Post 6: Down by the bay... & the mall

    Went to the bay with my buddy Mars. We didn't really know what to do so we just got on the bus and rode until we felt like getting off. That spot ended up being the bayfront, Liluokalani gardens. We also went past the ocean,  around Richardson beach park, but didn't stop there. I'd like to sometime.

    

Never seen the ocean out the windows of a crusty 90s bus before

It was nice seeing the bay, I really hadn't spent much time around the water despite being so close to it. There were little outcrops of rock with a determined tree or two growing on them. I thought that was neat.

Grrr.. Lens Flare >:(

 There were also some old guys with old cars hanging around, I liked this one a lot. There's still a tiny bit of residual car kid in me I suppose. This was a '32 Ford, the most iconic base on which to build a hot rod. The color is great too, a very Hawaiian color. 

    There was also the actual gardens, those were cool too. I didn't see any ducks, which saddened me, I really wanted to see some ducks. They've been there the other 2 times I've gone. The main event was the trees.

     The trees at Liliuokalani gardens are just incredible. There's these ancient ones with incredible aerial roots. Those were my favorite.  I didn't get a photo of the entire tree, which I really regret, because it was so gigantic and humbling, totally unlike anything you'd see back in Kansas. These shots of the roots are cool though, even though they don't do do the tree justice. I wish it had a plaque or something saying what it was.

Mars encircled by the tree

     There were also some big stout trees with huge limbs that branched out all over, creating a ceiling which shaded the passersby. These had some huge epiphytes growing on their huge branches, the epiphytes were quite a sight on their own. Epiphytes, mostly epiphytic bromeliads are all over Hilo, but most aren't even close to this big.

 

You can see some of those epiphytes in the leftmost third of the photo, they're the dark silhouettes with different shape leaves

    On Saturday I went to the mall with Kalela, but really all we did was eat sushi. He was surprised I knew how to use chopsticks. (Another thing similar to that happened a few weeks ago, I was asked if I had ever eaten mango.) Us Kansans are more cultured than they think.

     Then we went to Target real quick so I could get a bowl and some cookies. Honestly I wasn't super impressed with the sushi. It didn't taste a whole lot better than the Dillon's sushi. Actually, I think the rice was worse than what they put on Dillon's sushi, dryer, the fish was just as good. I also got some udon, & that was great. It was my first time trying udon but definitely won't be the last. It's like ramen a little bit, but better. They had hot dog nigiri, that was pretty fun, & cheap. The hotdogs were weirdly red though, but they tasted good, like a totally normal hot dog. I don't know what the red tinge was about.

    Speaking of foods, the fresh fruit I eat regularly has definitely changed. I've been eating more papaya, pineapple, honeydew, & cantaloupe lately. I haven't had apple, raspberries, or peaches in weeks, which I used to eat all the time. I still eat lots of oranges, that hasn't changed.

    On another note, pacific golden plovers can be seen around campus. In Hawai'i they're called kōlea. In March-April they'll all leave to go to Alaska. Kōlea generally subscribe to one of two schools of thought: fly from Alaska and winter in Hawai'i, or fly from Alaska and winter somewhere south of Hawai'i, then go to Japan for a little while to store a bit more fat, then go to Alaska. Personally, I'd just go to Hawai'i, much easier & no need for a refueling stop. And the kōlea here usually get to Alaska a bit earlier. 

    Sorry I don't have a photo, I'll try to photograph the next one I see, birds aren't very easy to shoot with a cell phone. Look up the pacific golden plover though, so you can see what they look like. They're neat.