"Heaven is the face of a sweet maple syrup kiss" - S.C.C.



Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Hawaii Adventures #1


DISCLAIMER: For some reason, while using Matt's computer, I cannot get these pics and such to format in my post the way I want to. So the pics are all over the place and the entries look discombobulated and poopy right now. Sorry. I will edit them later when I can use my comp again. :(



Manta rays

The Trip There and Day #1, Hilo, Big Islan





Matt and I left Friday at 6:30am MST and arrived in Hilo, HI at just around 9:30pm Pacific time. That would be 1:30am for us, so just under 24 hrs of travel time. Yuck. We would have arrived around 4:30pm if our flight from Salt Lake hadn't been delayed 2 1/2 hrs, which resulted in us missing our island hop from Honolulu to Hilo. Luckily, we were able to catch the very last hop out that night, on the very last seats available. The Hawaiian airline ("GO") was kind enough to not charge us for completely new tickets! Mahalo!

The boys have stayed home for this trip. We felt like the traveling itself would be too long for them. After finally getting here, we would have to say that it was a good choice, although we are already missing them. We have to say thanks to "M" for agreeing at last minute (as in three days before) to watch them, when our other sitters had to cancel due to injury. So, thanks again, "M"!



We stayed at the Orchid Tree B&B in Hilo. Great two room place in a quiet neighborhood in Hilo. Breakfast consisted of breads, juices, cereal, and a fruit platter with fresh pineapple, papaya, mango, banana, rambutan, longan (sp?), lychee, and orange. Yummy! We will definitely stay here again if/when we return to the Big Island.




Saturday, May 16th


We are exhausted from the travel, but have a good night's rest, despite the noisy coquil frogs outside!

Decided to go visit the west side of the island, around Kona. The diverse landscape is amazing. It's volcanic rock one minute, then lush grass and cane fields the next, to mountainous regions covered with palms, banyans, and other trees. There isn't a straight or smooth road out here and the average speed limit is 35mph, just right for taking in all the views. And seeing multiple mongoose running across the roads...


Kona is the more developed side of the island, with more shops, etc. The snorkeling is better on this side, so we grab some gear and head over to "The Refuge" area nearby the the Captain Cook monument. The tang fish were literally right at our feet before we even stepped off the natural volcanic rock ledge into the reef! There were many spiny urchins as well.


Wana (black urchin)


After snorkeling, we were able to go grab some dinner before our next trip out. While we were getting our snorkel gear, Matt found out about a night dive to see manta rays. We went out on a boat with about ten other people. I am happy to report that I did not get seasick and puke in front of everyone (I was petrified that I was going to). Matt was the only diver on our boat aside from the master diver, which he was really excited about. Turns out the master is also an endodontist that works on the naval base. Go figure!

There were 13 manta rays that showed up that night. The smallest one was 2 yrs old and "only" about 5 ft across. The largest was 13-14" across. They eat the swarms of plankton that are attracted by the diving lights, so Matt got pictures of the actions from below at 35-40 feet, while I was able to snorkel above with the rest of the group. The mantas were so surreal. They would swim and flip around right next to us, even skimming my stomach a couple of times! Matt said that he got knocked over more than once. They weren't aggressive towards us at all, more like oblivious to us! In the videos he took, you can tell when Matt was getting bumped by the rays!

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