Well, we probably SEEM slack...

Only just because we haven't posted in a while. (I think I hear Julia going "who're you calling 'we'? I've been posting!!")
But anyway, time to post a bit. We're all sitting here, Julia's at the bench with her netbook, Nanny was on the couch watching videos on her Samsung tablet, but she's stopped to have some of Julia's glorious barbecued chicken on toast. Me,
I'm on my second Guinness longneck (US$2.39 a bottle, Australia!!) and blissfully happy I've got Lightworks Linux beta working again on my laptop (not without a struggle). I have done a quick little video about Keokua Beach Park at Kapa`au and Holualoa, where we're staying, but it isn't all that crash-hot because of the shaky video. Fortunately, we Linux folk usually have some awesome solution for that sort of thing, so as soon as I get back to Oz I'll be de-shaking a lot of that video I've been taking!

We didn't do much today. As in: we didn't GO anywhere... Julia did some crafting stuff -- as did Nanny -- and cooked a splendid lunch for us in about the closest thing you're going to find to Nirvana: this place:

Doesn't this look like a completely perfect way to spend a balmy afternoon? And then, such a sunset!

Oh, real quick - here's a still frame from that video I mentioned above:

Can video from a DSLR be that good? Yes, it's just that good.

So, Nanny's sitting on the couch with her tablet, Julia's online with Auntie and I'm polishing off that second tah-lie... life's GOOD!

Speaking of food: I was determined to have some of the foods of my childhood this time around. One of the things I definitely had to have was "cone sushi"... they're these egg-wrapped, rice-filled brown thingies that we used to have after a morning surfing out at Drainpipes.

The other thing I miss is "Haupia".

A few days by the beach for a change.

So now it was time to move to our Worldmark timeshare part of the holiday ( only cos we had to!). We were met by very friendly staff and an apartment that had not been cleaned properly to quote Robin, gotta love that resort experience!. Anyway with a promise to clean it the next day we settled in.  Rob was very happy because of the dirty room he got free internet! He was Haaaapy.  The time in Kona was spent very lazily, eating icecream, shopping, checking out local places.... oh and did I say eating? Wherever we went if we could get Hawaiian Pork or the fresh local fish we did...

One night Robin and I walked to the beach ( rocks ) just across from our apartment to watch the sunset. Unfortunately  couldn't take Mum with us as it was too unsteady underfoot. This was the view....

There were hundreds of these little crabs on the rocks

On one of the other nights we walked ( seemed like miles) to the local Bar on the beach, a place that holds fond memories sharing coffee with the Napa Galz on our last visit here. We had a nice refreshing drink and toasted their good health...

Guinness and a Pina Colada

Cheers everyone!

Some pics of downtown Kona... Its very hot down there by the water!

First Church on the Big Island

Royal Palace

downtown Kona

The flowers everywhere have been beautiful, I dont know if its because I can take the time to appreciate them more while being on holiday but the colours are stunning...  The trade winds were doing their thing so probably not quite in focus..

I lurve lurve the flowers...

Well still some catching up to do... but there's a little bit more for you all...

Photos from the city of refuge... Last day in Hilo

I am getting a bit behind with these blog posts, so sorry but I am enjoying doing nothing!... something I find very hard to do for the most part, when i say I am doing nothing, I am actually doing some painting of stamped images ready for cards to be made when I get home, watching tutorials of the online art class I am doing, and learning how to use the GIMP, a photo editing software program ( much to Robins delight ) I only want to learn the basics to put together some collage card images, knowing Rob he will want me to learn the whole program.... It there was ever the place to be perfect for that, we are there!. We are now up on the Coffee Plantation high on the hillside of Holualua. You may remember we stayed here last year and LOVED it, we declared back then that we would be back and here we are.... it is just as perfect as we recalled. This has to be in my top 5 places I could live!

But like I said I have some catching up to do.. so here are some pictures of the day we went to The City of Refuge. For me it was one of the most beautiful places I have experienced... the peace and calmness delicious to the senses.... pure Hawaiian bliss

History for those of you who might be curious of whats its all about.

In ancient times, Hawaiians lived under strict laws. Commoners could not get too close to the chief, nor were they allowed to touch any of his possessions, walk in his footsteps or even let their shadows touch the royal grounds. The penalty for violating a sacred kapu (taboo) was death.
Breaking a kapu was believed to incur the wrath of the gods. Hawaiians often chased down an offender and swiftly put him to death unless he could reach a puuhonua, or place of refuge. There he could be absolved by a kahuna (priest) in a purification ceremony, then return home with his transgression forgiven. Defeated warriors and non-combatants could also find refuge here during times of battle.

 

After we were finished here we went to  a little bay to find some lunch Hookena Beach did not have a place to eat, but it did have boiling hot sand! Some of the tourists were out having a snorkel,.. what a picture perfect spot for that.

 We took the drive back home nice and slow stopping at the Jakes BBQ for some Hawaiian Pork.... BEST ever... Rob has already posted pictures of this so I wont repeat.. :)

Back home and time to pack up ready for out move the next day to the other side of the Island. I just had to get a shot of this house near the one we are staying at, celebrating Fall ( Autumn ) and the upcoming Halloween.

The next morning we said goodbye to our wonderful host Morris, a fellow airbnb host and his family. We chatted for a while about the price of properties on the island and discovered they were still in a property slump here, about 5 years behind the mainland, and houses can be picked up for as little as  $55 K... My mind was going into overdrive as I started to work out how many we could afford to buy and do airbnb from! Could I make a living, could i fit into Island style living.... oh the busy brain! So many opportunities just screaming at me..!

Our stay in Hilo was over, we are so blessed we found Morris's place and would recommend anyone wanting an inexpensive place to stay on the big island to stay here... We paid $84.00 US a night.. It was the best value ever.... Look at what was available for us to pick from the garden...

 

Mahalo Morris, Yuki & Kyle  xxxxx

She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes.

After a few enjoyable day's by the sea it's time for a different scene, our home on the mountain is calling.

It is just as beautiful as last year, this time has more coffee beans ready to pick.
I love freshly squeezed orange juice, there is none fresher than picking oranges off the tree and drinking the juice (the orange trees are laiden with fruit).
 Everyone here is so friendly, the way of life on the Big Island is so much slower than ours.
Here on the mountain is quite a few degrees    cooler than on the beach, soon after we went to bed last night it started to rain, I love to hear rain on the roof whilst I'm in bed.
Talking of bed, my bedroom is as big as my 3bedrooms back home put together.
The view  from the lounge window is breath taking, looking over rows of coffee beans down to Kona beach where we stayed before coming here.

Warm, sticky days in Honaunau

A word about Wyndham: the resort experience here in Kailua-Kona has been instrumental in changing my views on this particular time-share destination. Or, I should say: the people here, like Tina and Kelau, have given me pause... I still wouldn't recommend Time-Share to anyone, but at least it's not as bad as it could be. In fact, it's been quite pleasant here in Kailua-Kona.

Well, the hospitality has, anyway. The weather has been... sticky. Muggy. Hot. The atmosphere is hazy, like there's a storm trying to happen somewhere close by.

We meandered down to Kealakekua Bay, and then drove slowly over to Honaunau Bay, or "Pu'uhonua O'Honaunau"... City of Refuge. Slower than usual... most roads here seem to be between 35 and 45 mph-limited.
We got there just before a busload of French and German tourists arrived, so the place was pretty busy. A very well-informed park ranger was having a talk about the history of the Ali`i and the Kapu and what the challenges were for those running for their lives to seek refuge at this spot: excellent historical perspective!

We had a bit of a sticky-beak, but it was pretty hot - becoming uncomfortably so - so we hopped back in the car and went on a quest for food. Thought perhaps there might be something to eat in Hookena, but "nomo geht nahtheeng" (there were only minimal food services), so after dipping our toes in the incredibly warm water:

[going to insert video here soon]

... we headed back up the hill. Lo and behold, there was a BBQ place (Big Jakes - he gets 4.5 green dots from Trip Advisor!) ... Julia and I had a pulled-pork sandwich that was about the best we'd ever had, ever, anywhere:

Julia was in bliss - Nanny pretty much is saying: "stick with the pulled pork, here..."

Shopping on this side of the island is definitely more expensive... same shops (like Macy's, sort-of like Myers or David Jones at home), four times as dear for the same thing!

Julia'a Pics from Volcano...

This was an amazing experience visiting the Volcano.  I will let the pictures tell the story....

Brenda with the active Volcano in the background

A walk past one of these steam vents and you felt like you had a steam bath..very very hot

Killauea Iki Crater.  people were actually walking across it, they looked like ants in comparison

.

One of the things i couldn't wait to see was the Lava tube, it was deliciously cool in there on a hot Hawaiian day. These are pics of the walk to it and the entrance


This was a very steep decline and sadly was too much for Mum to be able to tackle, so she sat and chatted with another tourist.

Inside that black hole is a cave!

And that is what a lava tube looks like! on the inside.

Walking back to meet Mum the walk was hard and we were so pleased she didn't tackle it... although the scenery was beautiful...

So that was Friday taken care of... another great day sharing some special places with Robin and Mum.

That evening we went out for dinner, it was our last night in Hilo, tomorrow we were driving to the other side of the island.

We drove a few miles to a tiny little town named Pahoa... population about 30... actually in the last census there were about 900 people... they must have all been in bed when we were there. I am looking at real estate here! boy there are some bargains to be had.!

I didnt take any pictures a the restaurant but the food was GOOD....  Rob had a chicken curry, Mum a  chicken stir fry and I couldn't resist the local fish.... and for desert we had banana spring rolls, oooh so good, bananas sprinkled with cinnamon wrapped in spring roll paper and deep fried.... oh and home made icecream.... I can feel the weight going back on...

here is the website for the restaurant.. Restaurant
Perfect way to finish the Hilo side vacation... and now to pack