January 26th
This was our day to be
in Hilo. The day dawned on the gray side and we were hoping for lots of sun. At
least Ken was.
We got ready and ate
our room service breakfast. Again we got lots of blueberries. We met the gang
downstairs at the International Café and we walked off of the ship together. There
was a small musical group to greet us with Hawaiian songs….a first for this
cruise
We found our guide ,
Kyle, right away and he lead us to the van. It was nice and clean and new and
there was lots of room for us to sit and to hold our stuff. The windows were
large and clean for great viewing. This was a good sign. The tour was a private
one and it involved only the six of us which was great.
Our first stop was
Rainbow falls and because it had rained during the past couple of days there
was great water flow. Because it was not sunny there were no rainbows. Kyle
offered to take pictures for us.
Next stop was a coffee
plantation and roasting facility. A guide from there explained the roasting procedure
to us. They gave coffee samples. We each bought a cup and Ken picked up a pound
of their coffee. I bought a bottle of pancake syrup that is a combination of
maple syrup and coffee. I have never tasted such good syrup.
We then headed for the
Thomas A Jaggar Museum and the Kilauea Caldera. The volcano was doing a lot of
steaming and there was lots of VOG. There was some amazing art work inside as
well as the usual explanations of the science involved in what we were seeing.
We visited the steam
vents and they were in fine form blowing off lots of steam.
We continued on to the
Thurston Lava Tubes. It was a good walk up and down and through so Randy did not
go. The rest of us went. Because of the rain the tubes were dripping, and the
bottom was wet. At one point we were almost up to our ankles in water.
By now it was time for
lunch and Kyle took us to The Eagles Lighthouse Café. They had an outside patio
and we all sat and enjoyed out amazing sandwiches. It was a great spot with
very good food at reasonable prices. Kyle had chosen well.
Next stop was the
Orchid growers . When you walked in the door the aroma that first hit you was
amazing. I am certain that if there is a smell in heaven this is it. There were
hundreds of orchids to enjoy. I took at least thirty pictures of different varieties.
They had blossoms and hair pins so the ladies could have one for their hair.
That was a very nice touch
Off to the Macadamia nut
farm, now owned and operated by Mauna Loa. It is an amazing business and it was
full of tourists buying gifts to take home. There were viewing windows so you
could see what was happening inside. There was also a snack stand where you
could get sandwiches and ice cream. They were doing an amazingly brisk
business.
Our last stop on the
tour was a visit to Franklin beach. It is a local park where the sea turtles
haul out to sun bathe. We were fortunate to see several. The black sand really
is black, it reminded me of coal dust.
Back to the van and
back to the ship. Our very busy tour had come to an end. We thanked Kyle for a
fabulous day and headed back on board to get ready for Happy Hour and dinner.
After such an eventfilled day we just relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Now we begin the trip
back …. 5 sea days and one day in Ensenada.
