Mahalo! David and I have taken a honeymoon exercise to Big Island, Hawaii. Or Hilo. And or Kona. We flew out the Sunday before Labor Day for 6 nights on the Big Island. And to get here involved a layover in Honolulu – which is the chillest airport ever! There was even access to an outdoor garden where we got a bit of greenery. Feeling islandy, we walked leisurely to our gate, only to discover that our flight was boarding last call! And then there was an issue with my boarding pass which Hawaiian Airlines wasn’t too friendly about. But the Universe works in mysterious ways, and we made it onto our last flight to Kona.
Waiting 4 hours in Hertz Hell, we got our rental Ford Escape SUV and headed to our VRBO located steps from the ocean. A not-so-inviting ocean but it sure is something to marvel at.
Monday (aka Labor Day and the Day Hawaii Shuts Down) was a very casual awake time at 7am Hawaii time. Or 10am San Diego time. Yes! We are on a total, 100%, time traveling vacation. The Big Island is famous for coffee so we headed to Kaya’s Kawanui Inc for some coffee & breakfast before hiking. The coffee was great and the free avocado we found in the parking lot was a treat!
Well nourished, and ready to rally, we drove to the Captain Cook Monument trailhead. I had no idea what we were getting into but it involved a 2.15 mile hike down to a monument and snorkeling bay. Somewhere between trail marker #1 and 2, nature was calling. It’s nice having a travel companion so they can be the lookout for you. Majorly relieved, we continued our trek down and encountered another couple who asked if we wanted our picture taken. So here we are, about half-way down to our destination.
More of Captain Cook trail and snorkel bay
After snorkeling a bit, I got out of the water and sat to watch David snorkel. But I lost sight of him. This is probably not going to bode well for our honeymoon exercise and I may get points deducted. Guess we’ll have to keep taking honeymoon exercise trips to get it right! For the record, we’re getting married March 23, 2024.
Another 1.94 miles back up and we reached our rental car. I have never been so excited to see a Ford Escape and finish a hike so we treated ourselves to beer at a local tap house, and an opportunity to get a locals perspective on what to see and do while we are on the Big Island for 7 days.
You’ve probably read this blog and wondered why I am calling it “Lizards, I’m here.” I have found that this island is another country or a strange new world. There are no public (or even customer) restrooms – but there are off-trail options, lol. Practically everything was closed for Labor Day but we managed to find some open stores for souvenir shopping. And in this “country”, away from the mainland, I am attractive to lizards. They are everywhere. So much so that I announce myself to them in the hopes they will do their best to ignore me. Until then, David is having to save me from lizards (honestly, the lizards probably need to be saved from my shrieks).
There She Goes... 