Transfer, transfer, was will man Meer

We're doing great on time today. The suitcases are packed and in the car, and we still have half an hour until departure - that rarely happens. Usually, we're just about finished at the last minute. So we can enjoy the view from our balcony one last time.

Today we're going to Big Island, or as it's officially called, Island of Hawaii. I affectionately call it Big I, it's not as long and I think it's a nice nickname.

Big I is the largest island in Hawaii and the only one that is still growing, thanks to its 5 volcanoes.

Big I has 180,000 inhabitants and is the island where Captain Cook met his untimely end. But I'll get into that another day.

The online check-in didn't work again. I think it has only worked once throughout the entire trip. So we're left with the counter again, which means Schahaatz and I will be flying separately this time.

Unfortunately, there are no direct flights from Kauai to Big I, so it's a 45-minute flight and a short layover in Honolulu. We only have 15 minutes from landing to boarding end. And as it always happens, we waste 5 minutes because the snorkel is not ready yet and another 5 minutes because everyone has to leave the plane in an orderly manner, row by row. And the clock is ticking. Thankfully, we only have to walk through 3 gates in a brisk pace. And because we're in such good shape, we even made it without panting. I'm sitting on the plane, let's see if Schahaatz and our luggage make it too. Just kidding - Schahaatz is already in his seat, I'm just not sure about the luggage.

The flight to Big I takes 55 minutes.

Facts

Do you know why Hawaii belongs to America?

The Polynesian indigenous people have been living on Hawaii for centuries when the first white missionaries arrived in 1821. They were soon followed by businessmen.

The indigenous population had no concept of ownership. Everything belonged to everyone. However, the Western men needed land to grow pineapples, sugar cane, and sandalwood. They convinced the Hawaiians to transfer the land to them. The Hawaiians did not understand that they were truly giving away the land.

An economic boom attracted more and more immigrants from the US mainland - until they gained the upper hand and wanted to rule themselves. With a bloodless coup, the sugar barons took over control in 1887. They favored annexation to the USA. The Hawaiian king, Kalakaua, was reduced to a figurehead and, for health reasons, handed over the throne to his sister, Liliuokalani. She didn't want to just be a representative, but to restore the old order. The white landowners resorted to a ruse and claimed that the US population in Hawaii was threatened.

The US ambassador in Honolulu promptly sent a few Marines to protect American citizens in Hawaii. Queen Liliuokalani was given a choice: 'Either you give up your throne now or we kill your people.' She gave in.

After her resignation, the monarchy was abolished in 1893. The son of a missionary, Sanford Dole, cousin of the pineapple magnate of the same name, became the head of the self-proclaimed provisional government. The following year, he declared the Republic of Hawaii and became its first president.

Four years later, it happened: just before the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, the USA finally annexed the Pacific archipelago due to its strategic location. On August 12, 1898, the Hawaiian flag was lowered and the stars and stripes were hoisted.

On August 21, 1959, Hawaii was declared the 50th (equal) state of the USA. It took another 40 years for the politicians in Washington to apologize for the international law violation of the annexation.

(Source: a report by WDR 2018)

At exactly 3:15 p.m., the pilot touches down on the runway in Hilo.

I had a feeling and sure enough, our suitcases didn't make it in the 15-minute layover and arrived with the next plane at 5:30 p.m. We spent the waiting time wisely by shopping, because we have to take care of ourselves for the next few days. Our new accommodation is said to have neither a supermarket nor restaurants. Renting the car is really quick this time, we had the key in less than 15 minutes, and as always, we meticulously inspect the car for scratches, dents, or any other damage. After another 20 minutes, we drive off the lot with our KIA 4x4 towards shopping.

Schahaatz really wants to go to Walmart, even though the store here in Hawaii is really bad. You can buy basics like water, noodles, and ketchup here, but for the rest (sausage, cheese, yogurt, butter, fruit, vegetables, etc.), we go to Safeway (not cheaper but better quality). At 7:15 p.m., we finally complete our luggage with our suitcases. Only 1 hour and 15 minutes separate us from our new accommodation, the Sea Mountain in Punaluu. We landed in the afternoon with beautiful sunshine, and now in the pitch dark, we have to navigate to the accommodation. Something's not right here. The only advantage is that the road is empty.

The apartment is nice,

it would be even nicer with air conditioning, the two ceiling fans are stylish, but they swirl more than they cool. The only advantage is that it forces us to acclimate.

Quickly have a can of Budweiser and off to bed...