21. Tag - day 21 (for english scroll down)

I'm slowly losing track of time and especially how long I'm allowed to wander around. But no worries, Zoe quickly brings me back down to earth and can tell me down to the minute how long it will last. A (her?) friend (we don't know for sure yet) is coming to Maui on the exact day I leave. They've set up a countdown timer to see how long it will take for them to meet and spend a month together on the island.... Or in other words: Elena B.'s silent suffering 😉

So today we packed up and moved out of Villa Kunterbunt. Our journey took us to the east of Big Island, specifically to Hilo Airport where we had booked a helicopter flight. A little preview of tomorrow by flying over the volcanoes. It was really great. You see soooo much from above and get a perfect overview of the size, extent, and the bubbling magma!

The Kilauea volcano is no longer erupting, but it's still bubbling, which suited us just fine. It's so impressive to see these natural forces that have shaped our planet from the very beginning and how stronger powers take control. I felt incredibly grounded, which couldn't be said of Zoe. She had about 10 shades of green on her face and several loops in her stomach . Back on the ground, we continued to our accommodation at Volcano Forest Inn, the sister house of the previous Villa Kunterbunt... That seems to be the trend here. They say that it rains about 360 days a year in this area, but Kuoni hasn't received that message yet. I can confirm that we're not in the 5 rain-free days. Apart from the humidity, it's freezing cold (sorry)!!! We had to dig out the New York gear that we had packed at the bottom of our suitcase - jacket, cap, scarf, the whole shebang. The rainforest village, Volcano Village, has an organic store, a café, and about 10 art centers. We noticed this earlier - there are more art shops here in Hawaii than bars in Italy! Honestly - it's madness - who on earth buys so many paintings?!?! In the evening, we drove to the nearby Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and had dinner at the Volcano House Hotel Restaurant overlooking the crater - the combination of the darkness of the night and the red of the lava was unforgettable.

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I'm starting to lose track of time and how much longer I can hang around. But don't worry, Zoe brings me back down to reality quickly and can tell me down to the minute exactly how much longer I can stay. A (her?) friend (we don't have the details yet) is coming to Maui, exactly on the day I'm leaving. They have set up a countdown timer to see how long it will take until they see each other, to then spend a month on the island together... or: the silent suffering of Elena B. 😉

Today we packed our stuff and moved out of Villa Villekulla. The journey took us to the east of Big Island, more precisely to Hilo Airport where we booked a helicopter ride. Once over the volcanoes to get in the groove for tomorrow. That was really special. There is so much to see from above and one gets a perfect overview of the size, impact, and the bubbling magma! The Kilauea Volcano isn't spewing anymore but it's bubbling, which was perfectly fine with us. It is so impressive to see these natural forces which formed our Planet from the beginning and the force majeure take control. I felt thoroughly grounded, but Zoe not so much. She had about 10 shades of green in her face and multiple loopings in her stomach . Back on the ground, we proceeded to our next lodging: the Volcano Forest Inn, the sister-house of Villa Villekulla... seems to be the trend here. They say that in this area it is likely to rain on 360 days a year, unfortunately that wasn't conveyed to my travel agent. I can confirm that we are currently not in the 5 rain free days. Beside the humidity it is bloody cold (sorry)! We had to dig out the New York outfits to keep warm: Jacket, cap, scarf - the full monty. The rainforest village "Volcano Village" has a organic shop, a coffee shop, and about 10 art centers. It did strike us earlier already - there are more art galleries here in Hawaii than bars in Italy! Really - it's crazy - who is buying all this art we wonder?!?. In the evening we went to the nearby Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and dined in the Volcano House Hotel Restaurant with a view on the Volcano and its red lava display. It was an amazing view - the combination of the night darkness and the red of the lava - unforgettable.