'Imiloa, Zoo and Falls

We spent the morning at the 'Imiloa Discovery Center. The big Island has the one of the world's tallest mountains (if you count from see floor) and at the top of Mount Mauna Kea are three observatories, including the largest in the world. The mountain stands above 90% of the world's moisture so it has a great view of the stars. We happen to be here during the Navigation Celebration so they had these great canoes in the parking lot that are still used. The Hawaiian Islands were settled by Polynesian settlers hundreds of years ago, about the same time the Romans were converting to Christianity (ca. 300 CE). The Center has a domed room for viewing shows similar to the one in the Clark Planetarium so we saw the movie the center plays about the creation of the Hawaiian Islands and the Hawaiian's cultural believe about the creation of the Islands. It was really interesting but the best part was when the credits were rolling and we saw that the entire film was created in Salt Lake City, about a block from where Colby works. We both got a kick out of that.

Pana 'ewa Zoo is the only zoo in the world in a rain forest to have rain forest animals. This great zoo was free and we enjoyed seeing the animals. Their prize is Namaste, a white tiger that was donated to the zoo by a magician in Las Vegas (no it wasn't Sigfried and Roy but Arthur Dick, who I have never heard of). Namaste was beautiful and came right up to the side of the enclosure while we were there. The Zoo also features feral pigs (who slept and didn't look scary at all), feral goats (who kept whining at us to feed them), monkeys and really cool looking frogs. There was a Lemur (which let me just say I can't see one anymore without hearing the words to "I like to move it, move it" in my head, thank you Madagascar) who kept mewling at us because the zoo feeder was feeding the monkeys behind us.

It makes me wonder why Hoogle Zoo, who I vote to allow them to have more money, can't be free so everyone can come and enjoy the animals. Granted, the white tiger was the coolest animal there but still, my tax money pays for the zoo and I shouldn't have to pay more money to see the animals, but, I digress.

The zoo had an animal called a Bearcat, it was different but cool. (It has an official name but once you see it and realize what the locals call it you can see why the name bearcat stuck.) What you can't see in this photo is that his tail is about two feet long. Check out Colby's Picasa Web photo albums for more zoo pictures.



After the zoo we went to see Rainbow Waterfalls. I was less than impressed with the falls but along the path was this great tree. It looks like it has been there much longer than anyone else on the island.

Every time Colby and I go to see some site we run into Polynesian Adventures tour buses with old people just pouring off them to view anything and everything. It reminded us both of the trip we took back east when the boy scouts were visiting Washington, D. C. and we had to wait in line for everything. Only this is worse because they all have money whereas the boy scouts didn't.

We ended the day by walking down to Coconut Island just off of Banyan Drive. The island juts out into the ocean and the bridge spanning to it has been rebuilt every time there is a tsunami . The tsunamis here are all caused by earthquakes originating on different continents. The last one to hit Hilo was in 1960 and was caused by an earthquake that occurred near Chile. It really makes the world seem smaller when something like that can impact an island thousands of miles away.


On both islands we have been besieged by birds begging for food. This is a photo of the beggar at the car rental place in Honolulu. (I mean really, like I had any food with me) There are signs posted everywhere, "Don't feed the birds." We both noticed that most of the birds only have one toe or are missing an entire foot. Finally, today we figured out why they are missing limbs, it is because they are stupid! Driving down the road they wait until you are almost on top of them to fly away (and I mean almost on top of them, I keep turning around to see if we have run them over). It is surprising that any of them are alive and able to reproduce, they are that dumb.

I have decided that Colby and I are a bit on the techie side. Obviously Colby wouldn't leave his laptop home, for him that would be like leaving his arm or kidney behind but it seems he has rubbed off on me. This would be Colby and I having an exciting night on the town . . . oh wait . . . we are both geeking away on our computers.