Pineapple pancakes and fish pedicures.

The Big Island of Hawaii has an approach like no other.

It’s 5,100 miles from Bath, Maine to Kona, Hawaii, or about 3 movies, several word puzzles, and 1 paperback book. Heather and I arrive here 2 days early to get over the jet lag, catch up with friends, scout potential new swims, and set up the hale (house). We drive to Portland, ME, park at the bus terminal, take the bus to Boston, then fly. You’ve been seeing dire news about air travel lately. Our experience was a smooth one: BOS-DEN-KOA. If you’re in Denver airport, I can recommend the restaurant Snooze, and when there I can recommend the pineapple upside-down pancakes, and you should consider washing it down with the matcha vanilla latte. 

Hawaii has seen several weeks of rain, in what they call Kona Lows. One result was flooding and damage at the waterfront, another was that it turned even the dry parts of the island a brilliant green. The insect population seems to have increased, as well, and we spent the first night getting stung by a variety of winged antagonists. We have since picked up a variety of deterrents, including a device called Thermacell, which we will try in the open living area of the hale. When we stopped at a local hardware store for these supplies, I noticed a family with young children tailgating in a little grassy area in the parking lot, likely an employee on his lunch break. I love this about Hawaiian culture. 

The drive up the Queen K road to our Hale in Puako is my favorite drive up my favorite stretch of road anywhere. Ancient lava flows, golden green grasses and the majestic Mauna Kea looming in the distance. - HP

Sound on to hear our joyous morning cacophony!

As we travel up and down the Queen K highway, we often see cyclists striving for their IronMan dreams. #crazy

Speaking of culture, we always try to soak up as much of it as we can, as well as the history of the places we visit. Yesterday we visited Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, just a few miles up the road from our home base in Puako. This is where King Kamehameha I built a massive heiau, or temple, in hopes that it would put him in favor of the gods and cement his destiny to be the one who united all of the islands (it worked). He gathered as many as 10,000 workers to build it, carrying rocks from as far as 29 miles away. It was completed in a year, and stands as a sort of capital of that era of Hawaiian history. It’s worth a visit. 

We’ll be working with dear friends and caterers Clare and Dan Bobo this week, and they took us out to a nice dinner in Waikoloa. Local lifeguards and friends Ryan and Kekau will be with us again, and it’s great that we actually got to spend time with them in Maine this past August.

Yesterday, Ryan took us to a fish pond in the Mauna Lani resort where the fish nibble at the skin on your feet, giving a watery pedicure. There’s a cave here that the ancient Hawaiians lived in, some petroglyphs, and a depression in the lava rock where they shaped basalt rock tools. Afterward we all met up with Kekau back at the hale in Puako. It’s Heather’s birthday, and Kekau had put together a feast with all local ingredients: pork filets and sausages from a pig he recently harvested, green beans grown by his neighbor, and smoked snapper that he had caught spearfishing. It was all delicious, and Heather was delighted to celebrate with our Hawaiian little brothers. 

Today is Sunday, and we’ll be busy setting up the hale, picking up guests, settling them in, and hopefully going for our first swim. We can’t wait!

Hopper