Donuts and Tattoos 

Posted on November 26, 2016 by TheJessicaness

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​I had breakfast in bed – a banana smoothie – after a warm shower. Next on the to-do list, because they open at 8a, is Donkey Balls. I try the mango, mint, and chipotle. We drive back to our free parking spot and walk to Hulihe’e Palace that opens at 9a. We take our shoes off to enter.

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We get a military discount, and though the furniture is phenomenal and the brochure informative, the entry fee does seem high — enough to turn another couple away. Places run on island time here, mostly 11a to 9p, too late if we’re diving and too early if we forget to plan a meal. We walk back to the hotel for a public toilet as all the customer options are still closed — they literally have locks on them.

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Hulihe’e Palace

With that done we’re free to check Holy Donuts. I want more malasadas with li hing mui (plum) powder, but I settle for plain sugar, an Elvis donut, a fritter big enough to need its own box, and a free cinnamon roll — definitely one of the best I’ve ever had.

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Caleb wants a tattoo to commemorate our 50th State and first sea turtle sighting. We walk from one parlor to the next and back before Erika opens the doors of K Town Tattoo. She preps Caleb’s idea and gives him a turtle coming out of an egg on his thumb. The other girl there has a black sleeve done with a white ink tattoo on her bicep and a bracelet set in her forearm. Her earrings are the size of my wrist and her hair is green. We get a military discount here too!

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I tell Caleb we have time to read by the pool or to get one last walk by the turtles. We both opted for the latter, that is, until we passed the dive shop and got me a head band and us matching glow-in-the-dark t-shirts. We drop the car off and hop on the shuttle. This gives us time to print our tickets, drop off our bag, and have a look in the gift shop. We read for 25 minutes before boarding — military and first class are the second called.

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We have to get our carry-on scanned at this time. I think it’s a bit late, better to have all your bags together if something were to happen. My purse and the donut box make it through and we’re all the way in the back of the plane. I finish the short book I brought and the contents of the box. I watch a sliver of the orange sky behind us turn to black. My choices are two non-data games or napping to fill the 2.5 hours left.

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Octopus Luau 

Posted on November 25, 2016 by TheJessicaness

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Caleb has our stuff ready to go as I peel my eyes open. I grab a bottle of the free almond milk we got last night and pour half of it over a bowl of corn flakes with oatmeal. We expect the same deal today when we arrive at the harbor but we don’t step foot on the boat till 8:30. I let Frank, the boat captain, try my mi ling hui (plum sugar) pineapple before putting it in the cooler.

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pufferfish

Today would consist of three groups of six – the seasick girl with her sister and husband, a camera-qualified girl who went out yesterday, and our guide Kevin. Rob took the parents with their 16-year-old daughter and they saw turtles, reef sharks, and octopus. One guy recently had back surgery and didn’t last long; the girl on her first open-water qualifying dive set; and the cute matching Chinese couple who set up their own gear.

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We went to Pyramid Pinnacles first and the more I tried to loosen my mask the tighter it seemed to get. I blinked the salt water out of my right eye from clearing my mask and enjoyed seeing the eel, tiny blue fish, and schools of others.

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sea urchins

I had half my pineapple and only two rice krispies during intermission and felt hungry as soon as we hit the water. This 79*F felt colder and the visibility seemed less, but we quickly went from 13 to 30 feet, and back up from 60 to explore the holes in the reef looking for shrimp, eels, and octopus. I wanted to see one so badly I tried getting Caleb’s attention for a rock. We went under an arch, around some rocks, and there it was – in the direction Kevin was pointing – an octopus.

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I got a few pictures and then some video of it changing colors and keeping an eye on me while moving away slowly. I joined my group and made room for the other. Caleb ran out of air quicker, so he went up while I stayed with the guide – that is, until we parted ways. I went left, down around a rock, and up for my three minutes safety stop. He continued right with his nitrox tank.

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the story begins

I finished my pineapple, took a picture of the dive notes, used their stamp, and climbed into the warm Jeep. I wanted to try this vegan place (Ai Pono) for their taro burger before the luau. We were done diving around one and an hour later I was trying kava in a coconut shell. It’s a pepper plant root that’s ground up and added to water. I’m told it makes your throat numb and your mind relax. I’m also handed a wooden spoon when I don’t chug the contents. I chat with the guys at the bar for a bit and pay the bartender as I pour half into my ginger juice – for later.

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Ai Pono doesn’t open till 4p, so we walk back to the car to drive to Annie’s. I want their vegan burger, but the special with pineapple sounds yummy. I requested the ciabatta bread, but wish I’d have stayed with the regular bun. We both agreed the fried goat cheese with sweet chilli sauce was yummy. We left there at 4p to find the Sheraton. Caleb wanted to enjoy pre-show festivities – which ended up being conversation with the flight attendants at the bar (one from Hungary).

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We got our shell leis, grabbed a drink, and got shown our seats. We were invited to pose with props, get body paint tattoos, and play Hawaiian bowling – we did two and then enjoyed the sunset. The narrator continued the show while we lined up for the buffet – purple potato salad, poi, kalua pork and cabbage, poke, fish and ginger, and veg variety. I grabbed us some papaya and a piece of cake before getting comfy for an hour.

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When the show starts we wait for the kids and one supervising adult to join them on the palm frond mat before we do the same. When the narrator brings up the honeymooners and asks us to dance we take the opportunity to go back to our seats. She showed us a Hawaiian greeting and the woman next to us tells her husband, “You weren’t supposed to kiss me.” I hope the rest of their relationship isn’t the same way.

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The show is over at 8p and we’re soon in our room listening to the music from the bar down the street. I’ve got a headache and sore throat – side effects of kava.

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Swim With a Turtle; Hike With a Pig

Posted on November 24, 2016 by TheJessicaness

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I felt late waking up this morning. I grabbed my toasted, buttered English muffin with slice of pineapple and papaya to-go. We were almost to the car when I remembered the key was in the room. We got to the dock 20 minutes early and walked to the store to pass some time. There we’d meet a father and daughter that would join us. He spoils her, at 13 years old, with diving and Disney while the wife tends to the 4-year-old twins at the spa.

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Pre-boat brief to know which dive team we’re on, how much weight we need (the 6.5 ft tall father/son gasped when I said I needed twice as much as them), and which tank number we are. We took our shoes off and boarded. One lady was snorkeling, two girls were getting qualified, and the rest of us split between Marc (wearing same dive watch as me) and Taka (who attempted to play the seashell for us).

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They briefed us on what we might see and attached anchor to the buoy. Caleb and I were the first in the water and waited on the other six in our group to join. The water was colder and the visibility not as great, but you could still see the 40-foot bottom as if it were five feet away. I descended easily to 30ft and knew the weight would be a struggle. Back at the boat I was told to inflate my BCD and deal with it that way.

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crown-of-thorns starfish

I wasn’t happy about it, but also not mad enough to make a bigger deal – good thing I workout sometimes. I told Taka I’d be tired and went back down. The quick changes wreaked havoc on my inner ear. I waited a moment at 18ft, again at 30, and by 50 it was working itself out. That’s the most air I’ve had at the bottom, though we definitely didn’t go all the way, I could see sandy floor, but we were interested in the fish, eels, and tiny shrimp on the back of a sea star.

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raccoon butterflyfish

We went under an arch and I saw a long-nosed fish and a puffer fish and another using its feather-like fins to swim. We saw a school of black fish with rear fins with a blue line at the base. We swam some more, a total of 60 minutes, for the first, but what made this dive was the sea turtle! I forgot about everything else around me for a moment as I swam beside him getting some pictures and a video. Then we were called back to the boat, waited our three minutes and surfaced.

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spotted moray eel

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I had at least half a pineapple, a bag of small chocolate chip cookies, and two rice krispie treats. I stayed in my suit for our hour surface interval. We pulled up anchor from Big Arch and moved to Fish Bowl where we’d talk with Marc, a dive master with a science degree who retired from insurance in Philly to learn the trade in Hawaii.

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Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Park

For the second dive I went down with ten pounds and the difference was major. I enjoy their mask strap so I don’t have to worry about rubber on hair. I had to clear the water from my nose twice on the first dive and the regulator was too loud (like a flapping engine) on my exhale, but mostly with looking up. We went to the bottom, but stayed about 20 feet higher to allow us more time. Caleb took advantage of this and as I was going to the rope to hold on for my three minutes he was making his way to the surface.

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Hawaiian checkers

I waited for a few others to climb up before me while I waited at three feet. Caleb said 400 psi equaled running out of air for him. We must’ve finished the pretzels after the first dive because they were gone. We took off our wetsuits and filled in some information in our dive logs while the team cleaned up and returned us to shore. I thought about lingering for one second and then remembered that we had plans.

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I was going to drive us straight to the fourth national park, but my purse and camera were in the room, so we stopped for showers too. There was a market across the street, but the bananas looked too ripe, the mangoes from Ecuador, and the lady couldn’t tell us how to use the large green fruit – some need machetes or cooking, neither of which we have. We figured we’d find something on the way, but all the Thai restaurants were closed.

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I noticed people at a table, turned around near the hitchhiker with a dog, and parked poorly at an angle. People were walking out and hugging this guy so Caleb asked him for a table for two. He smiled wide and told us to go inside and grab some food for free. We were taken aback and he apologized, but said it’s their (Salvation Army) annual tradition. They already had plates ready which saved us more time (it being around 1:30) and Caleb gave a donation.

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I stamped my passport at Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Park and then we took their 16 stop tour around the rich people area, so guarded that the poor weren’t even allowed to cast their shadow, but if you broke kapu and survived the police chase you could be saved by a priest. We were interested in the Hawaiian checkers and Ranger Wendy had the game pieces available so she challenged Caleb to a round – he won, and got a prize – palm leaf fish swimming into the moon. Our parks for Big Island are complete and it’s only 3 o’clock.

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We think we’ll load up on food and spend the evening relaxing. We start off by stopping at a farm stand where I drink a coconut and enjoy its wet innards with a spoon made from the shell. We try dried apple-banana and then the drink and smoothie concoctions come out of the fridge. We leave with a jar and a bag. We go up the ramp of a road across the street just to peek inside the grocery store and end up leaving with a stack of groceries in our arms to avoid the 20 cent paper bag fee.

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We get to a large intersection where we usually turn right, but parking on the left leaves you walking distance to a warning sign for the Captain Cook Memorial. It says we’ll need boots, water, and 2-4 hours – we go with none. Caleb will regret his choice to forge ahead with no water while wearing flip-flops. Falling down the mountain is easy – through tall grass and over volcanic rock. We pass a guy getting his pets out of the house – two small dogs and a parrot. He says we might make it by sunset – if we tuck and roll I believe.

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We passed three couples and they were increasingly sweaty. We got to sign 6 of 8, no measure of trail length before we turned around to enjoy our 1,000 foot climb back up. We got to see the back of a loud pig, a few cows, and one bright red centipede. We heard a guy laugh out loud, literally, and watched the sun go down on our retreat. We finished our drinks as the sun was done with lighting the sky.

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Captain Cook Memorial

We successfully used all the daylight and now we could relax, plus our bodies were tired. We get back to the room and bring in the food, stop by the front desk and get free almond milk, and return to the car for drinks and trash. Caleb sits on the balcony with beer and a book while I write and bring us sushi and salad to eat. We’ll move inside at 7:45 when I get two dime-sized bites on my right leg. The tiny mole-sized one on my left leg itches more.

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Hawaii and Headlights 

Posted on November 23, 2016 by TheJessicaness
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art on the wall at Big Rob’s

Caleb enjoyed the morning to himself and woke me eventually. I’m usually the one raring to go. I ask if he’s going to grab his four beers, but someone pilfered three, so he’s leaving the last one. We stop at Big Rob’s for breakfast because we noticed Patz Pizza sign with Rob’s offer of breakfast all day. I tried a guava turnover sample and got four biscuits and gravy with two eggs. Caleb got the chicken-fried steak. We added a pin to San Diego on the wall map, and noticed no visitors from South America or Russia.

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Hawaiian countryside

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We bypass any stops, and sadly water too, and park in the lot for Green Sands Beach. We both thought we heard “two miles” which kept us motivated on a 4WD track near the windy cliff. We decided to turn around after we heard the trail is six miles one-way and we’d been walking for an hour. We watched the long-legged couple that passed us carry on ahead. We saw black rocks and water for another two miles. Once we got close to the lot again we began passing couples who had been told three miles. I wished them luck. Maybe we should’ve taken the truck offer or driven ourselves.

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I had been motivated to return for some fresh coconut water, but the vendor was absent and his cooler locked. We drove five miles up the road and stopped at two farms across the street from each other – one growing orchids and selling hibiscus lemonade, and the other sampling honey by the spoonful and giving tours of their aquaponic system with tilapia and tomatoes. We saw a pineapple in progress, an overproductive papaya tree, and an unripe apple-banana tree.

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We saw their guest turkey posing as a pigeon in a tree and tried fresh-picked coffee cherries. We bought a variety of macadamia nuts, coffee cookies, and wild honeys from Paradise Meadows and enjoyed our fresh drinks from Ka Lae Coffee. These treats carried us to the Royal Kona Coffee Center in Captain Cook. We tried some new coffees and Caleb tried nitro while making dive reservations. We bought some beans and peaberry and still somehow forgot to buy water.

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Ka Lae Coffee orchid greenhouse

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in Paradise Meadows

We make it to the visitor center of Mauna Kea at 9,000 feet, and over two hours away, before buying a glow-in-the-dark bottle for Caleb to refill. We begin our trek to the top, via low gear 4WD, at 4pm and 60*F. Eight miles and 4,700 feet later it’s 44*F and 45 minutes till sunset. This gives us time to walk around the giant satellites, put here in the 70s, and now a major debate between science and the renewing of Hawaiian Heritage. We have the lilikou bar and nut brownie from last night’s cafe as a late lunch. I put on shoes and change into a shirt I hope is longer and won’t ride up – no luck.

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first in-nature pineapple sighting

 

We walk up a 300-foot hill to watch the sunset as the temperature drops. I watch a little boy throw rocks, a girl and her father try to dig up rocks, and a couple sharing wine. We’re enjoying the setting, but the dad next to us is begging his family to go. I don’t know if he was cold, tired, or scared of the dark. The clouds turn to fire and we return to the warm building for hot chocolate and an educational film. Occupancy is only 58, but we get closer to each other so that more of the 200 present have a chance to see.

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Royal Kona Coffee Center

 

We’re told to wait till the end of the film before coming outside to view planets Mars (12.5 light minutes away) and Venus (six light minutes away), and the galaxy Andromeda (2.5 million light-years away). The staff tells us no white lights, but that doesn’t translate to the use of social media and high beams – the parking lot and drivers coming down the mountain. My teeth chattered while we waited in the first line and behind six people in the second. We took intermission inside to warm up and let the crowd disperse – it worked.

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mystical mountain of Mauna Kea

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satellites of Mauna Kea

We looked through two more telescopes, after getting them adjusted, and then made our way through the Invisible Cow pasture at 7:45pm. It was earlier than we wanted, but there was still cloud coverage over the planets, though the Milky Way is one of a kind from that viewpoint. Halfway to Kona we put our sunglasses on to help with the bright lights. I thought it odd none of the seven cars before me reacted, but we couldn’t tame the car behind us either.

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coming down the mountain

I was glad to pull into our hotel, on the same block as the other one, at 8:45pm. We walked to a bar on the beach and then back to Humpy’s Big Island Alehouse which is still serving food. We join a couple at a table and leave them at one end while we sit closer to the sidewalk. We both get burgers – his with bacon and fries, mine made of black beans and garlic with a side of fruit. I leave half a bun, my pickle, and half my pint of Hawaiian IPA. We walk back to the room where Caleb can’t brush his teeth fast enough before passing out at 10:30pm. I won’t join him till midnight.

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Volcanoes and Rain

Posted on November 22, 2016 by TheJessicaness
King Kamahameha

King Kamehameha statue

Caleb got up before my alarm and we were both in the kitchen when ours rang together. I cut up the two abui from yesterday into quarters and the edges are quick to brown. The inside is as soft as ripe persimmon and tastes like mushy honeydew to Caleb and a flan-like dessert to me – easy to scoop too. We shared a plate and I grabbed two spoons. I tried eating the waxy peel, but it will go into the trash bin along with the grape-sized seed. I washed our dishes while Caleb packed us up and we dropped the bag to the car before walking into Bear’s Cafe for more food.

Caleb ordered waffles and sausage. I ordered biscuits and gravy with eggs and reminded him that we had four hours of spelunking ahead – we’re going to need the calories. I got half of my cold brew coffee to-go so we could leave by 8am. This would get us from Hilo to middle-of-nowhere just in time, 8:45. On the way, we managed to pass the third King Kamehameha statue dedicated in 1997. The original was thought to be lost at sea in 1880 and a replacement was erected in Honolulu. When the original was found in 1912 it was put up in Kapaau, near the King’s birthplace, also on Big Island.

through the cave

through the cave

We got gas at $2.75 before leaving town, stopped at the ATM some miles from the house, before the roads went from paved and lined with trees to pitted and lined with shorter plants too. We parked behind the two cars in the driveway. There is another couple, Marshall and Allison from Salem, Oregon, standing there as Harry, our cave guide, walks up. We grab hard hat, gloves, and flashlight before making our way through the trees, but not before going over the rules – don’t touch anything!

We’re reminded that we may bring water, a small bag (so it doesn’t touch anything), and our long sleeves/pants with good shoes on are approved. I get to use a flush toilet outhouse, complete with crescent moon and full acoustics, before we descend. Harry unlocks the door and stepping inside I realized this was no ordinary lava tube – this was Kazamura Cave. I could’ve read reviews before coming, or have checked their website, but that would’ve ruined the surprise. We will use a few ladders and one rope to assist in navigation of this beautiful, dark, wet tunnel cut through the earth.

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up and up

Harry is knowledgeable, not just about this cave, but Mammoth and Carlsbad (that we’ve been to) and about a hundred that we haven’t. He asked what we do and the employed, engineer and lawyers, made the top ten list of common guests; others were doctors, biologists, and programmers. I enjoy small tour groups so much, max of six allowed, because of the amount of time and details shared. We helped each other see different holes, shapes, and bones. There are roots, other biological matter, and anomalies of 1800*C elements cooling at impressive speeds and leaving their history for us to admire.

We saw a mile of the cave and about 500 feet of height explored. I found the total darkness unnerving and then very relaxing as we all stood there listening to the cave rain and I spun around unable to see myself but I could feel the wind movement. Turning on our flashlights again after at least five minutes of complete blackness hitting the corneas was an adjustment period. The walk back seemed too soon, but the girls had started asking about food. Harry explained other things to see/do and why and then gave some restaurant recommendations.

Kīlueae Caldera

Kīlauea Caldera

I let the others head back quickly after we see sunlight again so I can focus on the details. I enjoyed the torch tour, less light damage in the cave, but it limited my photo opportunities. I watched the rain drop on the leaves, photographed the colors through the trees, and captured (digitally) one gecko before he ran for cover. It felt good to get the wet gloves off that I used to protect my camera from cave droplets. I tried scraping some of the mud off my shoes from the path that tried to get me to stay – it wouldn’t be hard.

I started popping macaroons in my mouth as we backed away. We were hungry, but couldn’t let a silly restaurant stand between us and lava, so on we went to Volcanoes National Park through the varying stages of rain on the road. We stopped at the steam vents and a Chinese guide was using hand signals for my benefit. Then he lit a napkin on fire and stuck it over the vent to draw more smoke out – “monkey see, monkey do” he said. As we walked to get a better look at the caldera we passed people, some wearing booty shorts and others coats, as the weather was 15*C. From there it’s 1.5 miles to the Jaggar Museum and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on the Uwekahuna Bluff on the rim of Kīlauea Caldera.

basalt landscape

basalt landscape

We stared into the caldera in the distance – to gauge, a ranger told us lava was shooting up 30ft and we could see blasts of orange among the, barely visible with the naked eye, pool. A family was there and had brought binoculars – what a difference. I used zoom on my camera and Caleb used the GoPro. The hole is massive and one woman claimed to feel the heat from it. Someone told her to back off the wacky tabacky – we had to be a mile away.

We stopped or hung out the window intermittently when seeing dried lava flows from the 80s, growth on the rocks, and the sky beyond. The drive down Chain of Craters road towards the water was fantastic and the car behind didn’t seem to mind our tourist mode – slow. We parked at the end of the road. To get to the third volcano, located underwater, on the park you have to walk five miles one-way with snacks, water, and a flashlight. Sadly we had none. A kid was trying to convince his mom that they could make it if they ran.

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walking to the petroglyphs

Within walking distance is Hōlei Sea Arch, named after the native Ochrosia compta plant that is part of the milkweed family. Just over some dried lava and bright green plants to an edge protected by stacked black rocks and some copper cable between wooden posts, to a frothy sea below lit by the bright sun, stands an arch carved a few hundred years ago into the basalt cliffs standing at 90ft.

We pass the ranger playing ukulele and drive to the Pu’u Loa petroglyph trail, 0.7 mile one-way walking. There are cairns to guide us and a boardwalk to protect the kapu (keep out/sacred) where families come to leave the piko (umbilical cord) of their child in the large hill to connect their spirit to the ancestors and give them a long life. There are over 16,000 pukas (holes), some shallow, some deep, but all unique to the family they bond.

feet, shadows, petroglyphs - GoPro

feet, shadows, petroglyphs – GoPro

The weather is perfect and the sunset phenomenal as we leave the park and make it to Punalu’u Black Sand Beach. There are dirty ducks, cross-eyed cats, and kids practicing their ninja gymnastics barefoot. There are also eight Green Sea turtles, either sleeping or moving extremely slow, in their protected rock circle. We enjoy the sound of the waves, the feel of the gravelly sand, and the colorful clouds streaming across the sky.

It’s finally time to eat and we stop at the next place on our left – Hana Hou, meaning “encore”, and it’s the southernmost restaurant in the U.S. They sell pork burritos and chicken salad in papaya. I grabbed a lilikou bar and caramel brownie for back up rations. This meal will give us the energy needed to drive the next hour of winding roads to our stop for the night – Pineapple Park. It’s calm and quiet when we arrive at 7:30. We do some exploring and I was hoping for a social evening, but the crowd doesn’t arrive till Friday from Australia.

pond at Punalu'u Black Sand Beach

pond at Punalu’u Black Sand Beach

I grab my phone to use the light. I want to find the source of the sound in the tree – the tiny Coqui frog. I’m checking the branches and leaves. Our hostess assures we won’t find them as they’re as tiny as dimes or the tip of this woman’s finger, similar to Caroline’s pinky, whichever is smaller. I think knowing what I’m looking for will make it easier, but the light only helps to quiet the tiny creatures. It’s time for a shower.

Caleb’s not ready for bed at 8:30 so we walk to the market across the street so he can get a six-pack of Castaway and I can grab a pint of Chunky Monkey ice cream. He reads while I think about the stories of Columbus, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Gold Rush, and how Hawaii has a very different and unique history. Caleb has two beers and I don’t start reading till I finish what’s left of the melted banana ice cream in the bottom of my pint – the flavor name is fitting.

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach - GoPro

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach – GoPro

We will sit, till after 11pm with a Hawaiian station playing, on a couch with a lamp on one side and stairs on the other leading up to where another couple enjoyed their dinner and are now enjoying the evening as well. I miss the feel of country nights – stars, critters, quiet or rambunctious relaxation, but we have to sleep at some point to be ready for tomorrow.

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