Hot Cakes and Places

Aloha!

I have taken it upon myself to thoroughly research the best pancakes on this island... I don't know why, but it seems like a very serious endeavor not to be taken lightly (literally...some of these pancakes will sink you straight to the bottom of the ocean).

I recently visited the other side of the island, the wet side, for the first time this past weekend. I was greeted by a torrential downpour and a fabulous Italian meal in downtown Hilo, Hawaii. The coqui frogs were unreal...I mean U-N-R-E-A-L. These little guys are the size of half of my thumb and make the loudest sound I have ever heard. A frog orchestra in the rainforest, all night long. I cannot complain at all.

I visited my first farmers market while I was in Hilo and picked up nothing but cookies (don't judge me, I already was gifted more fruit that five of me could eat, so I felt obligated to try out the local bakery's cuisine instead). The flowers are outrageous, the fruits are so incredibly different than anything I have ever seen before and the avocados are the size of my face, literally, and so inexpensive. Local honeys and jams are everywhere and people will talk to you for hours. It rained through the entire Saturday market, but that did not stop anyone. These people live in a rainforest climate, so they are completely functional, rain or shine, it does not change their day to day...this sounds ridiculous when I put this in writing, but it is incredible to think that this is just how it goes here.

After the market I went up to Volcano National Park. It was a quick trip and I plan to go back for a more thorough visit, but in short, it was incredible. I cannot believe I was sitting on an active caldera watching plumes of steam rise out of the earth. I cannot wait to see flowing lava. Above is one of the pictures I took while walking through a lava tube in the park. The whole thing was probably 500 yards long, dripping, somewhat spooky and absolutely unlike anything I have ever seen before.

Work is finally starting to pick up here, Thanksgiving is coming up fast. Everyone I have met has made an impression so far. The people I work with are so kind, we all laugh all day and cannot help but be happy. We are all in our 20's for the most part, some of the captains are in their 30's-50's, but it is a very young-spirited crowd staff for sure.

The winds were blowing hard today, but that didn't stop us from having a good time. Morning paddles to check the winds out and the edges of the bay and then mid day paddles to escape the tourists and evening swims before driving home from work...things could be worse.

Tomorrow is my Friday. I am still finalizing my plans for Thanksgiving- I'm thinking turkey sandwich and a hike up into the hills, but nothing is set in stone. I have been invited by friends to join in their festivities, but may end up working to give someone else a chance to be with their family instead. Truthfully I would be pleased to be out on the water regardless. It's too pretty here to pass up a date with the sea turtles.

That's all for now! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, stay safe and enjoy the people around you.

Sending love from the lava stone in the Pacific,

M.