Day 1: Across the Pacific...and Waimea

Trip Start Oct 28, 2007
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10
Trip End Nov 08, 2007


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Flag of United States  , Hawaii,
Monday, October 29, 2007

Well after approximately 16 hours of travelling, I finally made it to Hawai'i!!  Considering the fact I've gotten more or less used to travelling to the Philippines...this was pretty easy.  I flew out of CHO (the Charlottesville Airport) at 6:30a.m., had brief layovers in Dulles and San Francisco and arrived in Kona on the Big Island around 3:30 p.m. Hawaii time (9:30 p.m. EST).  I pulled my typical all-nighter the night before I left, so I pretty much zonked out on all the planes.  As per usual, I slept through nearly every runway taxi, take-off and landing....only waking up to take advantage of the beverage service, an  occasional glimpse of the movie (2, in fact!  Evan Almighty and Harry Potter 5: OOTP) or a quick game (or dozen) of solitaire.  I'd say in that 16 hours of time spent in an airplane or airport, I got close to  total of 8 hours, maybe more, of sleep!  A necessity, as once I landed in HI, I had to pick-up my rental car and drive another hour to my first destination, Waimea.

Ah, Waimea.  Waimea is a little town in the middle of the Big Island, probably best known for the Parker Ranch, which was at one time the largest cattle ranch in the US (225,000 acres).  The tourbook says it  has been compared to Northern CA , and to expect to see more cowboys and trucks rather than surfers in aloha shirts in this area. 
Upon my arrival in Waimea, I did a quick drive-by of my accommodations and initially felt apprehensive at first glimpse of the building and the sketchy folks hanging out outside.  So I decided to grab a bite to eat first.   May I thought that if I can't see the place when I come back later when it's dark, then it won't seem as sketchy, right?  I proceeded to a restaurant up the street that was highly recommended by my guidebook: a mix of French and Asian with a local twist...ok, I'll give anything a try.  So I was completely tickled by the fact that as I walked up to the restaurant I heard live Hawaiian music, and as I entered I saw everyone out of their chairs and holding hands, swaying to the music.  I stood back and waited to be seated until after the next and final song ended, which required audience participation....The Hokie Pokey!  Times like this I truly think God has a sense of humor.  The VA Tech Hokie leaves to go on vacation...and am greeted in HI by the Hokie Pokey.

The menu looked excellent, but I decided I only had room for soup and salad, I had my first DELICIOUS butternut squash soup and a Lobster-Mango-Avocado Salad.  And well, the guidebook raved about the dessert there, so I saved a little room for local strawberries served with Tahitian vanilla ice cream (who knew plain old vanilla could be SOOO yummy?!) and toasted macadamia nuts. 

So the time came for me to return to the lodge and check in.  Everyone seemed to be in their rooms as I proceeded to the office.  I checked in and headed up to my modest accommodations.  As I got myself settled in my room, I quickly realized that I wasn't alone, as cockroaches and other critters made their appearance as I moved things around.  Eh, I thought, we'll just have to get along for the next 12 hours until I head to my next destination, Waipi'o Valley.
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