Early birds again (yes, we're on vacation but we have so many things to do!!!), we call the diving company to check whether the dive is still on. We're worried that the storm may have made the water muddy and learn it's the case... all dives canceled for the next 2 days. Life in a tropical paradise also has its inconveniences I suppose ;) We come up with a backup plan quickly and get ready for a lazy day. We'll drive south to the Sanctuary at Two Steps. The road is named tobacco road and it passes through coffee plantations. The Sanctuary is the last one left on the island. They all disappeared when the population converted to Christianity and the old system named Kapu died. The place is very educational, with lots of documentation and rebuilt structures. We start the visit with a speech by a park ranger where we learn more about the Kapu. It was a brutal system where the sentence for any voluntary or involuntary infringement was death. The only way to avoid it was to flee as fast as possible and reach one of the sanctuary before being caught. The ones lucky (and fast) enough to reach it were absolved of their fault and could resume their life. The place is by the sea with huts, palm trees, canoes and statues. It's not crowded and we enjoy its peace for a while.
Back in Kona, we decide to check out the farmers market hoping to find good local food. Unfortunately they only sell goodies for tourists. We heard about the “poke” and yelp gives us the location of “Da shack shack”. It's right outside of town and does not look touristy at all. We buy each one a huge poke bowl and enjoy every bit of it. The poke is the illegitimate child of a sashimi and a ceviche; raw fish in small cubes with salsa... delicious! After that, we can only find a beach a do nothing for the rest of the day. One of the few white sand beaches is nearby and we go crash on it. My travel partner decides to nap while I look at the surfers. Surf is up and even tough the beach is sandy, there are rocks in the water so one has to jump off the wave soon enough to avoid crashing on the rocks. The guys out there are good though and with the sun setting, it's a nice and peaceful sight for our last day on The Big Island.