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| Annie Gump |
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| Sami Gump |
We decided to sleep in and enjoy our luxurious surroundings for a change. After a hearty breakfast, showers, checking email (and other conveniences that internet access allows!), we headed out to explore the little town of Kona. It is really cute as it hugs the coastline with great walking paths winding through the rows of boutique shops. We stopped at Bubba Gump's Seafood Restaurant and gift store to see the movie memorabilia and were indeed reminded that "Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you are going to get". We enjoyed going in and out of galleries and shops, always aware that anything we purchase will either (1) have to be consumed or (2) have to be carried. This way of thinking is great on the pocketbook. Our suitcases are already full to the point of barely zipping. Hudson had opted to hang out around the hotel so we went back by to pick him up for lunch. We headed south on the highway and up toward the upper highway toward the town of Captain Cook. Along the way, we stopped to make certain we were indeed headed the right way and inquired about local fare for lunch. "L&L Diner" we were told and pointed to the green building around the corner. Wow! This was the place with burgers and Mahi sandwiches, local roast pig and spare ribs! Yummy. We feasted on our lunch and were back in the car for more sightseeing. We wound around steep cliffs and down perilous terrain, passing Coffee Mills and Macadamia Nut farms until we arrived at Kealakekua Bay where we could see the Captain Cook monument over the bay. You can't drive to it, but you can rent Kayaks and paddle over to it or hike from the other side. We didn't come prepared to do either, so we returned to our car and headed further south down a ONE lane road - no joke. We had to scoot over as on-coming cars approached so we could squeeze by without scraping every last bit of paint off of our rental car. Whew....we made it out the other side and arrived at the "Place of Refuge" or Pu'uhonua o Honauna in the Hawaiian language. Aloha and Happy New Years to all
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