Big Island

Yesterday we went on a one day tour of the island of Hawaii, aka the Big Island. I wanted to see an active volcano and lava. Unfortunately it was a disaster. It poured rain almost all day and was foggy a lot too, so we couldn't see most of the sights very well. Plus the tour spent too much time at gift shops, and we didn't get to see any lava. There is a town currently being destroyed by lava, but we didn't go there. I guess it's callous to watch people's houses destroyed by lava, but it's evacuated and there is nothing left to to but watch. The guide said they are going to start giving tours there soon.

Towards the end of the day the sun finally broke out, but overall we could have spent the day better on another activity.

 

Luau and Hana

Yesterday (April 11th) was a pretty light day for us. In the morning we went to the Maui swap meet, which is like a farmer’s market plus flea market. It is held each Saturday and is pretty big. We bought some fruit and veggies, and browsed around the other stalls. We had to keep in mind that anything we bought we’d have to carry for the next 4 months.

We came home to our villa, and Yanmei decided to have rice for lunch. I thought she was joking when she said she didn’t know how to cook rice without a rice cooker. Even I know 2 cups water + 1 cup rice, boil in a pot, then cover and simmer until done. I come over to the kitchen to find her playing with some semi-cooked rice in a dry frying pan! After that fail, she searched the kitchen and lo and behold found a rice cooker on the top shelf of a cupboard. She then happily said, “Now I can cook rice the Chinese way…with a rice cooker.” Anyway, we’re really happy with the place we’re staying, it has everything we need. We’re probably getting spoiled.

In the evening we went to the Old Lahaina Luau. It is an outdoor dinner, with traditional Hawaiian food, buffet style, with hula dancing and music for entertainment. They started by digging up the pig that had been buried in the fire pit slow cooking since that morning. Overall it was pretty good. I didn’t bother with many pictures since it was dark.

Today we went to Hana. It is about 2.5 hour drive to Hana from where we are staying. The road goes along the coast and is narrow and windy, with a lot of hairpin turns. The scenery is beautiful, but unfortunately it is difficult to appreciate it while driving because you really have to focus on the road. There are a lot of blind turns and the road narrows to one lane in several spots. There are lots of sights to see along the road, but Hana itself was disappointing. There was a farm Yanmei wanted to visit, but it was closed Sunday, and the Cultural Center was closed as well.

We continued beyond Hana to the National Park, where there was a nice hike past some waterfalls and a bamboo forest. I didn’t get many good photos today. One of my goals on this trip is to improve my photography skills. Yanmei has a knack for capturing good shots, and she is becoming a master of selfies.

All the photos I’ve posted so far are straight from the camera. I’m doing all this with my iPad and I don’t have any photo editing software.

 

Sunset atop Haleakala

 

We’re in Hawaii so we had to go to the beach. Neither of us really like lounging or suntanning, so we just walked around. It really is lovely with the colors of the water, the other islands visible in the distance, etc. Too crowded though.

After lunch we headed to Haleakala National Park. Haleakala is the dormant volcano that formed most of Maui. Our goal was to catch the sunset from the peak. It was pretty overcast so we were worried it would be a bust, but we managed to get above most of the clouds. The main crater is 7 miles long and 2.5 wide.

Then up to the summit to wait for the sunset. There was a cool effect with the sun shining through the clouds.

Mission accomplished! A sunset above the clouds.