Wanderlush: Day 3: Hilo Farmers' Market & Waipi'o Valley

Do you know what a Loco Moco is? It is a very tasty stepping stone en route to a heart attack. I suggest you catch a plane to Hawaii and get one. A Loco Moco that is, not a heart attack. The one I got at Café 100 in Hilo town had a grilled mahi mahi steak on a bed of rice, topped with two eggs, gravy and Portuguese sausage. In other words, a perfect vacation breakfast. I’m glad I don’t have regular access to these things in Seattle. I’d be in a lot of trouble.

Through lucky happenstance, that day (Wednesday) was one of two days a week when the local farmers’/handicrafts market puts up. Through another, quirkier happenstance, I also became briefly employed at said farmers’ market – for about 5 minutes. Quite unintentionally of course. So there I was checking out the assortment of tropical fruit at a stand, when the fruit lady disappears behind some boxes and starts rummaging, while still talking to me. I hear “You.. you helping me move boxes.” To which I can only muster a confused “I am??” Apparently, standing around a Hilo fruit stand while feeling up bizarre looking fruit constitutes recruitment. I was a little more surprised by my compliance than her insistence, and I soon found myself hauling a couple of (rather heavy) boxes of papayas to the side of the footpath. My reward, and or payment was a ‘good deal’ – a free helping of longan in addition to the rambutan I was already buying. [These are actual names for fruit. I am not making them up. Take note of the photographic evidence.] I was absolutely delighted by the rambutan – such hilarious looking fruit. Didn’t know whether to eat them or put them under spot lights and sell tickets. Both were similar to lychees really, not bad. Oh, and I’d remiss if I didn’t mention the sublime coconut pudding we picked up. Cold, sweet and coconutty to the extreme. Spectacular.

[Just realized that a lot of my ‘adventuring’ centres quite squarely around food. Not that there’s anything wrong with it!]

Alright. It’s now time to introduce The Road. (That’s what I call it, local’s call it Waipi’o Valley Road). If you get off the North Westerly tip of Highway 19 onto State Road 240, you’ll get to it in a few miles. This almost mile-long road is a 25% grade. 25%. If you’re the kind that doesn’t understand the relevance of that number, let me use some meaningful words instead. It’s like totally, majorly, bodaciously steep. You can 4WD it or walk it. Of course, we walked it. Walking down – not very good for your knees. Walking up – not very good, period. But what that road leads to makes it all worth it. Running out of time here, so I’ll use more pictures than words.

View from the lookout at the top of the road