Honeymoon (3)

Friday, April 1
After another tasty breakfast whipped up by Akiko, we bid farewell and hit the road to Volcanoes National Park. On occasion, visitors to the park can see lava flows, which are legendary. We were not so lucky as to witness the spectacle of fiery molten rock, but our hike of the Kilauea Iki Trail provided an intriguing view of an otherworldly environment.
Our trek was dampened by rain, but we soldiered on across the lunar landscape of the crater floor.
After a peek at Thurston Lava Tube and a picnic lunch, we headed to Hilo and our next lodging, the Hilo Honu Inn.
This upscale B&B was our "splurge" for the honeymoon. We did save a little money on dinner, however, trying out Nori's Saimin & Snacks at Lonely Planet's suggestion. We were not disappointed! Not sure what exactly makes the Hilo-style saimin different than what you get elsewhere, but it sure was tasty.

Saturday, April 2
Want a good way to kick off a Saturday in Hilo? Try a little coconut at the farmers market.
We headed down to this bonanza of produce and crafts after checking out from Hilo Honu Inn. Strolling around downtown a little, we then popped by the University of Hawai'i at Hilo's 4th annual Ocean Day Festival, an educational fair dedicated to all things aquatic. The highlight was one of the students from Ke Ana La'ahana Public Charter School telling us about their exciting fish pond project.
We left the festival and headed south -- way south. To the southernmost point of the United States in fact, a spot called Ka Lae.
We soaked in this beautiful panorama before heading to the nearby Papakolea Beach. Well, almost -- the hike over to the beach is about an hour, and we still needed to make it up to Kailua-Kona before dark, so we had to turn back before we spied the beach's famous green sands. We got close, however, by the look of things:
Stare long enough, and you can see the green in this sand, right?We made it back into Kailua-Kona just as it was starting to get dark. After checking in at the Kona Tiki Hotel, we gave Kanaka Kava a try for a late dinner. This time, the Lonely Planet failed us. Get your lau lau elsewhere, folks. As for the kava, it was an interesting experience, producing a mild numbing of the mouth. Perhaps it even helped bring sleep that night, but sweet dreams more likely came courtesy of the soft sound of crashing waves below our hotel room.