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Since there is more to Hawai`i than books, let's take a little side trip into the real world on the Big Island !! One of my other favorite subjects is food, and this island really IS a paradise when it comes to reasonably-priced good food. Here are some miscellaneous tidbits that I'd like to share with you. Kailua-Kona —If you want inexpensive but ono eating, it pays to get up into town and OFF of Ali`i Drive once in a while. (But not all of the time - check out the Ocean View Inn across from the seawall for great local fare - just don't expect any "atmosphere.") Just off Palani, uphill across the parking lot from Long's in the Kopiko Plaza is a great place for local food - Kona Mix Plate. For excellent sushi favored by local residents, go to Wasabi's down in the Coconut Grove shopping center on Ali`i Drive. You say you haven't had any KAVA yet ?? Then you better hustle your okole over to The Kanaka Kava Bar (also in the Coconut Grove center) for a truly Polynesian experience! Sample a bowl of excellent local-grown kava and have a real Hawaiian meal while you're there (you can even get breadfruit). Zack and Johanna grow their own kava up Hamakua coast - you can talk story with them while you munch and drink the evening away - it's a great experience. For upscale dining, Huggo's is really nice. It's outdoor dining right on the water and the seafood is great. The night we were there a Manta Ray came into the cove in front of the restaurant and swam around for over an hour! (According to staff, that's a rare occurance - there are usually "just" eels and fish for you to watch.) If you head south around the island, be sure to save a couple of hours to walk around the Amy Greenwell Botanical Garden - it's between mileposts 109 and 110. There's nothing to eat there, but what you will find are 12 acres planted in indigenous Hawaiian plants - 10 of them on the endangered species list - plus a fascinating remnant of the old Kona field system, which dates from pre-contact times. Native Hawaiians were, and still are, excellent agriculturists and you can get a feel here for how they fed a large population on the Big Island. If you're still in the area at dinnertime (and worked up an appetite stomping around the gardens), you might want to grab a great Japanese dinner at Teshima's right on the belt road in Honalo. Hilo —Ah…. Hilo Town. I absolutely love Hilo! If you are visiting the Big Island, you are really missing something if you don't spend at least a couple of days in Hilo Town - Hawai`i Island's quiet gem. It's a really refreshing contrast to Kailua-Kona's dryness and constant bustle. (Hilo has it's own bustle, but it's more laid-back than Kona.) If you need a place to stay, Maureen's Bed & Breakfast is great (and very reasonable). The home (it's actually a mansion with a 30-foot vaulted ceiling) was built in 1932 by a Japanese banker, so there's also a formal Japanese garden to explore! It's in the heart of Hilo's Keaukaha district, which has a whole slew of local parks, all with beautiful (and refreshingly cold) freshwater ponds on the shore of Hilo Bay. It's a very unique and historically significant area. (And besides, Maureen is another great person to talk story with.) While you're in the area, stop in at the Hilo Homemade Ice Cream shop which is ice cream and shave ice heaven. (You can even get such local treats as li hing mui shave ice - I'll bet that's something that you've never had before !!) If you are heading out of Hilo and up the hill to explore the volcano, you have a lot of choices for some great takeout food to keep you going all day. You could stop at Freddy's Delicatessen at 454 Manono Street to pick up one of their wonderful sandwiches to take along. And while you're there, grab a bag of taro chips - they're like potato chips, but way better!! Or, if you would rather take along Japanese bento, stop by the Kilauea Kitchen at 1438 Kilauea Avenue (or have dinner there at the end of the day when you get back). If you want to take along some great authentic Hawaiian food, swing into Ka`upena, which is right behind Ken's House of Pancakes. Speaking of which, you say that Ken's House of Pancakes sounds a little too hokey for your tastes? That'd be a big mistake. They have a HUGE menu with some really delicious stuff. Try their Teriyaki Ginger Tempe Burger followed by a piece of Hawaiian sweet potato pie - it's covered with a layer of haupia (Hawaiian coconut pudding) and whipped cream. Don't wait too late to get there though - the pie disappears fast (gee - I wonder why). For sushi, try Ocean Sushi Deli on Keawe Street. They specialize in traditional and contemporary sushi, with stuff like Volcano Roll, Downtown Roll, and Hilo Roll. For an interesting side trip while you're over Hilo side - check out the Panawea Zoo. It's a really nifty little tropical zoo. They even have a pair of Egyptian Ibis which you can't see in Egypt because they're extinct there. They look just like walking hieroglyphics! What did you say? Ohhh… BOOKS !! Well, let me think. Hmmm… guess I'll tell you where I poke around for Hawaiian / Polynesian books on the Big Island. I hate to admit it, but Border's Books (both in Kailua and Hilo) has a pretty good selection of Hawaiian material. But for a broader selection, check out the Middle Earth Bookshoppe on Ali`i Drive in Kailua. You might also want to head south a little to Island Books in Kainaliu for used books (it's right on the belt road). If you're Hilo-side, then you most definitely want to go to Basically Books right on Kamehameha Avenue. They also specialize in maps and have some selections about Hilo that are very hard to find anywhere else. Of course there are other bookstores on the Big Island, but I haven't checked those out yet.
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