Hawaii!

I am full! On macademia nuts and coconuts! and papaya. not yet on mango though. or on mahi mahi or wahoo. Wahooooooooo! Anyway, just back from Hawaii on a mini-break, one week is never long enough for a vacation! I went to the Big Island, to Hilo and Kona and a little bit of volcanic action in between. Like a rest stop, but with lava. The weather was stunning, save for the "vog" - volcanic ash and clouds from erupting Kiluhea covering everywhere.

mm luau food. This was waiting for us when we sat down. Fresh coconuts, papaya, pineapple, macademia nuts (my new obsession!) some kind of taro chips (I think that's what they were). Then it was the actual food from the luau - coconut shrimp, green papaya salad, watermelon sprinkled with coconut, pork wrapped in banana leaves, pineapple rum cake...and these little kiwi vanilla tartlets ("tartlets!"... did you ever see that Friends episode?) that were completely addictive.

Sarah and Meredith at our luau


Me, freezing! in Hawaii! and in ill fitting gloves...Watching the sunset on Mouna Kea at 14,000 feet... and then later, a star show - saw all the constellations including shooting stars and watching satellites orbit the sky, looking through telescopes and seeing Saturn and its rings....was so incredibly cool - but it was 25 degrees!

Finally, back at sea level. 85 degrees. and no loopy altitude sickness!

Ok back to the food....my visit to the only chocolate farm in the US. Ripe cocoa pods, harvested. I also visited the only vanilla farm in the US, but they wouldn't let us in the greenhouses to see the orchids and vanilla beans! Sad....Guess they just don't trust tourists to mess with their beans....which take years to grow, I can't blame them....