The International Market Place is where tour companies take tourist to help the Hawaiian economy. This is one of the places that sells a lot of souvenirs people take home and then when they get home they wonder why they purchase the item because it really had no practical use.
A big Market Center draw is The Pearl Factory, where you can pick an oyster from a large tub and they guarantee that it will contain a pearl. The woman working in the stand told us that just that morning someone had found a really valuable pearl that was worth hundreds of dollars. For only $5 we could pick an oyster and maybe pay for our entire trip. How could we miss? After Linda and the girls each picked an oyster, we found that we had three pearl that were worth less than $5. Then, because they liked people from Arizona, they made us a special deal. For $19.95 (each) they would mount each pearl in a necklace so that the women in our family would have something to remember Hawaii by. How could we not take such an offer? After all, they really liked people from Arizona
In 1967-1968, when we lived in Hawaii, on special occasions we would go down to the Reef Hotel in Waikiki and eat at their buffet that was about $3 each at that time. Then, if it was pay day, we might go over to Dairy Queen for a Dilly Bar that was 10 cents.
After leaving the island of Oahu, we flew over to the island of Maui where we toured the Maui Tropical Plantation and then went into Lahaina.
On April 24, 1873, the missionaries in India presented the people in Lahaina an 8-foot tall Banyan Tree to mark the 50th anniversary of the first American Protestant mission to be established on Maui. The tree is now 60-feet tall, and the oldest and largest Banyan Tree in the United States, covering 0.66 acres. In addition to the main trunk, there are 18 major trunks and numerous minor trunks. As the tree grows, new roots drop to the ground to help support the tree's massive branches.
After spending the night in Lahaina, the next day we flew on to "The Big Island" of Hawaii.
First stop was the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Visitors Center, where we picked up candies for our neighbors back in Arizona. Heather was a good sport and stood under the "What a nut!" sign while Randy pointed out that she was the "nut."
There are many beautiful waterfalls on the island of Hawaii - two of my favorites are Rainbow Falls and Akaka Falls.
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| Rainbow Falls |
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| Akaka Falls |
The hotel we stayed at was very close to the ocean, so in the evening I walked down to the beach to watch a local man throw his "nets out into the sea and all the ama ama come a-swimming to [him]." I was amazed at how many fish he caught.
The next morning we drove around the island to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where the Sulphur vents smell as bad as the Sulphur vents in Yellowstone National Park. Randy said that he could take the smell, so we let him stand by the vents while I took his picture.
Kilauea is an active shield volcano that is between 210,000-280,000 years old and is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. The Kilauea caldera covers an area of four square miles and it is an eleven-mile drive around the rim. In some places within the Park lava had flowed over the road and the lava was still warm when we walked on it. There were also some homesites that had been destroyed by flowing lava.
In another part of the Park there were historic lava tubes that could be explored.
When we picked up our rental car in Hawaii, the only vehicle left was a 1986 Lincoln Continental. When I "floated" down the road it felt like I was driving the Queen Mary. I soon had the nickname "The Big Kahuna."
Before leaving Hawaii, we stopped by a black sand beach to take some farewell pictures. Then, it was an all-night flight from Hilo to Los Angeles, with a connecting flight to Mesa, Arizona. Upon arriving home, we found our house had been teepeed and a large "Welcome Home" sign was placed by the front door. After breakfast, we all crashed in our own beds.
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