Waikiki to the Big Island

Yesterday we headed from Waikiki to the Big Island where the Hawaiian Eye Conference is being held. We called up Benny, our friendly limo driver from the previous night, to pick us up and get us back to the airport. If you ever need a taxi in Oahu, give Benny a call. His rates are the same as a taxi, and you ride in style. His number is 808-721-5579. He requires 2 hours notice. It costs about $38 from the airport to Waikiki.

Waikiki is the group of buildings just to the right of the wing. The Diamond Head crater is on the peninsula in the center of the photo.

We flew into the Kona side of the Big Island. This side of the island is a wasteland. It's all black lava fields, and looks like the surface of the moon. In places, grass has sprouted among the lava rocks, but even then, it has the feel of a desert, and not a tropical island. The Hilo side of the island has rainforest. And of course, Mount Manakea has snow this time of year, and the northern part of the island has real desert with cacti. Mara and I came here in 1995 when we were living in Oahu. We went up to the active volcano at that time. This is an amazing island with its diversity.