Hawaii, Days 3-4

Day 3: Same-same

Ao no ho'i

Pics: THB goes undercover in his unmarked Crown Vic, Saturday farmers market, the Sherman tanks of utility boxes, Hawaiian graffiti artistry, two more birds up close at lunch, another indoor pet, Pu’uhonua o Honaunau snorkel spot (note how THB has been practicing his photoshop skills on that last pic!)

Weather: Vog, more vog, and a total vog out (volcano smog, aka volcanic originated gas), mid 80s and very little breeze and barely a hint of sun

Breakfast: imported toasted Acme pumpkin bread, pineapple, papaya, coffee, around $10
After breakfast, we walk the short block to the local shopping center and the Saturday Farmers Market. About 20 booths, mostly crafts and food combos, local fruit, coffee, and miscellany. We buy some passionfruit, lily koi, avocado, tuna (fresh off the boat?). Total around $20.

THB is feeling a little punk today, so we don’t head out for a while, and THB snoozes and reads (mostly snoozes). Rather than snorkeling since we are swimming with manta rays tonight, we decide to drive north about 30 miles to check out the resorts/shopping and end up driving through a lot of lava beds, complete with Hawaiian graffiti (see pics of white rocks on black lava).

Lunch at Merriman’s Café in Waikoloa: arugula and watermelon salad and fish taco, both above average, drinks, $37. Shopping centers are dead, less than 10-15 people total inside stores. We assume that there are no tourists around (not spots for locals). Exotic popsicles (meaning they are melting immediately after leaving the store?), very good, $6.50.

Back to rest up, reading and knitting on the deck, that is until the guy below us fires up his bbq and a few minutes later our smoke alarm goes off. Of course, he must have thought it was time for dinner as the last time a glimmer of the sun was seen was around 4pm.

Early light dinner of guacamole, pita chips and tuna sashimi (which turns out to be above restaurant quality…a best buy from the farmers market!), Torrents (Argentinean white wine).

Around 6:25 we head out for our big adventure of the day: floating with manta rays. AN E TICKET!!! We go out on the same boat as yesterday, again with Captain Eric. This time the trip is 3 minutes, we barely leave the dock. We decide to wear our skins and their wetsuits (tip from Eric to stay as warm as possible) and swim off the boat about 20 feet to hook onto a large raft with pvc pipe outriggers to hold on to; the raft has bright lights that attract plankton which attracts manta rays. Just us and 20 or so also on the boat, including some that don’t bother with wetsuits.

The rays, two at a time, from 4 foot to as big as 10 foot wingspan, come up and turn slow somersaults right under us, seemingly a few inches below us, including a few times bumping THB to get at the plankton (visible in the light: floating jetsam?). We collectively float holding on to the pipe, with our faces in the water. This goes on for 45 minutes as we look down the throats of the rays as they come to feed. Pretty amazing….finally THB is feeling queasy, nudges DB and we swim back to the boat. $100pp with a $20 tip. Expensive and unique…and something that you really can’t do on your own, even this close to shore.

Book Review: The Tiger’s Wife, Tea Obreht, Kindle edition (which maybe missing drawings). A granddaughter relates the fables as told to her by her grandfather. They are both physicians, and the grandfather was there to raise the granddaughter (who has a barely mentioned mother and no father). In real time, the story takes place after the breakup of Yugoslavia, specifcallly on the Slovenia-Croatia boarder. The fables are mesmerizing, the post-breakup situation well-drawn, and the brutality and superstitions and religiosity of the local characters very believable, no matter which timeframe is being described. Highly recommended

Day 4: Same-same

Ho’omaha loa

Weather: Ahhh, a bit of blue skies this morning and actual sunshine, even a modest breeze. That lasts until around 1pm, when the VOG settles in and the sky goes completely grey

Breakfast: Acme pumpkin bread, Arizmendi roll, exotic fruit, coffee, $5 by now
We opt for a walk, head south along the main road in front of the condo, loop towards the Sheraton (where the lights first attracted the rays many many years ago), then along the golf course, up to the shopping center for a Sunday NYT, $9.

This morning, in all its glory, we decide to try snorkeling again, just outside a refuge park area south of us about a half hour. It is a great spot, except DB has mask problems, most likely because somehow when we got here we switched masks and she has been trying to make the one THB usually wears work and THB has been having no troubles with the other mask. We should’ve figured it out earlier because THB should be wearing the mask with the prescription lens, obviously! THB snorkels the easy side of the cove, lots of fish (smaller than at Cap’n Cooks) and great coral.

Stop at another farmers market on the way back, pick up some terrific stone oven bread (this guy is competitive with Bay Area breadmakers: Bread Alone Hawaii) and a few more unusual fruits, and lunch on the deck: guacamole, tuna sashimi, bread, cheese, hot salsa and pita chips, and Fire Stone pale ale. By the time we’re done, the blue skies have disappeared again and now we are back to white again. And, of course, no sunset…the sun disappeared around 4 again.

We try to go for our usual Sunday night pizza (normally at LoCoco’s on Piedmont), Bernadelli’s in the mall across the street is closed on Sundays. Instead, we eat at a Japanese place in the mall, sushi at the counter with one of the more unhappy sushi makers we’ve ever encountered. THB always tries to humor a guy with a sharp knife in his hand, to no avail with this guy. Six pieces of sushi, one roll, two glasses of wine and one drink: $85.