I booked my flight to the Big Island because I sort of felt I had to. I mean, if I was going to be checking out Maui, I might as well check out the biggest island in the chain, right? The main reason I wanted to go to the Big Island was because it had Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, but that was about it. I knew Oahu had plenty going on and catered to tourists all over the island, and I knew Maui had a reputation for waterfalls, beaches and lush greenery, but the Big Island? What can anyone say other than it's big, it contains two big mountains, and its bigness is largely undeveloped?
Well!
Landing at Kona International, I was struck by how beautiful the island was, but in a forbidding way. As the plane got lower and lower, I kept wondering where the runway was. You see, all I could see from my window was large chunks of spiky, black volcanic rock. That was it. And once we got off the plane, there was a nice little arrangement of palm trees with colourful flowers clustered at the bottom, but it seemed more like an attempt to disguise its rugged facade than something that naturally exists.
But then a funny thing happened: everything started going right. I had to go to the bathroom in a serious way, so I made a beeline there before baggage claim. And when I went to pick up my backpack, it was rounding the bend as soon as I arrived. And then the rental car shuttle bus was idling at the centre median when I walked out, and I was next in line when we alit. (Side note: Mister Car Rental Guy, your snotty tone when asking if I'm sure I want to decline your [way overpriced] liability coverage a) won't win any brownie points, and b) won't intimidate me into forking over money). I got a sporty little red Chevy Sonic, and - yay! - it had manual mode, my new favourite thing on a car. It gives you the best of both worlds: an automatic transmission, but the ability to shift gears with the touch of a button. I was using the heck out of it earlier today on Haleakala, and it's super impressive how the car just stays at 15mph in the first gear. Even if I forgot and pressed the gas pedal, the only thing that happened—downhill on a mountain, no less!—was a louder revving rumble.
I got the car and promptly took a wrong turn (although I'd be surprised if one of these days I actually got the Google directions right, right off the bat), and pulled into the first plaza-type thing I saw. This older gentlemen tried a cheesy line ("your face looks familiar"), but I was tired enough that I was just happy to have a friendly native to talk to.
He pointed me in the direction of the Saddle Road and off I went, unsure if the 190 north was going to take me clear around the island or if it linked up somewhere with an eastward highway.
The answer was the latter—the newly redesigned and repaved Saddle Road—which made a pretty straight line right to Hilo. And then I found the tent site fairly easily, which was a very cheap $11/night.
And boy, was the place just what I needed. Close to the water (not as close to food, but when you've rented a car and driven almost 100 miles to get there, what's far, really?), hot showers with a super cute gecko to keep you company, free wifi and parking, an iPad that's for public use, $2 coin washer and dryer with free soap, two TVs with cable, and a tent on fake/real grass. It's also peacefully quiet except for the crickets and whatever's chirping (I think the girl said it's a type of gecko), my tent is beside a solar light, and there's a flaming torch on the lawn, too.
With spaghetti and meatballs just waiting for a fork to dig into, I'm more than set.
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