We got up this morning, checked out of our "jade room" and pointed our car in the direction on Hilo, a town repeatedly hit by Tsunamis.

First, though, we went to famous Banyan drive, where all these famous people planted Banyan trees dedicated to themselves. Among them were Babe Ruth and Amelia Airheart.

Then, we hit Hilo's homemade ice cream for a pre-mid afternoon snack! Yum! We talked with a local woman in the shop next door to the ice cream place and she gave Hilary all these flowers to put in her hair along with an ear-full of local stories about Tsunamis coming. We even started walking through her garden before the bees chased us away. :( (My bee sting is almost healed, but the way) :)

We then headed to the Tsunami museum. It was an impressive collection of memorabilia and interviews from survivors of past Tsunamis.

We saw a 20-minute video on what it was like when they hit both in 1942 and in 1960. Very interesting! One piece of advice: if you feel an earthquake or hear a Tsunami warning siren, head for higher ground immediately! :)

After that, we saw three waterfalls! They were amazing:

Rainbow falls (we didn't have to hike to get to it) was about 80 feet tall! We didn't see the rainbow, though. Kahuna falls was a bit of a hike through some rainforest and worth it because it was even bigger than Rainbow falls.

Then we saw the biggest waterfall of all (so far) … Akaka falls. It's over 440 feet tall! It you followed the water with your eye, it took forever for it to reach the ground! We marched back through the lush tropical trees and forest to our car and we saw a guy climbing out of a type of wading pool (which was restricted). The best part was that there was a natural foot-wash station out of a mini falls right on the path for him to rinse off his feet.

After seeing all these waterfalls, we drove a couple hours to Waikoloa, where we would experience a Luau. It was my first one! They cook a pig in a ground oven for hours! Then, then dig it up and we feast. Plus, there was an open bar, so I tried a few drinks! I don't like Bloody Mary's, I found out. But I tried a Mai Tai again and it was good, this time! I think Duke's makes their drinks too strong. I also like Poi Dogs. It has coke, Kona coffee liqueur, and vodka and cream. Hilary had 3 whole Mai Tai's before the night was through!

Shortly after the pig was unearthed, we went to the buffet! The host, who reminded me of a Hawaiian version of Bill Murray when he would do his lounge singer routine, urged us to not only eat until we were full, but to eat until we were tired. I happily complied! They not only had the pig, but teriyaki beef, chicken, fruit, vegetables, dessert, coffee, and everything else you could imagine!

The people at our table were really nice! There was a couple from Boston, an elderly couple from California, a couple from Buffalo, New York, and a guy from Germany! He was really nice! We were looking at each other's digital cameras. The only disconcerting thing was that he looked really old, and from Germany, and he made some disparaging remarks about Jews protesting their passion play. Ah well….

They started the show while we ate. They had a mini-fashion show with men and women showing how to wear "wraps." (I don't remember the official name for them.) All of the guys who were showing their wraps pretty much did a strip tease with their demonstration. Hilary enjoyed herself!

They then had a hula show, but this time, they used better lighting and faster technique to make it more interesting. The men did dances, too. They did one where they had to slap themselves! It reminded me of the folk dances in Austria that we saw! This was more action-packed, though.

Another highlight was when one of the guy dancers brought out a torch and started twirling it like a baton, passing it under his legs and round his back. I did notice that he shaved his legs, which looked like a good idea if you're dancing with a fire-stick!

All in all, it was a fun evening. Afterwards, we drove up the road to our hotel, checked in (with a complementary passion fruit drink and cold moist towelette), and I watched an interesting special on Chuck Jones, the famous animation director. Dave would be proud.

I'm having a great time, but there's so many memories here that I want to tell my friends and family! I do miss talking to everyone back home. I wish I had more time at the wedding to chat with everybody!

Tomorrow is our last full day here, and I'll be sad to leave. We've done so much so far, that it's going to be difficult getting back into the routine. :)

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