Day 11 - We didn't have any difficulties adjusting to walking on land today. We hadn't done so for five days, but we wanted to see a little bit of Hilo on the Big Island. The port where we docked must've been about two and a half miles from downtown. We didn't know that prior to setting out this morning, thankfully.
The highway and city aren't gorgeous but we did see familiar tropical flora and fauna as we walked. I do wish we'd had a better look at a mongoose which scurried into an enormous banyan tree. What is the name of those little plants, also found in Sri Lanka, which instantly close their leaves when touched? The sun was hot. After about an hour we got to the Wednesday Farmer's Market right at the edge of things. Seeing breadfruit, rambutan, dragonfruit, longan make me happy, while whiffing durian not so much. It is strange how fruit can excite me about spending next and future winters in the tropics. We should be in Penang before December starts!
We hadn't arranged to take a tour at this port. We were in Hilo for only 10 hours. It's possible we could return to see the US National Volcanic Park some year. Perhaps the Kona side of the island is a draw. Let me be frank about how we travel. We are urban folks and travel for the people and culture. That sort of means you'll find us where people live. In fact, our idea of a place is sort of determined by how it'd be to actually live there. Doesn't everybody play with thoughts of moving somewhere when visiting? I always have. Always.
Downtown Hilo had many little trendy shops but was generally a bit run down. In the shoreside park which buffers the city from tsunamis, we saw a drug deal go down. We didn't need any souvenirs or organic coffee, so we sneaked into McDonald's for some big soft drinks and a little free wifi. We came back to the ship by grabbing a local bus. For $1 we travelled a long route and were able to see the University, ordinary neighbourhoods, and the airport.
As we were leaving today, a storm blew in.
