Day 324 The End of Hawaii

Shave ice. Mmmmmm. It may look like a snow cone but don’t dismiss it so rashly. And it is “shave ice” not “shaved ice.” It is that Hawaii pidgin English that can be impossible to understand sometimes. They use a blade to shave fluffy handfuls of ice off a big block and then pack it into the cone shape. This makes for the most delightful texture and flavor, since the fluffy ice absorbs the flavoring instead of letting run through like pedestrian crushed ice. And if you go all the way, and you know we did, you can get a scoop of ice cream in the bottom and sweetened condensed milk poured over the top (called a snow cap). If you are going to do that you have to get the big one too, which is as big as Eric’s head, look at the picture, I am not exaggerating. All of the sizes were huge, even the small one was the size of a large grapefruit. I am happy to say that as weird as it sounded to put ice cream and condensed milk on a snow cone, it was fantastic. And only about 5 bucks.

Afterward we walked along the seawall as a graceful sea turtle glided/flew through the water along with us. Incredible.

We had to go to a luau while we where here. I got tickets to the Royal Kona Resort luau, supposedly the best tourist show on the islands. First we both got the traditional lei greeting and then I got the traditional mai tai (weak) at the open bar. Then we watched them dig up the pig from the earth oven, which by the way, may be a tasty way to cook the pig, but not an attractive way. He came out as an unappetizing looking pile of meat, skin, bones, and God knows what else. I did not hold it against him when I piled him on my plate shortly after that. The food was good. I love lau lau, a mixture of pork, fish, and the taro leaves. Eric was not crazy about it or especially not the poi. The emcee kept joking about how tourists hate it. Poi is merely pounded taro root without anything else. It is purple, almost tasteless, goo. Hawaiians love the stuff and I could see how if you grow up with it. If you don’t grow up with it….

They did a show highlighting the seven different Polynesian cultures. The women did lots of dancing with their hands and hips of course. The Maori warrior was fun to watch as he yelled and stuck out his tongue and swung his wooden stick in a very menacing way. The best part was the fire knife dancer. He was actually the best in the world , had the trophy to prove it, and was amazing. With the things he did, he must have burned all the nerves out of his body already. After the show I had to go get a real mai tai at Don the Beachcomber’s Bar at the hotel. Don invented the mai tai in 1933 and it is much more complicated than the Trader Vic version created in 1944. This is one of those things that you just can’t pass up. It was indeed good. Too good. I was wishing we were staying at the hotel.

Our explorations around the Big Island took us all around the island putting 1400 miles (2250km) on the rental car. I am glad I got the unlimited mileage option. It was worth it to have our own car there. There is not really a functioning bus system outside of Oahu. I wasn’t thrilled about the $35/day insurance on top of the rental fee though. Ouch.

Hawaii, like some other places I have been, is very expensive. It is also however, unlike any other place on earth. For all of my travel, when I look back at the pictures of the places I have been and I remember the experiences, both good and bad, I don’t miss the money.

Day 323 Earthquake!!

We were shaken awake this morning as someone tried to push over our cabin with a big truck. Well, that is what I first thought in my sleepy incoherence. In reality it was a 4.0 magnitude earth quake with the epicenter about two kilometers away. I have not been in one that loud or jarring before so it was cool to experience. I looked online and saw that we are sitting in the most dangerous rift zone in the event of an eruption. Interesting. I am hoping for some more activity to make it a memorable experience—not too memorable though.

I once saw on the Travel Channel a guy talking about how good white pineapple is, and that you have to come to Hawaii to get it, so when I saw it at a farmer’s market, I quickly forked over the nine bucks for one big specimen. I have not been able to find it in stores and was eager to try it. I am happy to say that it lived up to its reputation as low acidic, sweet, and all around delicious, yet I do not think I would want to part with nine dollars a pop for one all the time, especially after getting some which were almost as good for 45 cents each in Brazil.

Right in nearby Hilo, there is a place called the Boiling Pots. Basically they are a series of deep volcanic holes that are in a line and there is a river that pours from one to the next. It is a wild natural formation and is perfect for rock jumping. We had our choice of any number of low jumps all the way up to a 30 plus footer (10m+) which I loved. Even though the holes are only between 20-40 ft across, they are very very deep. I never saw the bottom in any of them. It is a popular local spot so we had plenty of company and got to watch them doing crazy flips and other stupid things. We were warned about one hole that would be good for jumping except the river flowed in the top and out a hole in the bottom. The guy said that that was where the tourists usually died when they got trapped in the underwater current. Good warning. Thanks.

Day 321 Is It Too Much to Ask for a Little Boiling Magma?

We have made a few trips to the Volcano State Park. and have been roasted at the steam vents, smelled toxic gas (wasn’t me), explored the lava tubes, walked across lakes of lava, stood at the rim of an active volcano, and yet, in the one place where we sure to see flowing lava, it has stopped. Dang it! It flows for 26 years straight until just before we come. Oh well, we would not have been able to get that close to it anyway.

We went through the lava tube (600ft, 100m) and then saw that there is a whole other section that you can go through if you bring your own lights. We couldn’t pass that up. The light from my phone didn’t get us far so we came back another time with lights. I already had a headlamp and bought one for Eric. The tube is much smaller, deeper, and scarier than the main tube which is fairly level and well lit. This tube goes down and down and requires a little effort to get around the big pieces of ceiling that have fallen in your way. Yes, a number of giant pieces of ceiling had fallen, way down deep in that soundless black void where no one would ever hear your screams for help as you were crushed by the merciless rock. Every step seemed to take you miles further away from the safety of the surface, the ceiling got lower, the darkness blacker, and the silence more deathly, until, after a 1100 ft (336m) of claustrophobic nightmare, the ceiling crashed into the floor and it was the end. And time for a snack! Cool.

There is no better way to get an appreciation for how big a volcano is than to walk across its lake of lava (cooled of course). We hiked some trails and found our way to the caldera of Little Kilauea after seeing it from above. It didn’t look that big. It is. Really big.
We climbed all over the hardened broken surface of the lake, inside petrified bubbles, through enormous crevices, and over smooth flowing ripples. The whole time we worked hard not to scratch the heck out of ourselves because that stuff is really rough. I ended up with a few bleeding spots, nothing much, just enough to look manly.

Day 318 Tarzan and Monkey Boy

We found a few really cool places right near our place. First was the volcano heated tide pool (pictured)which was delightfully warm. Then there was the deserted black sand beach with very black sand (past a huge field of lava). It is strange to make black sand castles. Very cool though.
This picture is of a different black sand beach on the other side of the Volcano Park. Then there was the road to the black sand beach; twelve miles of roller coaster road along the beautiful coast. If you go twice the speed limit, it gets really fun because you get that flying and then sinking feeling in your stomach. And zooming through the occasional dark tunnels of jungle canopy is cool too. It is like going into another world briefly. We drove down the road a few times just for the fun of it. And then there are the Kapoho Tide pools. They are fantastic for snorkeling since they are shallow and filled with all kinds of colorful coral and impossibly interesting fish.

We borrowed a couple body boards from the hostel and have been swimming every day. We both got a little burned in the first few days so we are working hard to remember sun block every time now.

I am trying to find a green coconut for Eric to try. They are all over in the trees and look easy to get—Wrong! They are high up and are attached extremely well. We spent a considerable amount of time trying to get one down: climbing, throwing things, poking them with long branches, etc…. I hooked one with a rope and had to pull with all of my strength to get it loose. Unfortunately it was too young and not yet sweet. He will have to wait for Brazil to get a proper one. We did get some mangoes that had fallen by the road side. In the same place we swung off 50-60 foot vines like Tarzan. Cool! The vines really are strong and long enough like the movies.

Day 314 Grand Tour of Oahu

Yesterday, we took the public bus all the way up the north shore, swam, played, got sun burned, flew a kite, missed seeing the Dole Plantation because they were closing, and came back late but in time for a barbecue at the hostel where we watched Tom Cruise go crazy in the Minority Report.

Today we saw the Arizona Memorial and Dole plantation in the morning and then went back to the North Shore to go rock jumping. The Dole Plantation is home to the world's largest labyrinth hedge maze. We tried finding all of the secret locations in the maze to win a prize, but no luck. We would have had to do it in less than eleven minutes to win. After going through the maze, I think that would only be possible if you knew where they were and you ran the whole way. So we bought lots of stuff instead. That is where we discovered li hing powder. At a pineapple cutting demonstration, the lady sprinkled a rust colored powder all over the pineapple slices before serving. The taste is hard to describe. It is sweet/salty pulverized dried plum and is a very popular topping for many things in Hawaii, including shaved ice. We liked it too.

One beach at the North Shore has a huge rock sticking out into the sea and is perfect for jumping. It was a beautiful spot and the locals were cool. At about 20 plus feet, Eric was hesitant to jump at first. I think the cute local girls jumping near us helped motivate him to finally make the leap.

This photo is of Eric. We did some snorkeling and Eric accidentally left his non-water proof camera in his pocket. Oops. It was really a fun time and beyond beautiful.

Day 312 Oahu, Hawaii

I first came to Oahu about 15 years ago, (jeez that makes me feel old) so it had that wonderful familiar feel from the moment I stepped off the plane. It hasn't changed that much. Last time I was here was to take a week long ride on an aircraft carrier to San Diego with my friend in the navy. It was a special trip for friends and family to experience life at sea. I was young and poor then and didn't have much time to see the island. Now with Eric, I finally get see the place properly.

We are staying at a decent hostel about 3 blocks from Waikiki beach. It is a basic private room with a shared bathroom. I made sure there was a kitchen we can use to help offset the cost of island living. Hawaii is not a cheap place to visit. It is comparable to Paris or Rome, only with cheaper airfare.

We have been to the beach a couple times a day so far, only taking breaks to eat (Hawaiian barbecue, YUM!) and buy huge quantities of souvenirs at the ubiquitous ABC Stores. T-shirts here are very cheap at 6/$20 or less sometimes. The trick is finding ones with good designs in the right size. Of course we bought a tiki idol, key chains, stickers, nuts, candy, a calendar, cups, hula skirts for gifts, and more too. I had to keep warning Eric that we have only been here a few days and to pace himself in buying things. We brought an extra suitcase for Eric that is mostly full already and we haven't even gotten out of Waikiki.

There is nothing like the sunsets in Hawaii. I am amazed every single time. We floated in the water watching the sun set in gloriously vivid color on Waikiki and Diamond Head. The city lights came up as the sun sank and for a few minutes it was the perfect blend of nighttime city and island sunset. Lovely. I was in the water, sorry, no pictures.