Alsguth Travel Blog

 We are staying in Hilo one more night.  Tomorrow we travel to Kauai.  Here is a wrap up of our time in Hilo. Yesterday we did a couple of short hikes to see waterfalls and then went to a Botanical Garden. Rainbow Falls Akaka Falls State Park (440 ft tall) Botanical Gardens I could just get my two hands around this bamboo. Beehive Ginger Cat's Whiskers Hanging Lobster Claw Bat Plant The orchids were growing everywhere - here they have a small "shelf" on a large tree.  This was seen over and over throughout the Gardens. Onomea Waterfall Oncidium fuscatum is an orchid from Peru Heliconia Plant a species of ginger red ginger medinilla speciosa Rattle Snake Plant matchstick bromelia (they look like toy jacks) Sheri for size - this is a fern.... this one looked like the dark was painted on... the Gardens went all the way to the coast - about 1 mile round trip Ohua Lehua This was such a fabulous Botanical Garden!  We were in there more than 2 hours - everywhere we loo...

 So - the Manta Ray excursion happened!  We went by boat, starting after 9pm, to a spot where the manta rays are known to hang out.  Once there the guides get in the (cold) water with these boards that have handholds and lights to attract krill, plankton and other small fish - all food for the manta rays.  The manta rays show up to feed - they feed 20-22 hours a day!  We did not take our phones into the water but these pictures will give you the idea. This was really an incredible experience!  The water was cold but once we saw the rays we forgot about being cold.  Fun fact - the mama carries the baby 9 months gestation then sort of gives birth internally, carrying the baby another 4 months inside.  To give birth she accelerates to about 40 mph, leaps out of the water into the air and sort of "poops" the 3ft wide baby out.  She then promptly abandons the baby.  Done. The female manta rays are larger than the male.  Some were more th...