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Our Zodiac Raft

May 24, 2014

I started the morning with a snorkeling tour from Captain Zodiac.  I think one of the best things you can do in Hawaii is get out on the water.  The water is warm and blue and the marine life is everywhere.  As we left the marina we ran into a group of spinner dolphins.  It was fun to watch them play and frolic.  Our guide said that the spinner dolphins are one of the smaller species of dolphins.  We watched for a while and then we pulled away and headed to deeper waters.

I have to admit, there is a fear of the ocean for me.  I never had it until I saw “Jaws” and once I did it scared me.  It is hard to get in the water and not think, what is around me that I cannot see?  Before I left for Hawaii, I was watching a show about man and nature frequent collide.  There was one scene when a couple spotted a pilot whale, the woman dived in, her husband filming, she hugged one of the whales and another came charging.  He grabbed her leg and pulled her down.  She lived to tell about it but she was surprised to.  Continue reading →

The view from my hotel room

May 23, 2014

I am off to Hawaii, this time the big Island!  I am looking forward to this trip. I have spent a lot of time in Hawaii back in the 80’s when I was installing Property Management systems in hotels.  I used frequent flyer point to take my parent there and I took one trip after that.  Most of my time was spent in Oahu, Kauai and Maui.  I had taken a day trip to Hilo on a previous trip but I didn’t see a whole lot.  This feels both old and new.

My flight went was planned and I arrived just afternoon.  First thing on the agenda?  Lunch!  I had booked marked a few places using Yelp and then headed to one place but couldn’t find parking.   I discovered the Big Island Grill which I had also bookmarked.  It was good local food.

I then headed to the Hilton Waikaloa.  I was a bit surprised at what I saw on the way, miles and miles of lava rock.  I am not talking about rocks here and there, I am talking about miles and miles of nothing but complete devastation.  I would later learn that on some maps, they would indicate the year the lava field belonged to with the year.  I found a map referencing 1859 and the land was a completely desolate section!  Assuming there were no more eruptions, it was going to be at least a thousand years or so until it was forested again. Continue reading →