Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Our sail-away from Maui was at 5:30. The DJ played music from the 80’s with drinks and appetizers being served. We even had some whales flapping their tails. Great sail-away.
We stayed there until time for dinner. We had a table for two in a different section again. I had the Hawaiian shrimp appetizer, roasted beet and pineapple salad, and Blue Marlin. I thought it tasted like the swordfish from the other night.
Chuck had the Polynesian short ribs. They were sliced very thin and had a nice soy and ginger flavor. We were surprised to see our favorite dessert on the menu – carrot cake – so we each got a slice. Glad they were small ones.
We went to the second set of the BB King Band. We now have a male and female singer like we did on the Rotterdam. They take turns with songs and sometimes will sing duets. Their back-up band is always good, especially the drummer.
I set the alarm today for 6:15 as I wanted to see the scenic sail-in to Hilo. Sun was rising as we were getting close. You could even seen a smoking volcano in the distance.
Looked to be a gorgeous day. Of course, a scenic sail-in is not complete without coffee and a HAL special powdered-sugar puff pastry. I was able to control myself long enough to get a picture and also remember to bring one back for Chuck.
Hilo has rain approximately 238 days a year. We were told to expect rain. It rained most of the day when we were here in 2018. Not today. Gorgeous, sunny day and very hot.
In 2018, we took an all-day tour to a waterfall, the volcano national park, a lava tube, an orchid farm, and a macadamia nut processing facility. Those are the most popular places in Hilo.
With the quiet ship and sunny humid weather, we decided to enjoy the hot tubs and sunshine while it lasted.
Travel Trivia
Hilo, (Island of Hawaii) Hawaii
Pronounced “Hee-low”
Hawaii Island, commonly referred to as the “Big Island,” is the largest island in the Hawaiian chain of islands of the state of Hawaii.
Hilo is one of the seven regions that make up “The Big Island“, along with the other six regions of Kona, Kohala Coast, North Kohala, Puna, Kauai, and the Hamakua Coast.
The Hilo region is known for its dramatic waterfalls, fertile rainforests and blooming gardens.
The world’s largest processor of macadamia seeds, the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation is headquartered just south of Hilo. The company was named after the Mauna Loa volcano and is a subsidiary of The Hershey Company. (Dark Chocolate covered macadamia nuts are so very very good! – just saying!)
The first inhabitants arrived in Hilo around 1100 A.D, coming from the Marquesas Islands. They brought Polynesian traditions and knowledge. It was on Captain Cook’s third voyage that he landed in Hawaii in 1778 (on Kaui), paving the way for an influx of westerners to the islands.
Hilo means “twist” in Hawaiian.
The town of Hilo overlooks Hilo Bay, situated between two shield volcanoes; Mauna Loa, an active volcano which last erupted in 1984. And Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano and the site of some of the world’s most important ground-based astronomical observatories.
Being the oldest city in the Hawaiian archipelago, Hilo has a significant tourism section. Hilo is home to Hawaii’s only tsunami museum, mostly dedicated to the understanding of the 1946 Pacific tsunami and is notable for all the banyan trees planted by Babe Ruth, Amelia Earhart, and many other famous celebrities.
*Trivia provided by Wikipedia and Holland America documents.
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