walked around a few times.  There was another farmer's market in a little shopping center.  One booth was selling a coconut syrup powder.  I thought, "why not?" and added it to our pile of edible souvenirs.

I love to look out over the ocean.  One stop had a pretty walkway out to the beach.  The bushes surrounding the path were covered in spiderwebs.  And in the center of each web sat a very large yellow and black spider.  It's a good thing I don't have a fear of spiders as long as they are staying put and not crawling on me.  As long as they are on the web, I have no problems getting a nice close up view.

Shortly after, it was time to head to the ranch to meet our horses and our guide- and pet the cats at the sign up area.  Our guide turned out to be a young woman from TN who had spent the last couple years living on the island.  I love horses. I used to go riding at camp every summer.  My horse for the afternoon was a tan Norwegian breed named Alf with a shaggy dual colored mane.  Derek's horse was named Maki.

We rode on a very open trail mainly through fields and dirt roads- nothing too exciting, although the hills in the distance were pretty. My horse kept trying to munch on the grass.  I hadn't been on a horse in about 10 years, long enough that my riding muscles were out of use and weak.  I'd forgotten how sore sitting in a saddle makes your legs and inner thighs.   After a while, we reached a hitching post where we tied up our horses and continued on foot down towards a waterfall for a picnic.

Our guide pointed out interesting things along the way such as a plan called shy grass that would actually pull away like a snail if you touched it.  It took a lot of steep steps to reach our destination.  Once we did, our guide set up some sandwich supplies on a big rock.  We were allowed to go swimming in the pool at the base of the falls, and I came prepared with my bathing suit under my clothes.  The water was pretty cold, but I had been looking forward to that part of the excursion.  I was the only one in our whole group who went all the way in the water instead of just taking a footbath.  It really wasn't that bad.  I had a great time swishing around in the smooth water- their loss.

When it was time to go, I dried off and put my jeans and top back on.  We took a different route back to where the horses were waiting.  Earlier, our guide had instructed each of us to take a tether with a latch and carry them down the trail.  We soon discovered what they were for.

First, we stopped in front of a ledge with a pulley going over it.  One by one, we latched our harnesses to the pulley and climbed over the rocks.  Next, we came to a stream with a rope over it.  This time we latched ourselves to the rope and used it to guide us to the other side.  Eventually, we made it back to the horses and finished our ride.  We would have liked to explore more of the island, but we had to get back to the bed and breakfast in time for dinner.

Our first night at Marjie's, we had asked if any restaurants in the area did anything for Thanksgiving.  This comment got our hosts thinking that they should have a meal for their guests.  So we were treated to a delightful home-cooked meal along with a couple visiting from Germany plus some local friends of our hosts.  They even served borscht- something I always joked about being icky, but wouldn't you know it?  I actually liked it when I tried it!

Day 10

On our first full day in Kauai, I woke up not feeling too well.  I felt nauseuos and was afraid to eat too much even though our hosts had a lovely selection of breakfast foods for us.  Alexis was immediately concerned and found some medicine for me.  I was determined not to miss anything even though we had plans to go hiking at Waimea Conyon, so Alexis made sure we had vitamin powder packets and snacks.  She also offered us these neat camelbacks for carrying water.  They are better in theory than in practice though- the plastic pouches made the water taste terrible!

We made our way through a very winding road to the Waimea Canyon visitors center.  The visitors center was small and had a few little exhibits on the local flora and fauna (but not merryweather- Ha ha!).

One thing I learned very quickly about the island was the sheer number of roosters- they were everywhere!  We could barely park the car at the visitors center without running them over.  Apparently, a hurricane had once destroyed the cages of many roosters causing them to populate the island.  They aren't even good to eat- just nuisances.  Sometimes, I'd run towards them like a kid and make them scatter.

We drove a little ways down to a spectacular overlook.  You could see all the way down through the canyon to the ocean below when the mist was calm enough.  We even spotted a rainbow.  Waimea Canyon is known as Hawaii's answer to the Grand Canyon.

A little down the road, we found a sign leading to a short hike.  Unfortunately, as we went down the path, we discovered that this trail didn't have much of a view- just lots of trees and bushes.  At one point, we stopped to snack on bananas and nuts before we followed the road back up (and up) to the parking lot with our car.

We checked around for other areas to explore and came across a sign indicating hikes that led to an overlook and a waterfall.  They had the same starting point so we followed the main road for a while and decided to deviate towards the overlook.  The trail at this point became fairly steep.  The bright side to this is that up the hill to get there means down the hill to get back.

The overlook was another view of the canyon from a different angle.  I still wasn't feeling that great so we sat down and enjoyed the view for a bit before heading back down.  When we returned to the place where the trail diverged, we continued toward the waterfall- a much longer hike this time.

We hiked up and down and around, through thick grass patches and slippery dirt inclines.  At one point, we could see across to where we had stood before.  Eventually, we found our way to the waterfall mentioned on the sign.  It turned out to be a pretty but ordinary waterfall and not the greatest pay off for the long hike.  We both concluded that we had just as nice a view from the short hike and the first overlook.  Oh well.

We made it back to the car just in time to avoid hiking in the forest after sundown.  We didn't really see any animals along the path, although we heard various bird calls from time to time.  We took a different route back.  By the time we could finally relax in the car, I was totally beat.

We then returned to the winding switchback downhill road.  Neither of us does well with that sort of motion, and we were both relieved when we got back down to the normal highway.  Next, we had to figure out where to go for dinner.  I wanted to see the little village that had inspired the setting for Lilo and Stitch, but when we drove by, it looked rather dumpy and asleep.  We eventually settled on a pizza place called Pizzetta mentioned in my guidebook.

Our GPS didn't seem to like it as it kept pointing us to the wrong place, but eventually we happened upon it when we pulled into a little strip of shops and restaurants.  I insisted we get Hawaiian pizza since we were in Hawaii!  It tasted pretty much the same as what you get on the main land.

We got back to our home away from home fairly late.  In fact, we were late enough that if we had stayed out any longer, our poor hosts would have called the police!  They knew we had gone to the canyon that day and were freaked out with fear that something had happened to us!  Unfortunately, I hadn't heard my phone ring while we were having dinner.  Now that's what I call hosts who treat you like family!

Day 9

We woke up to our final breakfast in Volcano Village and said goodbye to our hosts and their cat.

It was time for part 2 of our trip- we had scheduled a flight to the island of Kauai.  It amazed me how open all the Hawaiian airports were- very airy, big windows, mellow, buildings that look like huts.  It's too bad that this one happened to have a big bump in the blacktop as we crossed the street, and I happened to be wearing my new Hawaiian slippers.  That equaled a combo that sent me and my suitcase sprawling on the ground with a badly scrapped elbow. (Well, me, not my suitcase.) I was able to get a bandage from a shop.  A security guard even came over and made sure I was okay when he heard I'd fallen.

We boarded our plane- Hawaiian Airlines.  The flight attendants wore Hawaiian floral print as part of their uniforms.  Derek commented that the coffee they served was actually good as opposed to what you usually get on an airplane- the advantage of being on an island known for its coffee farms.  I will have to take his word for it as I generally don't like coffee.

When I looked out the window, I saw the most beautiful, distinct, real rainbow I had ever seen.  It stretched all the way across the sky.  The flight was short- less than an hour if I remember correctly.  When we arrived, we rented a car and headed out to find our next home away from home- a bed and breakfast called Marjorie's.

We immediately noticed a difference between Big Island and Kauai.  Kauai gave us better weather and a more rural environment.  There was basically one main road with a frustratingly low speed limit.  Roosters strutted everywhere.  Apparently, a hurricane once destroyed the pens of many that were being held in captivity, and they just took over the island.  We picked Kauai because we had heard it was one of the most beautiful of the islands.  I had my own reasons for choosing this island- it is the setting of Lilo and Stitch as well as Kanani's books in the American Girl series, not to mention the filming location for South Pacific.

Even with a GPS, we had some issues finding the place.  We turned into a small residential street with no signs indicating a place to stay.  We kept circling around the area where the GPS indicated it was and finally gave in and called the owners.  It turned out that we were in the right place.  The owners just chose to be more private by not having a sign.  We pulled into an extremely steep driveway and had some difficulty getting out of the car due to gravity keeping the doors shut.

Moreso than the previous place in Volcano Village, we really felt as if we were being welcomed into someone's home.  We met the woman of the house whose name was actually Alexis not Marjorie.  That really cracked me up being that my mother-in-law is a Marjorie and my sister-in-law is an Alexis!

Whereas our last hosts left us to our own devices once they brought our breakfast, Alexis proved extremely chatty giving us so much information about our surrounding area I could barely keep up.  She also showed us a room filled with things we could use- a washer and dryer, boogie boards, snorkel gear, beach chairs, etc.  Our room had slippers and bathrobes we could use and a welcome tray with fruit.  There was a large patio outside with lounge chairs and shell necklaces in case we wanted to have our own luau.  The patio had a gorgeous view overlooking the lush green island below and plenty of crowing roosters.  Directly below us was the pool.

We lounged for a while and then decided to see some of the island before the day ended.  I had been fussing about not having had much beach time on this trip so we headed to the nearby Popui Beach.  Now *this* was what I was expecting to see on our honeymoon!  We parked our towels in a pile on the shore.  I took off my glasses too in case I wanted to dunk my head.

The water was a bit chilly, but I didn't mind.  I was thrilled to finally be in the ocean.  We sloshed through the water and traveled a bit down the shore.  Then we noticed a small crowd of people watching something in the sand- a lounging monk seal!  It was so cute!  It mostly held still but would occasionally twitch or make noise. A wildlife specialist came out and taped off an area with a sign that said not to disturb the animal.  Of course, without my glasses, the seal looked like a greyish brown blur.  Therefore, I bolted back to our pile of stuff to grab them so I could see.  We saw around 3 monk seals before the day was over.

Once we dried off and de-sanded, it was dinner time.  We chose a burger place in a nearby shopping center.  My burger had pineapple on top- yum.  We topped off the night with gelato- can't go wrong with that.  The next day would be time to really explore our new island.

Day 8

We started the day with another yummy breakfast delivered right to our door.  This morning's was even better than the previous day with croissant egg sandwiches and a different selection of fruit.  This time the mystery fruit was a bright pink dragon fruit.  I liked that one.

We didn't have any specific plans for the day, so we pulled out out handy dandy guidebook for ideas.  It ended up leading us back to Hilo. 

Our first stop for the day was the Mauna Loa nut factory.  It didn't involve a whole lot- you could peek through the windows along a catwalk outside the building and watch the various stages of nut processing.  The main attraction was really the big giftshop with every variety of macadamia nut products that the company makes.  We bought a variety box and some macadamia nut Hershey's kisses.

We decided to check out a little area nearby called Rainbow Falls.  After we parked the car, we walked over to an observation railing along a set of stairs.  It overlooked a very nice though not spectacular waterfall.  Supposedly it produced a lot of rainbows, but I didn't see any evidence of them.

We found a little path into the woods near the observation area and decided to follow it.  I was really not wearing the right shoes for this excursion.  It was muddy and filled with tree roots to climb over, and I had chosen to wear my Sketcher wedged sandals!  But I've never been one to chance missing out on an adventure, so I went anyway despite the footwear.  The trail led into an area filled with unusual trees that reminded me of thick pieces of rope all stuck together and intertwined.

The other thing we noticed at Rainbow Falls was big busloads of Japanese tourists.  We saw bunches of these groups as opposed to the Kona side where we mostly saw Japanese families touring on their own.

Our guidebook brought us next to a little zoo known as Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens.  It was so quiet that at first we weren't even sure if they were open.  There was no charge to get in so we walked through the entry and explored.

The zoo really felt more like a bird sanctuary than a zoo.  We passed many different sorts of birds including macaws and the rare endangered state bird, the Hawaiian goose or Ne'ne'.  There were signs protecting them throughout the islands, but the only time we saw them was in captivity.

There was one major non-bird occupant- a white Bengal tiger named Namaste.  He had a huge play area in which we had a round of spot the tiger.  He moved constantly from one side of the enclosure to the other, occasionally trekking through the edge of the water.  We struggled to get a good picture since he kept moving in and out of view and was quite a distance from us.

After exploring the zoo, we read about an astronomy center in Hilo called 'Imiloa and decided to make that our next stop.  Unfortunately, we failed to read the part about the center being closed on Mondays....  So once we arrived at the empty building, we had another place to add to our list of things to remember to return to next time.

We found our way to a big Japanese garden.  It featured a beautiful view with lots of traditional ponds with stone bridges, gazebos, and -oddly enough- lots of cats.  One tree had a couple adorable kittens poking out from little hideaways in the trunk.

We walked across a footbridge to Coconut Island, a small island with some small, sandy enclosures in which one could wade.  I took my shoes off for a moment and stuck my feet in, but there were lots of rocky edges everywhere.

My guidebook had one particular suggestion that really perked my interest- Big Island Candies!  It's a huge sweet shop where you can watch shortbread cookies being made behind glass.  But the best part was that aisles were filled with free samples- I was in heaven!  Chocolate, brownies, cookies, all different flavors!  Yum.  One of the women working there even brought over samples of chocolate with bits of potato chip mixed in after s he heard me talking about how much I liked that combination.

They had some other more unusual combinations.  I wasn't brave enough to try the chocolate dipped squid....  We came home with varieties of chocolate goodies- yes, the potato chip flavor was among them.

For dinner that evening, we chose a local favorite called Ken's House of Pancakes.  They did have many scrumptious sounding pancake combos, but I went for another plate lunch type dish.  I chose a chili cheese loco moco- rice, Angus patty, chili, and cheese piled together in a big bowl.  These Hawaiians sure know how to eat!

We weren't sure how we wanted to spend the rest of the evening.  We settled on returning to the overlook at Volcano Park- the same area in which we had stood before daylight the morning before.  As the sun went down, we saw the glow return.  I also quickly discovered why Derek had preferred to go there in the morning- there were large groups of people including what sounded like a noisy group of students.  And I couldn't believe the number of people trying to take flash pictures!  Eventually the chaos died down.  Derek was even able to use a time delayed exposure to get both of us in the picture with a glowing volcano in the background. 

We chit-chatted with a nice family- a mom, a dad, and their seven year old daughter who really seemed to enjoy being there.  This was one time that I really regretted only bringing one pair of long pants.  They were still wet and muddy from the day before so I was stuck in my capris and had to deal with the cold.  But otherwise, it was really neat being out there in the dark.  I even heard ceremonial Hawaiian chanting sounding off from some unknown point in the distance.