My journal entry for October 22, 2016 began, "By this evening, I had seen as much of the Big Island as I
did that day, thirty years ago, when David and I drove from Kona around the
whole island in one day, lickety-split." We began our day with a three-mile, early morning walk along the Kaihlua-Kona seawall. Kona is the biggest city on the Big Island, with a waterfront lined with huge hotels. Seeing the "Body Glove" boat anchored in the bay created just the right sensual anticipation!
We walked past the old rock church, built by Christian missionaries in the 1830s, and the Hulihee Palace, where Hawaiian royalty lived. We saved them to explore another day.
We stopped at a farmer's market for huge mangos and ripe pineapples.
We stopped at the Royal Kona Resort and looked out to sea past Roy's Mai Tai Bar. That's a part of the Hawaii experience Dave and I will never know.
The west coast of the Big Island is dry, with seams of volcanic rock throughout the countryside.
We found a biker enjoying the lookout point with us. People enjoy Hawaii in lots of different ways.
Whenever we arrive at an RCI time share exchange, we cross our fingers--they range from drab to elegant. We were pleased with our condo at Paniolo Greens. It had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a comfortable living room/dining area, and a well-stocked kitchen. It also had a golf course, swimming pool, and hot tub that we never used.
We drove the "Saddle Road" over the slopes of the Mauna Kea volcano to Hilo, on the east side of the Big Island. Hilo is a sleepy town, headquarters for sugar plantations before World War II. It gets 100 inches of rain per year, so the major resorts have been built on the west side of the island. Hilo feels like Old Hawaii. We rummaged through the Hilo farmer's market, filled with tropical fruit, Hawaiian food specialties, orchids, and crafts.
We bought spring rolls with peanut sauce for breakfast.
World War II servicemen brought Spam to Hawaii, and it is beloved there still. This shop advertised "Spam or Bacon Breakfast Burritos."
Old Hawaii still exists, with anthurium bouquets selling for $5!
Next stop was the Imiloa planetarium and museum, run by the University of Hawaii. We watched a planetarium show about how the ancient Polynesians navigated by the stars in finding their way to Hawaii.
Our guide book recommended "Cafe 100" for its authentic Hawaiian food. We tried the "loco moco," with rice, potato-macaroni salad, gravy, and our choice of meat, topped with fried eggs. We opted for fried fish, rather than spam!
We loved the Lyman House and Museum. The Lyman House was built by Christian missionaries during the 1830s. They were from New England, and so the house had the clapboard style found in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Lymans ran a boys school, including a furniture shop where the boys learned a trade.
The Lyman Museum focused on the natural history of Hawaii, including the fish, trees, and volcanoes.
We drove a few miles south of Hilo to visit the Mauna Loa macadamia nut factory. Macadamia nuts and coffee have replaced sugar as the Big Island's main crops.
Macadamia nuts are processed with different flavorings, from Maui onion to toffee. We brought home many cans.
We finished our visit to the east coast of the Big Island with a stop at Rainbow Falls.
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