I made arrangements for where I was staying and that I'd be racing in the Lavaman Triathlon Sunday March 24, but other than that, I had no plans. I woke up at before 6:00AM almost every day that I was there. These are remarkable things, which is why I remarked upon them.
Other remarkable things:
1. LAX has a bookstore where there were multiple copies of Strunk & White's Elements of Style.
2. there was a thai restaurant in Volcanoes that had a scale of spiciness from 1 - 10. How, then, did I manage to order Drunken Noodles at a 0.5?
3. it takes a week to finally relax, it takes a week of relaxation to feel the true therapeutic value of island time.
4. holy shit, poke. and DC needs a poke truck!
Landed at Hilo at 8:00PM and stayed at the Hilo Bay Hostel for a night. In the morning Jen suggested I go to the Queen Liliuokalani Park and Gardens. I ran to Ken's Pancake House at 4:00AM for an omelette and then ran over to the gardens for sunrise. And I meditated on a lava rock, perfect way to start my vacation.
I walked back to the hostel after sunrise, scoped out where the bus stop was located in order to get over to the Kona side of the island after breakfast.
I found the organic food store and stocked up on food for the race weekend and then took the bus to the other side of the island. Most of the people who work at the resorts on the Kona side live on the Hilo side, and they speak pidgin, which was unexpected. I did expect Hawaiians to speak Hawaiian, but Hawaiian is actually sort of like native and japanese and thai and english all wrapped up into one. It was amazingly difficult to understand.
Once on the Kona side, I promptly found a pool and worked on my tan with Mother Night and a large coffee (which cost $6. true story). The team in training group started arriving and I took them time to just veg out. Then all the festivities began, Tiffany and Audrey arrived!
The Monday after the race, the three of us got a cab to a timeshare in South Kona. the real vacation began. Every morning I woke up and had my cereal on the balcony overlooking the gold course and could see the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean while chatting with Eric. also remarkable: the birds, they sing all the time. and each day brought a great adventure.
one day I laid around the house by myself and watched porn all morning, then went for a swim, and made dinner. that was a brilliant day.
another day I went on a run north along the coast, talked with my dad and painted.
On Saturday Jen came and picked me and Wallis up in Kona and took us back to Hilo where I got to meet Stella and Brooks!
Then we went to the organic store and I ate a PURPLE POTATO salad (vegan and gluten free!).
We went to an easter picnic which was at the top of a gorge in Hakalau. There is a privately owned sugar plantation manager's home built in the early 20th century, along with two warehouses built in 1920 and an old theater, operating as the Hakalau post office. Located just below the ocean cliff where the Hakalau stream meets the bay, the old sugar mill ruins are still visible. In 1946 a tsunami destroyed the sugar mill. the tsunami had a special name but I can't remember it.
On Jen's birthday we did SO much! First, we got breakfast at Ken's Pancake House.
Then, Jen took me to her office which was very cool.
Then Jen got a tattoo! Then I rode to the bike shop to have Wallis packed up to take to the airport while Jen got her HI driver's license. Then we went out to birthday dinner (more POKE!). Then Leah (who had saved the day by picking up Wallis in the box, she was too big to fit in Jen's car) took me to the airport and then she and Jen went bowling. Holy smokes, do ALL THE THINGS on your birthday!
then I went home, drunk on island time.
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