The Travelling DesRosiers: Kona Coffee Cafe

While climbing Mauna Kea the other day, Paul realized that he didn't have his Visa credit card. When we arrived at the 9300-foot level and the visitor's centre, we asked for a phone book and looked up the most likely place he might have left it: the cafe where we ate two days before. Oddly, although we were certainly high enough, there was no cell phone service. The nice people at the centre let us use their landline and we called the restaurant; sure enough, they had it and would hold it for us.

Today looked a little grey, so we took a run over to the cafe, located on Hwy 11 near Captain Cook town. On the way, we spotted a roadside fruit-stand that Reggie had to check out. In addition to the usual, there were more than a few unusual fruits. We purchased a selection and proceeded to the cafe for a delicious lunch on the day's special, Ahe melt on a toasted bun. Delish.

On the way home, just as we were remarking on the stunning array of flowers (if it doesn't have flowers on it, it's probably grass) we spotted some delicate, light-lavender flowers on a tree, 40' in the air. Turned out it was a Jacaranda tree. Even the Poinsettia here grow into giant shrubs.

On another note, gas prices on the Big Island vary from $3.69 to $4.44 per US gallon (roughly four litres). In spite of having been tankered across thousands of miles of ocean, it's still cheaper here than at home.