A Monday Meeting with Captain Cook's Monument

Trouble brewing in Paradise:
We arrived late Thursday night, which means we have only been here 3 full days, and I have completely utterly adapted to the life.  Breakfast before sunrise in my undies on the veranda right next to the waves thundering on black lava rocks. Cheap good wine available in all stores.  Fresh and cheap LOCAL fish as well as local cheap pineapple and papaya to be found everywhere.  Who needs rain gear or a heating system in their house when the temperature never falls below 20 degrees Celsius?  All this has become NORMAL to me after only 3 days.  I am a bit uneasy about how I will react to Vancouver after having lived here for 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks.

It's still darkish when I leave the room and head for the rental car.

 The trail to Cook's Monument apparently leads through grassy areas and I was quite happy when a Google search revealed that there are NO snakes in Hawaii.  

And while there are also no LIONS, there are apparently wild pigs lurking in the jungelish surrounds, so THIS SONG is perfect accompaniment for this safari (And the Hippo and the stoned Dog are cute to watch too ;-)

Not a lion either but a rooster making a hell of a ruckus in the semi-dark landscape.

 It's still not quite light (6:45?) when I get to the trail head and judging by the number of cars I will be the only one on that trail for a while.

waaaay down there is the ocean: In the Jungle, the mighty Jungle ...

I guess the guy warning me about wild pigs after dark was not kidding !

Neither was the reviewer on TripAdvisor that mentioned)that a machete could come in handy ;-)

A relieved look after I managed to fight my way through the thicket (even without a machete)

Nice view. And there is an ocean still waaaay down there

I can see the ocean !

But it's still faaaar away ;-(

The ocean doesn't seem to be coming closer, even though I keep on walking and walking downhill

Just after sunrise: the light comes from the left

still way up

sliding down lava slabs

The way I came from

What is not mentioned: Captain James Cook was clobbered to death by the Hawaiians after he personally tried to take their king hostage right in their village.

This monument is not accessible by car; only by foot and by water (as of 2013 the water route is not quite legal anymore)

Washing off the dust ;-)

I came from somewhere up there (elevation difference of 1500 feet!)

View from the monument

A snail that could not snail enough when the volcano erupted

Lave folds, crushed coral, and wood

I am walking through the woods like Robinson Crusoe (where is my Boy Friday?) when I see these approaching

First I feel like Captain Cook when the first Hawaiians came over the Bay.  Then I remember what happened to him.

A strange shadow spirit seems to be telling me to go back up.

So this is what I o

What a gorgeous spot

Quite some time later I get to here and I know that my car is close ;-)

After a 2nd breakfast with grandma at 11 and a long nap, I hop on the bicycle to investigate the Kona Seaside Hotel at the behest of a Swiss translator who has booked a stay there in January.  Here are some low-res pics (I kept it low-res so I could e-mail MANY of those shots in one e-mail).  

 









I then check out that tempting looking Thai restaurant again, but it's closed AGAIN. This time I take a picture of the opening hours sign!

My way back leads me past "West Hawaii BEST Seafood Restaurant" and I decide to give it a try.  The first hurdle is the "Wait to be seated" sign.  There are 5 employees in the pretty EMPTY restaurant space that is only populated by a few of the divorced over 60 female crowd. The 5 employees are either mixing drinks or arranging chairs. I make eye-contact with every single one of them but none of them decides to move towards me.  Finally they owner or head-honcho take pity and directs me to a booth (best WIFI reception apparently).
I order a cup of their 'award-winning' clam chowder and a glass of Pinot Grigio (bloody fashion word).  The lukewarm clam chowder tastes moderately OK but the wine actually goes down very well.

An espresso cup of clam chowder?  For US$ 6.95?  ARE YOU PEOPLE NUTS ?

 But look at the size of that 'cup'. THAT for $6.95?   Guests that come here must have had very profitable divorces!  Try at your own risk or if you think you're the Right Stuff for a 60s divorcee ;-)

Shortly after I get home, it gets dark again. LONG day.  PRODUCTIVE day. GOOD day !
and GOOD NIGHT ;-)