aloha

Guess where I am?

Back to regular programming soon... I promise.

xo

big island / honolulu - day nine & ten

On day nine, we stopped at the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory and went on a self guided tour. The factory is 3 miles from the main road where you drive through 2500 acres consisiting of 250,000 macadamia trees. I made Robert stop the car, so that I could check out the trees. You were allowed to take the nuts that had fallen on the ground, but obviously, not off the trees.


The factory has a row of windows where you basically pressed your faces on to watch the workers inside which was a bit odd, but I love factory tours!


The machine places the base of the chocolate on the conveyor belt and these ladies place the macadamian nut inside by hand. Yes, folks... by HAND.


They then travel down the conveyor belt where they get their chocolate covers... through a cooling vent.. and then are met by these ladies which place them in the box. Again... they do this all by hand! It looks a time management game on the iphone! It seems pretty fun for maybe 30 minutes are so, but I can't imagine doing this all day, 5 days a week.


Our last day was spent coasting around Hilo, relaxing in the jacuzzi and enjoying the warmth of Honolulu one last time. That's it for Hawaii.

PS. We returned home last Wednesday, but I wish I was still there!

big island hawaii - day eight

I thought my camera finally called it quits. There was a wierd green streak that showed up on the screen, but not on any of the images. Turns out that the camera wasn't too happy with the high altitudes of Mauna Kea, so no new camera for me.


Today was our last full day on the Big Island before we head back to Honolulu. Since it was a Sunday, there wasn't much that was opened and we missed the Farmers Market since their hours were 6:15am to 8:45am. Can you imagine how early you would have to leave your house if you were a vendor? Gah.


We went for a scenic drive through Hilo today. Check out the papayas that grow all over Hawaii and the huge ones in somebody's front yard (below).




All in all, it's a pretty quiet picture day, so thought I would upload a few images of the cabin we are staying in...


View into the kitchen...


Living area...


Through the bathroom into the Jacuzzi room

big island hawaii - day seven

Day seven took us to the point of Mauna Kea, situated on the Big Island, is the highest point of Hawaii at 16,000 feet. Instead of joining a tour group, it was more economical to rent our own vehicle and join one of the free tours hosted by volunteers from the visitor center. Due to the high altitude, there is a set of rules that you must follow including no ordinary vehicles allowed due to the steep, unpaved roads. We rented a four wheel drive for the day and drove up to the Visitors Center (meeting point) 9,000ft up about an hour prior to the tour to get used to the altitude.


Once they gather everybody, they sit you down to watch a 60 minute video about the history of the mountain and a quick orientation. Volunteers do a quick check on everybodys gas and to make sure they know how to use their four wheel drive. As a convoy, there was a lead vehicle, 5 visitor vehicles and a park ranger bringing up the rear. If you didn't have a four wheel drive and wanted to go up, you were matched up with another vehicle that had space. We ended up taking a guy who was visiting from Germany for 3.5 weeks up to the top.


We made a stop at 11,000ft, so that they could check to see how our group was feeling. Me? Not, so hot. I felt fine getting out of the car, but a few steps later, I almost threw up in the circle we were standing in. Not a great way to start the journey! Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth ..... I was back to normal after a few minutes. The atmospheric pressure up here is 40 percent less than at sea level. Less oxygen is available to the lungs, and acute mountain sickness is common.


(inside the W.M. Keck Obervatory)


(each mirror in the telescope is worth $1.5 million each.. each telescope has 36 mirrors and there are two telescopes in total plus spares - almost $100 million in mirrors)

Mauna Kea is a very remote location. It has no public accommodations, food, or gasoline service. The observatory buildings are usually closed to the public. There are no permanent restrooms above the Visitor Information Station. The portable toilets that they do have are all tied down, so that they do not blow away. The road above the Visitor's Center to the Mauna Kea Observatories is unpaved, rough, steep, winding, and dangerous.


During the winter months, heavy storms commonly deposit several feet of snow. Minimum nighttime winter temperatures at the summit are around -4 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit); minimum daytime temperatures are about +4 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit), but wind chill and the high altitude can make it seem much colder. It was so wierd to pack flip flops, short skirts, t-shirts, bathing suit and then have to pack for winter.

big island hawaii - day six

Warren from the Native Guide Hawaii picked us up early Friday morning and drive us over to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We started off at the Kilauea Visitor Center and Warren drove us all through the park taking us to various spots including the steam vents, Kilauea Iki Crater, the Lava Tube, Halema'uma'u Crater, Holei Sea Arch and other points on the Crater Rim Drive.



This is a steam vent where rainwater sinks through the ground and is warmed by rocks which carry heat from the lava below. Hot water then rises through fissures to condense in the chilled air.


photo credit: Paul & Kelly



"Foam like" rock found on the ground. Super light and rough to touch and Ohi'a lehua flowers (red) above.

I have to admit I was a little hesitant at first. Robert had booked the tour himself and I wasn't too sure what I was getting into. We didn't get to see any flowing lava, but I loved it and our guide was fantastic! It was a private tour and I highly recommend it. Warren was very informative and took us off the beaten path. He showed us the Caldera, gave us a great introduction on what it was and walked us through eruptions from the 1970's. He showed us pieces of molten lava found on the ground that had been hurled into the air forming droplets (Pele's tears) or glassy filaments (Pele's hair). Pele being the Hawaiian volcano goddess.


This is an image of a Hawaiian fern, Hapu'u. It can be found throughout the Big Island, but I think that we've seen the biggest plants at the Volcano National Park. A "hair like" substance can be pulled off from the top which has been used as pillow stuffing or an alternative to what we know as fiber-fill.

big island hawaii - day five

(black sand beaches)

We flew out of Honolulu early Thursday morning over to Kona. Which, by the way, has the cutest outdoor airport I have ever been to! We couldn't find much information about a ferry service between the islands. We actually don't even know if they have anything as we have never seen anything advertised, but there must be some way to get vehicles around. So, where we would hop on to a BC Ferry, here, they hop on a short flight to get around. Our trip only took 30 minutes. Enough time to hand us a juice and map.

Once we landed, we rented a car and headed 3 hours up the coast to the village of Volcano. We are literally staying in the Hawaiian jungle right now. No cell service * gasp * ! Thank goodness for wireless internet though. This may be as rural as I have ever experienced. Ha! We are staying on a property with 3 cabins. I'm going to take pictures and post them soon. It's so quiant here. Sleeping last night took a little to get used to. It was so quiet. Just the sound of frogs during the evening and the chirping of birds in the morning.



Cat colony that was at one of the rest stops on the beach. There were actually 10 in total.

We booked a personal guide, Warren from Native Guide Hawaii, to take us to Volcano National Park. Pictures coming tomorrow!

honolulu - day four

We met up with Angela and Domi from Photobooth Vancouver for breakfast today. They both previously lived in Honolulu and travel back here often. So, it was extra fantastic to know that they were going to be here the same time we were! A & D took us to Mac 24-7 at the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel for one of their famous pancakes. You may think to yourself... "I didn't know Hawaii was known for their pancakes?" .... well, you have to watch this episode of Man vs. Food.


So, we didn't order the massive pancakes. This was apparently the regular sized version * holy * and I must also tell you about my new love.. coconut pancake syrup - yum! I will surely be stocking up before we head home.


Honolulu has these beautiful trees everywhere that I believe are Baobab trees. Can anybody confirm?


Geeky wedding planner moment. Aren't these arrangements divine? They were inside the Moana Surfrider hotel (pictured above).


My new dress from the Liberty collection at Target. Folks, the Honolulu Target's Liberty items are virtually untouched with many sizes available. Go now!!


I love rainbows!

honolulu - day three

When we first arrived at the hotel, there were notices all over the building alerting guests that there would be a low flying helicopter on Tuesday between 7:00am to noon. We headed out this morning for our iced coffees and when we were walking past the lagoon towards the hotel, the PA told us that the walk ways were closed for the next 20 minutes as they are waiting for the helicopter to fly past. Turns out that our hotel is where they filmed the original Hawaii Five-0 (the part where they show Jack Lord) opening sequence and they are filming it today for the remake. Cool!


Hawaiian high school

Of course, I didn't have my camera with me, so you will just have to settle with these images...


The view up at Tantalus lookout in Puu Ualakaa State Wayside Park with Punchbowl Crater off in the distance.




A brief visit to Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetary of the Pacific ...



We ended up in Ala Moana Shopping Center for lunch. Usually, I cringe at food courts, but everything here looked so delicious! From shaved ice to noodle bowls to fresh dim sum... Yum!


(My udon soup and katsu don with a side of pickled veggies)

We decided on a Japanese lunch at Donburiya DonDon. Each picture was just over $7.00!


(Rob's tempura cold soba noodles, oyako don, miso, pickled veggies and a side of macaroni salad)

honolulu - day two

The last time I was in Honolulu I was 3... maybe 4 years old. The only things I remember are:



1) My mom having a stomach ache, so my grandma took me to buy some chicken for dinner
2) My aunt, who was sharing a room with my mom and I, slept on a cot that collapsed in the middle of the night
3) I visited the Polynesian Cultural Center and they taught us how to weave baskets


So, Robert and I basically started from square one by kicking off day two by taking a road trip and driving around South Oahu, up to East Oahu, over to North Oahu and down back to Waikiki through Central Oahu. The guide said it would take between 3 to 6 hours, but we ended up spending most of the day checking out the beautiful scenary. Hawaii is absolutely stunning!


This may be the beginning of a new tradition .... spending the winter in warm, tropical places!


I wish I snapped a better picture, but we were cruising down the street. Check out the windows on this house! Apparently, this style is pretty popular as it helps with air circulation during the hot months.


Check out the pineapples growing on the side of the road. I believe this is a part of the Dole plantation.


A wild cat "hunting" on the beach.


Doesn't it feel so LOST? Well, that's because Lost is filmed on the Kualoa Ranch. Does anybody know if they are still filming season six?



Thanks to poppytalk for the great ramen suggestion and to Jeanie for the excellent Oahu suggestions!