Fear Builds Confidence

Tuesday we headed back into Hilo for some sight seeing. I got to interview Jill, a Barista at Hilo Shark's Coffee after experiencing an awesome espresso shot with a bit of steamed milk. She was so bright and had such a passion for her work. Here is what I caught...





After we left the coffee house we went up to Rainbow Falls. We were the only rainbows around that day. We walked up a bit to get a higher perspective and saw this mighty tree with all these other trees grown alongside it and the roots were all amongst us continuing their growth. I felt strong and powerful walking through the life force of these trees. We went up to the Boiling Pots for an unexpected hike. I was not necessarily prepared for it. I was rather nervous actually. My friends, going at their own pace were more advanced and confident with climbing the rocks and crossing the water. I took my time, sometimes hugging the rocks and literally making sure I did not hurt myself. I was sweating and anxious but the fear was the challenge and I soon got over it. When we got to the waterfall, I felt it, the reward of the eager hike and even though signs around us said no swimming, I jumped in. It was glorious. The hike back was a cake walk in comparison.

We then went into a small town to grab some food before hitting the beach. We stopped at Jolene's and had a tasty treat including fried shrimp, chicken kotsu, beef teriyaki and some veggie tempura. Before we headed out, I picked up some Mestite, a grounding rock for me and my 2 compadres. The lady said it would help us keep grounded. Where was she on my hike.

It was only a few miles drive but we parked at the top of Waipio Valley and started our walk down to the beach. This downward angle, being that it was at a 45 degree angle, urged me to start jogging and once I started, I kept the momentum going and vigorously got my stride. I darted ahead all excited to get to the ocean. It was truly worth the wait. We got in and behind us was the light of the valley and to the left and right were amazing waterfalls. The water was perfect. We walked pretty far out and began our dance with the waves. We got into the rhythm and starting diving under riding them out. I managed to get completely flipped over at certain points. I was in heaven. We must have spent a good hour out there before heading down the beach and checking out the rest of the area we were in. Once we figured we had been in the most perfect spot, we furiously walked back and jumped back into our spot. After another hour of dancing with the waves, we were ready for our challenging hike upward. Now, it must have at least a mile up, and when I say up, I mean uphill the whole way at an angle that was very intimidating. It was an hour from sunset, we were tired and you know my thumb was out, when trucks started to pass us up. Luckily we saw this couple from Berkeley that we had talked to in the ocean earlier. They got some sympathy and were riding in the back of a truck filled with older kind peeps. When they got to me, I had the biggest smile on my face. They told me to jump in and I made sure my friends could as well. Next thing you know, we are climbing up the enchanting trail that shows us all the beauty of the ocean and we felt blessed. It was the best way we could have ended our incredible day.

In celebration of a very full and exciting day, we decided to treat ourselves and go out for supper. I googled Best Food in Hilo and Yelp popped up with their suggestion. So we called ahead to The Seaside Restaurant and made reservations. We arrived in the day's attire but were greeted with open arms. Mark and I were immediately drawn to the Ahi Poke on the menu. It was served with ogo, onion, inamona and scallions. It was absolutely primo and the only reason we didn't order a second helping was due to the escargot we ordered. These slippery little suckers were sauteed in garlic butter rosemary sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese. Oh yeah and some toasted bread slices for dipping. We dipped alright. It was a dynamite spectacle. We also ordered Lavaman Red Ales to go alongside our superior selections. When it came time to order main courses. I went for the Fresh Catch of the Day. I chose the MahiMahi and got it served with butter garlic and on top of Linguini. The dinner salad dressing I chose was the Papaya Seed Vinaigrette by the way, in case you all were wondering. We all ordered and shared our desserts. Mark got the Taro and Sweet Potato Bread Pudding topped with haupia (coconut) sauce and caramel. This dessert was so wonderful that we specially requested 3 helpings of this haupia sauce for our morning french toast, I'll tell y'all all about it, don't worry...Back to the Kona Coffee Mud Pie that Grant ordered. This dessert was served with chocolate syrup, whipped cream and cherry. I also got to taste this special local treat and I went back and tasted just a couple more times before settling back with my Hilo House-made Mac-nut Vanilla ice cream which was also delectable. I was certainly ready for bed when we finally hit the house close to 10pm.