lisap

If you looked at the pic I sent in front of the volcano the other day, you can see smoke rising behind me. That volcano actually exploded on Wednesday... no lava, but it belched rocks and boulders right where I was sitting and into the parking lot. More of the park is actually closed, so we're not going to be able to explore it further, but we're going to try to see the flowing lava tomorrow...

But now.... the log for 3/20 --- If you have an opportunity to spend some quality time in Kona, it is essential to breakfast at least once at U-top it. Unfortunate name aside, this breakfast place serves an incredible creation: taro pan-crepes, which you can top with anything (well, 59 things anyway). I selected scrambled eggs, cream cheese and spinach, and Nina chose strawberries, blueberries and cream cheese (sweet, savory... you top it!)

After that, we wandered through Kona’s farmer’s market, where I wanted to purchase everything but didn’t: wooden ukuleles, tiny tiki figures, wooden sea turtle magnets, cheap jewelry, heaps of mangoes and pineapples.

Although we missed our morning sun opportunity (the clouds have blanketed the sky daily around 11-2 pm), we jumped in the convertible and sped off to Kahalu’u beach park, which is known to be the best place for snorkeling on the island. Nina, who isn’t as ocean-obsessed as I am, settled atop a low wall since the black and white sand was actually kind of painful. I slowly plucked my way along the rocks, stopping only when I overheard two little boys (about three and five years old) lamenting over their struggle to catch a crab. I glanced down, but instead of their black crab (there are hundreds of them, and their speediness makes them virtually impossible to grab), I noticed a little shell, about the size of my pinky, moving among some pebbles. I asked the kids if they were looking for crabs, and they told me their tragic tale. I told them I would catch one for them, extricated the diminutive hermit crab, told the little one to hold his palm flat, and gave it to him. The two of them stared at me, clearly skeptical, and the older one queried, “THAT’s a crab?” I told them to hold still and wait, and after 30 seconds, the miniscule claws of the crab emerged. They were enthralled. The older one asked if he could hold it, so I transferred it to his flat palm, and they carefully transported it to their bemused mom (who had been sleeping on the beach).

What makes Kahalu’u an extraordinary place to snorkel is its abundance of coral and the breaker wall off shore. Unfortunately, the overcast conditions and sheer volume of tourists kicking up sand resulted in less than ideal snorkeling. I’m unsure of the scientific names of the fish, so I’ll just mention that they came in many sizes and colors (yellow, black, white, blue, green, grey, pink). Most fascinating was a rainbow colored fish with a spiny black sea urchin in his mouth, which he viciously attempted to kill by bashing it against lava rocks. It reminded me of the way Hazel behaves when she shakes her dog toys.   Next we visited Pu’uhonua o Honaunau (the place of refuge). If a person broke a law, and he ran fast enough to elude the executors of justice, the place of refuge was his last hope. If he made it there, did a couple of rituals, he would not be executed. The place of refuge is the most Hawaiian place I have seen, with coconut trees stretching from white sands, tide pools hidden in sea-battered black lava rocks, a small roped off beach for basking (and sleeping) sea turtles. Carved wooden gods, otherwise known as tikis, some petroglyphs (rock carvings) that we didn’t see, reconstructed Hawaiian houses and temples (think thatch-roofed huts) are spread out and highly accessible. We viewed the historical stuff, then clambered onto the lava boulders to stare into tide pools at tiny fish, speedy black crabs and translucent shrimp.

The night ended with happy hour at our hotel for drinks and American Idol.