The rain was pouring as we made our way to the airport. I was sad to say goodbye to Honolulu and O'ahu; but I was anxious for Don to experience another island. I knew the Big Island was going to show him a totally different Hawaii. And I was anxious to see how the Big Island had changed since I last visited 33 years ago.
The flight was uneventful, which is always a good start. Our pilot was VERY young which made me a little nervous, but I give him kudos for a wonderful landing a VERY strong wind. As we departed, I actually had to hold my glasses on my face. Don's first observation was "It looks like Palm Springs". I've never been to Palm Springs, but since I know it resembles a desert, I agreed. Nothing but rocks and more rocks as far as the eye could see. Nothing tropical so far - lol.
We rented our car. Don was a little disappointed as we ended up with a convertable Sebring and he really wanted a Mustang. Didn't really matter to me - a convertible is a convertible as far as I'm concerned - lol.
As we drove the ten miles or so to the condo, the scenery slowly changed from desert to tropical. Yep, this is what the Big Island is known for. We turned onto Ali'i Drive and made our way past some of the famous landmarks, finally triggering some of my memories. The stores along Ali'i Drive in Kailua Kona are very similar to the little surf communities in Southern California. I can't wait to start exploring them!
As for our condo, well, we were VERY pleasantly surprised. It is absolutely gorgeous, set in the 1880's Hawaian Bungalow theme. It's quite spacious; in fact, it's larger than Catrina and Jeremy's house that they just moved from! After unpacking we visited the pool and hot tub. The hot tub is fabulous, resembly a hot spring amongst lava rocks with a waterfall trickling down amongst the seats. Just what the doctor ordered :)
For dinner we opted for a local cafe called Bongo Ben's where we had Mahi Mahi fish and chips. It was wonderful, and I brought back a piece of macadamia nut pie for a midnight snack. Boy do I love Hawaii!
The flight was uneventful, which is always a good start. Our pilot was VERY young which made me a little nervous, but I give him kudos for a wonderful landing a VERY strong wind. As we departed, I actually had to hold my glasses on my face. Don's first observation was "It looks like Palm Springs". I've never been to Palm Springs, but since I know it resembles a desert, I agreed. Nothing but rocks and more rocks as far as the eye could see. Nothing tropical so far - lol.
We rented our car. Don was a little disappointed as we ended up with a convertable Sebring and he really wanted a Mustang. Didn't really matter to me - a convertible is a convertible as far as I'm concerned - lol.
As we drove the ten miles or so to the condo, the scenery slowly changed from desert to tropical. Yep, this is what the Big Island is known for. We turned onto Ali'i Drive and made our way past some of the famous landmarks, finally triggering some of my memories. The stores along Ali'i Drive in Kailua Kona are very similar to the little surf communities in Southern California. I can't wait to start exploring them!
As for our condo, well, we were VERY pleasantly surprised. It is absolutely gorgeous, set in the 1880's Hawaian Bungalow theme. It's quite spacious; in fact, it's larger than Catrina and Jeremy's house that they just moved from! After unpacking we visited the pool and hot tub. The hot tub is fabulous, resembly a hot spring amongst lava rocks with a waterfall trickling down amongst the seats. Just what the doctor ordered :)
For dinner we opted for a local cafe called Bongo Ben's where we had Mahi Mahi fish and chips. It was wonderful, and I brought back a piece of macadamia nut pie for a midnight snack. Boy do I love Hawaii!
Wow, you have already had lots of adventures! So glad you are all ok. Your blog is fantastic, makes we want to go to Hawaii again really soon. Keep it coming!
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