Land ho!

(Luana:) After seven days of rockin’ and rollin’, it’s good to be back in the USA, especially the palm tree version. Spent the day in funky little Hilo, talking at length to the sweetest family that ran a local restaurant (one of their specialties: spam sushi!) and walking all over town. We walked the 2 miles from the ship into town, and then took the local free bus back to the ship at the end of the day after seeing parks, statues, Japanese gardens, the Tsunami museum (Hilo had tsunamis in 1946 and 1962), and some rockin' souvenirs.

Even with the Hawaiian flora and fauna, you can tell we’re not far from home. The first thing we saw getting off the boat was the free Walmart shuttle bus that runs every 30 minutes from ship to store. I’ve heard that Walmart is now the number one seller of Hawaiian souvenirs in the islands, and I believe it after seeing all the students, staff, crew, and lifelong learners waiting in line to get back on the ship. Bag after bag with Walmart labels--but most everyone needed shampoo, laundry soap, and other items they didn’t want to carry on the airplane trip to San Diego. Nearly the last chance before heading out into new territory--and unknown brands. Let’s see -- do I have enough toothpaste?