​I scheduled my flight later than normal on purpose. I was due to fly out at 8 a.m. and arrive in Hilo at around 8:45 a.m. Brad gave me some tips on what to see on the Big Island including the Mains Kea volcano.

I arrived in Hilo and made my way to Budget Rent A Car. I used some gift certificates that I got from work in order to get a large discount on my rental car.

They gave me a Ford Fiesta, a slightly smaller car then the Ford Focus I had yesterday.  It didn’t have all the bells and whistles on it including the rear camera and it did not seem as powerful as the Ford Focus.

I stopped by Rainbow Falls just a few minutes away from the airport.  Brad had told me to arrive before the bus loads of tourist arrived. I got there and there was only one bus parked there but not as many tourist as what I thought would be. the way the water slows down it makes it look like there is a rainbow around the falls. It was very beautiful. Also by the falls there is a small wooded area with unusual trees with.roots exposed. I did a few videos and pictures in that area as well.

I decided to fill up on breakfast and have a late lunch so that I would not be hungry during the lava tour. I stopped at McDonalds at 10 a.m. but was told they had stopped serving the entire breakfast menu but the all-day breakfast menu was available. I was disappointed that I could not get spin as I was looking forward to getting it at McDonalds. Instead I got a sausage McMuffin with cheese. I managed to fill up my Ozark Yeti knockoff cup with eyes from their ice dispenser. I didn’t stop to buy Subway to get lunch to go. I mention to the sandwich artist that I was going to volcanoes and she said that was where she was from. I asked her about the Mauna Kea volcano and the Volcanoes National Park to try to determine if I could do both come one day and still make it in time for my lava tour at 4:30 p.m. She seemed to think I could but would not really give me a definite answer.

I then decided to drive up Mains Kea. It was about an hours drive away from Hilo. I would be using the infamous saddle Road in order to get to it. I’d always heard stories about how local Hawaiian drive really fast on this road.

After several minutes on the road I turned up the road in order to go to the doormat volcano. the paved portion of the road going up was somewhat steep and I was a little bit worried that my Ford Fiesta wouldn’t be able to make it. There were sons to check road conditions at the visitor center. When I got to the visitor center I tried to find a parking space that but there was none to be found. I did see parking spaces on the road but I decided to forgo parking and just head up the hill. Brad had warned me that there would be signs stating that no rental cars were to be used past a certain point. But the tourists always ignore that and drive all the way up to the top of the mountain which is what I was planning on doing. Sure enough there were signs indicating 4 by 4 only. I followed Brad’s advice and headed up the hill and soon encountered a gravel road. The road became pretty steep with a lot of Curves. I was a little bit worried that my Ford Fiesta would not make it up the hill. I was giving her all she’s got. After a while I got to pay for some of the road. I think they don’t pay if the road to discourage tourists from trying to drive up there. But somehow portions of the road at The Summit are paved.

The summit had many Optical and radio telescopes. Book The Lone Visitor Center that I found was not open. The rest of the telescope Square for the University of Hawaii to use.

Throughout my drive up there I noticed all of the road signs had large holes in them purposely put there. It wasn’t gunshot holes rather it was done by a machine at the point of manufacturing. I can only surmise that maybe the holes were put there so that it would not blow down during wind storms.

I spent a few minutes driving around at the top and taking several pictures and videos. On my way down I noticed a woman trying to hitchhike down with a Jeep parked in a parking lot nearby. Using my best judgment I decided not to give her a ride. I’m sure she would have been harmless but I really just don’t ever pick up hitchhikers.

I got to the visitor center and purchased a Christmas ornament to remember my time at the volcano. The lady didn’t give me a bag and mentioned that they were going back was there to reduce trash.

Next I decided to head to Volcanoes National Park which was about an hour drive away from my present location. I figured I could get there and have a good hour in the park and then be able to make my lava Tour by 4:30.

After about an hour of driving I reached Volcanoes National Park and stop at the visitor center. All the picnic tables were taken so I decided to eat my lunch on an old stump while standing. Thankfully virtually all the ice was unmelted in MA Ozark cup. I then set off to try to find the Kilea Iki crater. It was something that I missed doing 8 years ago whenever I was first on the big island. There is a way to get down to the bottom of the crater by hiking but I haven’t figured out how to get there.

I got to where I thought the Trail began and started hiking but it seem like I was not getting any closer to the crater and instead was hiking around the rim of the crater. I turned back and found a sign at the beginning of it stating that it was a 2 hour hike. I quickly decided to make other plans because I would not have been able to see the crater and have the lava tour. I decided to try and find the Thurston lava tube. I had seen it before but I remember it being a very short walk to it and something I could do within the allotted time. Unfortunately the parking lot was full with cars. This is an ongoing problem with Hawaii in general.  There is simply not enough parking spaces for all the rental cars. I drove around and found a Lookout Point for the crater.

I decided to check my phone to find out how long it would take me to get to the Rendezvous point for the lava tour. I had checked earlier and it said that it was an hour to get to the tour from Volcanoes National Park. However this time I checked and it said two and a half hours. In a panic drove back to where I came and started on my journey to the Rendezvous point for the volcano tour. At this point I called love the land which is the group that is organizing the tour. The lady on the phone was very kind and helped to guide me along the way and said that I was ok because GPS’s tend to mess up around this area. I later found out that the Google Maps had changed from car directions to bike riding directions when I entered in Volcanoes National Park.

After about an hour I made it to the Rendezvous point for the lava tour. I asked the first tour group that I spotted if that was Lava Land Tour and he said yes. I picked up my bicycle for a 3 Mile ride. Thankfully I was able to keep up with our tour guide. I felt that I was in better shape than some of the other folks on the tour. At times I was riding up here and it was a bit more difficult with unsteady gravel. But the wind was to our backs which helped as well. Along the way I saw shacks of houses where people had set up to live. I later found out that this used to be a subdivision and all of the houses had been burned up by the volcano. People were selling drinks along the way. I’m not sure if they were former residents or just people looking to make a quick buck. We crossed a gate which said residential area. Obviously this is where some of the houses were. After a few miles we made it to the National Park boundary which had another gate to it. Eventually we got out and our tour guide change the bikes to a post and We hiked the area near the ocean. You could see the lava flow jumping into the ocean and steam building up as it happened. You could tell that the law but was red and orange. 

It was very exciting to see this. We spend a few minutes there making pictures and video before moving on to get closer to the lava flow. We moved to a closer crowded area to see the lava flow. The park rangers head broke off in the area but people were behind the Rope near the ocean. The park ranger made the people move. I noticed there was some guy in the front of the area with a tripod and camera taking hundreds of photos of the lava. I couldn’t understand why he was dominating the area in prom photo taking position and not allowing others to share in the photo taking.

After a while there we decided to go 3/4 of a mile away from the ocean to sea a hotspot of lava. The lava there was amazing. It’s just like how you see it on documentaries. The Louisville is orange and it bubbled up and burst forth whenever the pressure became too much to keep it inside of the hardened lava. I took several pictures and made several video there.

It was at this point that I noticed all around us you could see was lava rock and it all look the same. Had I not had a tour guide I would have been completely lost. Our tour guide mentioned that many times there are rescues needed out here because people get dehydrated or lost. I think this area could be a great place to spend a devotional talking about being spiritually lost. There is no way that I can correctly put in words how vast it seemed. Everywhere you looked there was just miles and miles of lava rock.

Within our group there was probably about for families represented not including myself. There was a couple from Florida,  Another family from Australia, and two other families. I was wearing my GoPro chest strap and I noticed another teenager in our group wearing his GoPro as well.

When it started getting dark is when we headed back. It seemed to be a long hike but the length of the hike was probably misconstrued to the fact that we were having to use flashlights on uneven surfaces. We made it back to the road and walked a few feet to our bikes. It was then I was to start possibly the most tiring bike ride I had done ever. I walked much of the way with my bike. We had one girl to fall after just getting on the bike to roll out because the gravel with so uneven. To make matters worse we were riding into the wind. We did have flashlights secured to the handlebars of the bikes to help us navigate. But I was unable to adjust the size of the beam from my flashlight and it seem to be blinding several people as I was traveling. One kid made somewhat of a sarcastic remark and said in general put down your lights. It was then that I figured out that I should probably shut my beams to the ground.

But eventually I made it back to my vehicle and wasn’t the last person to arrive. The tour guide had taken a handful of people to the lava flow dumping into the ocean and was going to be sure to be the last one out.

Hi then drove back to my hotel and checked in. This particular Hotel like the rest of Hawaii has very little parking. I made my own parking space and I’m not even sure it is legal. But the hotel has my license plate number so they can notify me if it needs to be moved. I then decided to get Domino’s Pizza not necessarily because I was craving Dominos but because they were open. They close at 11.

Tomorrow I’m headed back to Volcanoes National Park to visit the Kilauea Iki Crater, among other things.

Today my flight wasn’t as early as my 6am flight yesterday. It was due to depart after 7 am, which let me sleep in a little later.

After a brief line in security I made it to my gate.  During down times like this call my family.  It was 11am in Nashville.

As I boarded the plane, the theme to Hawaii Five-O played.  How appropriate.

After a 40 minute flight we made to Lihue airport. I subsequently found the empty curbside Avis counter with instructions to catch the shuttle to the nearby parking lot. It was a bit confusing as it appears that Avis and Budget share a shuttle van and possibly a curbside counter, but are on different car lots.

The Avis lady tried to upsell me on the car by trying to get me to buy an extra $15 Mustang convertible package. I declined. Also declined the extra insurance coverage and liability. It’s really only a ploy to get more money when in reality we really don’t usually use this coverage. I was given a black Ford Focus. After messing around with the stereo to try and get it to play my Line in from my iPod I gave up. I then drove it to the attendant who helped me figure out what to do. If there’s one thing that I want is good music while I drive around the island.

After getting my music straight down I headed toward Waimea Canyon. Hi pass through a few small towns on my way to the canyon. There were some spectacular views of the and descending to the ocean on the horizon. I then started my way up to the canyon. There were a few pull off points to where you could see a nice scenic view. On my way up there was this dark minivan that seem to be going very fast and wanting to pass me at times. I eventually let him over. He was driving erratically and I would not be surprised if he had ended up in a wreck as he was driving on the wrong side of the road at times during navigation of the Hills.

Made it to the canyon Lookout. There were several cars already there. There was also a Fruit Stand and feral chickens hanging around and even at the top of this mountain.

I climbed the incline up to the top of the lookout. Nick Cannon was spectacular although I don’t believe it was as long as the Grand Canyon it’s still comparable in Beauty. I saw helicopters getting early morning tours to tourists. There was also a elementary-age child there who was exclaiming many Pokemon he had been able to catch. He also explained that the Waimea Canyon Lookout is a pokegym. It’s funny how some things that are so spectacular can have no effect on the younger generation. In a hundred years people won’t remember what “Pokémon Go” was. But 100 years from now Waimea Canyon will still be around and still as spectacular.

I really wanted to get a good non-selfie photo of myself and was hesitant to ask the gentleman with a nice camera taking photos of his camera.  He seemed very busy trying to figure out settings on his camera and remarked that it was time to leave.

There were other overlooks on down the road but I figured it was best to try to explore other parts of the island rather than see more overlooks.  Had I had 2 days in Kauai I would have explored more of the canyon.

As kind of a unique surpise, I found myself at a fork in the road and sure enough the road to the right eventually went to Polihale State Park according to Google Maps.  Polihale was a remote beach on the western part of the island.  I wanted to visit it as it had some unique mountain outcroppings which would make for a great photo op.  I decided to try to visit it.

After I got to the base of the mountain there was a long road with 50 mph speed limit signs – a rarity on Kauai when it seems everything in town is 25 mph.  Eventually I got to a sign which said “Road Floods During Rain” and “Travel at Your Own Risk.”  I knew that this beach was remote because many tourists aren’t willing to drive the 3 miles on unpaved roads to get there.  So I started on the dirt road in my Ford Focus.  If you could imagine going through several potholes at once, that was how the road was at times.  You couldn’t go too fast or else you would tear up the car’s suspension.  I envied the 4 wheel drive Jeep drivers.  Along the way I began to ask myself if this was worth it – to spend 20 minutes driving 3 miles.  I wondered if I would be penalized if Avis found I had driven on the road (this blog post might serve as evidence).  Sometimes I wanted to turn back.  After a while I got to what looked like sand.  I met a lady driving a Jeep Cherokee and I rolled down my window to ask if the beach was nearby.  “Yes,” she said..”Not too far.”  I got to a very sandy part and decided it was best to climb up the hill to see if the beach was nearby.  Sure enough it was.  I didn’t change into my swimwear and instead took my GoPro and Cannon cameras.  There were a few pick up trucks parked in the sand (something I would be very apprehensive about doing figuring I probably couldn’t get my truck out).  After doing some video taping and photography I figured I might was well wade near the water…or at least get my feet wet.  Some of the waves didn’t push the water much, others pushed it pretty far.  I was caught off guard and did get the bottom of my shorts a little wet. After a few minutes I figured it was time to go.  But now was my conundrum: how to wipe off the sand from my feet without a towel?  I tried putting them back in the water on the beach, but it didn’t work as I still had to put my feet on dry sand to put my shoes on.  So I ended up walking back to the car barefooted.

At first I couldn’t find my car.  I have this “worst case scenario” in my mind when I travel.  If I can’t find my car then obviously it’s been stolen.  After looking around I did find it.  After wiping off my feet, it was time to start the car.  Whoops!  Can’t go forward.  The thought of having to call a tow truck entered my mind…or at least asking for help with the guys with the pickup trucks on the beach.  But my car did go reverse and I was able to maneuver it out without much issue.  Then back on the really bumpy road again with a good hour drive to Puka Dog.

On my way back to eat at Puka Dog, I stopped at Hanapepe to visit the nice old historic town.  They have self proclaimed “Westernmost Independent Bookstore in the United States.”  There were quite a few art galleries (yawn)…no I don’t want your overpriced art.  I did manage to go on the swinging bridge, the entrance of which is located in an alleyway.  I misunderstood a native Hawaiian sitting at the base of the bridge asking for the time. I figured he was taking up money to board the bridge.  But in reality he just wanted the time.

After a bit more driving (and backtracking to get some good driving views for GoPro), I made it to Puka Dog which was located in an outdoor touristy type mall.  The mall must have been relatively new as there was plenty of parking.  After finding the restroom it was time to try the Puka Dog. I got a Polish Sausage with mile garlic lemon sauce and Banana relish and Hawaiian mustard.  The garlic and banana relish sound strange together, but it did taste good.  I also got fresh squeezed lemonade with half of a lemon on it.

Next was to find some better hiking shoes.  The soles of my current hiking shoes had come undone.  This would not last when I took my lava tour tomorrow on the Big Island.  So I found my way to a Payless Shoe Store and explained my predicament to the sales lady.  She was very nice and helped me pick out a size 8.5 hiking shoe much like my old shoes.  Satisfied with my purchase I asked the sales reps what they could recommend for my last few hours on the island.  They recommended a lookout and waterfall.  I plugged it into Google maps and was on my way.

Along the way I stopped by some waterfalls and lookouts and took photos.  Kauai is so lush and green in contrast to the Big Island which in some places could look like the surface of the moon.

Google Maps could not find this particular place recommended by the shoe sales lady.  It kept wanting me to turn into private property or non existent roads.  Finally after about an hour of driving around I gave up and drove back to Lihue, where the airport was.

I stopped by a souvenir shop where things looked cheaply made.  Then I went across the street to Hilo Hattie’s which I was given a shell lei and invited to try to open a treasure box. (the key didn’t work) As a consolidation prize I was given 50% off of pearls in a oyster which I declined.  The pearls seemed tiny.

I decided to have pizza again as somewhat of a personal goal to have pizza on every Hawaiian Island.  I ate at Pizza Hut opting for a personal pan sausage pizza.  Within view of my seat was the Lihue Theater, now retirement apartments, but with still the marquee on the outside.

After I finished supper I walked up and down the street taking photos of interesting things along the way. I briefly lost my keys (they were in my seat).  Then I filled up my tank at the local shell station and asked the attendant (an older lady) why there were so many feral chickens on the island.  The answer: Hurricane Iniki in 1992 released the chickens from their cages…and now they are all over the island.

I then returned my rental car and went through airport security.  I had been given the TSA Precheck stamp which allowed me not to have to go through the hands over your head x-ray screener.  And I kept my shoes on.

I got to gate 5 and started writing this blog post.  Tomorrow I’ll be spending the night on the Big Island after my lava tour.  Looking forward to it!

My flight was at 6 a.m. to Molokai so I knew I needed to get up by 4 in order to be there an hour before. It really wasn’t all that difficult to get up that early because my sleeping schedule still has not gotten back to Hawaiian Time.

Has arrived at the commuter terminal I was given a boarding pass which looked more like a receipt printed on receipt paper rather than the cardboard type of boarding passes. There was already a moderately long blonde for the TSA checkpoint but after the line opened it moved really quickly. Looking back on it I figure I probably could have waited a good 30 minutes before actually getting to the airport but I wanted to be sure to catch my flight.

When it was time to depart the mokulele airlines Personnel lined us up in two rows. There were five passengers including myself on the flight Plus two pilots. The plane itself could hold 10 passengers. After a moderately long time waiting on the runway we finally took off. Our flight was around 40 minutes. We arrived at the Molokai Airport. I found my way to the Alamo rental counter outside near the parking lot. As it turns out one of the passengers who had flown on the same flight as me was there too. He explained to the rental car agents that he was there to look at an elementary school’s fire extinguishers. I figured he flu there a lot because he also knew the Pilot’s name when it was time to take off.

I got a white Hyundai 4 door car. I had a bit of trouble finding it but once I found it I was on my way. I stopped by a little town on the way to the middle Stables to try to find a breakfast meal. Unfortunately the place that I had planned on eating at was closed for renovation and only their gift shop was open. I bought my obligatory bottled water to use on the way down the mule ride. I stopped by a public park and use the restroom and took a few pictures.

I figured now would be a good time to head toward the mule Stables. Thankfully they were other people already there at the mule Stables before I got there. I had worried that due to the poor service of the people taking down my name and information that I would not be given a mule ride. In the past month I’ve had to call them 3 times to confirm my reservation. In each of those three times I had to give the lady the same information over and over again. I’m not particularly thrilled with their customer service.

I seem to be the youngest person taking a mule ride as all the other people seem to be in their fifties and sixties. We had people from the Big Island, California, and Indiana. They matched us up with mules that would be a good match for our height and weight. My black mule was called “long stick” in Hawaiian.

Along the trail there are 26 switchbacks. He can be a bit daunting to begin with even though you or hanging on to the mule at times. My legs and thighs took the brunt of the grasping has the mules sure-footed down the trail. I really wanted to get a GoPro video of the trip down but my GoPro seem to not be working. I later changed out the card and the battery which seem to fix it. Along the way I took pictures of the Peninsula which would be visiting. It seemed way far down.

After about 90 minutes of trail riding we got to the bottom. We met are very enthusiastic Damien tour guide who explained to us a little history about the place as we waited for others to come. It seems that some of the younger folks and our tour decided to hike down and thereby they would probably be hiking back up. This is something that I couldn’t fathom doing as I was tired after the tour.  One of the girls was very much out of breath on the way down.  I wondered how she was going to make it back up.

We all piled into the school bus and he took us to our first stop. It was the equivalent of a convenience store. I decided not to get anything cause I feel like the drinks and snacks were a bit overpriced. The older ladies who are running the store also made Koozies for drinks for $5 and beanies for $10. Again a bit overpriced.

I have seen this before.  Whether on a trip to the Great Wall when your taxi driver stops at a particular restaurant coming back….or on a bus tour of Stonehenge and Bath, England…and stopping for lunch at a particular fish and chips place.  There’s strong suspicion that the tour company is getting kickbacks from the restaurant.  I’m not saying its happening here in Kalaupapa, but I suspect the tour company operator is mindful of the shop owners’ plight and therefore is throwing some business her way.  I think this because there was a grocery story which we as a tour group was not allowed to go into.  Maybe because there could be a chance there might be a (former) leprosy patient there.  Or maybe the prices are much less than the convenience store we stopped at.  Regardless I’ll never know.

Next was a stop at a bookstore.  I was thinking this was becoming a trend.  Buy our snacks and sodas.  Buy our books.  But where was the story of Father Damien?  To the tour operator’s justification there was a former leprosy patient – “Boogie” there to sign books as he was featured in one of the books.  He was old and I’m not sure if he was quickest on the cash register.

As a side note, if you go to the Damien Tours website, it strictly forbids taking photos of any former leprosy patients or their property, unless you have written permission from the said individual.  Boogie, a former leprosy patient gave no one in our group written permission, unless signing books was his form of permission.  The only time which anything was said about not taking photos was when we drove by the hospital, when our tour guide said some folks did not like their photos being taken.

Next was a church in town that Father Damien help build/establish.  It was a small church with nothing particularly special about it.  A few statues of saints.  The tour guide gave a brief history of the church and made a profound statement.  He said “I’m not Catholic, I’m Christian.”  I’m not sure if he meant to be offensive to Catholics on the tour, but I found it profound in my own little way.  And maybe I was the only one on the tour who thought this way.

We made our way to the US Post Office to mail postcards.  The post office is open until 12:15PM, maybe to accommodate the tour group, or maybe because no one in Kalaupapa has anything to mail.

Twice on the tour we passed by a church group described as cleaning up the park…i.e. restoring the graves, etc.  Did you know you can come to Kalaupapa and work for a week as a volunteer?  Contact the park rangers for information….Something I thought about for a hot minute, but figure I could do more good for less money at a church camp I volunteer at.

Next we drove deep into a wooded area.  Our tour guide pointed out that this was teaming with ancient artifacts as this was the place early Hawaiian had lived….even in the area of the extinct volcano.  He also pointed out that this was an area where human sacrifices could have occurred.

We drove past the protestant church and Catholic church where Father Damien is buried.  At this point we weren’t going to stop.  Instead we drove to an area with picnic tables where we were going to have lunch. But lunch would wait for us to take a photograph at one of the most iconic areas in Hawaii with lush forested area with a teardrop shaped island nearby.  I see this area in Hawaiian calendars all the time.  It was great to be able to see it in person.  Our tour guide played his ukulele and sang a song one of the residents wrote about the island.

The mule ride tour company provided us with snacks, while others in our group had their own.  There were two extra lunches which the mule company had made and the tour guide gave it to a couple of guys who did not have a lunch.

Next was onto the churches which we had passed.  We drove up to the church where Father Damien’s hand was buried.  A cat hung around the church waiting on the catfood the tour guide had brought with him. I had hoped to hear the long story about Father Damien, but this was not the case.  It was a short photo op and then walking up to the protestant church to ring the church bell.

Next was on to a burial place for one of the nuns which worked on the island.  We heard a brief story about how this nun had predicted that none of her sisters would get leprosy.  Also this nun had to be excavated and taken back to her convent in Pennsylvania, but since she had osteoporosis, they could not get all of her bones.  The tour guide pointed out that the residents rejoiced when they found out part of her bones were still buried here.  I think this might be a Catholic thing…that is to find solace that old relics of past nuns and priests’ body parts are buried in a particular grave yard.  Why can’t believers rejoice just by remembering their religious leader, rather than looking for tangible object to (almost) worship?

Next we drove to the airport and saw the area’s lighthouse along the way.  The tour guide reported the light house had been automated in the 1960s.   He also stated that he stays in a house near the base of the light house.

The Kalaupapa airport is a general aviation airport which was not staffed, nor had any TSA agents along the way.  We used the restrooms and got some water and left those who were flying back up to topside Molokai.

We got back to the mule stable and said our goodbyes to our tour operator while he gave us his card promoting his music on iTunes.

The ride back up with much easier than the ride down.  The mules are on sure footing going up.  By contrast going down put their weight on unnatural positions and are likely to slip.  My mule slipped at least once coming up.

We let our mules rest along the way.  I could tell they were tired as sweat was coming off of their heads and necks and they seemed out breath.  We saw a handful of hikers along the way who were originally with our tour group.  One group of hikers had to make it back in time to catch their flight back at a particular time which had them rushing a little bit.  We made it back up the hills after the 26 switchbacks.  We were given a bumper sticker rather than the promised certificate.  The bumper sticker reads “Wouldn’t you rather be riding a mule on Molokai?”

Next was onto Kanuakakai, which his the heart of Molokai…that is where the restaurants and shops are.  Is also where the ferry comes to bring cars and passengers from Maui.  I stopped by an ice cream shop and got a banana Icee and rested.  I was pretty hot from the mule ride and just needed to cool off. Next it was time to try to find supper.  Things work very slowly in Molokai.  I figured it was best to order early and then do exploring, rather than order late and miss my flight.  In true Jeff fashion I found the nearest (and in this case only) pizza place – Molokai Pizza Café.  I waited at the counter.  The waitress asked if I was eating here or to go.  Since I was eating there, I was told I should just sit at a table and someone would be with me shortly.  “Table!” she loudly remarked at the waitress.  The waitress was an older lady, missing some teeth.  You should tell she probably had lived a rough life and was just making it at the pizza place.  I ordered a glass of water which I immediately drank.  I then ordered a small sausage pizza.  When it came out it was much larger than I expected, but I was able to eat it.

Next I drove around Kanuakakai and took some photos of their business district.  I was wary of leaving my car (locked) but unattended as I had been told rental cards are a magnet for thieves.  But luckily nothing happened.

I then drove around some more and found an (almost) deserted beach.  The trade winds were blowing hard which made for a nice breeze to cool me off.  It was at this point I noticed the sole of my shoe had come loose.  I could attack this one of two ways – I could try to repair it using whatever Brad and Rebecca had at their house….or I could buy new hiking shoes in between tomorrow and Thursday night…the night of the lava tour.  I did message Rebecca to ask if they had anything, which she said she would check.

At the airport I returned my rental car and walked back to the terminal.  Surprisingly I was told there was no boarding pass, nor security for this flight.  I waited around writing this blog post via Google voice to text before being called to board the plane.  It was only me and one other passenger.

I do believe that “Auntie” must be the equivalent to “Honey” or “Sweetie” on the mainland.  The airline workers made note to call the fellow passenger “Auntie, that’s the wrong plane,” when she tried to board a plane bound for Maui.

I managed to get some selfies with the plane and a video of me going into the plane with my Gopro (something I should have done this morning).

Tomorrow I’ll be flying out to Kauai, exploring a canyon and hopefully finding some hiking shoes.

I was on my own today.  First step of the day was to get me a vistor’s pass to Hickam Joint Military Base which would allow me to get back into the base without having to call Brad or Rebecca to come to the gate to vouch for me.  We drove to the appropriate building and signed our name on the clipboard.  Much like the DMV we waited (very briefly) for our name to be called.  After filling out minimal paperwork I was set.  I dropped off Rebecca at the house while I set off to explore.

First I decided to try to get into a tour of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.  New interest in the attack had occurred since the 70th anniversary in of the attack and the contemporary movie.  More and more people were wanting to see the iconic memorial.  I attempted unsuccessfully to find a parking space at the official parking lot of the memorial.  I ended up parking a far bit down near a marina in an area I wasn’t even sure was legal.  This was making me more concerned that there would be a huge backup of visitors and a tour could be hours away from me.

Word of advice, if you are coming to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, do not bring a backpack or purse.  They will not let you in.  Luckily I didn’t bring my backpack and had handheld cameras including my Nikon and Gopro.  I checked in at 9:15AM and got the 9:30AM tour.  I waited with about 70 other guests under the partial shade of a canopy.  The park rangers show you a short movie about the attack which gives somewhat a sobering reminder of the horrors contrasted with the acts of bravery which happened on that day of infamy.  This set the tone of the tour…a reminder that were visiting a tomb of young men who gave their lives for their country.

For those of you unfamiliar with the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, it lies in Pearl Harbor and can only be reach by boat.  We were shuffled into a medium sized boat which would take us to the memorial.  As we arrived we were reminded no photographs on the pier…we were only allowed to photograph inside the memorial.  I used my Gopro to capture my view as entering the memorial.  Just as I had seen 8 years ago on my last visit, I saw oil in the water – the battleship is still leaking oil to this day.  Along the back wall was an engraving of all the men lost.  I had heard that a lady from my church had lost a brother, but I had forgotten the name of this family, and therefore could not find it on the wall.  After a while it was time to line up as there was another boat coming with another tour group and sub sequentially take us back to the port.  I managed to grab a seat in the back and got some good shots exiting the memorial.

Next was Ford Island to see the Pacific Aviation Museum. I had to take a bridge to Ford Island, which must be off limits to civilians.  I remember my host, Brad, who is in the military said that I could show my vistor pass from Hickam to the gate and get onto Ford Island, which I did.  I drove up to the Pacific Aviation Museum.  There seemed to be some confusion on the ticket booth’s part because I asked for a ticket and he gave me an audio guide.  When I asked if I needed a ticket he directed me to another area where I could buy a $25 ticket….and he forgot to give me a wristband to show I had purchased a ticket….and seemingly no one asked why I didn’t have a wristband.

The initial exhibit had half a dozen WWII planes which were nicely featured with appropriate mannequins wearing period clothing.  The audio guide was not available with every exhibit, but it did come in handy if you didn’t want to read each placard.

I saw the remains of a Japanese Zero plane which crashed on Niihau during the Pearl Harbor attack.  I had read about this strange occurrence as a footnote to the attack.

As I went to return my audio guide, the museum worker asked if it worked in both buildings…to which I responded “I didn’t know there were two buildings.”  I then asked for my wristband to make sure the museum workers knew I had paid to get in.

An older man on a golf cart offered to take me up to the next hanger 47 which housed a majority of the aircraft.  I figured I could walk, but I ended up giving in after this gentlemen insisted I ride on the golf cart.

This hanger housed many of the aircraft from other eras including helicopters of the Vietnam War and jets from the Korean War.  What was unusual is that it did have Russian and Vietnamese aircraft.  What was most intriguing was the “The Swamp Ghost,” a B-17E which crash landed in Papua New Guinea and was found decades later and moved to the museum.

Afterwards I figured I might just have enough time to visit the U.S.S. Missouri before lunch.  Google Maps seems to want me to drive back to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, however I found my own way there, bought my ticket and waited for the tour.  Our tour guide was a retired English teacher.  During the first stop she gave the usual specs of the ship; how the guns are fired, etc.  During the 2nd stop we found out about the surrender of the Japanese in Tokyo Harbor.  Flashbacks to high school with AP US History occurred when I realized this was THE SHIP which was the setting of the war’s end.  As the tour guide pointed out, you can see the beginning of the war from the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, and the end of the war from the U.S.S. Missouri.

During the 3rd stop we were told of the Kamikaze incident which caused virtually no  damage to the ship but left us with a reminder of valor and acts of love.  After a 19 year old pilot struck the ship and died on desk, the ship’s captain decided it was appropriate to give this Japanese pilot a proper burial at sea…after all…he did give his life for his country…something the sailors on the Missouri had committed to do as well..  The sailors of the ship took an old bedsheet and sewed a Japanese rising sun on it to make an appropriate flag for the burial.  It was very touching to hear of the dignity which the American sailors treated the body of this pilot who tried to inflict harm on them…something rare to find today.

I then went downstairs to the maze of rooms and exhibits.  I saw cafeterias, dentist examination rooms, legal offices, captain’s quarters, showers…and most intriguing of all, sleeping quarters.  The bunks were stacked in top of each other with very little room for movement….and very little privacy.  If someone was being loud in the area, you could hear it.  I’m certain I could not make it as a sailor on the Missouri.

It was getting late…around 2:30PM and I was getting hungry for lunch.  There was a souvenir stand on the North Shore I wanted to visit (about 30 minutes away) and I figured now was the best time to visit.  After taking the interstate and country roads, I found that this particular vendor was no longer there.  Disappointed I decided to go to the nearest pizza place Pizza Bob’s where I could engage my disappointment in a slide of sausage pizza.

Half of a pizza was somewhat expensive – $9.85 + $1.80 / topping.  I think my total came to about $12 and tip made it to be about $15.  Hawaii can be very expensive!  I asked the waiter if there was any good beaches nearby.  He said all the debris from Tropical Strom Darby had been stirred up making the ocean brown.  Sure enough I found my way to the beach and it was brown.  So no swimming for me today.  I walked along the shore and on some of the rocks dodging trash along the way.  Why do people leave so much trash on the beach?

I decided I should head back, but I’d probably want to get some gas first.  I managed to pull the large Dodge Caravan I was driving to the pumps.  Did I mention Hawaii has a parking problem…which makes larger cars an even more hassle?  Not that I’m complaining, but I am used to my Volkswagen Beetle.

I accidentally left my gas cap off which a nice teenager or 20something pointed out to me later on just a few blocks away.

I decided to head back to Hickam base.  After about 30 minutes of driving I made it back…this time to the commissary.  The Hickam Commissary has a Subway, Papa John’s, Popeye’s and Baskin Robbins, which comes in handy if you don’t want to leave the base. If there is any doubt, this base is huge.  It takes a good 15 minutes driving at 15 MPH to get out of it.  There is a beach on the base, but it was a bit far away and it was getting late, so I eventually found my way back to my hosts’ house, but not before calling them as all the houses look the same, and Google Maps doesn’t give accurate directions to their alley where they park their cars.

Tomorrow I have a full day ahead with a visit to Molokai.  It should be interesting seeing Kalaupapa, where those with Hansen’s disease were committed.

It was my second trip to Hawaii. I had been here 8 years ago. Filled with amazement I feel as though I had a fast tour and didn’t really get the full experience. It would probably take me a good 2 weeks to really experience the island.
I arrived at Nashville International Airport at around 4:30AM for my 6:30AM flight. Security was not a big concern as it seemed to flow quickly, but there was always potential for backup. There were alot of people at the airport at 5AM. Just think, while you were sleeping, hundreds of people are already up and going at Nashville International Airport.
My trip over here was broken up into 2 parts: A 4.5 hour flight from Nashville to Los Angeles followed by a 5.5 hour flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu. I had approximately 45 minutes in between the flights and there was potential I could be in another terminal for my arrival and departure flights. This would require me to use a shuttle bus or tunnel. But I was pleasantly surprised this was not the case as I arrived at terminal 4 and just had a few hundred feet to walk to my departure gate.
On my flight over to Hawaii, there were quite a few “old school” movies available including 1989’s “Batman,” “Beetlejuice,” and “Goonies,” along with a few new movies like “The Martian,” and “The Dark Knight.” I proceeded to watch “The Dark Knight” and found it to be quite a bit dark (hence the name). Beside me sat a middle aged couple on their first trip to Hawaii. I raised the shade during take off, but I thought I might be disturbing them, so closed it quickly when I saw them looking at the window. Then the thought occurred to me that they might like to see out and I had just kept them from seeing a nice view. I have a tendency to overthink things.
When you arrive at Honolulu, you see what amounts to the same decorations that you would see at the tiki room at Disneyworld…that is carved dark wood with colorful flowers accenting the decorations. I noticed an “Amnesty” bin for those bringing in fruit before going through agricultural customs. I really should have taken a photo of it, but alas I did not.
Rebecca and Brad met me in their Dodge Minivan curbside. Rebecca gave me a lei and made me feel very welcomed. Since I had only had pretzel for a good ten hours I was anxious for a meal. Our first stop was Boston’s Pizza which was in an old Pizza Hut building. I ordered a slide of pepperoni and sausage which amounting to a quarter of an extra large pizza – very filling. We opted for water which allowed us to have unlimited refills of the glass water dispenser.
Next we went onto the Hickam Military Base. We stopped at the grocery store and Wal-mart clone. The food store has somewhat discounted food compared to the high prices of Hawaiian groceries. Due to abuses of non military people going into the grocery store and reselling the food, only those with military IDs are allowed to go in. Brad and I went into the Wal-mart clone searching for a GoPro tripod adaptor which I thought I had forgotten (as it turns out it was in my backpack all along).
The Rudders live on Hickam Joint Military base. All the houses look the same. They have been told that this house had been occupied by the base dentist during the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack. Due to lack of doctors on that day, the dentist himself became a doctor, having had the medical training while studying to be a dentist.
We napped before commencing with a light snack and conversation before calling it a night. My hosts have a sick dog which they are very concerned about. They were trying different medication to try to get him back to normal.
I awoke early due to jet lag. After a light breakfast of juice and mini muffins we made it to church at around 8:45AM. I met the preacher and was given a shell lei. Pearl Harbor Church of Christ really made me feel at home. It is very laid back church with some members wearing t-shirts and shorts. I had on jeans and a Hawaiian shirt and did not feel the least bit out of place.
As it turns out the preacher was a missionary in Albania, which I would eventually like to go. I wish I could have spoken more to him, but there wasn’t enough time before Bible class.
In Bible class we watched a video about Baal. The most impactful aspect of the video was how the Israelites sacrificed their children to the Baal idol. The narrator asked some important questions like “Does Hollywood have too much influence on our society?” “Does New York as a financial center have too much control on our society?” He also connected abortion which in ways is a decision made for financial considerations (“I don’t have enough money to care for the child”) to a comparison to sacrificing a child to the Financial Baal idol. In my own head I supposed that even those who put their child’s sports activities ahead of God are in a way sacrificing their children to Baal in a spiritual sense.
Before worship they announce the visitors and ask them to stand. Then there is somewhat a meet and greet. Being an introvert I would be somewhat apprehensive at home doing this, but at Pearl Harbor Church of Christ, I am always interested in meeting new people, finding out why they are in Hawaii. This time I met an American couple who had just moved from Perth Australia after 8 years. The wife was from South Green Street Church of Christ in Glasgow and we had many of the same mutual friends. What a small world.
Tropical Storm Darby hit the Big Island on Saturday and was due into Oahu on Sunday. So I decided after church to visit some indoor museums. I stopped by the Bishop Museum which tells the early history of Hawaii and the Polynesian Islands. Very informative. I was again confronted with the history of human sacrifice…that is how 1000 prisoners of war were sacrificed by early Hawaiians before a campaign of war. Humans can be very cruel.
Afterwards I drove to the Punch Bowl which is a military cemetery in a dormant volcano. Very peaceful. At the top of the stairway leading to a female statue reads “The Solemn Price That Must be Yours to Have Laid So Costly a Sacrifice Upon the Altar of Freedom.” How appropriate knowing the lives which were lost in those laid to rest in this cemetery. As I drove down the volcano I stopped to take photos of downtown Honolulu which had become overcast with the clouds of Tropical Storm Darby.
Since I did not have a pass to get back into Hickam, we had agreed to meet at church for the evening service. On the way to church in the morning I was intrigued about an abandoned BMW left on the base. It had been there so long the tires, BMW logo, and headlights had been taken. The city of Honolulu wouldn’t tow the car since it was on Hickam property. The military didn’t seem to care and it seemed to be a lot of military red tape to get it towed. So I stopped to take some photos of it.
I arrived early at Pearl Harbor Church of Christ and was greeted by the deacon in charge of youth ministry who invited me to share in extra pizza after a youth event. They had stayed around the church building watching some religious themed movies. They had planned on going out to play glow in the dark golf at a local mall, but Tropical Storm Darby had made them change their plans. While eating pizza I had a nice conversation with a native Hawaiian lady who originally grew up on Kauai. She told me some good things about the island and where to stop and eat.
It was a singing service for PM services. Men were encouraged to lead their favorite song. I almost lead a song, but was somewhat apprehensive about it as I was a visitor.
Tropical Storm Darby did not dump much rain on Oahu until the evening when a flash flood warning was issued. As we drove back to base Brad mentioned that these streets were not made for so much rain. Back safe and sound to base I proceeded to watch the first episode of “Making a Murderer” on Netflix before retiring to bed at around 9PM.
I’ll have a day of touring Oahu today with a borrowed Dodge Minivan. Driving in Oahu can be rough, but I am up for it.

The last time I visited Hawaii…my first time…was in October of 2008.  I fell in love with the islands, its people, and natural beauty.  I found myself intrigued by the demographics of the island.  There were the native people, tourists, military, and retirees.  There were surfers who would work nights as waiters at restaurants and then surf during the day.  The interisland airlines had special handling for surfboards.

Homeless people lived on the beach.  There was talk about giving the homeless people a one way ticket back to the mainland, but somehow I believe that never materialized.  A friend told me about a fellow soldier who lived on the beach.  There were showers available on the beach which is where is cleaned up.  He must have saved alot of money that way.

And now I’m going back.  I’ll see some things I’ve never experienced before, like a mule ride down Molokai to a former leprosy colony.  I’m also booked to go on a volcano tour on the Big Island.

I don’t really consider myself a beach person, although I see myself going to the beach for at least a few hours during my stay.  I’m more of a historical type person hence the trip to the leprosy colony.

I hope to take lots of photographs while there.  Looking back on my 2008 trip, I find my trip terribly lacking.  Perhaps I was just learning how to take photographs.  I plan on taking many more while there.

It will be a true blessing to worship at Pearl Harbor Church of Christ.  There you find all sorts of people, just like the demographics of the island.  I remember being in a young professionals Bible class and thinking these fellow Christians are all in some sort of transit in their lives and we’ve all met at this church at this particular time.  We had one thing in common…that is we believed in the one true God which brought us all together.  It was amazing to see God’s handywork while worshipping with fellow Christians from all over the globe.

From reading the web, I found several things that you should not say to a Hawaiian resident.  Something to say “You must love living in paradise!”  Hawaii has its own set of problems of theft, drugs, violent crime, etc…just like the rest of the country, so please don’t call it paradise.

And yet it’s difficult not to call it paradise when you see the beauty of the islands.

I’m looking forward to my trip in 1 week and will try to post more once I arrive.

It was Sunday afternoon and my sister and her husband and kids had left to go to the pool and I was alone.  After having taken a nap, I decided it was time to actually get out and do something….and bike riding was on the agenda. After all, I had lugged by bike all the way to Fall Creek Falls on the back of my Beetle.  Now it was the time to actually use it.

I set off to view the main water fall in the park – Fall Creek Falls – the park’s namesake.  Normally I would go with a group, but I have since found the scheduling with people can be difficult, as most of these rides are done on the fly.  Plus the folks I want to ride with were in a completely different camping area.

Riding went surprisingly easy.  Just a couple of weeks before I had spent 10 days in Europe and had walked alot.  I guess I was in good shape, albeit the muscles used in walking vs. bike riding are likely slightly different.

After cycling down the hill toward the lake and then up the bike trail to the overlook, I got to the viewing area of the falls.  I took a few photos with my camera phone.  I had decided to forego taking my large Nikon as I thought it would weigh me down. I really only took my phone in case I got stranded.

After viewing the Fall Creek Falls, I figured it would be good to ride up to Buzzard’s Roost, a picturesque area just up the hill in a one way scenic drive.  I had been introduced to Buzzard’s Roost about 25 years ago when I volunteered at my church’s summer camp which happened to take place at Fall Creek Falls.  Our youth minister at the time took a small group of kids up there.  And after that I could understand why he seemed to be very wary about having kids out on the ledge.  Past the viewing area there was no guardrail.  No chain link fence.  Just a ledge much like a Wile-E-Coyote vs. Road Runner cartoon.  “Kids, stay away from the ledge,” he would say.  We didn’t stay long.  Certainly not long enough for a devotional where kids could get restless and wander off.

Since then I had visited the site quite a few times.  Sometimes with friends from Lipscomb right before we were required to leave the dorms for the summer break.  Much of the time it was during this time with our annual Memorial Day church camping trip.

As I stood on the ledge I saw a buzzard gliding above, barely flapping it’s wings.  It must have been looking for food.  It was incredibly peaceful there.  I was away from the viewing platform and hidden from view due to brush.  I was the only one out on the ledge.  No one had bothered walking down the steps to the ledge to get a closer look.  I was content and at peace.

After several minutes at the Buzzard’s Roost I figured it was time to get back in time for supper.  I figured the one lane scenic drive curved around and eventually made it back to the main entrance.  I consulted Google Maps just in case.  Thankfully as of about 2 years ago they had built a cell phone tower at Fall Creek Falls which helps in situations like these.  It was inevitable anyways, no matter how much people like to disconnect on their camping vacation.  Data availability is always appreciated, and eventually you tend to forget that it was unavailable just a few years ago.

After several minutes of riding I eventually made it back to the campsite and had plenty of time before dinner was served.

It was a pleasant weekend with great weather and loads of memories.  I hope I’ll continue to be in shape for next years’ bike ride.  Maybe I’ll even find some friends to go with.

I saw this sticker on a pipe in Tallinn, Estonia. I think it reflects my philosophy over the past several weeks planning for and during this trip to the Baltic states.

“Safe mode” is a term used in computer operating systems.  Computers that boot into safe mode have limited application functionality.  It is used primarily to diagnose problems, but is not intended to be the primary boot mode.

Too many people are living their lives in safe mode.  Just like computers have limited functionality in safe mode, people living their lives in safe mode aren’t living their lives to the fullest.

There are people who go to Disneyworld every year because they have always lived that way.  They never get out of their safe zone.  My cousin, who goes to Disneyworld annually on vacation, made mention to me that I must be very brave to go to such unusual countries like I did on this last trip. I kinda downplayed my trip in our conversation saying these countries, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania are civilized and are part of the EU.  They are most definitely not 3rd world.

Why did I pick the Baltic States?  It was a cheap plane ticket.  It was a desire to see places many Americans had not seen.  It was chance to get off the beaten path.  Most of all it was to challenge myself to see if I really could navigate a foreign country where English is not always spoken.

In some ways I feel ever so often I leave safe mode and enter into a challenge.  I’ll sum it up in this quote from Gravity.

Listen, do you wanna go back, or do you wanna stay here? I get it. It’s nice up here. You can just shut down all the systems, turn out all the lights, and just close your eyes and tune out everyone. There’s nobody up here that can hurt you. It’s safe. I mean, what’s the point of going on? What’s the point of living? Your kid died. Doesn’t get any rougher than that. But still, it’s a matter of what you do now. If you decide to go, then you gotta just get on with it. Sit back, enjoy the ride. You gotta plant both your feet on the ground and start livin’ life. Hey, Ryan? It’s time to go home.

Why do I travel?  I want to see the world.  I want to experience new things.  But I think it’s important that I challenge myself ever so often in order to fulfill dreams.

ince I had already seen the majority of Riga yesterday today was a time to finish up what I missed yesterday. Yes you can see Riga in one day without going to all the museums and just hitting up the churches. But today was more of a rest day. I needed some down time as the next couple of days was going to be very busy. I’ll be changing hotels almost each night.
So I woke up at around 7 a.m. and laid in bed until about 8 a.m. when it was time to go downstairs and have breakfast. I made my usual toast and jelly and had a ham and cheese sandwich as well.
I then decided it would be a good time to visit the Academy of Sciences a 15-story building built during the Soviet era. It is nicknamed Stalin’s Birthday Cake. The best part is you can go to the top of the building without paying a fee. I saw a group of three ladies coming down from the stairway. And then whenever I enter the viewing area there was only one other person up there who was a worker maintaining the walls of the building. I took several pictures and made some videos. By the time I was done another group of people came up. They asked me to take their picture which I did and then I got them to take my picture. As it turns out they were from Innsbruck, Austria. We chatted a little bit and then I was on my way.
I decided it would be good timing to go to the Riga Central Market as I had to walk past it in order to get to the Academy of Sciences. So I started on my way. I spotted a church nearby and decided I would like to investigate it. It was not one of those big tourist type churches rather it was just a small Orthodox Church. As I entered there was a man who asked me to take my hands out of my pockets. Normally I keep them in there as a matter of protecting my wallet and cell phone. I keep my wallet and cell phone in my front pocket to deter pickpocketers. In Orthodox Christianity it is considered rude to have your hands in your pocket as you enter in a church. Somehow I can see their point and in some ways I feel like that Christians have become two lakhs and not showing respect when entering the house of worship. Now in the 2010s it is not all that unusual to see someone drinking coffee during worship. This is something that you would never have seen in the 1980s. It just seems like we’re just becoming too casual and worship and need to show our Lord respect. So I get the Orthodox way of thinking.
Since I had already experienced a Orthodox worship service before I was kind of familiar with the chanting and decided it was time to move on to other things period plus having my hands outside of my pocket made me a bit uneasy because I’m always afraid of pickpocketers.
The next place I was to visit was familiar with pickpocketing. It was the Riga Central Market. All the forums that I had looked at said that pickpocketing could be experienced here. I kept aware of my surroundings and I was pleasantly surprised that after my experience at the Central Market I was not pickpocketed.
The Riga Central Market is somewhat like a farmers market where you can find all manner of Goods inside of the old Zeppelin hangers from World War I In the area where they sold fish is all very fresh fish as in you could still see the fish flopping around in the display case.
I did see suitcases there which I could have used to come back home as the wheels on my suitcases were in bad shape. But I wasn’t sure of the quality of these suitcases so I decided to pass.
I got back to my room and decided now would be a good time to try and figure out where the bus stop was to catch my bus to the airport tomorrow morning. The bus ride is a good 30 minutes so I want to make sure that I get to the airport in time to go through security and make my flight. Luckily my hotel is located just a few hundred feet from the bus stop so it should be no problem tomorrow morning. The hotel staff recommended that I buy a ticket from a convenience store beforehand as I will save a little bit of money and we’ll have the hassle of trying to buy it from the driver.
I came back to my hotel room and lay down a bit before going out again. My next objective was to find the 1991 Revolution Museum. But first I decided I needed to get something to eat. A check to Google for burger restaurants. I decided on Corner Burgers which had good reviews. It was a 6-minute walk away. I found it with no real problems. I ordered a cheeseburger fries and Sprite. Of course the Sprite was in a glass bottle and it’s never enough for me especially whenever I’m eating salty fries and a burger. I was the only one in the restaurant and the staff was friendly and took my order. The burger came with a lot of vegetables on it which I promptly removed. I’m not sure if I should try to explain to a restaurant staff that I don’t eat vegetables or if it’s just good to take off the vegetables that I won’t eat whenever the food comes. Usually I choose the latter. The food was good but as One reviewer has pointed out before the cheese was liquidy. It’s almost as if they use that jalapeno cheese you get with corn chips at Mexican restaurants. But it was good nonetheless. Afterwards I decided to try and find the 1991 Revolution exhibit. I had a little bit of difficulty finding it but eventually I located it. It’s in a nondescript part of town almost hidden behind some alley.
The exhibit itself is free and has some great Soviet artifacts from the 1990s.
I was somewhat familiar with the Revolutions in the baltics. I can remember Lithuania declaring their independence and the Soviets closing the border with Poland. I had always seen Lithuania is kind of the one that leads the rest of the Baltic States. I wasn’t sure how Latvia fell into this but the museum opened up my understanding of it. As it turns out a big part of the Revolution was The barricades. That is the opposition students around important Latvia areas including the television tower and other media Outlets so as to not let the Soviets seize them.
Afterwards I shopped around for souvenirs. When I am traveling abroad always like to get a shirt a patch and the flag from the country I visit. It’s always difficult to find a shirt which I like and that will not have damage after washing period too many times these tourist shops sell low quality shirts whose lettering rubs off during washing. I am willing to pay a little bit more in order to get a decent shirt.
Next I literally stumbled upon the Popular Front Museum. I don’t think it’s mentioned in the guidebooks that I have but it was well worth the free admission fee in order to see more history about the 1991 Revolution.
After doing a bit of more souvenir shopping I went to the main Square wear a bright orange Volkswagen minibus was parked. Apparently it was a promotion by Banana Car is a ride sharing service in the Baltics. The young photographer was taking pictures of young ladies who had volunteered to have their picture made. An older woman who did not speak English very well tried to explain to me how the photos were to appear on the company’s website. I kept hanging around to see if I might be chosen to have my photo made but I really think that he was just doing it for young ladies as the subjects. I made several pictures of the Volkswagen minibus as I found it so unusual for iconic car to be parked so near a historic site.
At some point during the day a young man asked me for money.
At some point during the day a young man asked me for money. Normally I would be sympathetic to him but he had already asked me yesterday and I had given him 1 euro. I could see where this was going and I had told him that he asked me already. He tried to come back with oh I did not ask you already wishing that since I told him “bye bye” to signify that he needed to leave. Normally I’m not too blunt with people but in this case I saw what this kid was trying to do that is live off of the generosity of others rather than actually trying to get a job that I was kind of perturbed at him. Plus it is kind of unusual to be asked by the same person two days in a row for money. There are plenty of other visitors to Riga and I am very surprised that he asked me twice.
I managed to get a flag a hockey jersey and a patch among other things. I came back to the room to rest and check social media. I decided to go out to eat again and chose Pizza Hut. On Tuesday they had a buy-one-get-one-free special but unfortunately that special was only available on Tuesdays. So I got a personal pan pizza with garlic bread and a 7-Up. They brought the garlic bread with either a garnish or Salad I wasn’t sure. The bread was kind of small and I am disappointed I paid 2 Euro for it. The pizza was good. It was American Style with fluffy bread and plenty of tomato sauce something you cannot get on normal European pizzas. Normally European pizzas are flat with very little tomato sauce period mostly it’s just cheese and bread and not very filling.
I’ve got a big day tomorrow as I will be getting up early and catching the 9:40 a.m. flight to Helsinki. I’ll visit Helsinki the rest of the day and part of the next day before heading to Tallinn via Ferry.
Looking back on today I think I could have gone to another area of Latvia nearby but sometimes you just have to have a slow day in order to rest and recuperate before heading off to another destination. If I ever come back to the Baltics I’ll be sure to visit any other places that I might have missed. The baltics have been very good to me and it wouldn’t be a bad place to revisit some time in the distant future.

Today was my first full day in Riga. It was much less stressful than my trip yesterday through Siaulai. So I could just sit back and relax.

I woke up at around 7 a.m., got ready and was at the hotel’s free breakfast by 7:30. Breakfast consisted of luncheon meats, cheese, toast, among other things. I managed to get myself toast and croissants and made myself a ham and cheese sandwich. I noticed they had a bin marked sausages but whenever I opened it up they were actually hot dogs. They had plenty of orange juice and apple juice but the cops were a bit too small requiring me to make multiple trips to the drink station. Do they seem to be a bit watered down there for after a couple of glasses I opted for apple juice. I’m beginning to rediscover apple juice on this trip and maybe some once I get back home.

I wanted to be sure to visit the Occupation Museum of Latvia as I am interested in World War II and Cold War history. It opened at 11 a.m. therefore I felt I needed to try and find other attractions in the area to waste my time  until opening time.

I stopped by the Freedom Monument which is a very tall statue holding three stars in a Central Square dividing the old town from the rest of Riga.

I then went to the Orthodox Cathedral. I took several pictures of the outside even somewhat the domes with the blooming trees outside. As I entered inside I saw the again they were no pews to sit on, a common practice among Orthodox churches. I had since been told that Orthodox worshippers do not sit down when a worship service is being conducted. I guess it makes for a shorter sermon.

I entered and saw that there birth signs stating no photography inside. This is always a little disappointing but I decided to put down my camera and just take a moment to experience everything without feeling the need to take a photo of everything I see. Within the church there was light up Vegas Style words in Cyrillic. The other icons and usual orthodox emblems. As I was walking around suddenly three priests emerged from a hidden door chanting and holding emblems of worship. Gathered nearby for families with small children. After a chant the parents brought up their children for some sort of ritual which involved feeding the children something that the priest had. I wasn’t sure if it was the first communion or something else. I will have to do some research about this. I know later on the children were given spoonfuls of water from a church worker but I wasn’t sure exactly what the ritual meant.

What I was thinking about when this was going on is whether or not Christian worship services in America among Protestants have become too casual. It’s almost as if you’re having a conversation with someone at a coffee shop rather than worshiping God these days. And I wonder how the early Christians worshiped. Was there a lot of Pomp and Circumstance? Or was it more along the lines of a casual Church camp worship service? The truth is I really don’t know. And I really wonder if I am on the right side of things with the worship of my local congregation being relatively casual compared to a Catholic or Orthodox worship service. I know that we all have idiosyncrasies which make worship too much in one direction. We all have our hinderanvrs through church tradition that hinders our ways of worshipping God.

The priests begin to speak and some sort of chant or something and I decided it was time for me to leave. Next step was to try and find the Museum of Occupation. I got turned around on Google Maps and got a little bit lost trying to find this place. That’s one thing about not being able to have cell phone service in other countries. You kind of rely on Wi-Fi networks and GPS in order to get to where you’re going.

I finally did make it to the occupation Museum but showed up an hour early. They stated that the museum was not to open until 11 a.m. by coincidence a young man appeared and invited me to Salvador Dali exhibit. Now mind you I know very little about art itself. I did take art appreciation and college and am familiar with Salvador Dali. I do recall one time I did get a Salvador Dali calendar for Christmas. Even though the exhibit was 9 Euro I figured it was a good opportunity to waste some time and provide the exhibitors some funding to carry on exhibits like these. The exhibit involved drawings which Salvador Dali had made in reference to The Divine Comedy. I hadn’t read The Divine Comedy so I was a little bit unfamiliar with the subject. It was mostly just drawings, no oil paintings. After going through the first exhibit I sat down and chatted with the young man who invited me to the exhibit. He was from the country of Georgia but had lived in France and had moved to Latvia just two years ago. I asked if he knew Latvia and he said that he knew a little enough to get by. The other language which he used was Russian which seems to be a good second language within Riga to use as there are many Russian speakers. I was really interested in hearing more about Georgia as I would like to go there further down the road many years from now. I feel as though I need to be a seasoned traveler in order to experience what I believe is a rustic country like Georgia. He spoke of corruption and other things going on in Georgia but said that it should be safe for tourists to visit.

Right before it was time for me to enter it into the second exhibit I noticed they were playing a documentary about Salvador Dali on a big screen TV on the wall. What I found from that documentary is that Salvador was just as weird in person as what his paintings are.
I entered into the second exhibit. I was under the impression that these drawings have been done by Salvador Dali but later on I found that they were done by a secondary artist. It was the artist’s interpretation of the Book of Revelation. In literal interpretation of the Beast and angels mentioned in Revelation.
I got to be about 10:45 and I decided to check and see if the museum had become open. Sure enough it was open and I went through the exhibits reading the English subtitles. While I was there a small group of school children came in. This intrigued me because I’m always glad to see children learning about their country’s history. These children were probably around fifth or sixth grade and each had a piece of paper to answer questions pertaining to the tour. The tour guide had the children sit on the floor and I could tell he was trying to talk to them on a child’s level to a better explain the history of Latvia.

As I was just finishing up I was walking out and noticed an English tour going on. I figured I could better get more out of this English tour rather than sit and read all of the museum exhibits. The tour guide, a young lady, was easy to understand and presented a very little accent when speaking in English. I wanted to ask her if she had studied long-term in America.

As she went over each of the exhibits I found that the Soviet Union actually invaded Latvia and assuming the other Baltics states before World War II. Then when the Germans invaded Latvia they were welcomed in with the latvians thinking they would grant independence to Latvia. But obviously this was not the case and Latvia along with the other Baltics states were incorporated into Germany. The Red Army invaded once again and Latvia was placed under the rule of the Soviets until 1991.

The exhibit went into the history of occupied Latvia including those who opposed the Soviets and plotted against them. Many were sent to Siberia for hard labor. This was the theme to The Museum of Lithuania which I visited a couple of days ago.

As it turns out the tour group which I was with was actually a German School group of either high school or college students. Since German is not spoken as much in Latvia this German class opted instead for the English tour which I was happy for. The group did ask some intelligent questions after the tour and I even asked if many of the native Latvians have returned since the country gained independence.

Afterwards it was time for me to find someplace to eat. I had had pizza the night before at Pizza Hut there for pizza was out so I decided to opt for a hamburger. I went to one burger place suggested by TripAdvisor but they were closed. As I tried to find another hamburger restaurant I passed by a TGI Fridays and ended up eating there. I know many of my friends kid me about only eating at American style places when traveling abroad. For me it’s a sense of security: I know exactly what I’m going to get.

The waitress took my order which was an American cheeseburger with bacon. The waitress offered me onion rings which I thought was in lieu of the fries. However when she brought me the order she actually had both fries and onion rings.

I ate and use the restaurant’s Wi-Fi to chat with my girlfriend who had just woken up. The burger contained onions which I was unable to remove completely because they were chopped up into little pieces. But I was able to get most of the burger eating along with most of the fries and onion rings. When I tried to pay my bill with a credit card it seemed to reject it and I ended up paying by cash. I asked the waitress if my credit card has been rejected and she said that it was actually their credit card sales provider which was having trouble. This proved true whenever I use my credit card later on in the day and it was accepted.

I went onto see other churches and other exhibits too lengthy to describe exactly. When I see a church I just went into it. Some of the churches required an admission charge. I think these particular churches may have been taken over by the government and we’re no longer houses of worship period One church in particular serves mostly as an art exhibit rather than a house of worship. And this was some weird art. When was putting stuffed animals on to a lamp stand and calling it art.

This is what happens whenever you remove God from society. Just like these church this had been turned into God bless art exhibits we can turn our own lives into meaningless rituals.

At this particular church you can take an elevator to the top of the tower. In this particular elevator it was me a girl and two apparently gay guys who were riding to the top of the tower. One of the gay guys was apparently very scared of heights and was being very flamboyant about it. We got to the top and I soon discovered that my jacket would come in handy since the wind at the top of the cathedral was cooling things down quite a bit. Coming back down the elevator one of the gay guys mentioned that he would not be going to the top of the TV tower After experiencing this particular Tower. The TV tower is much much higher than this church tower and everyone had a good laugh over it because he will have been so adamant about being scared of going up that high.
Afterwards I went to the Mentzendorff house which is a 17th century Merchant House with authentic Furniture of the era inside of it. I tried to pay the 5.45 Euro entrance fee in cash but realized I did not have enough change to pay. Therefore I pay via credit card. This exhibit charged me extra to be able to take photographs. I found this practice to be absurd. Regardless of where you are unless photos are prohibited you should not have to pay extra in order to make pictures.
The exhibit itself was ho-hum and included contemporary art exhibits within the 17th century exhibit. I found Contemporary Art Within this historic exhibit to be way out of place and felt the Contemporary Art belong in Contemporary Art Museum. In the Attic portion there was a whole exhibit dedicated to tulips.
Afterwards I decided it was time to try and find the three brothers which are three old houses. I wandered around using Google Maps for a while and discovered the Riga Castle which Wilson or already does serve as the presidential residence of the president of Latvia. I found the Three Brothers houses took some photos and did a video while a Chinese tour group stood nearby. As I was finding my way back to my hotel room I came across a free Musuem on War artifacts. I’m always interested in war artifacts in the fact that it was free made it even more appealing. So I went up and went through all four floors of the exhibits. At the end there was even a display of American uniforms with an American flag above it among several other countries as well.
I came back to my hotel room to rest before trying to get supper.
After resting I decided to walk to a prominent Riga landmark that is the Academy of Sciences also known as Stalin’s Birthday Cake. It was one of three guys first skyscrapers built during the Soviet occupation. It’s pretty prominent along the skyline but is on the other side away from the old town. I had to walk through the Open Air Market Place whose vendors were packing up as it was the end of the day. It was mostly a fruit market from what I could tell. I saw a cat eating cat food out of the bag apparently provided by one of the vendors. I tried to make friends with it but it had a tendency to run away. One of the other vendors was trying to get the cat’s attention in a friendly sort of way. I figured maybe several different vendors had taken up with the cat and was providing it with food. The cat never let me pet it and had a tendency to meow at me in a weird sort of way.
I made it to the Academy of Sciences to take some photos and videos of the sun hitting it just right at sunset.
I walked back to the old town hoping to find the big and little Guild buildings along with the cat house building. The cat house building took me a little bit more time to try and find as it is not as prominent as one would think. So the legend goes is that one prominent guildsman was not allowed into the Riga guilds and instead put a cat whose bottom was facing City Hall as a form of protest. This cat statue has become somewhat of an emblem in Riga and you can see it on t-shirts.
not really wanting a big meal after I had had TGI Fridays for lunch I decided upon Subway. at the subway I chatted with the attendant about sports and if he could recommend a store that would sell Latvia had the Subway I chatted with the attendant about sports and if he could recommend a store that would sell Latvian hockey shirts. There was a Latvian hockey shirt prominent Lee displayed underneath the TV and I wanted to know where I can find one. He told me a particular store which I could only half understand what he was saying. It had “de Riga” in the title.
I went to a local mall nearby hotel to search for said sports store to where I could buy a Latvian hockey shirt. However I was unable to find one. But I did see a nice golf shirt with Latvia on it which I may buy.
Tomorrow will be another day and Riga. I will finish up probably take some more photographs and shop for souvenirs. I also plan on going to the top of the Academy of Sciences also known as Stalin’s Birthday Cake to get some good views of the city.