Hilo Town, approximately 3pm.
The plan was to split from the geology crew and catch a bus from Hilo to Kona. So when I was dropped off at the "gas station" with a couple of others, I was caught by surprise as I learned that the last bus to Kona departed an hour ago. This left me with a big decision to make.
"...the ideal number of options to choose from is 5. If there are more than 5 options, man has a hard time selecting – and then inevitably second-guesses his decisions. He’s unable to enjoy his choice because he thinks of all the other options that he may have liked more, thereby sabotaging his gratification."
- Davey Wavey, March 2010
Here were my five options:
- For only $297 (plus tax), fly from Hilo to Kona with Hawaiian Airlines.
- For $200 (discounted from approximately $300), take a taxi or "cab" to Kona.
- Walk, for the price of my legs; or hitchhike, for the price of my soul.
- Stay in Hilo for the night for $25 and catch the first bus in the morning for free.
- Fly from Hilo to Honolulu (i.e. end the trip early and go home).
Knowing that Saddle Road cuts straight through the middle of the island, I decided to walk. I spent at least half an hour walking from one side of town to the other. I casually strolled into the fire station to ask how long it'd take to walk to Kona, but the response was rather negative: "It's a two-hour drive from here to Kona. It'll get dark in an hour, and it gets really cold in the mountains." Nevertheless, I continued along towards the highway.
With a pen I attempted to write the word 'Kona' on my right arm, thinking that if I were to stick that arm out and give the hitchhiker's thumbs-up, drivers would be able to read my intended destination. The ink didn't come out, but there were some very distinct scratch marks along my arm where the letters were traced. However I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Any car, ute (or "truck") or minivan that drove by could have potentially reunited me with my friends, but could equally have been a potential threat to my safety. Eventually I gave up on the walking/hitchhiking idea and wandered back into town.
In town, I sat down at the bus stop and ate a sandwich, keeping a safe distance from the homeless people. I'd pretty much had enough of Hilo and just wanted to go home, but unlike Sydney or Waikiki there isn't a multitude of taxis in the area that you can simply flag down for a ride. After a short inter-island phone call it was decided that I should take Option 4 and stay the night, so I trundled over to the nearest backpackers' hostel to have a word with the receptionist. Here's how it went down:
"Hi, how can I help you?"
"Do you guys have room for one night?"
"Have you got an airline reservation for a flight to leave this island?"
"Not on me, but yeah."
"That's fine, I can book you a room for tonight but I just have to go to the airport first."
"...You're going to the airport!? Do you mind if I jump in with you?"
"Yeah, but you have to pay the fare... it's $6."
"That's perfect."
And so that's how I ultimately ended my Big Island trip. I got to the airport at around 7pm, paid the $82.99 to reschedule my flight, boarded the plane at 8.21pm and caught the 9.36 bus back to Waikiki from the airport. Luckily I ran into a couple of friends and we caught the bus together, making the trip feel so much shorter than it otherwise would have been. It was another long day, and again I pretty much passed out when I got home at around 10pm.
It looks like I missed out on a lot of fun by not going to Kona, but I had an incredible weekend nonetheless and I have no regrets. I am interested to know, however - what would you have done?
The Big Island weekend ends here.A hui hou!
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