Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [169]
So if you occasionally have to shake your head to clear the ghosts at the edges of your vision, it’S just old Hawaii going about its eternal business.
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HONALO
pop 2000
At a bend in the road past the intersection of Hwys 11 and 180, little Honalo is your first sign that more than miles separate you from touristy Kailua. The first building you see is the Daifukuji Soto Mission (322-3524; www.daifukuji.org; 79-7241 Hwy 11; 8am-4pm Mon-Sat), a humble-looking Buddhist temple. Slip off your shoes and admire the two ornate, lovingly tended altars. Everyone is welcome to join the twice weekly Zen meditation (6am Wed, 7pm Thu) session, and taiko (Japanese drum) groups practice in the early evenings. If you have young kids, return north a mile or so and enjoy shady Higashihara Park (7am-8pm). Its unique Hawaii-themed wooden play structure is both attractive and endlessly climbable. It is on the makai side, between mile marker 114 and 115.
For a real window into local life, reserve a table at Teshima Restaurant (322-9140; Hwy 11; mains $13-23; 6:30am-1:45pm & 5-9pm), which has served up delicious Japanese comfort food since the 1940s. Local families crowd in for the unpretentious country cooking, which isn’t done better – order donburi (bowl of rice and main dish), sashimi, fried fish and teriyaki, or better yet, sample a bit of everything with a teishoku (set meal). However, it’S the patina of many hands that makes this low-key place special. Four generations of Teshimas keep guests happy, but the star is Grandma Teshima, the delightful centenarian owner who still clears tables when regulars aren’t insisting she sit and talk story. Cash only.
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KAINALIU
Hwy 11 is a beautiful, relaxing drive, but you know you’ve reached Kainaliu when you get caught in traffic. New road construction may one day solve the town’S strangely persistent congestion. Best advice: park as soon as possible and walk. Kainaliu’S main street is a tightly packed retail corridor.
Eating
Roadhouse Café (Hwy 11; sandwiches $5.25; 11am-4pm Mon-Fri) Cheeky signs keep customers amused as they order bargain-priced gourmet sandwiches (such as Thai sweet chili chicken), phyllo parcels, and Chicago hot dogs. What is whipped up changes often, but the tasty baked goods are always tempting (except the dry vegan cookies).
Aloha Theatre Café (322-3383; www.alohatheatre.com; 79-7384 Hwy 11; breakfast & lunch $10-13; 7:30am-2:30pm daily, dinner on show nights) Adjoining the Aloha Theater, this café has a pleasing interior and above average breakfast fare and sandwiches, along with local grinds (food): plate lunches, laulau (meat wrapped in taro leaves and steamed) and so on. Dinner is only served on show nights, but these are frequent; expect a satisfying mix of fish, chops, steak and pasta ($16 to $22).
Entertainment
Aloha Theatre (322-9924, box office 322-2323; www.apachawaii.org) This is the focal point of town, and a cultural cornerstone of South Kona. A resident community theater, dance performances and touring musical acts all take the stage here. Check the bulletin board for current happenings, which include indie film screenings and festivals.
Shopping
Don’t leave town without spending time in Kainaliu’S shops, which capture South Kona’S eclectic personality.
Oshima (322-3844; Hwy 11; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-5:45pm Sun) This old-fashioned general store is a dry goods cornucopia where, as locals joke, there is nothing you can’t find. Next door, however, they’ve opened a hip surfer and skateboard clothing store where everything comes in shades of black. We’re guessing grandparents go one way, grandkids the other.
Kimura Store (322-3771; Hwy 11; 9am-5:30pm Mon-Sat, noon-3:30pm Sun) This fabric store is stuffed with bolts of Hawaiian and island-style prints to make your