or, the answer, my friend is blowin' in the wind ... more on that later.
Now I know it's Tuesday, but I seem to be writing in arrears, sooooo welcome to yesterday!
So Monday had a wonderful breakfast - lemon banana pancakes, sausage, papaya, oranges, pineapple, Kona coffee, homemade granola, and OJ. Met a couple from British Columbia and Springfield, Massachusetts at the breakfast table. Wonderful time and ocnversation. Met the Geicko mascot - many times - the great time was a picture of a gecko hanging on the wall, and the real thing moved in behind it! Don't kill a gecko - it's bad luck!
so with b-fast done, off to the excursioning ...
went to a former (pre-1816) "place of refuge"; when a person was wanted by the law, if he could make it to this place on the island (there were 31 of them in the islands) when the practice was being done, amnesty and freedom could be had. Even if wanted by the King, making it to the temple and absolved by the priest brought freedom. Not Christian - but a wonderful picture of atonement, I'd say.
after the refuge setting on to the "painted church" - a Roman Catholic church built in the late 1800's just up the hill from the pu'uhonua (refuge place). strange pictures - the killing of Abel, the temptation of Jesus, Hell, and other ghastly scenes. Must have been a hellfire and damnation kind of preacher.
from there on to a coffee ranch - only state in the US where coffee is grown - duh! Kona coffee no less. Great tour - learned more about beans from a gal named Chai (which actually means tea)
ate coffee "cherries" - the beans right off the plant; then saw the plucking, and drying processes, and of course had to buy some Macadamian/Chocolate blend - will enjoy it back in Oregon.
then into the town of Kailua - see the sights. Had "shaved ice" - no pic, silly me; then got to an open market - got some oranges and apple-bananas and mangos and papayas to enjoy later this week.
Downtown made it to the oldest Chrsian church on the Big Island (Hawai'i)- the ceiling looks exactly like an upside down ship!
then to the original thought of this post, how many miles...? While eating lunch at an open air restaurant on the "boardwalk" who do we see, but our next door neighbors! Gary and Melody (we knew were coming to Hawai'i the same time we were, but had no idea where they were heading, nor did they know where we would be - how fun. After a drink later, we parted company and am sure we won't see them before we all get home. What a kick! 1000+ miles to see your next door neighbors!
got a little dark - too much sunlight behind us - as well as dolphins jumping.
then a walk to see the rest of the area and even found a banyon tree - cool!
made our way back home - after ice bream, of course, and rested well take off on a place trip to Oahu to see Pearl Harbor today. Will blog on that later.
G'nite!
Karina and Dan
Shorts! Really envious now. We're enjoying Hawaii right with you. Thanks for taking us along.
ReplyDeleteLong time, no hear! Had to get this blog address again from M & J -- thought you'd given it up and I 'ditched' the thing.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the sights, sounds, scents for us. When we come to see you again in 2020, we'll expect to have some of that coffee at breakfast. Yum!