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Published: August 27th 2010
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August 26, 2010
Aloha, Hawaii!! After hours of travel, we finally made it to the Big Island and at our resting desgtination of Hilo!
Now Boarding We enjoyed the luxury of flying first class. This was a major benefit for a six hour flight. I was surprised that we were on a 737, as my previous 6+ hour flights were all on 747s. It was an older plane, no movie screen. Luckily, Alaska had these nifty devices, about the size of a portable DVD player, with pre-programmed TV shows, new movies, games and more. The main attendant for our section of the plane had an amusing take on his job. For example, during the safety brief he recited, "As you know, smoking is prohibited on this aircraft. And it will also shorten your life." And there was also the warning about electronics, "Please know that no FM radios, cell phones, and 42-inch televisions may be used during the flight." All the passengers were treated to a free mai tais as we neared our destination. Whoo!
The Journey... on the "Road" We picked up our rental car, a Kia Optima, which is nearly identical to my Spectra. It was
Driving the Saddle
The one-way traffic was lead by a poilet car. I've never seen that before... like driving my own car. The rental company said there was one road, "The Saddle," which we were not to take. Something about a big construction project. That was fine, we had a route already planned out that would take us north. Well, after taking our intended route, which was a mini-roller coaster at times, it turns out we did take the forbidden road. Oops. It was a scenic trip anyway, through what essentially looked like the Yakima Valley with recent lava flows.
Getting Home It was a little difficult to navigate through Hilo. Every street name begins with a K and ends with an A, or soemthing similar. After zig-zagging through town and questioning the back roads, we finally made it to our rental house. We are stying at
Noe's Nest, a two-bedroom house on the hill side. It was much bigger than I anticipated, which is always a plus. Every convenience supplied for us. The owners live next door and their pets love to come visit on our porch. How nice that Mom and I get our pet fix while we're away from our own!
Culture Shock Listening to the local radio, Mom was astonished to hear
Jamacian music. No, I replied, it's just what all tokers listen to. Probably not all Hawaiians enjoy their herbs, but it's a fair generalization. We also heard a new term, "chicken skin." According to a Hawaiian website, chicken skin is what locals use to describe the prickling of the hairs on your arm and the goose pimpling of flesh when something otherworldly is near. Huh, who knew? After dinner we watched a local TV station and determined the proper way to flash the "hang loose" hand sign.
Ending Day 1 After a delicious Thai food dinner, we went to the supermarket for some basic supplies. Then we settled in with a glass of wine and listened to the mountain rain.
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