Kona Brewing Company, Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Finally we are off the ship!

YAY!

Here is a picture of our very smiley faces to show how pleased we were...

It was a whole lot hotter than it looks in this photo.

We visited Kailua Kona on the Big Island today.  We rented a car and drove to what I keep calling the seahorse factory.  It is in fact a seahorse farm.

At Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm they breed seahorses for both conservation purposes and as pets.  We got to see many different breeds including sea dragons, some pregnant males and teeny tiny baby seahorses!  The staff at this family run business seemed very knowledgeable and I'm satisfied that the welfare of these beautiful creatures was of prime importance, especially given the fact that some breeds are nearly extinct.  We even got to hold a seahorse - an experience we will likely never get the chance to repeat.

Here is a photo of Alan's beautiful face...

One for the wall :)

We then toddled off to Kona Brewing Co. for a quick bite to eat and some cold, refreshing beer.

We both love beer and trying local brews.  It was an absolute treat to try these ones.  There are some that are brewed with tropical flavours such as passion fruit or coconut and we found them very appropriate for our first day in Hawaii.

We sat outside and felt like we were in a lush green paradise as we listened to the birds tweet singing around us.  My favourite beers were the Lemongrass Lu'au and Castaway IPA.

I tried my first 'poke' too.  I'm a particular fan of raw fish and the traditional Hawaiian dish was delicious.  I'm afraid I didn't get a photo of it.  Alan had pepperoni rolls which he refused to let me taste - I assume this means they were good.

Today was a breath of fresh air.  Here is a picture of a wee chap we found outside.  

Sushi on Five, Celebrity Solstice

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean dining options are a bit limited.  I'll admit, by this time in our cruise, we had decided that cruising was not really our cup of tea, which is a shame since you're really meant to absolutely love your honeymoon.  Never mind though.  We tried to find little ways to make it more our our style.  One of these ways was to pay a bit extra to dine at one of the speciality restaurants on board the ship - Sushi on Five - such names as it is located on the fifth deck.

We paid  £25 each for all you can eat sushi.  A bargain if you ask me.  Sushi is my absolute favourite.  I even enjoy it more than steak!

The sushi was delicious and well worth what we paid.  I also tried sake for the first time (Alan says we have both tried it before but I honestly don't think I have).  It was really lovely and our friendly Russian waitress was knowledgeable about it.  Alan doesn't eat raw fish so it was a little difficult for him to find something he was willing to eat but the few dishes he did order were plentiful and we struggled to eat everything we had asked for.  We didn't realise the dishes would be so big and so had ordered quite a lot of different things to try.  As soon as we cleared one plate, another was brought in its place - it was great!

Here I am in my element...