Week 4
Wow, how the time has flown by…final week…
If you read our Galapagos blog, you would know that we snorkeled for the first time there and loved it. That said, 3 weeks in, and we hadn’t been in the water yet, so it was time to get wet…(yes, I love snorkeling, but that initial getting wet, I need to work up to). We went a couple of times to a shallow lagoon next to our condo.
Then on Tuesday, Aline and Dave picked us up for a deep water snorkel excursion to Kealakekua Bay. This is where Captain James Cook came ashore on the Hawaiian Islands and later where he was killed.
The waters are calm and the views are amazing. I was in awe the moment I jumped in and put my face in the water.
The hour passed quickly, and then it was time to board the boat for our trip back.
On our way back we saw Spinner dolphins,
whales,
lava tubes – this one looks like an evil face used by the ancients for sacrifices!
and locals jumping off a cliff (notably named, End of the World).
Video
Great fun with our new friends…
On Thursday, Aline and Dave picked us up for another day of adventure. We went to Kaloko-Honokohau National Park to hike some of the trails. The area was home to ancient Hawaiians. We spotted a lot of parrots on the trail, their squawking almost sounded like they were laughing at us !
We saw petroglyphs along our walk.
Near the shore, a map lets you imagine what the village would have once looked like. The lava rock fish traps are still intact.
Next stop was the beautifully landscaped Mauka Meadows.
A long and winding trail leads you down through flower gardens, fruit gardens, and coffee plants (and big spiders).
The trail ends at a coffee tasting venue with an infinity pool with a lookout of the ocean below.
The resident chicken happily enjoys when visitors share their banana with him. Aline was happy to oblige.
While in the Kona coffee belt region, we made another stop to Greenwell Farms. This coffee farm has been around since 1850.
We did a tour around the grounds. The company provides custom milling, roasting and packaging for their coffee beans and other the coffee farms on the Big Island. The coffee trees in the picture are about 115 years old, most trees are in production for about 20 years.
The farm has many fruit trees avocado, mango, citrus, banana, that are not harvested commercially, but provide free food for the workers ! After the tour, over half a dozen different coffees were offered for tasting.
Dinner was at Ocean’s for Taco Thursday. Aline and Dave treated. Todd had shrimp tacos and a blackened fish taco (best he’s had on the Island).
I went for a steak taco and Kalua pork taco – would highly recommend the pork…
As nightfall came, we were treated to great views of the full moon from our lanai.
Our final full day started with breakfast out – Kalua Pork Eggs Benedict on homemade bread with herbed potatoes – excellent flavour (and very filling). And then some last minute shopping…
We finished the day, meeting up with Aline and Dave for drinks and dinner at Bongo Bens. This has been our regular “haunt” this vacation. It is the “Cheers” of Kona – “where everyone knows your name”. The regulars (residents) mix with the vacationers on the stools around the bar and stories are exchanged and laughs are shared. But, the reason why this venue is so well frequented is Naia. She puts the “Happy” in Happy Hour with her friendly, efficient service. Preparing drinks for those at the bar and the rest of Bongo’s, she is a powerhouse and cares about her customers. We learned a lot about this born and bred Big Island resident over the past four weeks and we are going to miss her friendly greetings and amazing smile – which is one of the reasons we are planning a return trip sooner, rather than later…
