Kona Village

We drove up a lonely road to an equally lonely gate and security kiosk. We told the guard that we wanted to visit the public access beach. He handed us a laminated parking pass that listed all the rules for the public. Most of them designed to assure that the guests of the resort were not disturbed and warned us that we could be asked to leave at their discretion.

The guard took out his little clipboard and had us sign in. Only 13 cars from the public were allowed at one time. He turned over the clipboard and showed us a map to tell us where to drive, where to park, which path to take. It was like a scavenger hunt. We would need to walk about 10 minutes to actually get to the beach.

The beach was nice, and not at all crowded. The thatch-roofed bungalows were really nice too. Each had their own little patio deck and hammock out front. For over $400 a night, for the smallest bungalow, it'd better be nice. Apparently, Mr. Bill Gates and his family were staying here this week. I looked at the people on the beach to see if I recognized any celebrities.

There was one guy with a hat laying under a palapa on a lounge chair next to a woman that looked a lot like Kevin Costner. (Editor's note: after re-reading this blog, I have to clarify that the guy looked like Kevin Costner, not the the woman sitting next to him. HA!) But what's he doing with a brunette? I thought his wife was blonde. When he got up and walked down the beach, he wasn't nearly as tall as I thought Kevin would be. It wasn't him. There was no sighting of Mr. Gates either.

We did get to do some more snorkeling and saw about 10 sea turtles near the shore. The path from the beach to the parking lot takes you right by the beautiful Hualalai Golf Course. I found a Hualalai Golf ball along the path that a golfer had abandoned to avoid trudging over the black lava - a cool souvenir for me. Apparently, the Volcano Goddess Pele, will curse anyone that takes or hurts anything on her island. I was tempted to take a piece of lava rock home, but decided against it. I knew she wouldn't punish me if I kept the golf ball as a souvenir. I wouldn't want Pele's wrath taken out on me the way she tormented the Brady Bunch.

On one hole we saw some wild goats. It was the strangest thing. As a group was teeing off, the herd of about 20 goats were just running around playing close to the green. I've seen ducks, geese, road runners, and rabbits on a course, but never have I seen wild goats. That's an all together different hazard.