Hilo, Hawaii

Hello from Hilo!

At 6:23 AM today the Mauna Kea summit and observatory were showcasing themselves in the early morning sunshine. What a sight.

As we pulled into the dock, we had a tugboat on standby. Moana is her name.

It was another glorious day - even though I never left the ship. I was here in the spring (I wrote about the visit here) and thought about whether I wanted to make the trek back down to the farmers market again today, or go get shave ice again. I didn’t. So I opened the mini muffins I picked up at Whole Foods yesterday and ate them for breakfast. In the shade, on the balcony, while watching the clouds show and hide (and show and hide) the summit.

As I stayed and watched commercial and military planes landing, minutes turned into hours and before I knew it the noontime phone call from my daughter rolled around.

By the time the call was over, the sun started coming around to my side of the ship.

When I’d get too hot I’d come back into the air-conditioned cabin until I cooled down. And then back out I’d go. All day long. It was a wonderful way to spend the last day in Hawaii.

I spent my last evening in Hawaii outside at Movies Under the Stars watching Bohemian Rhapsody. A great way to end another great day.

We have five sea days in a row until we get to Ensenada, Mexico. See you then!

Kahului, Maui

Hello from Maui!

This morning’s photo yet again was from my balcony. Another early start to the day for me. 

6 AM view

I thought about going back to sleep, but when a day like this awaits you it’s hard to climb back into bed.

Although I didn’t go to a beach I did have a good day, even if it wasn’t exciting. Today I repeated what I did in Kahului earlier this year.

First up, Guri Guri. For a 10 AM breakfast? You betcha.

Then to Round Table Pizza for a pepperoni and garlic pizza for an 11 AM lunch.

A noon phone call with my daughter as I people watched - and sky watched.

A stop at Whole Foods for some browsing and snack purchasing.

Can you imagine walking out of your Whole Foods and seeing this view?

Then it was time for the long haul back to the port. Kahului is a working port so it’s complicated to get in and out of. I took pictures of the path on the way back to the ship. I did forget to take the first picture, but after the first turn here’s where you’ll be going to get back. If it looks like a lot of turns and narrow paths, it is. 

This part of the path was new.

It was a very warm day today so I was happy to be tucked in my nice air-conditioned cabin for the afternoon and evening. I even caught the sun slipping behind the mountain. 

Tomorrow we’ll be in Hilo, our last port in Hawaii. See you there!