SHOPPING AND SIGHTSEEING

TRYING  NOT TO GIVE IN TO BEING UNWELL

PINEAPPLE GROWING BESIDE OUR DECK

Hopefully this is the last time I have to play catch-up. This is how we spent our 15th day in Hawaii. I'm completing and posting it on our 19th day. I feel very sad. In spite of missing my family like mad I would be happy to stay here forever. We are leaving our delightful cottage at Pomokai Road, off Leilani Avenue, a subdivision near Pahoa in the south east. Puna area of Big Island or Hawaii island as it is more properly titled. We have barely 12 days left to enjoy the pleasures of Hawaii. For the next 6 nights we will be staying on a Coffee Plantation in the Captain Cook area which is close to Kona, nice sandy beaches and turtles. The last few days in Hawaii will be enjoyed back in Honolulu. The days are beginning to fly by and soon all we will have are memories. But what wonderful memories. 

I'm glad to say I seem to have completely recovered from the gastric upset and even my tooth is behaving. You might remember I saw my dentist before we left home and she gave me some oral care instructions and an antibiotic to take if needed. So far I've managed to avoid starting the antibiotic because they can play havoc with me.

THURSDAY 25TH MARCH SHOPPING IN HILO

We are running out of days in this part of Hawaii Island so it's been very frustrating to be under par.

JEWELLERY COUNTER AT HILO HATTIE'S

On Thursday I tried to be ready for an early start on a shopping and museum trip to Hilo. The weather was nice. Mild and fine but not too hot. About as good as it is going to get this week in this area, which is known for it's rainfall. We found the Mall we wanted and found Hilo Hattie's. Thanks for your recommendation Gypsy, On The Road Again. It is not  a large shop but it was fun to browse and shop there. We took a good look at the jewellery. John won a lucky dip voucher for 40% off a real oyster pearl.. The pearl would have cost $10.00. The setting anywhere from $150 to $1000, What a sales gimmick!

Immediately on entering our eyes were drawn to the biggest shirt I've ever seen. 200XL. Who would need a shirt that big? A friendly lady greeted us and offered us cold water or chilled juice. She also draped a string of shell beads over our heads. A gift no less. If that doesn't set you up to spend in the shop nothing will. We bought a couple of  T-shirts for me, another Loud Aloha shirt for John and a very pretty silk top for me.

WEARING OUR NEW FINERY FOR OUR ANNIVERSAY DINNER

Our stomachs were calling after all that shopping so we headed back to the car, which was at the opposite end of the mall. Our goal was to find a coffee café I'd seen recommended on the internet. I noticed that a Hawaiian concert party were starting a show in the mall but I really needed a drink.

We turned back to where I'd seen lemonade for sale and cups in hand made our way to where the crowd was gathering. I was very glad to find a chair and we enjoyed this wonderful Haka group perform for maybe 45 minutes. Their energy left us gasping with admiration. Hawaiians admire our Moari but I want to tell you I have never seen such sustained energy as these Hawaiians managed. John spoke to the drummers and was shown the calloused hands.

Once the performance was finished and photographs taken we were soon in the car putting in the address for Bears Café. We drove through an old part of Hilo, never far from the sea, and wondered if we were in the right place.

Bears Café was nothing like anything we have been in before. We would normally have looked at the outside, taken a peek through the door and walked on.

I have to admit that had we not been hungry and had we known our way around Hilo we would not have stayed and we'd have missed an experience. We ordered one meal of pot roast, (beef), which came with a starter salad and I had a cappuccino.

We shared the very nice salad and I had about one quarter of the meal which came with mashed potato and broccoli. The whole meal, which was delicious, with coffee was only $11.00. The pot roast beef was as tasty tender as it could possibly be. The gravy was good but not so sure how it fitted with our wheat free status. We were not about to be worried about small things like that. The place had character with a capital C and the owner or manager was an entertainment. We enjoyed his banter and teasing.

Walking back to the car we passed a clothing/gift shop which looked as though it might be interesting.
The lady who served us was lovely and began by saying, "I'll let you look without chasing you around the shop but if you want to ask anything I am here." I like it when you are left to browse in peace especially as I rarely do go into a shop just to look around. We walked out of there with 2 skirts that caught my eye and were given a substantial discount. We chatted for quite a time with the lady. Now that's what I call my kind of shopping. I keep seeing things I'd love to buy and bring home but money only goes so far and we do have a weight limit too. I also have John looking over my shoulder every time I see something I'd like. Not that he's said no, at least not yet!

ALONG THE STREET WHERE WE PARKED

The afternoon was fast wearing out and we still had not been to an Art Gallery, a Museum or other cultural place. The Tsunami Museum was on our list for one fairly obvious reason. Hawaii, in particular Hilo, has experienced some awful Tsunamis and their museum is supposed to be very interesting and informative. I had forgotten to write down the exact address so we put the Lyman Museum into the GPS and that's where we went. It's a small museum with geological and shell displays. These always intrigue me because there is so much beauty and variety. The real purpose of this museum was to document the history of the people of Hawaii and when the main groups of population arrived in the islands and why.

OUTSIDE THE LYMAN MUSEUM

I had no idea Hawaii had a mixed cultural history including Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Portuguese, British and more. There was a movie room and I stopped by to see what was running at that moment. Immediately I was gripped by first hand experiences and realised I was watching a unique documentary of the Lava Flow and it's affect on Kalapana. Here's a link to a video showing lava flow and here's another news link revealing a segment of the story. It is very poignant for me as I think of our family in Christchurch and their friends and neighbours who are living through the aftermath of a different kind of natural disaster. I wish I could find the documentary video but the lady at the museum thought there might not be another copy available.

The museum was closing before we had seen the whole video. Through the drive home all I could think about was the awesomeness fo God and how people cared for one another. I wanted to find the little church that was saved from the lava and sit quietly in meditation, worshipping God.

BEAUTIFUL WHITE HIBISCUS

I was hungry by tea time and ate a good tea. John had bacon and eggs while I had a bacon and tomato omelette. This proved to be a very bad decision. By 2 am I was unwell again. And so ended Thursday our fifteenth day in Hawaii.