Sandy's travels

 Yesterday we were picked up across the road at Magic Sands about 8 am to begin an 11 hour tour driving and visiting interesting spots along the way.  The bus held 12 people and driver, a Mercedes van.  Our first stop was a coffee farm.  The coffee beans were forming and quite green.  When they turn red and are ready for picking they call them cherries.  Pickers must be careful to not remove new emerging tiny beans but must be quick.   After a quick sample coffee and exit through the proverbial gift shop….we headed south and a stop at a bakery called Punalu'u Bake Shop that served food and Malasada, those Portuguese donuts.  Having been there a few times previously it was with trepidation we entered.  Well, let's be fair, perhaps trepidation should be anticipation by the majority, being diabetic myself, the sugary malasadas, lilikoi infused, vanilla, chocolate, etc.etc. are not good for blood sugar.  My blood sugar must have been raised to t...

I'm learning that some days my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be.  Take this morning for instance, I wanted to go find the Macy's store because I thought I remembered a. Where it was and b. That it had a section where I could find the brand, Fresh Produce which I quite like.  (Ladies dresses and such).  Well, firstly I didn't remember where it was and once we got there, after some backtracking and detours, it was depressing to see the huge parking lots and other stores up there empty or at least, shut down.  Macy's however was open, but it wasn't what I remembered so we browsed a bit and left.  No Fresh Produce!!   We grabbed some needed groceries and returned back to our condo for lunch. I wanted to show Barb the Watusi cattle, the zebra and the donkey on the roadside farm down highway 11 towards the south end.  Off we went driving and driving and more driving.  No sign of them.  So, spotting some wind turbines, we turned right off the ...

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  The pandemic appears to be (mostly) over.  Many have returned to their lives as they used to be.  But some no longer have a job or a business!  Barb and I drove into Kona today to look in some of the shops and the twisty turny mall by the water.  Over 50% of businesses closed.  Empty spaces with paper on the windows and doors.  It's very sad looking.  One business owner we spoke with told us the property owner would not entertain giving them a break during the hard times and with tourism down for over two years, many just could not afford to remain open and pay rent with nothing coming in. The little restaurant that used to be Bubba Gumps closed and sat empty for awhile.  It's now reopened as Kai's, a part of Huggos along with a couple other eateries/drinkeries!  We decided to pop in for lunch.  Sitting on the outdoor patio with the surf rolling in and birds twittering nearby was so wonderful.   Barb decided to have a Kai burger...

After a leisurely morning of coffee and breakfast on our fabulous patio, Barb and I headed off in the car (me driving because I know where we are going 😳, um, yeah…right!  We only had one or two map stops to make sure) we headed off south to go to visit The Place of Refuge known as Puu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Park.   Set on the rugged and beautiful south Kona coast, the 'place of refuge' or 'city of refuge' was  a safe haven for those that broke the Kapu laws, which in old Hawaii were punishable by death . If you reached the Puʻuhonua, you would be pardoned by Kahuna and given a second chance at life.   Grounds at Place of Refuge. Place of Refuge.  A very holy place to native Hawaiians.  They had many Gods, perhaps this belief kept everyone behaving themselves! One thing Barb and I discovered….do not wear flip flops….the crushed lava and coral sand gets in your feet, your feet sweat in the flip flops and hippitty hopping over the beach lava base like a ...

It is Thursday of our first week here in Kailua Kona on Big Island, Hawaii.  The plan for today was to drive out to the Queens Market at Waikaloa to find the 'Crocs' footwear store.  Personally, I'm not a big fan of the clunky looking ones that are popular today so in the clearance section I did find a pair of the 'Z' ones I like for $29.00 so I'm happy.  Even Barb found a pair of black sandals as well.   Once we left there, I drove us up to Hamakauas Macadamia Nut Company in Kawaihae.  I'd been a few times prior with other friends and family.  It has changed a bit inside but they still provided samples of all the different flavours of coatings on the nuts so you can purchase the canned flavours you like.  We liked a few!  Hey!  You can even get spam flavoured ones!! We watched a video of the process from tree to package.  The factory wasn't working inside today to watch so perhaps it's off season for macs?  At any rate we sat and a...

Friday prior to flying out on Monday. Getting things in order and suitcase packed. So much to remember. This is the first year since early 2020 when the pandemic hit us all with Covid. So far I have evaded it. This quote just about covers my addiction!!!