Day 5: Volcano National Park & Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens - Hilo, The Big Island, June 21, 2011

Day 5: Volcano National Park & the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens - Hilo, The Big Island, June 21, 2011

Once again, our day started with a rainbow outside our balcony window. This always results in videographers and photographers stumbling over themselves half asleep to grab the camera and camcorder and start shooting away. A fun way for amateur photographers to jump out of bed.

Today we're renting a car and exploring Hilo on our own. The visitor center at the port is worth a quick stop for a map and to have any questions answered. They were very friendly. Thrifty car rental has a shuttle service that picks you up at the port. We only had to wait about 5 minutes for a pick-up and then it was a 10 to 15 minute ride to the airport to pick up the car. This is a great island to rent a car and explore on your own, so you can be on your own schedule. The drive was leisurely without much traffic. The island is easy to navigate with a very simple road system. (The traffic on Oahu is much worse and you may want to consider shuttles and excursions there just to avoid the trouble.) It's about 45 minutes to our first destination.




First on the agenda is what The Big Island is famous for - Volcano National Park, site of Kilauea crater, Hawaii's active volcano. Today's the first day of summer so we get in free. Whoopee! First stop is the Visitor's Center. Lucky timing! Ranger Dean is about to begin his educational talk. He gives us an animated overview of volcanoes and the history of Hawaii's volcanic activity. A good chuckle from the crowd erupts when he said he is often asked, "How do you know it's safe to be here?" and he said, "Who said it's safe to be here? You came to see a volcano." Thanks for the comforting words Ranger Dean. Now, it's off to see this thing for ourselves. Walking down the dirt trail toward the crater, you see the steam rising before you get to the viewing site. Steam vents surround you on all sides as you walk the trail, prepping you for the main event. It's a truly impressive sight to walk up and see the crater sitting out there in the open field smoking away. About this time we've worked up about as vast an appetite as the crater itself.

For lunch, we decided to stop by a local diner and opted for Cafe 100 in downtown Hilo. Simple food, low prices, walk-up diner where you can eat outside.
The rest of the afternoon was left to the chance of a guidebook and a map. We take off in our little rental car North of Hilo up Hwy. 19 and end up on the Scenic Route. Though all of Hawaii is beautiful and unique, once we enter the scenic route, both of us look at each other and say, "This is what Hawaii is supposed to be like." Lush vegetation with all-encompassing trees, cliffs with waves crashing against them, and gorgeous flowers. But what is it with all these chickens? Yes, I said chickens. They are everywhere you go. Walking along a scenic overview, who should stroll up but a rooster and two chickens. They just seem to wander around everywhere.








Aahh, but the scenic route is only a tease for the grand finale. The Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens are a must see. You will feel like you are in the Garden of Eden. Waterfalls, ocean, flowers, gigantic trees. A photographer's heaven and a stroller's paradise. We spent between 1 1/2 to 2 hours wandering through all the paths. Beautiful! But we have to keep an eye on the clock, so we must leave this garden oasis and start our journey back to the ship. First, an authentic Hawaiian treat - Shaved Ice. We found a Mom & Pop Shaved Ice & Smoothie Shack along the scenic route and I had my first Pineapple shaved ice - delicious! You have to try this treat when you go to Hawaii. The ice just melts in your mouth as soft and smooth as snow. Looking at the view the owners of the "shack" had, Lon was ready to sell all our belongings and try to be their newest competitors!






Back onboard we ate in the Dining Room and went to see the "Second City Show". Second City always put on an entertaining improv act. After, we walked around a bit and ran into a few people we had met along the way. We're finding the cruisers on this ship to be quite friendly.

Tips: Take water or a bottle to fill up to Volcano National Park. They do not sale water bottles at the visitor's center; however, they do have stations where you can fill your water bottles with rainwater. Consider renting a car on this island and checking out the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens. They don't allow tour buses to park here, so it is easiest to get there by rental car.

Aloha Hawaii! Traveling Day Leads to Arrival Day

Please read with a kind and open heart, with the Aloha Spirit if you will, for this blog will be written in the raw. I will be writing and posting quickly with little time for editing, attempting to capture our adventures in real time during the few lapses that occur during an action-packed schedule.

In all honesty, it was with some trepidation that I looked forward to the actual traveling that it would take to get me to my destination. Yes, it is true. This travel agent is not particularly fond of air travel. In fact, you might say in the past I was somewhat phobic over the idea. Wow! Have I come a long way. But, knowing the prize that awaited me at the other end of that long traveling day...I hopped onboard. Traveling from the East Coast to Hawaii makes for a long and grueling day, but oh is it worth it. We spent a total of about 10 hours in the air with a 3 hour-lay over in Los Angeles.

Our day began with a 5:30 a.m. beep of the alarm. Lon had been awake since 4:30, so excited was he to start his Hawaiian adventure. Atlanta reminded us that we live in the big city, as we experienced anxiety-provoking traffic delays on the way to the airport. Once there, long lines at security had us checking our watches, but no reason to fear. We made it on the plane with a good 30 minutes before take-off.

Prone to motion-sickness, after hitting about 30,000 feet in altitude, I could definitely tell we were in the air. A little pop of Dramamine at the L.A. Airport and I was all set for the next flight. It helped immensely. The flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu was much more enjoyable. Probably partly because our flight attendants were so much friendlier and efficient on that leg of the trip. Reminds me once again how important customer service is! Arrival in Honolulu around 5:30 island time - that would be 11:30 p.m. in Atlanta. Much to our surprise, we aren't feeling it yet. A quick nap on the plane and the sun revving our engines and we are good to go just a little while longer.

Now how many places do you know that have a beautifully landscaped airport? Walking between buildings to collect your luggage, you know you are in Hawaii. Beautiful plants and trees adorn the courtyards preparing tourists for the sites they are yet to behold. Robert's Shuttle of Robert's Hawaii was waiting to pick us up right outside. The only downside to this service was it took about 45 minutes to get to our hotel, because they were dropping other passengers off along the way. However, it was less expensive than a taxi, so...

Arrival at the Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel surpassed my expectations. I booked this hotel based on location and the fact that I have points through their priority club to take care of the room. It was a practical decision that ended up being a lucky winner. The location is awesome! On Kalakaua Avenue directly across from Waikiki Beach surrounded by other hotels, high-end shopping, and next door to the International Market Place, the view from our "partial-ocean" view room was a pleasant surprise. Not only could we see the ocean but also Diamond Head was in prominent view from our balcony. Cool! So now that it's after midnight Atlanta time, what to do about dinner? Airplane food and peanuts had our stomachs growling for more. Luckily, down in the lobby, the hotel sports a Jimmy Buffet Margaretaville Restaurant. Cheeseburgers in Paradise for us tonight! The decor was fun and we're off to a great start. Though traveling fatigue is now beginning to set in. Our long day of travel ends at 3 a.m. Atlanta time - an early 9 p.m. HI. We managed to sleep until 5:30 a.m. Hawaiian time - not bad for the first day of time change. Expect to wake up during the night a few times when making this transition. Of course, the birds chirping outside the window during the night didn't help any. But, as Lon said, "The birds are so happy to be in Hawaii they chirp all night long.". Who needs sleep anyway, right?

One note about Waikiki Beach. It's one of those places that doesn't sleep. Cars up and down the drag, sirens going off a few times during the night. An action-packed place.


DAY 1: Waikiki Beach

Off to breakfast in our new favorite Jimmy Buffet's, then it's time to try out the new camera. We had surf lessons planned for this day, but with almost no surf we rescheduled those for Kauai. Instead I get to shop for souvenirs in the International Market and swim in the inviting Pacific Ocean. One side note here: You will be stopped multiple times by vendors on the street to purchase excursions. They're very friendly but persistent. Once I told them we had everything planned already, because I was a travel agent - problem solved - on to their next friend for the day! This job does comes in handy sometimes. Found a few goodies for the daughters and time for a quick bite of lunch. I don't recommend the International Market's Food Court- buy hey, it was protein.

Now...beach time. Drying off in the sun after a dip in the inviting waters of the Pacific, I'm people watching. It strikes me that this small microcosm called Waikiki Beach is like a representation of the diversity of the Hawaiian Islands we have yet to see. Palm trees set against high-rises, a dormant volcano looming over the sparkling ocean, and the people...children frolicking in the waves, young people gathered in circles on rafts talking about their partying adventures the night before, athletic types attempting to surf the slight swells that begin to appear in the afternoon, and older folks hunched over unable to stand tall yet walking the sands. The hustle and bustle of Waikiki Beach and the gentle lapping of the water against the shore. It all blends together to produce a place that is vibrantly alive - day and night. Sitting beside me, Lon says again, "Can you believe we are in Hawaii?"

But alas, we must leave the beach and head out to prepare for the next adventure on our agenda - a luau. First, a quick stop at the ABC store right down the street from our hotel. Can you tell I really love the location of this place? With a fridge in the room and an ungodly pick up time of 6:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, we decide to get protein drinks, bananas and protein bars for a quick breakfast. Stocked up for the morning, it's time to prepare for that luau. See you on the other side.