ALL ABOUT THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII

 For those new to this blog site, I'm on a 7-day Pride of American cruise through the Hawaiian Islands.

Yesterday and today, the Big Island.

This island has the audacity to call itself Hawaii, so the state has to differentiate it by calling it the Big Island of Hawaii.  And big it is.

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  With an area of 4050 square miles, it is 41% of the State of Hawaii.
• Is bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined, about the same size as Connecticut and slightly smaller than the country of Qatar.

Picking up from yesterday in Hilo, there is what I did on this side of the island.

Lunch of Mexican Tortilla Soup and assorted curries and such on mixed salad.

With a cone.

We caught a shuttle to downtown Hilo and were met by my Blue-Bar Pigeon and friends.

Walked through the Farmer's Market.  Rambutan.

Soursop.

Dragon Fruit.

Longan, a cousin of lychee.

Garlic and ginger.

A large Jackfruit.  As long as my cane.

Mangosteen, said to have curative powers.

Did you know coffee also comes from Kau and Puna.  I was working at sugar companies in Kau when C. Brewer began planting macadamia nut trees and coffee.  That was 61 years ago.

Assorted tourist stuff.

Betel nut.  I can have a story of each, but thought I'd focus on this one.  Up to 20% of the world chew betel nut, and can be purchased in the USA, mostly in obscure Asian markets.  The active ingredient, arecoline, is considered to be poisonous and a carcinogen.  Yet, it is the fourth-most used psychoactive substance consumed, next to nicotine, ethyl alcohol and caffeine.

Just before sunset, the ship left port.  Naniloa and Hilo Hawaiian Hotels.

Hilo town.

Last of Hilo.

Around the Big Island.

The Aloha Cafe had a Hawaiian Dinner.  Bad joke.  Not much, but the Hot Sour Soup was good.

Here are some fun facts about the Big Island:

• It is getting bigger, and because of all those volcanic eruptions and flow of lava, the island has added 570 acres since 1983.
• Think that at 29,032 feet Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world?  Nope.  The ocean is 13,000 feet deep around Hawaii and Mauna Kea is 13,796 feet tall, but the sea level is 19,700 feet above the ocean floor, so the Big Island at the peak of this volcano is 33,496 feet high.
• You can find beaches of white, black and green sands.  I once lived in Naalehu, and not far away close to South Point is Papakolea Green Sand Beach.

• Manta Rays feed close to shore, throughout the southern part of the Big Island, certainly around Mauna Kea Beach, but especially so in Kona Bay.  Called Manta Ray Village, a good hotel to stay in to have dinner with Mantas is at the Outrigger Kona Resort.

Tomorrow, on to Kauai.

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