2008-05-10T17:28:37+09:00Aloha! This is about my experience in Kona.JUGEMhttp://blog.konacoconuts.com/?eid=7029672007-12-13T14:18:45+09:002007-12-19T05:33:37Z2007-12-13T05:18:45Z

Another car trip but this time going north. We always practice English in the car.Every day we can practice English for many many hours. My students tried very hard and they improved their English very much. We drove along route 19 and passed through...

Kevin We always practice English in the car.Every day we can practice English for many many hours. My students tried very hard and they improved their English very much.
We drove along route 19 and passed through Waimea which is a small town that often has rain.
It was raining during the 10 minutes that it took to go through the town. After crossing over to the East side of the island, we went to Waipio Valley. It was nice and sunny but suddenly a big wind came and it rained for a few minutes. There is a grand view of the area from the scenic point.We could see where some scenes of the movies Jurasic Park and Waterworld were filmed!
After that, we went to Tex Drive-in which is a local restaurant and very popular with local people. We had lunch and then Malsadas, which is a Portuguese donut.Yum Yum Yum!]]>http://blog.konacoconuts.com/?eid=7029642007-12-12T14:00:52+09:002007-12-19T05:16:32Z2007-12-12T05:00:52Z

From 7 AM to 7PM we went south to Kilauea Volcano and then Punalu'u Black Sand Beach. After an hour of driving we went to Hana Hou restaurant to have breakfast. They have yummy food and the atmosphere is relaxed with a local feeling. We were warmly gr...

Kevin After an hour of driving we went to Hana Hou restaurant to have breakfast. They have yummy food and the atmosphere is relaxed with a local feeling. We were warmly greeted and we sat down.
I had one of the specials which was a spinach omelet with corn bread.
I had told my students that Hana Hou is well known for its baked goods.
Oh yes!!! The corn bread was fabulous! The husband had a coconut cake and coffee and his wife had a salad. We all tasted the cake and it was heavenly!
During our meal, a woman came over and and said that she had flown on the same plane as my students.She was from California but has relatives who run a restaurant in Kona!! Lucky! She invited us to her restaurant!
Next, a woman sitting at the table beside us stood up and introduced herself. She was visiting Hawaii from Canada. She was a teacher who taught Japanese language. She had been to Japan a few times and wanted to express her interest in Japan to us.
We could meet many people every day! We could make nice friends too!]]>http://blog.konacoconuts.com/?eid=7029552007-12-10T13:47:21+09:002007-12-19T05:00:20Z2007-12-10T04:47:21Z

In the afternoon, a lovely family flew in to Kona. They came to study and experience English in a natural setting. They brought a 14 month old baby. He is really cute and always smiling! We stopped at the scenic point on the way home.It has a super ...

Kevin They came to study and experience English in a natural setting.
They brought a 14 month old baby. He is really cute and always smiling!
We stopped at the scenic point on the way home.It has a super view and I could show them where things were from far north to the south.
After introducing the things in the house and how to use them,
(of course all in English!) we went to The End of The World and saw a wonderful sunset and then had dinner at a nearby restaurant called Drysdales 2.
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Up the hill to the village of Holualoa is where the festival takes place.It is a casual festival where we can meet friends and walk around the different art galleries up and down the main street. The shops are also interesting and the people who are w...

Kevin The shops are also interesting and the people who are working in the shops are very friendly and they often have lots of food and drinks that we can experience for free.
Hulualoa is known as being a village of people who are artistic.
There are many interesting works of art.
There are also 3 stages along the street that have great music during the festival.
You might also see Santa! He is very nice and you can chat with him and tell him what you would like for Christmas! ]]>http://blog.konacoconuts.com/?eid=6975832007-12-07T06:34:16+09:002007-12-07T21:42:13Z2007-12-06T21:34:16Z

This morning,I spoke with a friend who is a boat captain and she told me a funny story. Yesterday, a cruise ship was docked in Maui but the waves and wind were so strong that the cables connecting the ship to the dock were breaking so the ship cut the...

Kevin Yesterday, a cruise ship was docked in Maui but the waves and wind were so strong that the cables connecting the ship to the dock were breaking so the ship cut the cables and sailed away.
There were 700 people who were left on the pier and they could not return to the ship! They had to scramble and get hotel rooms!Panic!
The ship went far out in the ocean and kept safe for the night.
This morning the cruise ship could not come to Kona because the waves and winds were too strong.]]>http://blog.konacoconuts.com/?eid=6975822007-12-06T06:24:09+09:002007-12-07T21:33:16Z2007-12-05T21:24:09Z

The stormy conditions have stopped me from my love of kayaking. There have been 6-7 kayakers that needed to be rescued these past few days because of the big waves and strong winds. It was easy to get out of the bay and into the ocean but very hard...

Kevin There have been 6-7 kayakers that needed to be rescued these past few days because of the big waves and strong winds.
It was easy to get out of the bay and into the ocean but very
hard to return.
Most of the tour boats had canceled their tours. Safety is most important but I feel sorry for the tourists.
They came to Hawaii to enjoy the perfect weather and all they got was clouds and winds.
The weather is dynamic and I spoke to some tourists who were thrilled with the weather.]]>http://blog.konacoconuts.com/?eid=6975792007-12-05T06:20:47+09:002007-12-07T21:21:38Z2007-12-04T21:20:47Z

The storm has made big waves. I took a walk along the coast for 3 hours and then I sat and watched the sunset. It was fantastic and colorful. The cloudy were zooming at high speeds from the south to the north. I was sitting on a big lava stone on a...

Kevin I took a walk along the coast for 3 hours and then I sat and watched the sunset.
It was fantastic and colorful. The cloudy were zooming at high speeds
from the south to the north.
I was sitting on a big lava stone on a cliff about 10 meters high from the water.
The waves crashed into the lava and the vibrations surprised me!
It was very strong and the waves shot up high into the air.
The spray was fine and cool.]]>http://blog.konacoconuts.com/?eid=6975772007-12-04T05:58:36+09:002007-12-07T21:11:09Z2007-12-03T20:58:36Z

Do you like Spiderman? Well, he has many little friends and they are busy busy spinning webs here and there.Every year at this time the little spiders shoot their lines across the trees and hope to catch some food. They are clever hunters and they c...

Kevin Well, he has many little friends and they are busy busy spinning webs
here and there.Every year at this time the little spiders shoot their
lines across the trees and hope to catch some food. They are clever hunters and they caught me many times.
Vegetation grows quickly here and the green of nature is gorgeous!
It is also a never ending job to control the growth.
I filled 8 BIG bags with cuttings from the palm trees,leaves and grass.
Nature in Hawaii is vibrant and powerful!]]>http://blog.konacoconuts.com/?eid=6975762007-12-03T05:55:57+09:002007-12-07T20:58:12Z2007-12-02T20:55:57Z

The 19 hour difference between Japan and Hawaii times has thrown my body into a spin ! Sunshine is the trigger that resets the body clock . Scientists say that getting sunshine is the key to readjusting the body. But where is the sun? A Kona wind...

Kevin Sunshine is the trigger that resets the body clock .
Scientists say that getting sunshine is the key to readjusting the body.
But where is the sun?
A Kona wind (from the Southwest) has come and pushed a storm to the islands.
Rain Rain Rain and floods!
In 6 hours there was up to 20 cm of rain!
Many people on Maui and Oahu had severe problems. Even here on the Big Island there was flooding near Captain Cook and other places.
The Keauhou Bay near my house was also changed.
The huge amount of rain ran down the mountain and pushed stones and sand into the water.
We have big 'cuts' in the beach which are 65-100cm deep
and 10-15 meters long!!

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Warm again! Back from a month in Nara and the colors were looking good. Every day the yellows and reds became more illuminating. I took lots of walks in the mountains to enjoy the seasonal change but it was cool, cooler then cold! It is nice to be...

Kevin Back from a month in Nara and the colors were looking good.
Every day the yellows and reds became more illuminating.
I took lots of walks in the mountains to enjoy the seasonal change
but it was cool, cooler then cold!
It is nice to be back in lovely Kona!
The warm sun on my face.........but stormy skies coming !!!!]]>http://blog.konacoconuts.com/?eid=4843532007-02-25T06:01:06+09:002007-02-27T21:48:27Z2007-02-24T21:01:06Z

Sunday was a gorgeous day and the ocean was clear and blue. The 12 of us went out in the Hawaiian Canoe as we do every week. We go out to paddle and snorkel from 8AM for 2 hours. We go to different places each week and enjoy the beauty of the ...

Kevin
The 12 of us went out in the Hawaiian Canoe as we do every week.

We go out to paddle and snorkel from 8AM for 2 hours.

We go to different places each week and enjoy the beauty of the sea

and the view of the island from the water.

Last Sunday, we came across a large group of dolphins so we jumped in

and swam with them.

I have a special pair of deep sea fins which are about 1 meter long.

I can swim very fast and deep using them.

I swam around the dolphins and under them too.

When they dove deep I went with them and they stayed near me.

The group of 8 dolphins opened up and they went around me so I could

be in the group. It was incredible!

The group included a mama and a young baby.They were very cute.

After paddling we went to the Fish Hopper restaurant and had brunch

(breakfast+lunch).I had the crab omelet with home fries.

It was delectable.

We talked about many things.I always learn many things about Kona

and all kinds of other things.

It is a new restaurant with a grand view of Kailua Bay.

The owner came by and introduced himself to us and asked if we were

satisfied with the taste and service.We gave him a 'Thumbs up'.

The sunset that evening was delightful!


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Today the members of my Canoe Club did a clean up which lasted for 6 hours.We cut back vegetation,rebuilt the ancient stone walls,painted the picnic table and bulletin board,removed an old structure,planted ginger,picked up trash,etc. It l...

Kevin
hours.We cut back vegetation,rebuilt the ancient stone walls,painted

the picnic table and bulletin board,removed an old structure,planted

ginger,picked up trash,etc.

It looks very nice and we all felt proud of our accomplishment.

After that, we had a big barbecue which was delicious.

The barbecued teriyaki chicken was especially tasty.

We had nice chats and lots of laughing.

During the meal a whale swam by at the mouth of the bay.

Nice bonus!

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I took a friend out yesterday in the kayaks and we had a whale of a time. There were 2 very friendly whales playing in the sea outside Kuamo'o Bay which is near my house. They were on the surface for long periods and doing what looked like ...

Kevin
There were 2 very friendly whales playing in the sea outside Kuamo'o

Bay which is near my house.

They were on the surface for long periods and doing what looked like

a dance.

We thought that they might have been mating.

They followed us for 30-40 minutes and swam within 20 yards of us and

then circled me.

The most amazing thing was that one swam under my kayak within 10

feet.I could have touched her with my paddle!!

It looked like an underwater 747 airplane!!

What a sight to behold!!

Last week I came face to face with a White Tip Reef Shark while

swimming through an arch on the south side of The End of the

World.She was very cute and non-threatening though I did have to

trade 3 toes for her to let me go. No more ballet for me!

Enjoy the sun!

Seven Toe Kevin ]]>http://blog.konacoconuts.com/?eid=3868242006-10-16T03:55:39+09:002006-10-16T19:11:12Z2006-10-15T18:55:39Z

Hi Everyone! Thank you all very much for all the emails. We are all fine and damage was minor for us. My present students were surprised but calm. The shaking was violent and the cars in the driveway were jumping up and down. Many thin...

Kevin
Thank you all very much for all the emails.

We are all fine and damage was minor for us.

My present students were surprised but calm.

The shaking was violent and the cars in the driveway were jumping up and down.

Many things fell from the shelves but nothing broke!

I have only one cracked window.

Other friends had much more damage and lots of broken glass.

Electricity is still off in many places.

Our electricity stopped for only 40 minutes.

We spent yesterday talking about the earthquake and walking/studying and then we

swamfrom Keauhou Bay to Heeia Bay in big waves.

Time for blue skies walk!

I'll be back in Japan from October 23rd for a few weeks and I hope to see many of you!

Be well!





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On Sept 10th we drove to the Kilauea Volcano.It took about 2 hours by car. We did English study during that time .It is a perfect time to practice the past,present and future tenses of verbs through questions. Driving time also passes quickly. ...

Kevin
We did English study during that time .It is a perfect time to practice the past,present

and future tenses of verbs through questions. Driving time also passes quickly.

There are many things to see during the drive , so we can make questions using the

things around us.

We started early in the morning without eating breakfast because I wanted to take them

to Hana Hou restaurant.It is a popular place for local people.

The food is great and the service is very polite and friendly.

I had a Mexican-style breakfast and the had French toast and Loco Moco.

Loco Moco (loh-koo moh-koo) is Hawaii's original homemade fast food and can be found at just about any fast food joint, roadside diner, mom and pop restaurant or lunch wagon in the Islands.? It is truly unique to Hawaii, and it is a comfort food, or "local grind," of the Hawaiian Islands. Local food is not the cuisine that is served in upscale hotels and restaurants of Hawaii. It's basic structure was established soon after World War II - the best fast food or mixture of cuisines from many Pacific rim countries, with a special Hawaiian twist.

The amount of food was HUGE so we had energy for the volcano and we did not need

lunch!! The volcano was fantastic and we learned about the island from the rangers who

are full of information and explain things clearly.

After walking here and there ,we went down to the bottom of Chain of Craters Road and

walked on the new lava and watched the Steam Plume!! Wow, such power!!

Next we went into the Thurston Lava tube .It is very big and cool!

I brought flashlights so we went into another tube which most people do not go into.

We walked into the tube and them we turned off our lights . I wanted them to

experience TOTAL DARKNESS! It was amazing.Our eyes opened very wide I think!!

We arrived back in Kona and did a little shopping and more English study at the

Keauhou Shopping Center.I made a pizza for dinner.]]>