Elly finally arrived last week and we had a whirlwind trip of adventuring around the island. I tried to be diligent and post while on the road, but finally had to admit that my iPhone cannot do everything and just enjoy the trip. It was so action-packed that I decided to post installments. This island is so beautiful and we were able to see so much of it, I don't want to leave anything out.
As soon as Elly touched down we raced over to a hula competition to see a spectacle that I can only describe as once-in-a-lifetime. I'd been looking forward to it all week and Elly's plane finally arrived just in time for us to make it to the performance. The cultural mish-mash that I am about to describe is truly mind-bending. Imagine the following three things all on one stage:
The next morning we formed the loosest of plans and decided to do a round-island tour and just stop where ever we felt the urge. So we hit the open highway in our shiny red rental car and drove south from Kona. Our first road stop was for supplies, and as you can see, we really got the essentials. A label maker, wine-opener, road sodas and a copy of the National Enquirer. (Did you know that Brad and Angelina almost split up over his hash addiction?!? Shocking!) By far the real star power of that shopping trip went to the traveling sippy cups with a freezable outer shells. They even came with straw-spoons, perfect for eating all the delicious tropical fruits we encountered along the way. With this supply-kit, we were ready to do some serious exploring.
As soon as Elly touched down we raced over to a hula competition to see a spectacle that I can only describe as once-in-a-lifetime. I'd been looking forward to it all week and Elly's plane finally arrived just in time for us to make it to the performance. The cultural mish-mash that I am about to describe is truly mind-bending. Imagine the following three things all on one stage:
- Hula
- Old people
- Thriller
The next morning we formed the loosest of plans and decided to do a round-island tour and just stop where ever we felt the urge. So we hit the open highway in our shiny red rental car and drove south from Kona. Our first road stop was for supplies, and as you can see, we really got the essentials. A label maker, wine-opener, road sodas and a copy of the National Enquirer. (Did you know that Brad and Angelina almost split up over his hash addiction?!? Shocking!) By far the real star power of that shopping trip went to the traveling sippy cups with a freezable outer shells. They even came with straw-spoons, perfect for eating all the delicious tropical fruits we encountered along the way. With this supply-kit, we were ready to do some serious exploring.
We really wandered that first day. I think it took us about six hours to make it down an hour and half of coastline. We stopped to taste some fruit from a coffee bush (vaguely sweet), frequented some roadside produce stands, found a beautiful old cemetery, taking lots of pictures of the elaborately engraved headstones, and stopped to chat with an old man named Bones about his pony rides (sadly you need an appointment).
Our foodie destination of the day was a little town at the southernmost part of the island (and the southernmost part of the United States) called Na'alehu. We stopped into a little place called the Shaka Bar (complete with a picture of the Pres giving a shaka to the camera), had some Hawaiian beer on tap and tasted the most delicious bar food I think I've ever had. The house special is a smoked ahi dip that the owner caught and smoked himself, served with piping hot tortilla chips. It was heavenly and I pressed him for the recipe, but it was like pulling teeth.
"What's in this?" I ask.
"Just ahi..."
"Really," I say. "What about bacon...it tastes like there's bacon."
"No bacon. Just ahi. And dill."
"Huh...what about sour cream. It tastes creamy."
"No, just mayonaise."
On and on it went until I extracted all the ingredients. It made me think of that scene with Steve Martin from The Jerk where he's getting kicked out of his mansion and keeps picking up lamps and dogs and telephones as he's leaving, all the while claiming that he doesn't need any of it.
Just a stone's throw away from Shaka Bar is Hona Hou, a diner which I had heard has the best macnut pie in the world. Elly and I wandered over there and both of their varieities with some kona coffee. The traditional pie is really similar to pecan pie and it was outstanding. I love me some pie, and this was definitely in the top ten. The other variety was banana cream with a layer of macnut on the bottom. Not as great, but still worth the stop.
"What's in this?" I ask.
"Just ahi..."
"Really," I say. "What about bacon...it tastes like there's bacon."
"No bacon. Just ahi. And dill."
"Huh...what about sour cream. It tastes creamy."
"No, just mayonaise."
On and on it went until I extracted all the ingredients. It made me think of that scene with Steve Martin from The Jerk where he's getting kicked out of his mansion and keeps picking up lamps and dogs and telephones as he's leaving, all the while claiming that he doesn't need any of it.
Just a stone's throw away from Shaka Bar is Hona Hou, a diner which I had heard has the best macnut pie in the world. Elly and I wandered over there and both of their varieities with some kona coffee. The traditional pie is really similar to pecan pie and it was outstanding. I love me some pie, and this was definitely in the top ten. The other variety was banana cream with a layer of macnut on the bottom. Not as great, but still worth the stop.
Our last road stop of the day was the black sand beach. Elly and I jumped in the surf and swam around in the big soft waves. Our feet got all black from walking on the beach, and we stopped to pose with a gigantic sea turtle sunning himself on the beach. He was so docile and lovely. It was a great first day.
Where's the pic of the sea turtle?!
ReplyDeleteElly and I are still trying to exchange pictures...I'll post it when I get a chance!!!
ReplyDelete