Perfection aside, our Hawaii trip was especially enjoyable. Time and again when things didn't go as expected, we found they often went better. From having no traffic on the Southern California freeways going into LAX, we had pleasant surprises around nearly every bend in our journey. Mind you, not all the blessings we encountered would have held meaning for other travelers, but for us they were treasures.
After arriving "late" in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii (only 8 pm their time, but that meant 11 pm for us!), we managed to get to our room and flop into bed. Our first morning we brewed and enjoyed the sample of Kona coffee that came with the room sitting on the lanai. I have one of those inquiring minds and must learn about the flora and fauna everywhere I go. I am fascinated by the colors, shapes, sounds and habits of living things. To be in a new location with so many unfamiliar plants, flowers, birds and animals to see... I was thrilled! I saw many new birds and even a mongoose just outside our door. (So glad I bought the new camera and camcorder before going!!)
We were planning two nights on the road (Hilo and Volcano House - yes, the one that was evacuated and closed yesterday because of elevated sulphur dioxide levels at Kilauea), so we packed our things and headed out. Our receptionist didn't know of any good spots near the resort for breakfast, so we figured we'd find something as we went along. We headed south out of town and found there weren't many commercial establishments in that direction. Soon, we started to get hungry and at last spied a small cafe (as we drove past). After we turned around and got back, we found the place was packed. It wouldn't have been a problem to wait, but there were NO parking places to be found. We went on down the road, knowing we had a few granola bars tucked in our luggage, if it came to that.
Luckily, it didn't. Here's where we could really use that "serendipitous" word. I'm sure that first cafe would have been fine, but we wound up at The Coffee Shack, about one mile south of the Captain Cook Post Office on Hwy 11. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but we were hoping for some local flavor. And we got it. Great breakfast, but even better was eating out on the lanai overlooking a beautiful panorama. I wrote notes on most of the fabric postcards I brought to mail to some ladies in my exchange group. Best of all we were accompanied by bright green geckos on the balcony railings! What a treat! The intense blue eyes and cute little toes - what's not to love! (And they didn't try even once to sell me car insurance.)
We left with full bellies, but more importantly we were full of joy and laughter and expectancy. Who knew what was waiting at our next stop?
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