08/11/2019

The sound of church bells woke me up and reminded me that it was Sunday…oh no, already? The days are slipping away. The bells were from a church right across the street. As we left the building for the day, the church doors were open and a woman was singing her heart out.

We went back to the Hilo Farmers’ Market to try to find a darn smoothie. We settle for a grilled cheese sandwich at the burger and poke place.

We’re still kinda hungry and then: we stumbled upon the best candy store ever, Sugar Coast Candy! Inside, there was 1950’s music playing and rows of candy. Endless rows, people!

Jar after jar of confectionary delights! A corner just for chocolate, barrels of taffy in all kinds of flavors, malts balls, mints, sours and gummy bears, and bacon soda, which the shop employee said was pretty gross. We went wild in there and ooohed and ahhhhed at every single piece. Spent around $27 since it was sold by weight, but it was sooooo worth it and lasted as great snacking materials for us throughout the day.

The first stop for the day was the famous Rainbow Falls Lookout. It was a 5 minute drive and since the parking lot was full, we parked just up the street and walked to the falls.

There’s no hiking required to get to the waterfalls, and it’s just stunning. They’re large and majestic to view. It’s nice to hear the rushing waters that never quiet. It’s kinda like a fairy tale clearing, like a unicorn is about to come out of the plants and walk up on you.

We left and started the Gypsy road app and had Stewart tell us about Hawaii again as we drove the road that hugs the north part of the island going west towards Kona along the Hamakua Coast.

We drove through lush areas called gulches, which are ravines. There’s fields of sugar cane, palms, vegetables, and fruit. Tons of tropical scenery filled with plants. Horses and cattle are seen munching on the grass in the fields. Stewart spoke of Pog juice and apple bananas. I saw them at the market but didn’t pick any up and kinda regret it now.

We drove past Waimea and onto Kamuela to our stop, Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site. Heiau means temple, and this is where the ancient Hawaiian kings were, had battles, and look at the ruins of temples dedicated to the war god Kukailimoku I as the king battled to unite all the islands of Hawaii. It’s very neat to see the temples in pretty good shape!

The visitor center had excellent rangers who were so nice and friendly. They noticed we were getting a cancellation stamp and sold us this collector edition book for it. We got about 8 stamps at this place, and they were happy to pull out the hidden ones from behind the counter for us!

We used the audio tour on my phone as they suggested and admired the ruins while walking; it was slightly cloudy and looked like rain was coming in the distance. The audio guide said that sharks could sometimes be seen at the bay, but alas, no sharks to be seen.

We did see this weird bird though, and later found out it was called a night heron:

After this place, we went to Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park, where the ancient Hawaiians learned to use fishponds and find fresh water in the harsh, hot conditions. Here you’ll see the Caper plant and if you can do the short hike, petroglyphs and temples. However, we just did the short loop by the visitor’s center because I was more excited about the third park we were going to and wanted to have time to walk there also. In our rush, we left the hydro flask at the counter in the visitor’s center and made a quick turn around to retrieve it. That’s when it starts raining.

It takes about 45 minutes and when we arrive to the Pu’uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historic Park, it’s raining a little harder than a drizzle. I unfortunately forgot our rain jackets back at the room. But I have my other jacket in the truck and my daughter has her sweater, and we use that to ward the raindrops off of our faces and walk the hallowed grounds.

This place is special because its where the ancient Hawaiians fled to when they needed to avoid death for violating kapu, or one of the ancient laws. It was also where people could find refuge and quiet, and it was also home to chiefs, too. You do have to pay the $15 per vehicle fee to enter and on certain days there’s cultural demonstrations of weaving and making cloth from the bark of the trees. Honu, or turtles, also roam here, but again, didn’t see any here, perhaps because of the rain. There’s also people snorkeling in the waters nearby, despite the choppy waves.

It’s not eerily quiet though, because of the pounding of the surf is so loud and the rain hitting us. It’s calming to walk softly on the sand and envision yourself here many many years ago and admire a simpler time in civilization.

The rain prevented us from doing the 2 mile hike around all the grounds, but it’s still enriching to see the areas by the shore. We get back into the car and it’s absolutely pouring now! As we drive up Highway 11 towards Kona, we saw a store that was named “Donkey Balls” and it was so funny that we had to stop to investigate it.

We run inside and discover its a chocolate shop! The employee explains that we can sample anything we’d like before buying their aptly named products: Salty Balls (with sea salt), Blue Balls (which are dyed an actual blue), Flaky Balls (milk chocolate), Goat Balls (with caramel), Monkey Balls (with banana), my favorite named one, Frosted Half Ass (dark and milk chocolate), and even patties (chocolate covered banana slices). Rows and rows of this stuff! Most have the famous Hawaiian macadamia nut inside them. You know I got some stickers from this place!

When we are paying for our selections, the subject of traveling comes up and the employee tells us that she is going to Portugal, Paris, and Dubai with her fiancé soon (this is some fiancé, you guys)! I am interested in the Portugal part since I want to travel there soon, and we have a discussion about travel, and discover that both our dads were retired military guys.

I talk about the donkey crossing signs we’ve seen on the highway and she said that in reality, there really aren’t any more donkeys on this island, they’ve been taken over by goats. I believe her, having seen some on the side of the road grazing away.

It’s still pouring and not letting up so we dash to the truck, where I have to climb in through the back door because it’s too flooded in the road by the driver’s side! The sun will be setting soon as it’s almost 6 PM, and we’re craving a good old fashioned pizza. I use google and find a place called “Get Sum Pizza” – and how could you go wrong with a name like that??

I find out you can’t, because the workers there are some of the most fun people I’ve met here. Cameo’s song “Word Up” was playing on their speakers, and there was an impressive funny sticker collection on their counter walls. They treated us like family, and when they found out we were from Texas, one of the guys spoke of the stifling temperatures in Arizona where he used to live, and the other spoke of Texas’s college football and the abundance of pick up trucks. We educated them about Fiesta, the 10-day long party in San Antonio, and they wanted to go see it!

People entered in to pick up their orders, but my favorite ones that came in were an older-ish couple with a woman in a simple tube dress and flip flops and the guy carrying a case of Heineken and asked if the order for “Big Iguana” was ready. So laid back! No judgements. I again think, I need to move here.

Our pizza was ready: pepperoni, spinach, sun-roasted tomatoes and pineapple for my side. We ate almost the entire thing! While we sat back in the seats and rubbed our bellies, the worker told us we were having a “kanack attack”; a local saying for when you’re really full! My kanacking was attacking for sure, and we sat there for a bit.

The sun was now setting and my daughter wanted to buy a disposable camera for the remainder of the trip. One block away was the famous ABC Store right by the water, and while walking there, we finally saw our first rainbow in Hawaii. Magical!

After stopping in a couple of breweries for stickers, we made it around 1100 PM back at the Airbnb in Hilo, and while winding down and getting ready for bed, we hear crashing and yelling…it sounds like a fistfight directly upstairs. A man and a woman are screaming their lungs out and you now can hear it spill out into the hallway. I see my daughter’s face and she tells me she’s nervous and doesn’t want to stay. I totally agree, and we pack all our stuff quickly. I decide to try my luck at the Namakanipaio Campground at Volcanoes National Park, about 30 minutes away. I return the keys to the room in the provided lockbox and text the Airbnb owner what we heard and that we don’t feel safe. I was supposed to stay there another night but at $20 a night, I can eat that expense for safety.

Good luck falls on us again as I secure the same campsite we happened to have the first time we went there, and snuggle into sleeping bags again since it’s past midnight and sleep peacefully under the stars again.