Destination: Hilo, Day 4

Ahh.. my last day in Hilo.. as well as my mad rush to spend some last fleeting moments with my family. First off, was my older brother, Ryan. It was a surprise he was awake :P! haha! I don't know why he's making such an ugly face :(. Damn older brothers!


My mother and younger brother, BJ picked me up and we went to KTA. You can only find this shopping center in Hilo :P. It was once a small mom and pop store and grew from there. Good for them!


They care about helping the hungry. (I don't know who that guy is though :P) I found this sign funny haha! It's in pidgin :P


I saw these big island magnets :P. Next time, I should buy one, doh >_<


We got some bentos there.


Apparently that's not enough food according to my mom. (I told you Hilo is heavy on eating!) So we stopped by at a Chinese takeout (connected to KTA). I love Chinese food in Hilo! It's not the same in Oahu. :( I think there's a lot of Chinese in Hilo maybe. The Chinese food is unbeatable there!


My brother.. haha! looks like he's thinking "Oh my god! O_O" hahaha! :D

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We then all headed to my Grandma's house. She looked at me like she saw a ghost! I guess she couldn't believe it was me. :P


I tried to take a pic. with her but she was busy being very fascinated with my phone. She said "You guys always have all these kind of gadgets!" Then she remarked at my cutesy phone charms; "You always have those kind of things ever since you were little." Haha. :P I wonder if it was the stuffed animal that made her think that :P. Or the useless, girly trinkets I always have. Either way, that would be me.


I checked out my favorite plant, Stephanotis, to see if any flowers were blooming. But, alas I found none :(. When I used to live here or visit, I'd always pick a Stephanotis flower and stick it in my hair on my way to school or work.


Here's some pictures of a small section of my grandma's yard. It's all pretty much crazy like this. Tons and tons of numerous species of plants grouped closely together. and all thriving. She has the greenest thumb I know. Can you spot any plants you know? I know the red flower one is Hibiscus, the state flower. That's the only one I can remember at the moment hahaha! :P Let me know if you recognize any others.


Here's more of her collection and passion. Over here hosts some of her orchids as well as a slough of other plants.



And more! I used to know all the plants in her yard :). I'd help her prune them and stuff. :) From the top left is: Banana Tree, ti-leaf plant, puakinekine plant (my 2nd favorite flower), pumkin plant (center), this citris fruit for mixed drinks only (right), guava tree (top right).


Here's my grandma and mom talking. I can't remember the last time that they've seen each other. (this is my dad's mom, my parents aren't together..don't worry I'm not sad :P.. They're better this way)


I like my grandma smiling like that :). She's 90-something.. (93?) and all she uses is a cane, still up and running! Taking care of all those plants! She's immortal! Must be that jade amulet she wears, it must!! Her older sister also walks around with just a cane (and wears a jade amulet). They say that jade can bring you long life. Boy, they weren't kidding! Hmm.. maybe I should go buy some jade :P.


This is the front of my grandma's house. Bye grandma! Aloha oe! Until we meet again :)! (which I hope is very soon!)


So now I'm off to the airport! But first a few goodbyes to my mom and bro. :)


I call this my "oreo" picture. Haha! I'm so white. I guess you know which parent I get the whiteness from :P.




These are a few of the native plants you'll see right on the airport lot. A very long time ago, my grandfather did the landscaping for the airport. Seeing the plants at the airport is similar to the style of planting at my grandma's house :P.
This is the very nice man that helped me at the airport. He filed my plane trip even though I was going to do it myself electronically. Then, he carried my bags for me! What service!


Now to wait in the security check line. Not too shabby.. and I spy Frank Delima behind the sign.


This is what the waiting area looks like.


And this is the view. You can see Mauna Kea in the distance.


Ahh..on the plane. Almost back home.


45 minutes later... I'm back on Oahu. I can feel the city's hurriedness already. And That's why if you come to Hawaii, it's a must to see the other neighbor islands. They're all unique and special.


Here's the moon from my house. It was very bright and full. :) Breathtaking.