Day 12: The Big Island of Hawaii - Kona

Sea turtles! We saw a dozen sea turtles this morning in a nearby state park. We just love these gentle creatures!

We then drove to a lovely town called Waimea and had a great lunch there. Along the way, the landscape kept changing, from volcanic wasteland with few goats, to lush English pastures with many cattle and horses, ended with rainforest jungle of Waipio Valley. I do think the big island of Hawaii is the most interesting island in Hawaii!

After a great dinner at a fancy Japanese restaurant, we headed back to Mauna Kea mountain to look at the stars. The an hour and half drive towards the mountain was nerve racking because when we started, there was heavy rain and many clouds. I was really worried that we would waste 3 hours of back and forth driving not seeing any stars. However, there is a reason the scientists built the most cutting-edge observatories at the summit here, because this mountain top seems always above the clouds.

As we jumped out of our car, the sky was full of stars! Unfortunately the half moon made some of them less visible, but it was still amazing!!

We are heading back to Honolulu tomorrow.Read more