Good Bye Mainland!

Mike got the floor for our last night on the mainland after a farewell gathering at our old house in Berkeley.

How are we this chipper at 5:45am with no coffee?  Must be going on a big trip.

Last Supper (aka Chili's Breakfast, who knew Chili's served breakfast?!)

mmmmm....breakfast.

Can I interest you in some light reading for your trip?

I'm SO EXCITED! I just pooped my pants!

After a 5-hour flight from Oakland (which apparently is the hometown of the world according to...?) we touched down safely at the Kona Airport.  Humidity and hula dancers greeted us in the open-air airport (haha! play on words), but unfortunately we did not get leid upon arrival.

After realizing that the one and only bus to our hotel would depart in 4 hours, we decided to hop in a brand new Mercedes Benz shuttle van (ballin'!).  A friendly native to the Big Island, Dustin, drove us the 20 miles out of Kona into the town of Captain Cook.  As we drove southbound on the Mamalohoa Highway, the dry and arid black-rock lava flows of Kona changed almost instantaneously into a lush, green tropical paradise as we neared our destination.

Passing by coffee farm after coffee farm, many advertising daily coffee tasting, we finally made it into the sleepy town of Captain Cook.  After a few words of wisdom for life on the islands from our driver Dustin, we were dropped at the Manago Hotel.  We quickly checked ourselves in, dropped off our bags, and promptly started our new adventure on the Islands!