Day 11: The Big Island of Hawaii - Kona

Sadly we have to say goodbye to one of the best Airbnb we’ve ever stayed in. This cliff side beach house is amazing! This tiny gecko seemed visit us every morning; we named him Alfred. Bye Alfred!

We decided to drive the shorter route to Kona through the inland highway. As we were admiring the Mauna Kea mountain in the horizon, I realized we would’ve arrived in Kona too early for the check in time, so I said since it’s such a beautiful sunny day, why not go to the mountains!

So we set our new destination to the mountain peak, and made the right turn. The higher the car climbed, the better the view. Pretty soon the clouds were under us. By the time we made to the visitor center, we could see the entire half of the island. We decided not to drive to the summit since our rental car was struggling to reach here already.

A short walk into the garden area, we passed a group of ladies who were looking for Silver Sword Plant, telling us it’s endangered species. Sure enough we found 3 of them in various stage of growth. Turns out this type of plant only grow on Mauna Kea Mountain in Hawaii, and only 40 of them left in the world right now.

Hiking on the mountain wasn’t easy due to its high altitude, but we made it to the top of the hill. The view at every direction was breathtaking!

We will be back here tomorrow night for star gazing.

We usually have a rule when we are traveling: eat local food as much as possible. So we almost never eat at chain restaurants or fast food places. However, we had to make an exception for dinner today. We needed to make our Manta Ray Viewing at Night tour by 6:45, as we headed out for dinner, many places were already closed. The couple places were open all claimed they were short staffed, so the wait would be long. Therefore, for the first time in years, we went to McDonalds. We made it just in time before they were closed. For a touristy area, they sure close early here.

Now, I have to describe what’s like to see those Manta Rays since I don’t have any photos to show you. First of all, the background story. 50 years ago, a hotel nearby lighted up the ocean water, which attracted the planktons. The planktons then attracted the Manta Rays. So the tourist companies started a unique way to allow us to see the rays up close. They use the custom built boards with lights underneath, so the planktons would be grouped around it. The boards have railings around them so we could hold on to them. With our faces underwater with snorkeling masks on, we could see the rays coming up feeding on the planktons.

What a magical experience!! The Manta Rays came up close to us, really close to us! So close that they bumped into us. I don’t think I’ve ever be this close to so many wild animals before! They were so elegant and graceful! With their mouths open, they we’re gliding and swallowing planktons right underneath us. A Ray named Amanda was especially friendly(or just hungry), she came up to us over and over, bumped into Evan’s shoulder, brushed my fingers. It was great!!

Really have to thank my friend Christine for recommending this tour to me. Otherwise I would’ve missed this once in lifetime experience!!Read more