The Big Island

A quick flight and we've arrived in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. Our beach time is essentially over because there really aren't any beaches here; the coastline is rocky as hell.

Supposedly, this is the "real Hawaii", but it seems the least like any of my Hawaii imaginings. We will undoubtedly be putting some serious miles on our rental car here as the island is far larger than you'd think.

Our condo has a good pool and a peaceful lanai, facing the ocean. The minute Peanut discovered it, she's been out there drawing. Nothing beats the sound of the ocean right out your door. I'm sleeping like a baby for the first time in...8 1/2 years?

We actually ran into a kid from Peanut's class and his dad gave us a phenomenal tip. The Sheraton Resort has a deck where you can view manta rays every night! Like moths, they follow light, and the hotel shines huge lights into the ocean after the sun goes down. Soon enough, they're flying around right below you in perfect view.

How cool is that?

We invited ourselves to a private presentation on manta rays while we waited for them to show up. The kids had excellent questions and I think they were so pleased that they just let us stay! Here are a few things we learned:

1. Manta Rays are gentle giants.
2. The oil on our hands wrecks havoc on their mucus membranes so we can't touch them -- but they can, and often do, rub against humans to check us out!
3. They have 154 manta rays along this coast, and they can identify them easily by name. One regular visitor has a wing span of 16 feet!
4. They're pregnant for 13 months.