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Kona


We booked a historical tour with Carnival when we got to Kona.  There is not a port there; we were tendered to the mainland in lifeboats.  Captian Vito was there to make sure we all got aboard safely.


Our first stop was the Painted Church. Unfortunately, there were five tour buses there when we were, and there was little room to walk around or snap photos.  I didn't even make it inside the church.



As a true coffee-holic, I was really looking forward to visiting the  Kona Coffee.  Their warehouse wasn't that impressive, as you can see.



Kona coffee is very dark and rich, a little strong for me. Our tour driver warned us about companies marketing their coffee as Kona, when it contained only 10% Kona. Most of the coffee for sale in the gift shop was only 10%, so I passed on that.  The 100% Kona was $49 for 24 ounces.  I'll just stick with Pablo at Sam's Club.



The town had lots of stores for shopping and some historic buildings.  It was a good day.











When we left Kona, our next top was Hilo on the same island.  The plan was to travel around the southern point of the island by Volcanoes National Park in order to  see the rivers of lava flowing at night; an unforgettable sight, I have been told.   It was not to be; there was a big storm on that coast, so our route was changed to the northern end of the island, where the water was calmer.




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