Hawaii - April 2010

I managed to get a mileage flight to Hawaii in April, unheard of before the recession... My friend, Tuko, lives on the Big Island with her boyfriend Craig, in a remote area called Kailua, which is just gorgeous. I met Tuko on the Study Abroad program to Japan when we were in college many moons ago. We were in alphabetical order on the plane, and also in the dorms the first summer, and so our last names brought us together. We became friends and decided to get an apartment for the year, instead of stay in the dorms. Our mutual friend from that era, Grace, also wanted to go visit her again, so we decided to go for it. Our shenanigans during that year in Japan is the subject of another post... ;)

We flew into Kona because it was a direct flight from LA, although Tuko lives closer to Hilo. Then we drove around the southern end of the island, something I didn't get to do last time I visited here.

We met Tuko and Craig in Hilo to go to the first night of the Hula Festival there. It was demonstration night, and free, so we waited in a long line, but surprisingly ended up in a front row seat on the side. The hula was more traditional and I had only seen the modern hula, so it was fascinating.

Tuko, Laurie, Grace... now...


Tuko, Laurie, Grace... then in Shinjuku...

Here are some video clips:



The next day, we walked around the neighborhood...










The only beach in their neighborhood is this black sand beach, clothing optional.


The next day, we went snorkeling in the tide pools... these are giant tide pools 50 yards across, with lots of fish, turtles, etc.

At Tuko's house, we got introduced to their resident gekkos... the Madagascar gekko was introduced accidentally and is taking over, killing the resident gekkos, which are brown and ugly... they like peanut butter...



And a video...



Sunday was the big Hula parade in Hilo. Tuko's mentor has a studio on one of the streets the parade went down, so we opened the studio and watched the parade from there. It was quite elaborate, but still had a hometown feel to it. Seems like the whole Hilo side of the island was there.
































After the parade, Grace, Craig and I drove up the coast from Hilo, while Tuko worked in the gallery...




The next day, we did a short walk across the lava to Hawaii's newest beach. The lava flowed through a village, but spared the local bar, covering the road which led around the island.












Here is the bar, serving kava, which survived the lava flow... complete with, yes, a painted coconut collection!





In the afternoon, Grace went with Craig to play volleyball, while Tuko accompanied me up the Red Road (so named because before they paved it, it was a red dirt road) and we visited Arthur and another friend who had bought one of Tuko's paintings.






Every time I visit here, I want to buy a lot and build a house, but ultimately, it is a bit isolated for me. No cell phone coverage, the nearest grocery store is in Puna, a 20 minute drive away, and... gasp... only one local restaurant! There is a large gay community, and everyone is sooo friendly, you can't go anywhere without stopping to chat a few times with people you know along the way.

Next day, Tuko had brunch for us, and Arthur and his friend, Nicky...




In the afternoon, while Craig went to his beloved beach, Tuko, Grace and I went to the volcano, driving the crater road down to the ocean. Near the bottom, we took a hike to see some rock carvings...

One of Arthur's paintings hanging in the Volcano Visitor's Center.


















Awesome rainbow!



Next day, we wanted to snorkel again, so we went to Hilo, to a place which was usually quite calm... I was having trouble getting in it was so rough, and had even more trouble getting out, kept getting sucked off my feet... right after we got out, the lifeguard put up a sign saying it was too dangerous to go in!

We went down the road a bit, to one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. There was a natural rock barrier protecting a huge pool from the big waves. We met the cutest Hawaiian girl and her dad... and a friendly turtle!

















Video of the scenery...



Video of the turtle...



Alas, it was time to go home... the next morning, we drove across "the Saddle" on our way to Kona to fly home. The Kona side is drier and sunny, while the Hilo side is rainy and jungle. Since we had to catch a plane, we didn't stop for pictures...