March 6, the spectacular Waimei Canyon on Kaua'i.
is Kailui-Kona, but it's
usually just referred to
as Kona.
March 6, the spectacular Waimei Canyon on Kaua'i. |
|
is Kailui-Kona, but it's usually just referred to as Kona. |
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 On this windless morning docked in Kona, Hawaii, after another typical breakfast (probably an omelet, sausage, bacon, and creamed sausage on a biscuit for me, something healthier for Mei-O. I've got no pictures), it was ideal for some 2-on-1 pickleball, Steve battling Teresa and Mei-O for about an hour. |
 Kona is not a deep water port meaning the ship couldn't dock at a pier. It would have to anchor off shore and, as such, we would have to take a tender to get to the island itself. I watched from above as people wishing to go ashore boarded a tender (0:25), noticing how it bobbed in the waves while it was just sitting alongside the ship. It made me a little nervous, knowing we'd have to take one of these to get ashorenote time before, on our very first cruise to the Caribbean. It was a long ride through choppy seas that made me quite seasick. I was not looking forward to it today. |
 While the pickleball session was going on, I watched some distant parasailers, hoping they'd come closer so I could get a better picture, but they didn't. So I walked around seeing what else I could see, coming across... |
 ...a quite empty arcade. By then, I figured pickleball would be done, so I headed back to our room to wait for everyone to be ready to go ashore. |
 Around 10:30, all eight of us fellow travelers met up to take a tender to shore. As it turned out, it was a relatively smooth ride (0:34). Along the way, we saw a pod of porpoises, maybe 7 or 8 of them, jump out of the water in unison ("synchronized swimming") right next to our boat, but none of us had our cameras ready to capture them. But we did see them! By 10:55, after less than 15 minutes on the water, we landed at Kailua Pier in the town of Kona. |
 We had no idea of what we were going to do in Kona. When we arrived on shore, no one was there offering local tours, which was pretty odd. We'd just have to improvise. So we headed into the nearby Historic Kailua Village shopping district along Ali'i Drive close to the shore. Click here to see some pictures of what we saw in Kona. |
 Our first priority after returning to the ship (well, second. We first had to get cleaned up) was lunch. As a hot dog lover, after not finding anything I really wanted at the buffet, it was a hot dog for me. With their good potato salad and a salad, it was one of my better lunches. |
 Mei-O decided that she needed a shower after spending the hot afternoon on shore, so while she showered, I headed up to the hot tub on Deck 11. I didn't get any pictures of me in there, so this picture will have to represent my half hour or so relaxing in the tub. |
 When we got to the dining room for dinner this evening, we were able to catch our favorite server, Ritchell, who we wanted to get a picture with, She was happy to oblige. As we joined all the others for dinner, she happily brought us our menus (here's the readable version) for tonight's formal dinner. |
 At dinner, the only pictures I took of tonight's food selections are of my Caesar Salad appetizer (no anchovies tonight) and my main course, Baked Walleye Cod Fillet (whatever "Walleye Cod" is. It was described on the menu as a "mild white fish.") Shortly after I began eating, the ship got underway, and once again it started rocking in the rough seas. Tonight it was my turn to get seasick (the first time I ever got sick on a cruise ship); Mei-O and I headed back to our room where we holed up for the night. Here's an e-mail note I sent to myself so I could remember the details (and realize why I had no pictures) of this evening for this web page. Next (Day 7, Page 1) |
