Well, whale-watching on our approach to Hilo was a bust. There were none to be seen, although we really did not expect to see any humpbacks. What we did see was another brief, but nice sunrise. Waking up early does have its benefits.
The ship was cleared at 8am while we were having breakfast, and we noticed there was a stream of folks passing by our window on their way to the World Stage to get "stickered" for tours. There were several excursions that included the Volcanoes National Park, the longest being up to 7 hours for $260. Shorter tours with the Volcanoes National Park included gardens or waterfalls for 3 ½ hours for $170. Hilo highlights was 3 ½ hours for $130, or Old Hilo and Akaka Falls for 5 hours for $110. A more strenuous excursion was a 6 ½ hour bike adventure for $170. A drive to Mauna Kea at 13,804 feet in elevation for 4 ½ hours ran $280 with a box lunch. Some of these tours included a stop at either the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory or the Big Island Candies. Today is Sunday, and we are not sure those factories would be operating. Definitely their shops will be opened to buy the candy and nuts. At 9:30am there was a one hour crew drill, which is announced in the rooms as well as the entire ship. Since it interrupted the TV news, we figured we would catch up on the news later on, sad as it may be.
Before we left, we watched as the tour groups went off. A number of the officers, included Captain Paul, were outside wishing the excursion groups a good day. That's nice to see. We heard there had been a medical debark when the gangway was set out, followed by some folks boarding that may have missed the ship in San Diego (we are just guessing). We set out around 10:15am expecting to join the long line for the Walmart shuttle. Once we got the shopping taken care of, we intended to take our usual hike. Well……when we stopped at the info desk, we overheard the local gal telling someone that there was no shuttle for Walmart. Did we hear that right? Yep, the lady repeated that same info that the shuttles were not running due to security reasons or some strange reason that the buses created a hazard while turning left. Huh? At first we thought that they were not here because it was a Sunday. Nope, they were not running at all any day of the week. She suggested that we could take the morning only shuttle to the fruit and veggie market in Old Town, or call for a taxi. There were no taxis in sight, so we just headed out of the port area, turned right at the highway and walked towards town.
Passing Reeds Park, we went towards the water and some benches we knew were there. One of us had pulled a calf muscle and really needed to stop. Nothing really helped ease the pain, except proceeding slowly to get the circulation going. It was going to slow us down somewhat, but we were this far and turning back wasn't in the cards. Stopping at Ponds Restaurant was an option, even though it was 11:30am, the healing powers of a draft beer surely would help. By the way, it did help.
The good thing was that it wasn't crowded yet, and we got seated near two windows that were wide open. This small but good restaurant is built over the Ice Pond where fresh water comes from a natural cold spring, making the waters brackish. Directly under the café is an enclosed pond full of turtles and koi carp. You can dine and watch the activity right below your window. We ordered a cheeseburger with fries and draft beers. Our friend Leta had been out for a walk, and spotted us sitting in the window. She came inside to buy a bottle of water and stopped to say hi before heading back to the ship. Little did we know, some other friends had seen us too.
After an hour of relaxing, we resumed our walk around the kids jumping off of the railing along the Ice Pond. Their aim is to soak anyone innocently walking past them. That's why we took a wide path and walked in the bike lane. When we reached Banyon Drive, another buddy came across the street from the corner restaurant. They had also seen us sitting in the window, even taking our photo. By stopping to chat, we thwarted another attempt at a soaking by some older high school girls. They got tired of waiting for us to pass by, and dove in the pond. Too bad.
Banyan Drive is an older hotel area from the 1950's or earlier. At one time, many famous people had a banyan tree planted with their names and dates on plaques. One of the most famous was George Herman "Babe" Ruth, back in the early 30's. Probably all of these donors have passed on, but these trees will live on forever.
We entered Lili'uokalani Park full of ponds, Japanese ornamental statues and bridges, blooming trees, bamboo groves, and the best of all…..mongoose. We knew a good spot where a nice marble bench was near a volcanic rock outcropping, and we might see the little critters hiding under the green growth. And we were correct, as out popped a little mongoose looking for something to eat. As long we did not move, it came really close, until a lady came along with a dog. We still got some good shots of it.
We circled back and hiked out to Coconut Island, or as the natives call it Mokuola. There is an active attempt at putting back the names of many icons to the original Hawaiian language so they do not become lost in time and memory. Many families were having a picnic while the kids swam or dove from the old bastions of a bridge. The BBQ's were lit and tents were put up. The day had started out cloudy, with the sun peeking through. But knowing that the weather can change on a dime, it could rain. It felt like rain. Guess what? On our way back, it rained.
We had stopped to pick up a Coke, because even with the clouds, it was really warm and humid. We are only allowed to bring a sealed bottle of water that can be bought on the ship. The same rules applied in Alaska as well. That's when the rain began, heavy enough we could barely see the ship as the shower passed by it. Oh well, we had left the umbrellas on the ship, so we just stood under some of the old banyan trees and actually stayed pretty dry. It let up long enough for us to get back to the Volendam without getting wetter.
To make things easier, before going out of the terminal, the officials were using facial recognition. There was no xray at all in this terminal. The ship did that instead, and it did slow the line down somewhat. We happened to come back the same time as a couple of the tour buses. It was good for one of us, since inching up the steep gangway slowly worked just fine.
We spent the rest of the afternoon working on photos, reports, and simply relaxing. All aboard was 5:30pm, and we left the dock shortly afterwards. We stayed on our veranda to watch the sail away instead of going to the Seaview Pool. We understand that as the ship went out of the bay at the end of the breakwater, the rain resumed.
The dining room dinner was perfect tonight. There was a good choice for us with appetizers of crispy spring rolls served piping hot, and Caesar salads….hold the anchovies please. Mains were veal parmigiana served over a bed of spaghetti and grilled zucchini. Extra marinara sauce made it even better. Desserts were one hot fudge sundae and a bowl of frozen strawberry yogurt with a side of sliced bananas. Great combination. We were happy, but tired campers.
The World Stage was "dark" tonight as our buddies Greg and Heo would say. We have noticed a pattern with closed venues. Entertainment in the Explorers Lounge is dark two nights a week. The Mix bar and the World Stage are each closed one night a week. We believe that occurred even more often while on this year's world cruise. This must have something to do with the contracts of the entertainers. Hate to admit it, but in the old days, nothing ever closed. But then, nothing stays the same forever, does it?
Replacing the entertainment at 9pm was a Masquerade something-or-other. Not a "ball". Masks that had been created a few days ago in a craft class could be used, but just for fun. To tell the truth, we only saw one couple donning the masks.
The ship is now heading towards the island of Kauai, passing our original call at Lahaina, Maui. That port had been cancelled months ago after the devastating fire that wiped the historic town out. Lahaina was such a unique town and we are happy to have fond memories of our many visits there. Kimo's for hula pie was one of those memories as was the gigantic banyan tree that is hopefully on the rebound. So we shall be doing scenic cruising along the east and north coastline of Kauai. Sounds like a neat plan.
Bill & Mary Ann
