Category Archives: Travel

Aloha From the Big Island

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Aloha from the Big Island

Hi everyone

Just a quick update to let you know I’ll have some new posts soon.
It’s been a very tough year so far.

My BFF is in town and wanted to do lots of fun things but most of the summer I’ve been laid up. My doctor insisted it was my back but I argued that it was my hip. Cortisone shots in my back did nothing except delete my bank account so finally in an act of desperation I went to a chiropractor. It didn’t take him long to order more xrays of my whole pelvic area. You guessed it. My hip was the culprit all along.

With new set of xrays in hand and my chiropractor’s blessing I contacted a surgeon who confirmed that I need a hip replacement. But not just one! I’ll need both done. My left hip surgery is scheduled for December. Once that’s healed we’ll tackle the right hip. The prognosis is that once they are done I can be back to my adventurous self.

The Big Island coming up

In the meantime I had a trip booked to Hawaii, specifically the Big Island. To cancel would have cost a bundle so here I sit or hobble with cane in hand.

I flew United Airlines and they were great. There was a plane change in San Francisco so they had a wheelchair meet me to take me between gates. Thank goodness. The gates were opposite sides of the terminal. Without that assistances I’d still be limping my way to the 2nd gate!

So here I am on the Big Island and I intend to make the best of my stay. Hiking is not an option and I’m not sure about swimming but I can take a dinner cruise and I think I’m going to try to swim with the Manta Rays. I’m told we just hang onto a float with lights. I’m willing to give it a shot.

I have the camera and my cell phone camera so Pictures will follow once I have a little time to really write.

We’ll talk soon, The maid just arrived to pick up my room so I’m going to get out of her way for now.

When It’s Hot, Hot Hot Out

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It’s Hot Enough for a Heat WaveKilauea

What better way to survive hot weather than to find nice , cool air conditioning and settle in for some travel stories? I never told you about my last night on the Big Island from my March trip. I confess I’ve been distracted following Kilauea‘s antics, my work load and life in general but with temps approaching 80 and it isn’t even 10 am , time for a writing break.

Captain Cook’s Historical Dinner Cruise

Dinner cruise

Time flies when you are on a Hawaiian Island. Whether relaxing or playing it really is a paradise. Too soon I was looking at my return trip. I needed to do one more thing before I climbed aboard the airplane in the morning. The Concierge recommended a dinner cruise.  Dinner cruises are not one of my favorite pastimes but I hadn’t done much to see the coastline so I decided to say yes.I booked the Captain Cook Historical Dinner Cruise. It’s about 3 hours long and leaves from Kailua Pier.

Hawaiian HutKailua Pier

It’s not a bad stroll from the resort to the Pier if you are young and ambitious. You can also take a trolley/bus or a taxi. Being on vacation and basically lazy I took a cab. Upon arrival I realized there wasn’t any place to sit unless you wanted to spend the afternoon in a pub or restaurant. After wandering around the pier I found a stone wall to park myself while I waited for the afternoon to pass. Right next to the pier is a lovely little beach. Some outrigger canoes were beached in the sand. There were people snorkeling and even some scuba divers. I began to wish I’d worn a bathing suit. 

outrigger canoes

 

Time to Board

The afternoon passed quickly. Soon I noticed the line beginning to form for the cruise. A tent was set up with rows of chairs. That was much more comfortable than my stone wall so I wandered over to wait there. I didn’t have long to wait.

Personal Day In Hawaii

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Personal Time

Personal time, by that I mean no tours, no special activities, is rare for me on vacation. I’m usually on the go, go, go. I am very aware that I have a limited amount of time and there’s always so much to see and do. But I’m starting to find that these crazy busy vacations are beginning to take a toll on me. I’m not getting any younger and my chronic back issues really drain my energy. So after the long day touring Volcano National Park I took a break. I just hung out around the resort but there was still plenty to do.

Ocean rowing

 

Ocean View from the Lanai

Atlantis Submarine

 

Tree TrimingA good part of my morning was spent relaxing on the lanai.  I watched the little submarine go up and down taking tourists to the bottom of the bay. I did that on Maui but I skipped it here. It was fun just to watch the process from my deck.  The grounds keepers were busy too. They were trimming off the large palm leaves from the trees that were scattered over the property. After the storm that came through Monday they wanted to make sure there were no loose limbs to fall on the guests. Every morning the rowers come by my deck. Today was no exception. They were out in force. Late morning a huge cruise ship slid into view. It was too large to dock so they used tenders to transport the tourists. My guess is they were coming into Kailua Pier to wander the shopping district along Alii Drive.

Tiki Grotto with Cruise ship

Entertaining Afternoon

Lunch was at Don’s Mai Tai Bar. The food was expensive but ok. Simply a case of trying to live up to the price. I’d have liked a plain cheeseburger better but then they wouldn’t have been able to charge $16.00! Service was good and the outdoor setting was relaxing. Watching the bartender whip up the exotic drinks was entertaining in and of itself.  Later in the afternoon I was joined by a couple from  the Volcano tour and their local friend.  Finger foods and drinks followed. Finally an entertainer plugged in . He was obviously popular as it was standing room only. Glad I had a seat from the afternoon! What a great way to spend my “off” day!

It May Be Dark

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Volcano National Park in the Dark

It’s really dark in the park at night. Especially in the area of Thurston Lava Tube.  We’d wrapped up our meal at the Volcano Lodge and were back in the van headed into the park again. The rangers were all gone. Almost all of the tourists had headed back to their resorts. The park was empty.  It was only about 5 miles to the Lava Tube so we were there in a heartbeat.

Inside the lava tubeLike Jurassic Park

As we pulled  into the parking area for the lava tube the trees were still dripping from the rain. It was really dark. No street lights here. Zane handed out small flashlights but I decided to stay behind. I’ve been in the lava tube and it was really interesting but I went in daylight. It’s basically a cave so even in daylight it’s dark. I didn’t want to risk a misstep and hurt my back more in the pitch black. Besides our handicapped guest couldn’t go. I thought someone should stay with her. It was a creepy experience watching the flashlights and head lamps bob off into the darkness. It was fun to just imagine what the world was like when the dinos roamed.

 

 

 

From Darkness to Red Glow

When the group returned there were two people missing. Zane checked twice but we were missing our couple from India.  As Zane headed back into the darkness to find them others made Jurassic Park references. I guess I wasn’t the only one caught up in the mood. It wasn’t that long but it felt like forever as we sat in the van waiting. Finally we spotted 3 lights coming our way. Zane was a hero once again. With all of his little “ducks” back in the van we headed for our last stop …to see the Red Glow of the active Kilauea.

Lava Lake Glow

What a Finale!

We were back at the Jaggar museum overlook. The horizon was a fiery red. The steam clouds over the crater were glowing from the lava lake below. Nature’s own fireworks. Too soon it was back to the van for the long drive across the island. Zane said he expected everyone to fall asleep and he was right. I fought it but it had been a long day. It was a good day, a great tour but it was very tiring and the smooth drive was lulling. A video of the park was playing softly on the TV screens. One of the last things Zane said before I dozed off was “Why does everyone leave the park at dusk ? The best part of the park is at night.”

If You Go

If you go to the Big Island this is a great tour. (Kailani Tours Hawaii) But even if you don’t take the tour, the park is open 24 hours a day. Be sure to go at night and experience the GLOW. www.kailanitourshawaii.com

Volcano National Park is currently closed because Kilauea is being pretty feisty but I’m sure it won’t be closed forever.