Hello, Kona, Big Island, Hawaii…We’ll be back soon…

Sunset from our veranda.

After sailing all night, yesterday morning, we arrived on the opposite side of the Big Island to the city of Kona, the second largest city on the Big island with Hilo as number one.

This particular port requires passengers to board a “tender,” a smaller boat used to transport passengers to the shore when the ship is too large to dock at the pier.

Is this a houseboat, island or floating property? Once we can get a better signal we can figure it out.
They used the ship’s lifeboats as the tenders, as opposed to using locals tender boats that are often contracted to facilitate the needs of the various cruise ships arriving in the port.

Although we wanted to avoid the crowds on the tender boats knowing we’ll be on this island beginning on December 1st for a period of six weeks, we decided to go ashore to check out the city of Kona. 

View of a small portion of Kona’s shoreline.

Once we arrived at the pier we boarded the local trolley for a 90-minute ride around the Kona area, taking many good photos. Unfortunately, the poor WiFi signal on both the ship and the MiFi has prevented us from posting many photos. 

(It’s taken hours of persistence to post the few photos we’ve included here each day. We’ll catch up and post some great new photos once we get on land for a better signal. Thanks for your patience).

Again, Wednesday night was “formal” night, the third on this 12-night cruise, an unusually large number for this length of cruise. Of course, we no longer have formal wear or in Tom’s case, not a tie, dress shirt, or sports coat. Instead, he has worn his white long sleeve BugsAway shirt on each of the three formal nights.

Kona shoreline.

For me, formal night is easier. Wearing one of my three “roll-in-a-ball” long skirts with a tee-shirt, a long scarf, a belt, and a few pieces of costume jewelry and I’m as formal as I can be with what I have on hand. Many men were dressed in tuxedos and women in sparkly evening gowns.

When we were seated at the sharing dinner table for 10 with our less than formal wear, it only took a few minutes for us to settle in with the formally dressed others to become comfortable. 

When asked where we’re from and we explained our nomadic lifestyle, they all agreed that hauling a tuxedo and evening gown around the world made no sense at all. In moments, we were entrenched in delightful conversation and our attire, although clean and tidy, was quickly forgotten.

We took one of these lifeboats, used as tenders to get passengers from the ship to the pier.

Last night, Thursday, we dined with a fabulous couple we met earlier from Cruise Critic, Susan, and Mark, who hosted the slot pull last week. We took an instant liking to them and were excited to dine with them as a foursome in the dining room (casual, last night).

We couldn’t have had more fun, laughter, and also deep and meaningful conversation. How fortunate we’ve been to meet so many wonderful people on cruises, many of whom we remain in touch from as far back as our original cruise in January 2013.

Almost every morning at breakfast and every evening at dinner, we’ve met new people, each with their own interesting story to tell. We find that in many cases people are curious as to how we manage our lives without stuff or a home. They ask many questions that we happily answer candidly including the hard parts. 

I suppose if the tables were turned we’d be asking the same questions. At times, even Tom and I look at one another asking, “How in the world are we pulling this off?” 

A very dear friend from Minnesota wrote to me a few days ago, telling me I could share with her in an email “what it’s really like” as opposed to the relatively cheerful tone in most of our posts, which she reads almost daily.

I wrote back to her, unable to wipe the smile off of my face, telling her there is no “what it’s really like” other than that which we share here. Tom and I are not fighting in the background. We’re not running out of money.  We aren’t ill and hiding it. We aren’t wrought with worry and concern, keeping it to ourselves.

Our posts are presented in a vein of “what you see is what you get.” There’s no hidden agenda, no mask or veil from which we hide our true selves. Many wonder if we have an end date in mind that we don’t reveal. Not at all. Our answer to this query is simple, “We’ll keep going as long as our health is good enough to continue on.”

Maintaining our budget ensures we never run out of money, although with inflation, surely in time, we’ll have to trim some of our expenses to account for the differences. But, even that, doesn’t intimidate us. We know how to sacrifice and trim. After two years of living on a strict budget, we’re getting good at this, if we do say so ourselves. 

Tightwads? Maybe a little. Frugal? Maybe a lot. But, the motivation is sound and the result is rewarding. At the end of this month on October 31st, we’ll have been gone from Minnesota for two years. 

Time flies when you’re having fun.

                                               Photo from one year ago today, October 3, 2013:

When our driver Edmond drove us to the market in Diani Beach, Kenya, we usually spotted baboons on the side of the road. On this particular date a year ago, the power was out in the house in Kenya as we packed for our upcoming safari in the Maasai Mara, a few days later. Please click here for details.

Hello Hilo, Big Island, Hawaii!…An unexpected outing!…New photo of us in Hilo…

Here we are at Liliuokalani Gardens in Hilo. Sam, our overly friendly taxi driver, took the photo.

It was tempting to get off the ship to go see the two houses we rented on the Big Island for the holidays with our family. But, we’ve decided to wait in order to be surprised.

The scenery along the shores of Hawaii is lovely.

The pier in Hilo is located in a highly industrial area and we’d have had to walk for miles to get to any points of interest. 

As we entered the Port of Hilo, Hawaii.

Also, we’ll be back on the Big Island for six weeks in less than two months, saving sightseeing to do with our family members when they start arriving on December 6th.

The last time we went to a Walmart, a store we never visited in our old lives, was in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico on January 6, 2013, when we got off the ship, the Celebrity Century, to purchase our first camera. Here’s Tom in front of the Hilo, Hawaii Walmart. See below as to how we ended up at this store, an entirely unplanned outing.

However, we decided to take the free shuttle into downtown Hilo. Well, of all things, we accidentally got on the bus going to Walmart! We couldn’t have laughed harder. 

Leis for sale in a refrigerated case at the Walmart store.

After spending $126 in Walmart, we weren’t laughing quite as hard. We purchased nuts, a couple of shirts, self tanning cream, shampoo, toothpaste and a few odds and ends.

Our ship is behind the Pacific Princess in the foreground.

Tom got “overly grumpy” when we had to buy a cloth bag to carry our purchases since Walmart in Hawaii doesn’t use plastic bags. I couldn’t have been more thrilled with their concern for the environment. 

Near the Liliuokalani Gardens in Hilo.

After we made our purchases, we found our way to the waiting area for the free shuttle to return us and others to the ship. The expected wait time was 15 minutes at most. 

At the Liliuokalani Gardens in Hilo.

As we waited while sitting on a bench, a friendly-looking taxi driver asked if we wanted a ride back to the pier.  Did we have food stuck in our teeth proving we were passengers of the latest cruise ship to arrive in Hilo?

I asked Sam, “How much?” 

Sam answered, “$12.”

I answered, “Na, too much!”

Sam answered, looking at the camera hanging from my shoulder, “How about $10 with a stop at a gorgeous site to take photos?”

The park was lovely.

We couldn’t have jumped up quicker, taking Sam up on his kindly offer. As soon as we got into his air-conditioned minivan, we all engaged in animated chatter as Sam drove us to the Liliuokalani Gardens, an exquisite park on the way back to the ship.

Oddly, Sam told us he lives on “Lyman Ave” in Hilo, pulling out his driver’s license to show us. Serendipity.  We’re hardly wanted to say goodbye to Sam after an outrageously fun time with him during the drive and at the gorgeous park. Its funny how the least expected situations turn into the most fun of all. 

An enchanting footbridge in the gardens.

Over the extended periods we’ll spend on each of three of the four islands we’ll have plenty of time to see everything that appeals to us. No paid excursion would have been more fun than our time with Sam.

As for Hilo, we searched for a bit of general information on the Hawaiian Islands and found the following. As time goes on, we’ll acquire knowledge that we’ll share with our readers as opposed to quoting other web sites. 

For now, we’re Hawaiian newbies and we prefer to be careful of that which we write until we become more knowledgeable over the next many months:

“The Hawaiian Islands (Hawaiian: Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from the island of Hawaiʻi in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll. Formerly the group was known to Europeans and Americans as the “Sandwich Islands“, a name chosen by James Cook in honor of the then First Lord of the Admiralty John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. The contemporary name is derived from the name of the main island, Hawaii Island, as a pars pro toto.
The US state of Hawaii occupies the archipelago almost in its entirety (including the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands), with the sole exception of Midway island, which is instead an unincorporated territory within the United States Minor Outlying Islands.
The Hawaiian Islands are the exposed peaks of a great undersea mountain range known as the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain, formed by volcanic activity over a hotspot in the Earth’s mantle. The islands are about 1,860 miles (3,000 km) from the nearest continent.

In these short few days in Hawaii, it’s odd for us to grasp that Hawaii is a part of the US, other than for its abundance of US products, services and of course, its economy. It appears comparable to other many other resorts/vacation/holiday island we’ve visited in other parts of the world.
 

Of course, we enjoy the easy availability of products and services from which we’ve been far removed for much of the past two years. Seeing the familiar products, chain restaurants, markets, and hotels is both refreshing and disappointing when we’ve found great pleasure is being detached from all the hype.
 
We’ll have ample time in the future to once again feel removed from the hustle and bustle of life in the US when again we take off for more remote locations in not too distant future.  
 
In the interim, we’ll enjoy every aspect of living in Hawaii, experiencing each of these  islands, each with its own unique persona. From what we saw on Tuesday in Honolulu, the prices may not be any higher than we experienced in the past locations.

With only five days and four nights until we disembark the ship, we have that wonderful feeling of not being disappointed that the cruise is ending, knowing that which lays ahead will be equally enjoyable.

                                          Photo from one year ago today, October 2, 2013:
 
None of our photos were posted on this date. However, we did post a story about “worrying” we loved to share with our readers who may have missed it. Please click here for details.

A flowerful walk in Honolulu…New photos…Preparing a post as opposed to uploading a post…

Wow! The greenery and flowers in Hawaii amazed us as we walked the streets of Honolulu taking these photos.

Yesterday, we had mixed feelings about getting off the ship in Honolulu. The heat, the humidity, the lines at the ship’s security both coming and going, and the fact the port of Honolulu is located in a mostly business district, made it somewhat unappealing.

Add the fact that we’ll be on this island for a combined 20 days over the next several months, our plan has been to see the sites while we’re on our own, as mentioned in yesterday’s post. Why pay to see the city when we’ll be able to grab a free or low-cost bus directly outside our condo?

Many exquisite flowers bloom year-round in Hawaii 

With our family coming to Big Island, paying exorbitant fees to go sightseeing at this point becomes less of a priority when we’re watching our spending to a “t” in preparations for the upcoming big expenses for December/January.

In any case, we decided to “wing it” and head off the ship for a walk-in busy Honolulu, staying out for a few hours in the bright hot sun, stopping periodically to take photos.

We seldom find orange flowers but in Hawaii…

The location for taking photos wasn’t ideal when we’d have had to walk considerable distances to make our way to more “natural” areas away from the skyscrapers.

However, the time wasn’t wasted when the Hawaii I knew from 30 years ago, loomed before us with beautiful flowers growing at every turn. As our readers are aware, we both have a penchant for exquisite vegetation, particularly flowers.

Tom is thrilled to be in Hawaii.
Tom has become my expert “flower spotter” with a keen eye at long distances, often inspiring us to continue on an otherwise unlikely path for a single photo. Yesterday, was no exception as my “overly bubbly” self squealed with delight each time we stopped for a shot.

Too far away from good scenery photos plus, taking photos of skyscrapers holds little interest in finding flowers a most appropriate subject. We share these with our readers today, our favorites of the lot.

Beautiful!

I haven’t mentioned much about the new camera we purchased at a price of US $369 (duty-free) on our last cruise. It’s a relatively inexpensive Canon Power Shot SX50 that does everything we could possibly need or want. 

Why not purchase a higher caliber camera? The answer is simple. With constant travel, humid and hot weather conditions, we’d rather purchase a new camera every few years for the latest and best technology in a reasonable price range than cart around an expensive camera we’re fearful of losing, dropping, or having fall prey to rough handling and weather conditions.

These flowers so well depict Hawaii’s gorgeous colors.

Oddly, we still use the old Sony camera when we want to slip it into a pocket and not bear the weight around my neck. Since I don’t carry a handbag except on “travel days,” this newer Canon is heavier requiring a bigger commitment when carrying it around. 

So far, we’ve been pleased with the photos which don’t look a whole lot different than the photos we took using the Sony, minus the spots on the inside of the lens (which require I use an app to remove them). The new camera is usually a better option.

I can’t recall seeing yellow hibiscus.

Yesterday, when we walked around the immediate Honolulu area we’d brought the Canon resulting in some fairly decent photos we’re pleased to share here today.

Based on the time zone over the next eight months, we’ve found that it’s necessary to write each post the day prior to it being uploaded to our site. The web software allows us to upload a post at a specific date and time which we’ve set for 3:00 am Mountain Time.

This is the Hawaii I recall; hot, humid and hazy, and gorgeous.

The reason we’ve done this is for those readers who were used to seeing a new post when they awoke in the morning. When we were in Kenya, exactly one year ago, we were located in the East African Time Zone. The time difference between Hawaii which is located in the Aleutian Time Zone and Kenya is a whopping 13 hours. 

Along the way in our travels over these past almost two years, we’ve made an attempt to ensure that readers can expect to see our posts at familiar times of the day. It may not have always been perfect but, we try.  Please write to us if you have any comments or question regarding this topic

We’ve never seen this plant.

Thus, as I write this post it is September 30 in the afternoon. However, it will become available in the upcoming middle of the night here in Hawaii. As a result, we set it up to automatically post at 3 am. 

First thing each morning, Tom proofreads for errors while I make the necessary corrections which may not appear corrected until after you’ve already read the post.  Please excuse our errors. This is a reality of posting the equivalency of an essay each and every day, a perfect scenario for making errors that are easily missed by my own proofreading.

Vibrant color.

Today, as you read this, we’ll be on our way to Hilo on the Big Island as the cruise sails into Day #8, soon ending on Day #12, back in Honolulu. This particular cruise continues on to Sydney, Australia on October 5th, the day we disembark. On May 24, 2015, that we’ll board RC Legend of the Seas for our journey to Sydney, Australia.

We love cruising. We love life as homeless nomads. We’re both grateful and appreciative of this life we live. Please continue to share this journey with us. We appreciate and love that you do.  

                                            Photo from one year ago today, October 1, 2013:

Ironically, it was one year ago today, that we booked the condo in Club Intrawest in Vancouver, that we left only eight days ago to board this ship. For details from that date, please click here.