Seattle to Kona

For an early, early day (our 8:40 flight meant leaving the house by 6:30), things actually went pretty smoothly. The kids were very excited to be going to Hawaii, so hopped out of bed and into the car without any of the moping or slow motion movements that are a staple of school days.

The flight was direct from Seattle to Kona, and the iTouch batteries held up through pretty much the whole thing, making it an infinitely more pleasant experience (not only for us I presume). When we landed, Nick saw all the lava rocks outside the window and asked if we could stick around the airport for awhile so he had a chance to walk on it. I assured him he would have plenty of chances to walk on lava rocks over the next 10 days 🙂

With the early start and the two hour time change, by the time we get the rental car and check into the hotel, it is still not that late. The hotel has a big pool with a waterslide, so that’s more than enough to keep the boys engaged for the rest of the afternoon.

One of the last things we do before calling it a day is head out to a viewing platform the hotel has set up to see manta rays feeding in the evening (there are snorkeling and diving trips to actually go out with them which I am sure I will be writing about before this trip is over). On this evening, there are three that we can see swooping in towards the shore with their mouths wide open scooping up plankton. Having always wanted to see mantas, to have them be so close to shore is absolutely amazing and not something any of us are likely to soon forget.