Aloha, Ay: Twenty Things We’ve Done in Half the Time They Deserve

1. Ate seafood outdoors
2. Talked with napping sea turtles
3. Drank too much Kona coffee
4. Got lei’d – twice
5. Visited the site of an ancient Hawaiian temple (heiau)
6. Learned and forgot how to say “no problem”in Hawaiian
7. Heard live music
8. Drove to the Hawi overlook to see the Waipio Valley
9. Ate lunch Hawaiian Style in Waimea
10. Fell in love with and did not buy a 900 dollar ukulele
11. Drank a flaming cocktail
12. Saw reef sharks
13. Got a lung full of sulfur on the volcano
14. Talked Hawaiian history with an elder from the Hawaiian Kalama tribe
15. Talked organic coffee with a mainlander who bugged out a few years back
16. Talked South Point with Vermonters who decided not to “wait until retirement”
17. Ate BBQ, paniolo style
18. Drank a mango smoothie
19. Visited the City of Refuge (everyone needs to go to this place once)
20. Talked chocolates with a local at the Kona Farmer’s Market

I’m a little stressed, believe it or not, because I feel like we’re not getting enough in. I haven’t been to a fancy shopping center, I didn’t spend enough time gathering business cards in Kona Village, I can’t figure out how I’m going to get everything else I want to do done in the next two days before we move on to Oahu. I’m also truly frustrated about what I’m missing. Tonight, even though we’re in a lovely rainforest cottage surrounded by palms and exotic flowers, I can’t help think that I’m missing song circle in Huloaloa and that the coffee farmer, who was utterly charming, would be willing to take us for a walk through his fields. Slow travel this is not. Argh.

Excellent advice, courtesy Hawaii road crew.

We’ve not eaten today, so we’re off to get dinner. If I’m not too whupped, I’ll try to post some photos a bit later.

A few pics are posted here.