Hawai`i 2009: Day 6

Today was our last full day in Hilo so we decided to spend most of it in downtown. We started with the Pacific Tsunami Museum. Its friendly staff gave us a quick introduction to the museum and a brief history of Hilo's enduring struggle with the tsunami. Twice ravaged by powerful tsunamis in 1946 and 1960, Hilo has become an epicenter for tsunami awareness and evacuation training. After the 1960 devastation, the main drag of town was moved back away from the waterfront and it is now illegal to build that close to the bay.





In addition to the two big tsunamis, Hilo has endured several smaller scale ones and most people in town seem to think it's only a matter of time before the next big one. The museum tour features a movie with personal accounts of the great tragedies of 1946 and 1960 as well as interactive science exhibits, photographs, videos and a gift shop. We bought another shot glass to add to our collection



For lunch we headed up Kilauea Ave to the famed Cafe 100, and then drove back downtown to check out the Mokupapapa Discover Center. The Center serves as an educational center for the natural science, culture and history of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. These are the isles, shoals and atolls north of Kaua`i and are homes to some of the rarest ecosystems on Earth.



Unfortunately, even these uninhabited (by humans) islands are not immune to pollution. This picture is taken of a beach littered by human trash that had washed up from the ocean.



The center is free to the public and features a large aquarium with a unicorn fish.


DanG needed some sunglasses and new aloha shirts so we headed down Kamehameha Ave to do some shopping. We found some scores along the way, including a new tree ornament and a book on the history of the Big Island as well as the shirts and sunglasses.





Despite being full from the loco moco lunch, we had to make a stop at Two Ladies Kitchen. Their strawberry mochi is legendary. Dan knows more about the food stuff, but this is worth a special shout-out. In fact, it may rank in the top 5 bites in my entire life! Don't let the unassuming store front fool you.



There is so much to do and see in Hilo. It's our third trip here and we're still leaving things behind for future vacations. Since we'll be staying just 30 minutes out of town for the remainder of our stay, we hope to get back a few times.

As the afternoon drifted on, we stopped at Sack-n-Save for some items we needed to pull dinner together. DanG has been enjoying cooking with the local island ingredients and I get to reap the rewards!

Tonight was our last night at the Falls. We did some yoga, relaxed and watched the weather turn constantly from rain to low hanging clouds to bright blue sky. You never know what to expect from the weather in East Hawai`i. Maybe that's why we feel so comfortable here - it's just like home.