Of Kona Coffee, Shave Ice and Kahalu’u Beach Snorkeling

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Poipu Condo – View from our lanai.

I sit typing to you in Poipu on my lanai, enjoying three things: 1) our ocean view, 2) screaming speed on the internet (woo-hoo!), and 3) my FIRST decent cup of coffee since we arrived in the islands.  “What?  NO Kona coffee in Kona?” you ask.  Well NOT for lack of trying, let me tell you.  In Pahoa we bought great Kona coffee beans.  Our little cottage had a bean grinder (Yay!) but only a French press – no drip (nuts!).  The Royal Kona had a drip maker and provided us with the WORST “Hawaiian” coffee either of us had ever experienced along with one packet each of powdered cream.  Ewww.  We both tossed it down the drain and went to a coffee shop.  So we bought some ground Kona coffee and some half and half and made that in the hotel drip maker.  Strike three.  Bad coffee maker?  Dunno, but the HOURS we have been keeping demand better coffee!  Jer had an ice coffee and Island Lava Java and it was AMAZING, so we bought 2 pounds of beans to bring home.  Here in Poipu our condo has bean grinder and drip maker and we used the last of the ground Kona we bought.  Deep sigh of relief!  Currently on cup number two.

So Monday was our last day in Kona and the only plan was the luau (post to follow…) so after internetting at a coffee shop, we ate fresh fruit bowls from Basik Acai -Delicious! -then spent the day shopping for souvenirs, discovering shave ice and snorkeling.  I have a t-shirt, a tank top, a Hawaiian print dress, a coffee cup, Kona coffee, a beach towel and some hair clips.  🙂  Jer got a new Hawaiian shirt but not till we got to the Costco on Kauai.

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Puna Bowl from Basik Acai. Yum!

Jeremy and I decided that Kona is a lot like staying in San Francisco with a far superior coastline.  We found “Pier 39” where they have Bubba Gumps and a Wyland Gallery.  Crazy Shirt is everywhere, and the ABC stores command the souvenir market.  We had fun wandering around shooting up the place.

THEN we experienced our first shave ice at Scandinavian Shave Ice!  Shave ice is NOT a snow cone.  It is finely, finely shaved ice (like powder) and covered in sweet syrup.  We ordered ours with vanilla macadamia nut ice cream in the middle.  Yum.

Then we went snorkeling at Kahalu’u beach.  No fins, so we tired quickly swimming in our water shoes, but I have some awesome photos to show for our short excursion!

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Picasso Triggerfish

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Yellow Tangs and Convict Tangs

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Blue Parrot Fish and a grouper

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Moorish Idol

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Orange Band Surgeon Fish

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Raccoon Butterfly

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Slate Pencil Sea Urchin

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Blue Parrot Fish (one of my favorites!), Yellow and Convict Tangs and the vibrantly colored Yellow-tail Wrasse. Awesome!

More Laupahoehoe Point

While shooting at Laupahoehoe Point, where the action was ever-captivating, I discovered that the refresh on my phone camera was so much faster than on the actual digital camera, that I went a bit click-click-click-mad for a few minutes. I caught a couple of great sequences.

I added more “after the jump” in blog lingo. Continue reading

Poipu!

Oh. Em. Gee.

We are right across the street from the most amazing beach!  Lawai Beach has a reef that protects the beach from strong surf when the tide is out so we can snorkel!  And then when the tide comes in the waves crash against our shore!  It is so awesome.

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I saw my very first sea turtle within 10 minutes of sitting on the beach!

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Lawai Beach at sunset.

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First sunset in Poipu!

The condo is just fine, Fast internet (yay!) hot shower, comfortable bed big enough for two and a lanai with a view of the ocean!  What more could we want?

VERY tired today.  We went snorkeling yesterday and captured lots of GREAT fishes, but will have to post them tomorrow.  I haven’t even LOOKED at my luau pictures and videos!

Off to bed.  Must shoot turtles tomorrow.