One more day in Paradise 9-25

My day started early once again with a 7:30 pick-up by Eco Turtle Tours. I boarded the large van and to my delight learned there would only be me and 3 other people on the tour! Yay!

We headed south out of Honolulu and made several stops along to way to take some photos of the beautiful scenery on the way. There were not just drivebys--we actually got out and walked around and checked out the area.

Once again, the guide was awesome and full of facts about the area. As he is also a surfer, he knows hidden little beaches not in the guidebooks!

The further we got from the city, the more the country side just opened up with so much gorgeousness, you hardly knew which way to look.

Our first non-beach stop was at a little place called Tropical Farms in Kaneohe. They had free Kona Coffee samples, macadamia nuts in all flavors. Even the cooking oils and homemade peanut were free to taste. But the best part--this was the sort of local place that sold really unique handmade jewelry and crafts. I could have lost my mind there, but restrained myself! I did buy a few things though---Can I just say one thing: Maui Onion and Garlic Macadamia Nuts.  OMG

Off we went around the southern point of the Island and into a more jungle-like Hawaii. More beaches and gorgeous green mountain peaks. I took so many pictures.

One of the crazy airline pilots jumping from the rocks

And another one.. .you had to scale the rocks to get back up.

Next stop was a road side stand where we bought some fresh fruit and coconut milk. They cracked open a coconut that had been soaking in ice water open and stuck a straw into it. YUM I also got some local watermelon and papaya that was grown on the little farm behind the fruit stand. Can you say fresh? This place will spoil you for any fruit back home. Oh, and they had those little bananas.

Feeling fortified and ready to go, we hopped in and got to our last beach before the snorkel. We did not go into the water here but were able to see the turtles munching away on the algae covering the rocks!  There were 5 plus a baby! The pictures did not turn out great. You could see them a lot better with the naked eye.

Finally, finally--we headed to the snorkel site! There were some rules you had to follow though. By law, you must stay 10 feet away from the turtle. You are not allowed to encircle the turtle. You should never swim behind a turtle. And finally, turtles 'talk' to us and let us know when they are not enjoying the encounter!!! If the turtle makes a yawning face, it is not enjoying being near you! It it brings it's flippers up to either side of it's head, get out of the way, because the turtle wants out NOW.

As soon as we walked up the beach, we could see a turtle in the surf near the rocks---eating algae~! I was hesitant to get into the water because the waves were breaking fairly hard near the shore. They were not huge, like the ones on Maui, just way more choppy than I like. But I did get in and just floated and let the current carry me out a bit and I saw TURTLES!. Yes, I did. Multiple turtles, swimming all around us.  The water was a bit murky because of the waves, but that is a turtle about 4 feet away from me. (So I guess I broke the law--but the current carried me right to him)

We were given over an hour in the water! Our group of 4 ended up getting out a bit early. Thankfully, there were great showers to wash off and changing rooms!

After that, off we went to this place for lunch on this little farm with a road side restaurant. I ordered the teriyaki chicken with rice. It came out and it was just a large greasy breast with the soggy skin on it. Bleck. I was thinking skewers of meat. Nope. I made an attempt to eat it but I ended up just eating the rice. But! Shave Ice for sale saved the day. Homemade vanilla ice cream with root beer shave ice on top. YUMMMMMMMMY

And I have to say, this place was beautiful but they had all these geese around and the flies and tiny gnats were insane. After swatting for awhile, I said to the guide "I will give you $20 if you start the van and put the AC and let me eat my shave ice inside." He said, no problem. So off I went! Shave Ice with no bugs---perfect!

On the road again, we had reached the Northern side of the island and were starting down the west side towards Honolulu. We got behind this pick-up truck with a dead boar strapped down and 2 dogs in cages resting below it. I asked how they killed it. He said, they send the dogs to root it out, then they work together to sort of subdue the thing by grabbing it around the neck and tail. And then the guy comes in with a knife and kills it. Dinner!

Finally, we stopped at the Dole Plantation to sample Pineapple Ice Cream and look around the huge retail store they have there. There are tours you can take but we had no time. The ice cream was incredible but I saw nothing in there I wanted.

We finished up by driving back to Honolulu. All in all, an 8-hour tour I got a on Groupon for $61! I handed the driver a huge tip and was back to my temporary home.

After a long shower, I headed back out to walk the streets. LOL The people watching here is amazing. And I just love looking in the high-end stores to see who is keeping these places in business. From what I've seen, it's not Caucasians. I walked past the apple store last night about 10pm. It was still open, and still packed and it looked like people were buying EVERYTHING

Speaking of dinner, I had a delicious one! Ocean House restaurant, on the beach, but my reservation was at 830 so it was dark. Still a throw-back to a different time. The restaurant reeked elegance. The food was pretty amazing too. I had prime rib--something I never order. But I read they were known for it, so I order the 'petite cut'. It was so good. But I was so full after dinner, I did not even try a dessert. I know, right? Atmosphere--A+, Service: over the top. Food--delicious!

After a nice 6 block walk back to the hotel, another wonderful day in paradise was coming to a close. I can kinda see why people come here for vacation and never leave.

I'll leave you with a few random pictures from my day.
China man's Hat:

Hilo 9-19

What a FABULOUS day I had in Hilo. I booked a tour with “MaryLou’s Big Island Tours”. I found them on Trip Advisor and the reviews were not wrong! I toured with MaryLou’s husband, Ken and he was a wonderful guide. We experienced so many things in our 7 hour tour.  The day was mostly sunny and breezy.


We drove through the town of Hilo and looked at all the amazing Banyan Trees. Most were planted by famous people and have plaques stating which person planted them. We saw trees planted by Babe Ruth and Amelia Earhart. The trees are just massive and found all over the island.

First, we drove up to the Mauna Loa Volcano. It’s about 4000 feet above sea level and it’s active! We drove through the State Park and were able to get some wonderful pictures. You could actually see the lava sparking at times, but I was not fortunate enough to capture that in a picture. The lava is up to the top of the crater right now and a thin crust has formed on the top.  It’s actually quite chilly on the top of the mountain. 69 degrees with a stiff wind.

Next we drove down the mountain a bit and viewed the volcano from a distance. However, there were hiking trails down to this blackened cooled area of previous lava flows. We could just make out some hikers in the distance.

Further down the mountain was an area of destruction from what I believe was an eruption less than 50 years ago. It was amazing to see the blackened lava rock slowly being colonized again with trees and wild flowers.

This is a very cool painting of Pele. Her eyes follow you no matter where you moved in the room.

Next up was a walk to and through an ancient lava tube. A very cave-like place that was quite drippy inside! You could see the roots of the trees on the surface hanging on the ceiling of the tube. We walked through a bit of rain forest to and from the tube. The size of the ferns and trees were amazing. And a lot of stone and fallen trees were covered with this beautiful vivid green moss.

I think this tree branch looks like a bird!!

Lunch was purchased from a little dive on a side road. They made their own bread. I had a wheat, cranberry macadamia nut bread that was out of this world. Turkey, cheese, lettuce (leaf) tomato and onion. YUM It was huge and I only got a half!
Interesting flags flying at the Deli

Onward we trekked to a local coffee plantation for some excellent Hilo coffee. Yes, Hilo coffee! I got a medium sized medium roast. Woohoo was I amped up. Good stuff. Very, very expensive per pound. But a cup was reasonable at $4.50. The place also had chickens—not to kill but for eggs. I believe Ken said they had 200 or so. All non-GMO everything on this island.

The fruit trees….OMG It was Tahiti all over again. So much fresh fruit growing wild everywhere. And the rule here is that if the branches extend over to a public area, that fruit can be picked. Also, we were told that if you see fruit laying on the ground at someone’s house, all you need to do is ask if you can have some and they will usually tell you to take as much as you want. We saw humungous grapefruit, limes, avocados, mangos, bananas and a few others I know I am forgetting.

The flowers were also stunning. We even stopped at an orchid farm. They were some of the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever seen.

We took a tour of the Mauna Loa macadamia nut farm. And yes, I did buy some nuts! Whether they make it home remains to be seen. For now, they are sealed up!

The Rainbow falls was very pretty but unfortunately, not producing rainbows while we were there. But, still I got some nice pictures.

Finally, we went to a black sand beach! AND the BEST part, we saw turtles in the water very close to us. They were feasting on the algae rocks!!! And I got some pictures!!

We made it back to the ship about 5:40—ten minutes past all aboard. No worries though, they were still unloading a large bus when we pulled up. 

Once aboard! More exciting news! The captain said about 10pm tonight we will be passing the lava flow going into the ocean!   SO, SO excited about that.

These are just random photos I took on our drive around the island.

It's about 10:30pm here and we just passed by the lava flow down to the ocean. That was so cool to see that. So much steam where it met the water. You could see the orange glow for miles. 

Tomorrow we are in Kona and I am going snorkeling! Very excited to do that. Hope the water is not too choppy!

I'm heading to bed now. No nightlife tonight. I have an early wake-up call in the morning!