Today was a thoroughly relaxing day. I slept well again last night - with the air conditioning turned off and the door to the balcony open to the breeze. This is the only hotel that I stayed in on this trip that even had air conditioning, and with the door open to the outside breezes and the ceiling fan running, I was very comfortable. And because I slept with the door open, I again woke to the sound of the ocean and of the birds. I could get used to this...
Even with my fantastic dinner last night, I still managed to enjoy the breakfast buffet this morning. It probably would have been cheaper to order off the menu, but the buffet allowed me to have a little of everything, including my favorite papaya. I sat and ate, and watched the birds coming by to check for crumbs. There were little sparrows and cardinals checking out the left-overs, and several somewhat larger birds (but still not big) sitting under the roof and occasionally screeching. And yes, dining was again outside!
After breakfast I wandered through the hotel for a bit to look at some of the artwork. The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel has quite a collection of Asian and Pacific art.
Then I went for a walk that started on the beach and continued on a trail along the coast that runs between the Mauna Kea and Hapuna Prince Hotels. Nice walk, except for the bee that I stepped on as I walked down the beach. Ouch! I felt something sharp, but I didn't see any stinging sea creatures (and I don't think there are any who live on this beach). I looked at my foot and saw the bee or whatever type of nasty insect it was. I actually had to pull it out of my foot - and had to pull a little piece of stinger out too. That definitely stung, but I walked into the water and let the salt water help sooth it. As I got to the end of the beach I looked up and saw a flock of turkeys on the edge of the golf course. Those birds are everywhere! There are a bunch of them that hang out by my office, and I know there are quite a few near where my parents live. And now I've seen them in Hawaii!
I needed to check out by noon, so I headed back to the room a little after eleven to finish getting organized for the flight home. I checked out and had my bags held for the afternoon, then I headed to the beach for the rest of the day. And no, I'm not crazy enough to sit in the sun all day. I have the type of skin that turns as red as a lobster without sunscreen, and even though I've been biking in this sun and I use tons of SPF30 sunscreen, sitting in a bathing suit for hours is probably not a great idea. I stopped to get a beach towel, and was asked if I needed help finding a chair and an umbrella. I knew there was a reason I splurged on a resort for my last day here! So I had a lounge chair, a short beach chair, an umbrella to hide from the sun, and the deliciously warm ocean to play in. What a nice afternoon! I relaxed, read a book, went swimming, sat and read and people-watched some more, went back in the water, and again...
The hotel has a hospitality room that departing guests can reserve for an hour to shower before heading for the airport. So I was able to get rid of all of that ocean salt, and get ready for my long flight home. I had a late lunch on the beach because I knew that I was leaving the hotel before I could get dinner. Then I picked up some ice cream at the airport. That should work - but I'm carrying energy bars and macadamia nuts in case I suddenly get hungry. And yes, I think I have a new nut addiction. Last summer I went through a lot of Gatorade and a lot of peanuts on my ride - and for this trip I substituted macadamia nuts for the peanuts. Peanuts are better from a protein standpoint, but the macadamia nuts are wonderful. And I did eat peanuts too - I tried to switch off between the two.
I got to the airport super early. There was a shuttle leaving the hotel about a half hour before I wanted to leave, and there wasn't one later that would allow me to catch my flight. I opted to take it instead of waiting a half an hour and taking a taxi at twice the price. Once I saw the security setup I was happy to be here early. In Boston they are X-ray screening 100% of checked bags. Here in Kona they are hand-checking 100% of checked bags. That meant that they opened (and partially emptied) both of my bags. They did it in front of me, but I wasn't allowed to help the screener repack the bike. He was good though - he only took out the top pieces, not the whole frame, and he did a great job of getting everything back in the case. He told me I was allowed to give him advice on repacking it, but I wasn't allowed to help. There was a half-length Ironman Triathlon in Kona today, and I saw a lot of people arriving with bikes as I was wandering around the airport after checking in. I imagine that might increase the amount of time it takes to check all of the bags. Of course, this isn't an airport where you'd be likely to miss your flight due to security lines. The terminal I'm leaving from serves American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Japan Air Lines. And there's only one American flight leaving - mine. It arrived about a half an hour ago and it's currently being cleaned and fueled for the flight back to LA. I suspect that if the checked baggage security lines were too long that they'd hold the flight...
Leaving Hawaii is a little more complicated than flying between cities on the mainland. Checking in for a flight involves putting your checked baggage through agricultural inspection, then security screening. Once the bags are screened you can then check in for your flight and actually check the baggage. As usual, the next step is to go through security to get into the gate area. I asked the TSA screener about the rumor I'd heard about setting off the security equipment if you'd been out to the active flows (from leftover pieces of volcanic materials). He said that that does happen some of the time, but not always. It didn't cause any problems for me. Then, the last clearance step - just before boarding time, you go through a second agriculture screening point for your carry-on bags, then wait a bit more before the flight is called. It's all a part of traveling - and I was amazed at the complaints from some of the people who were waiting for the flight with me. Most of us (me included) just went with the flow, no complaints needed! And of course there was quite a pile of fruit left at the 2nd agriculture checkpoint
Like most little tropical climate airports, the Kona airport is open-air. There's a roof over the waiting area, but no walls, and the plane is sitting right next to us. lt's a climb the stairs to the plane airport too, which shocked some of my fellow passengers when we arrived here. I'm enjoying the last of my tropical weather as I wait for my flight to be called.
5/26 at 5:30 AM, Los Angeles time
I stumbled off the plane at 5:30 in the morning and wandered right into the rest room to wash my face and brush my teeth. That's better! I was only slightly awake, but I was surprised - and happy - to see that the Starbucks in the terminal was already open. Nothing else was open yet, but a cup of coffee was very welcome for the wait until my next flight.
5/26 at 5 PM, Boston time
Back in Boston, to 45 degrees and a cold rain. In one sense it's good to be home, but this weather is hard to accept. What a contrast! I think I could live in Hawaii...
