Sweet Potato Bookends
Something I’ve noticed over the past year, and especially while travelling, is that people have more respect for those folks working in the service sector. As an example, yesterday I was waiting in a very very long line at the car rental place at the Kona Airport. It was hot, there were a lot of young families, and almost everyone there had just been on a 5-plus hour flight. From what I could tell, nobody lost their tempers, and treated the staff behind the counter with plenty of courtesy. The staff, in turn, though being terribly overworked and servicing 3 different rental companies all at once, treated the exhausted customers with calm and patience as they scrolled through their phones looking for reservation numbers and negative covid test results. I hope this behavior becomes a permanent cultural change.
Some random thoughts from the last couple of days:
The number of gecko lizards on the Island seems to have at least tripled since our last visit.
Coconut shave ice on sweet potato (Ube) ice cream with a coconut cream drizzle is the perfect food, any time of day.
Hawaii has instituted a reef-safe only sunblock rule.
At home I drive a minivan. At work in Hawaii I drive a minivan.
Most days I am in Hawaii I see dolphins and/or rainbows.
We love the drive up the Kohala coast to our Hawaiian home. Hopper in the mini van, me (Heather) in the Equinox, we are trying a 2 car approach this year.
Heather and I spent the morning setting up the Hale, prepping rooms and setting up gear like swim floats, yoga mats, computer and camera stuff. We also got in a scouting swim to see how these waters were feeling after a two year break from us. Beautiful and welcoming.
Our morning scout swim at Beach 69, our home pool, was a bouncy fun return to this place we love. Can’t wait to share it with our guests this afternoon!
Unlike the strict two hour rule on our yacht based trips, we give our Hawaii guests a general overview of their week. *All event subject to change.
We split up to pick up the guests, Heather headed to Waikaloa Resort for three guests, and I headed to the King Kam Hotel for three. Guest Bill had planned to ride his bike from Kona all the way to our place in Puako, about 32 miles, and indeed I passed him on the way to and from town. His route was through the fabled lava fields, where the Ironman competitors test their mettle every year. It was a bit of an emotional gathering as we all assembled in the main room of the Treadwell House. For many of us it signalled what is perhaps the beginning of the end of the pandemic, and we are really grateful to this group for being among the first to emerge. We have a mix of 4 alums and 3 new guests, a nice combination.
There is a lot of information to pass along on the first day of any trip, we talk about general housekeeping stuff, our general schedule for the week, and of course the swimming.
It wasn’t long before we were in our goggles, ready for our first plunge into the Pacific at our home Waialea Beach, AKA Beach 69 (they are numbered North to South along the coast). The water was lumpy and confused from a typically breezy day, but our group of pioneers plodded through the 20 minute swim. Heather and I use these first swims to gather information about our swimmers, and so we can plan longer swims and understand how to position the guides throughout the week.
Clare beat me to my bartending duties and had Mai Thais ready to go. Chef Dan presented a stunning platter of sashimi - the freshest ahi tuna, then we settled into a local salad and a main course of macadamia nut encrusted snapper on a bed of……….purple sweet potatoes. More about Clare and Dan in future blogs, we’ve basically built this trip around them and the wonderful food they produce.
Monday morning will bring an early swim in our home pool of Beach 69. Not a bad way to start the week.
Mahalo,
Hopper