Resonant Constellation

Day 1: Kona-Gravmas

12:30 AM (HI)

Let me just say this in my defense: I would have updated sooner, but my computer was practically dead. In other news, Happy Apple Day, everybody! First, though, I should catch you up.

I last left you in the Tucson International Airport, headed for LAX. The flight was uneventful, if slightly filled with a strange fishy smell. When I arrived at LAX, the usual smog haze on the skyline was surprisingly low, which bade well for our several hour layover. I quickly located my family (whose plane had just docked one gate down from mine), and noted that-poetically-my plane would next be flying to Albuquerque.

Luckily, we happened to be near a relatively good mexican eatery, so we settled down there for lunch. This initiated a period of time which was amazingly uneventful, though my stomach did settle down quite a bit with food. Following this, we located our terminal, and I set about trying to find somewhere to plug in my ailing computer (my dad had checked one of his bags, and as luck would have it, the new, fully charged battery he had brought for me was in that bag). Unfortunately, the only open plug was so over-used that my power cable kept falling out and refused to stay in. Of course, five minutes before boarding the plane, we discovered another power socket.

So we boarded the plane and took off, again without incident. I noted, however, that the 767-300 we were flying in was nowhere near as nice as the 747 we flew to Australia. This fact soon proved itself, as the climate control in the passenger cabin was discovered to be entirely ineffectual. We were in for a hot, sweaty, and stuffy 5.5 hour flight, which made it impossible to sleep. Certain members of the family who were not so used to long flights needed to be fanned periodically to counteract the temperature. My dad and I both agreed-this flight felt longer and was far more taxing than the flight to Australia, even though it was only a third as long!

The in-flight movie was Up!, and though we didn’t buy headphones, I still enjoyed it. I may have enjoyed it more than some people with headphones, actually, because I got to fill in my own dialogue and storyline. I must remember to watch more movies without the sound on-it is a fascinating exercise.

We did eventually arrive in Honolulu, a bit worse for the wear, and we took a shuttle bus across the airport to the inter-island terminal. I immediately noticed that the air was denser than I’m used to. It is sodden and heavy, which sounds much worse than it actually is. The humidity isn’t that intrusive-it’s just another causal reminder that you’re right next to the ocean. We took another plane on a very quick hop across the islands to Hawai’i itself-the big island, and landed in a tiny terminal which really reminds me of a weird cross between Burbank Airport in Los Angeles, and the Alice Springs Airport in Northern Territories, Australia. It is a bit different that both though-as far as I could tell, it was entirely open air. We walked directly outside, picked up our bags, then headed straight for the rental car place. A few minutes later, we drove away in a typical midsized rental car.

By the time we had landed in Honolulu, it was entirely dark, and in Kona it was no different. I had fun reading off the streetsigns and mangling the pronunciation of the local names-things like Wa’aki’kilualu’alopoko and Hiluikapo’oapoae or some such suitably ridiculous spellings.To the right of the car, the few lights I could see would suddenly end, demarcating the coast. We turned slightly, and I caught a sight I think I will never forget. The yellow half moon was at about 40 degrees in the sky, and cast a shimmering sheen across the ocean, leading directly to the horizon. I wish I could have gotten a picture of it, but I think the mental image will probably stay with me for quite a while.

When we arrived at our rented condo, things seemed to keep improving. Not only is the place amazing inside, we have a deck which must be no more than 100 meters from the bay. Sitting outside, stargazing, and watching (and especially listening to) the breakers roll in in the dim light of torches across the bay is simply stunning. I have no words for it now, so I think I’ll stop and say just this:

Merry Christmas.

LJS-1:00 AM (HI)