Hilo and Honalulu Oct 1-2

Beautiful beaches on every island.

Friday Oct. 1: We had a very pleasant day on “the big Island of Hawai’i. We docked at Hilo in the morning, and by 8:30 we were off on a tour of the “windward” side of the island.

Our tour guide was very personable with lots of interesting stories, about the island. 

I didn’t realize it, but there aren’t snakes or other predators in Hawai’i…so it’s not quite so dangerous if you get lost in the jungles..just lava tunnels to fall into and volcanoes that might erupt. The mongooses (mongeese?) have kept the snakes at bay, but not the rats and mice because they aren’t nocturnal (a word CJ once told us when he was about 2 years old!) So they don’t have the same sleep patterns. We also learned a little about how to pronounce the language, which only has 13 letters in their alphabet, and some things about their culture and history. 

On the way to see the Akaka Falls

 We got to walk through a jungle wonderland in order to see beautiful waterfall.  I was expecting to see strange animals at every corner, but it was just pure vegetation.

The biological gardens at Hilo were one of my favorite places to visit.  They were amazing, with brushes, trees, and flowers of all kinds beautifully landscaped.  We had a soft drizzle most of the time we were there, but were in carts, so it wasn't a problem.

Orchids at Nani Mau gardens

We also visited a macadamenian plant, which had cute quilts.  

I'm "nuttier" about quilts than nuts!

Kona Coffee Bean plantation
Saw this on the way to the Blue Hawaii filming area.

Botantical Gardens of Nani Mau in Hilo