Weight=172.0 pounds, Steps=10,000

Oh boy, oh girl ... this is the last post in my Hilo, Hawaii travel blog. It is my 51st day of staying on the "Fat Farm." Today, I fly back to Bellingham, Washington.

Was it work or vacation? Both. It was hard work to achieve my weight goal (less than 175 pounds). While here, I walked about 300 miles, averaging almost six miles per day. I have trekked through every neighborhood of Hilo and every trail at Kalani's Oceanside Retreat, as well as many rounds around Hawaiian Paradise Park. The most calorie-burning activity was digging six-foot circles of sod/grass from around the base of fruit trees in Gyongyi's expansive yard.

Was I in culinary prison for seven weeks? I did not partake in any adult beverages (no alcohol), no dairy products (except a bit cream for coffee and kefir) , no gluten (bread, pasta, etc.) at all, and non-GMO ingredient were used when possible. Did I mention no desserts except for a one-inch square morsel of dark chocolate each day? I had more than my share of groats for breakfast. Okra is not my favorite vegetable. I learned to like homemade Kimchi over brown rice. Gyongyi and I are on opposite ends of the "spicyness" versus blandness scale. A bottle of hot sauce was always at the ready near my plate.

There were also some onolicious surprises. The eggs were farm-fresh with piercing orange, omega-3 laden yokes. Mahalo to the hens freely roaming in the backyard and keeping eggs coming regularly from various nests around the house. Organic brown rice cakes with homemade guacamole from Gyongyi's avocado tree was a treat. I liked the vegetarian chili recipe I prepared and Gyongyi's tasty Jjajangmeyon Korean Black Bean Noodles dish.

We're on the opposite ends political spectrum. The good news is that we managed to survive some heated discussions without killing each other. The bad news is that I took to cursing like a drunken sailor.

I am happy to confirm that my sister could not completely train me to adhere to the "House Rules." Some rules, I thought were rather peculiar, such as wearing house slippers at all times so my "oily feet" do not stain the carpets. Some rules made sense, however: no shoes in the house (Hawaii style) and keep doors open to aid ventilation. She revers her cat, Moochie, like a god and he must be catered to above anything else. She is the ultimate cat person.

Soon, after arrival, I will have my first martini in two months. It is the first day of Spring. Time to celebrate.

Weight=174.6 pounds, Steps=8,759

​Today was our second trip to Kona but this time we chose southern Belt Road route (#11) which is one hour longer in travel time but more scenic.  The road winds through Hawaiian Volcanoes Park, a landmark not to be missed by visitors to the Big Island.  About half-way to Kona, we stopped at the Punaluu Black Sand Beach.  Volcanic activity on the island creates black, green and white sand beaches.  Coconut palms fringe the upper edge of sand and you may also discover large honu, or Hawaiian Green Sea turtles, basking on the beach.  It is a scenic site with picnic tables with room for a number of tents sites .  Restrooms are nearby. 

The Colony One Sea Mountain Resort condos are located nearby and available for rental within walking distance to the beach area.  These two-story condos were built in 1978 and renovated in 1998.  This complex which has a nine hole golf curse never became very popular because of its isolated location.   Units are available for rental at the complex and via AirBnB.

Further south at the small town of Naeelehu, we stopped to check out the Punaluu Bakery, well known in the area for their sweet breads and other pastries.  It bills itself as the southernmost bakery in the United States.   A good side from here would be to visit South Point Park and the Papakolea Green Sand Beach.  To get to the beach requires parking the car and hiking in three mile over a rough road.

We did not stop at the Captain Cook Monument, but it is a worthwhile stop for first-time visitors as it is a major landmark on the Kona coast.  On January 17, 1779, Captain James Cook (the British explorer who discovered the Hawaiian Islands in 1778) and his crew sailed into Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Hawaiians, thinking they were returning gods, gave them a warm welcome and held a feast in their honor. However, a month later Captain Cook was killed in a conflict between his crew and the Hawaiians. The natives had realized that Cook and his men were mere mortals. In 1878, a 27-foot white obelisk was erected to honor this well-known seafarer. 

The trail down to the monument is fairly strenuous but makes a nice day when coupled with snorkeling there in the bay. Google Earth has good videos of the trail and parking on side of the road is fairly simple. Trail is about two miles each way and approx. 1200 feet of elevation change.  Charter boats operate from this area offering snorkel trips and dolphin encounters.

On the way in to Kona we stopped at Café Florian to have lunch and a double espresso.  This coffeehouse used to be the home of Thunder Mountain Coffee Company's retail store about 12 years ago but has changed ownership over the years.  The Thunder Coffee operation, one of the biggest in the Kona area, filed bankruptcy and closed in early 2017.

City of Refuge:

In ancient times, Hawaiians lived under strict laws. Commoners could not get too close to the chief, nor were they allowed to touch any of his possessions, walk in his footsteps or even let their shadows touch the royal grounds. The penalty for violating a sacred kapu (taboo) was death.

Breaking a kapu was believed to incur the wrath of the gods. Hawaiians often chased down an offender and swiftly put him to death unless he could reach a puuhonua, or place of refuge. There he could be absolved by a kahuna (priest) in a purification ceremony, then return home with his transgression forgiven. Defeated warriors and non-combatants could also find refuge here during times of battle.

Puuhonua O Honaunau on the Big Island is the most famous and best preserved of Hawaii’s cities of refuge. Designated a national historical park site in 1961, this 182-acre complex includes the puuhonua and archeological sites, including temple platforms, royal fishponds, sledding tracks and some coastal village sites.  More than 400,000 visitors visit here each year.

Two-Step Beach:

​Although it is next to the Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, most people who snorkel here just call it the Two-Step Beach or sometimes just Two Steps. The name describes the natural rock steps that most people use to get access into the water for some great snorkeling above coral beds with varying water depths.  There is no beach here but more rocky.

​Parking can be hard to find on the weekends, but there is a commercial lot across street from the snorkeling area ... it comes with a $5 charge.  Many visitors park on the access road or other side streets.  Getting into the water is fairly easy. There are also small boat tours that bring snorkelers here. It is a fairly protected bay and seems to have good snorkeling conditions with very clear water most of the time.  The only exception is when the waves are big.

The water entry requires a short walk over black lava beds.  Walk carefully and wear flip-flops (rocks get hot in the sun), or "slippahs,"  they are called in pidgin Hawaiian.  Sit down on a step, put on fins, mask/snorkel then slide into the water and away you go.  When entering and exiting, try to time your move with the surge to make things easier.  Be careful where you put your hands as there are small sea urchins in the holes in the rocks.

​There is good snorkeling within the confines of the bay in water depths ranging from six to 20 feet or so.   Lots of fish species, healthy coral formations, and green sea turtles in deeper depths.  There are nice coral reef canyons, walls and channels to explore at Two-Step.  Stay away from any shallow rock tops when there is surge.

​Due to the ease of entry, Two-Step is also a popular spot for scuba divers.

Weight=174.2 pounds, Steps=18,690

​This my third trip to Waipio Valley -- it is my favorite hike on the Big Island.  The 1.5 hour drive from Hilo is manageable for a day's outing. To get there, turn off of the Hawaii Belt Road (Highway 19) onto Highway 240 at the town of Honokaa. Follow Highway 240 for about 9.5 miles where it dead ends at the valley's lookout point. To go further there are three options: walk down and back, drive in with a four-wheeler, or take a tour (shuttle, horse drawn wagon, others).  In any case, the views from the overlook are dramatic and breathtaking. There is historic information available at the lookout point and there are basic restrooms located here.  This is as far as most visitors go who are doing casual sightseeing.
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For the more adventuresome, walking down the steep 25 degree grade (average) road (mostly paved but rough) requires mindful trekking and can be hard on the knees. Some sections are up to 40 degrees steep. Wear good non-slip hiking shoes (flip-flops not recommended). The one mile twisty walk down takes about 25 minutes.  Later, coming back up, plan for at least 45 minutes or so. It is about a 1,000 feet ascent in one mile ... equivalent to walking up 95 floors in a building! It is an aerobic workout in the sun with plenty of sweating and greatly increased pulse.  In any case, if hiking down and back, pack plenty of water with you along with food/snacks since this is at least a half-day outinmg but could easily stretch out to a full day. The only facilities in the valley are several porta-potty toilets near the beach.

Some visitors will opt to drive in if they have a four-wheel drive vehicle which can maneuver down this narrow challenging road. Even experienced four wheelers may want to skip driving down during wet periods because the roadway can be slippery and deep mud puddles form on the dirt roads at the bottom of the valley that can be very dicey to navigate. How deep? Well, you usually have to get in to find out and by then it's too late! If you are driving down, make sure to give way to vehicles coming up. All-wheel drive cars are not allowed to drive down.
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No matter how you get to the bottom of the Waipio Valley, once you reach the bottom, the road forks to the left and right. Turning to your right will take you towards the beach and turning to your left will take you towards the back of the valley with various shacks, dwellings and rough houses, as well as Hi'ilawe Falls.

The mile-long black sand beach at the opening of Waipio may make you feel like you just walked onto the set of Jurrasic Park. Near the eastern end of the beach is the sometimes on and sometimes off (depending on how much it has rained) Kaluahine Falls. The western end of the beach meets the cliffs where a switchback trail climbs up and over into neighboring Waimanu Valley. Getting to Waimanu Valley is a long, hard hike of several miles. A trip to Waimanu and back requires an overnight camping stay of at least one night to make it worth while and camping permits are required.

To get to the western end by the cliffs, one must cross the Hi'ilawe stream which flows from the back of the valley into the ocean at the beach.  Depending on conditions, such as the tide state, level of the river and other variables it may be passable, or not.  In any case, it helps to have water shoes (rocky bottom) and plan to be in knee deep water (with deeper holes sometimes) with sections of fast flowing water.

On the trail along the bottom of the cliffs, you may encounter strange ramshackle encampments. I never did figure out who occupies these dwellings, and they may not be legal habitats.  So keep moving and don't ask any questions.  The residents of Waipio are there because they don’t want to be very connected with modern society, so the more modern society you bring to them, the more unpleasantness might be encountered. I would suppose that that quiet, polite hikers who don’t cross barbed wire fences and keep on obviously public land will not be bothered by the locals..
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Be very careful when enjoying the beach. These waters are known for rough surf, strong currents and undertow that can overwhelm even strong swimmers. There are no lifeguards on the beach, so stay out of the water on anything but the calmest days. The area just behind the beach is protected by trees and makes a nice spot for a picnic.  Wild horses roam this area of Waipio Valley and a herd is often seen near the beach.

If, instead of heading toward the beach, you take a left at the bottom of the road that descends from the lookout, you will wind your way back into the lush reaches of Waipio "village" and towards the 1,200 foot Hi'ilawe Falls. There is no publicly accessible trail to this waterfall and the stream leading up to it is quite dangerous for hikers. Because of this and the risk of landslides in the area, Hi'ilawe Falls should be appreciated from a distance.

There is a small stream flowing across the road as you hike further in.  To cross it, one has to remove shoes and wade trough to the other side.  It is truly a Garden of Eden here.  The 50 or so inhabitants are sometimes nowhere to be seen but they leave signs on their property that say "No trespassing.  Violators will be shot.  Those surviving will be shot again."  No worries, the roads at the bottom of the valley are public roads, so feel free to explore, but be mindful of areas that look like people's houses. While exploring the valley floor and its lush green expanses, you might come across stray dogs and wild horses. The locals are very mindful of taking care of their aina (lands) so they remain unspoiled. 

is Waipio Valley is named after the river that flows through it: wai-piʻo means "curved water" in the Hawaiian language. Waipio is of great historical significance to the Hawaiian people. The six mile deep and six mile wide valley is deeply cut into the mountain, with three thousand foot cliffs and some waterfalls up to fifteen-hundred feet. Inhabited for hundreds of years by Hawaiians growing taro and other crops, most of the history of the valley was wiped out completely in 1946 by a powerful tsunami. It was the capital and permanent residence of many early Hawaiian aliʻi (kings)--very densely populated at the time (5,000 or so inhabitants).

Today, the valley is considered to a sacred place by the locals with burial grounds scattered throughout the area. The valley hosts several taro fields (taro is a traditional Hawaiian staple food) and several dozens of inhabitants--some permanent, some seasonal. Property rights seem to be difficult to determine here. The Honolulu-based Bishop Museum owns 537 acres in Waipio Valley which has been appraised at $10 million. The museum owns approximately 70 percent of the valley. There has been recent talk that the museum plans to sell its share of the Waipio Valley property.

Additional details of the history of Waipio Valley can be read here.