Thru Jim's Eyes 
I am standing in Kona de Pele Cafe on Ali’i Drive in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i. I am waiting for my wife’s chai to be made. We just ate a good breakfast at Bongo Ben’s Island Cafe. Satiated, I look out to the ocean water of Kailua Bay. The light blue of the clear water denoting a sandy bottom ripples up and down next to the deeper blue water covering the black lava rock. The formations undulate as the baby blue of the sky reflects off the water’s surface sparkling like a billion diamonds in your mind.
As I relax to the feeling of the ebb and flow of the world, the real world, the world made of nature and of dreams, my mind drifts to thoughts of Greece… and Italy… and the beautiful, peaceful little waterfront towns which people dream about. I remember how grateful I am that we made the decision to move to Hawai’i. I remember how grateful I am, that when 2 years had passed and we were no closer to living our dream, we made a plan to move to Hawai’i. I remember how grateful we are to be… here… now!!!
I spoke to someone the other day who asked me a question, “Sure this is summer, but what’s the weather like during the winter?” I told them, “Close your eyes. Count to three. Now open them…. This is what it feels like during the winter.” The only real difference is if it was winter you would be looking out to the ocean and watching the whales pass by and jump out of the water as they swim down from Alaska each winter to birth their calves.” He jokingly said, “You must get bored with this view.” I responded, “If I ever get bored with this view, I go swimming with the sea turtles or the dolphins. It helps break up the monotony of the days.” He had a slight look of jealousy mixed with envy mixed with “I wish I could _______, but I can’t because _______!” You can fill in your own blank with your own dream and excuse for not living your life on your terms.
Life is a choice. I am grateful not everyone dreams of living in Hawai’i, otherwise there would be too many people living in Hawai’i. The real question isn’t, “Why are you not living your dream?” The real question is, “What is your dream and what do you need to do to make it happen?” This waterfront town could be any waterfront town throughout the world. Take your pick. The water makes you peaceful. The water makes you relaxed. As you define your dreams remember to post them on your wall, look at them daily, and ask yourself, “What is the single most effective thing I can do towards living my dreams, NOW?!?!”
From a peaceful cafe on a beautiful oceanfront coast somewhere in the world, I welcome you to the world of your dreams and invite you to come play where few dare to venture, but all enjoy upon arrival.
Aloha,
James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
This morning we are enjoying the Ali’i Drive front row view from Bongo Ben’s Island Cafe in downtown Kona. I ordered coffee, Leise ordered a mango smoothie. Both are tasty but not great. The cynic inside me asks if the entire meal will be this unimpressive. Having said that, the menu has so many great choices: eggs Benedict; huevos rancheros; steak & eggs; catch of the day & eggs; loco moco; chorizo scrambled eggs; omelets with pulled pork; buttermilk or banana macadamia nut pancakes and more. It is difficult to decide what to order.
Leise is on noise overload. Between the loud music designed to create ambience and drown out the noise of the cars passing in front, the people talking over the sound of the music, the noise of the kitchen and wait staff, there is quite a cacophony which is unpleasant if you are conscious of it.
I settle on the Catch of the Day and Eggs. The catch is Ahi tuna. The eggs are over easy. With fresh fruit and a biscuit it makes my meal complete. Seasoned and sliced thin, 1/4 inch, the fish is good size and served on a bed of cabbage. The flavor is good. Leise orders the breakfast burrito, loves it and says it is really good. She says that next time she will ask for potatoes added inside the burrito. She loves potato and egg breakfast burritos.
With the light breeze gently caressing your skin, the sparrows chirping all around, and the good food and drink we are enjoying ourselves. Because of the selection of dishes and the good food we will come back again. For ambience I give Bongo Ben’s Island Cafe 3.5 out of 5 surfboards. For food quality I give 3 out of 5 surfboards. For service I give 3.5 out of 5 surfboards. Overall I give it a 3.5 surfboards.
p.s. The service rating just went up a bit. The server noticed I left the detail of my receipt and he handed it to me pointing out the the following. They have a brilliant marketing offer. On your receipt, at the top, it reads “Free short stack pancakes next day with this receipt!!!!!! With entree purchase”. I love good marketing. I love this offer. Maybe we will be back tomorrow to sample some of those other choices.
3 days later… Ok we didn’t make it the next day!
We are back to Bongo Ben’s and we are excited to see the consistency in the food and ambience. Today is Sunday morning and the place is even noisier than midweek. The skies are filled with a thick blanket of clouds with thunderheads off shore in the distance. Even though this late lazy morning looks peaceful this place is hopping and has a very busy vibe.
The coffee is good today. Since they have no organic sugar I am grateful that the coffee is good. It’s Mountain Thunder label. They have usually had consistently good coffee over the years.
Leise ordered Breakfast Burrito again. This time she chose to food combine and did not order the ham with it. She said that it was good, but not super flavorful. The potatoes lacked any spice or onions. She did say that the salsa was very flavorful though.
I threw health caution to the wind and ordered the Loco Moco: a bed of rice, topped with a hamburger patty, topped with 2 eggs (cooked as you like), topped with brown gravy and a biscuit on the side. The gravy is good but uninteresting beyond the fact I was expecting to be saltier. It’s good. I would order it again. But it is simply comfort food devoid of anything spectacular. I would love to taste the same dishes with organic ingredients instead of processed ingredients with limited flavor. Try adding some flair, jasmine or lavender rice. Bring in a saucier and create a signature gravy from scratch.
The jams they use for the biscuits are cheap flavorless Smucker’s made with high fructose corn syrup (poison). There is so much potential here. I am sadly disappointed. I feel like I am at a noisy version of an upgraded Denny’s restaurant but with a better view (of the ocean).
For noisy ambience I give Bongo Ben’s 3.5 out of 5 surfboards. For food quality I give 3 out of 5 surfboards. For service I give 3.5 out of 5 surfboards. Overall I give it a 3 surfboards. Good to acceptable. Just not that impressive.
Mahalo,
James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
I love Kona. I was just driving through the district of South Kona and it is so green and so very beautiful. When you drive south from Waikoloa Beach, driving through the lunar landscape which is the lava fields, you eventually pass Kona International Airport (KOA) to your right. The airport looks over the water as it is situated next to the ocean on the west side of The Island of Hawaii.
Driving into Kona you have all the joys and trappings of a smaller fishing town, population 11,900 at last census. As you drive south through Kona you see the paths which lead toward the water. Many are marked “Shoreline Access.” You feel that internal yearning to go play in the water recalling days long past of childhood summers spent at the beach. You recall your best days with not a care in the world, laying on the beach, playing volleyball or frisbee, or just walking along the edge of the water, calmed by the rhythmic motion of the waves.
Heading further south as you transition from North Kona to South Kona the road turns from 2 lanes each way at 55 mph to 1 lane each and 25 mph as you enter the town of Kealakekua. You feel your car slow as you see the houses right on the road and businesses as well. There is no break. There is no set back. The plants have turned from grasses to bushes to trees encroaching near the road. Banana, coffee, and many other tropical trees you have never seen before. Mesmerized, you sense by the size and feel of this road that it has been here for more years than you can count. You can see in your mind’s eye what it looked like before it was paved. You watch the street signs disappear. The pavement gone and a wet, muddy, dirt jungle road appears in your mind as your heart delights in the beauty of the flowering plant life that adorns every corner of your vision.
You feel the temperature drop with a cool tropical breeze. Then comes the rain. It’s a light rain. A gentle rain. A warm and comforting rain. You feel the trees’ gratitude for the rain… and you feel grateful. Grateful to the flowers for sharing their blissful scent and aroma. Grateful to all the trees for baring the flowers and for their rich green color and for simply being here. Grateful for the water which allowed the trees to produce the flowers which shared their magnificence. Most of all grateful to Akua, the creator, for creating all that is Hawaii. Mahalo pu’u wai (thank you from my heart).
Mahalo
James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
I woke up hungry. That is a good sign. I like waking hungry. It tells me I have a healthy appetite and reminds me to take the time to not just eat to fill the body or eat just for nutrition. It reminds me that those things will happen anyway so we are looking for not just food, but good food.
Today we are at Holuakoa Gardens Restaurant attached to our favorite Kona coffee spot, Holuakoa Cafe in Holualoa Village, Hawaii. We have been to the coffee shop dozens of times, but never to the garden restaurant next door. I order a cup of black coffee with a little organic sugar. The coffee is particularly smooth today. Leise orders her chai. The weather is overcast and cloudy, as is often the case at higher Kona elevations. The temperature is around 70 degrees. It’s about 10 degrees cooler than down by the beach. Looking down to the beach we just drove up from you can see the that sun is shining bright. Relaxing, you hear the birds singing and chirping their pleasant melodies in the tree canopy above.
Leise orders the Holuakoa Thick Cut French Toast with whipped cream, fresh island fruit and pure maple syrup. I ordered Three Egg Frittata with Black Forest ham, red bell pepper, sweet onion, summer squash, organic heirloom tomatoes, Swiss and mozzarella, and roasted potatoes.
The French Toast is excellent. The only negative comment, if she is being very critical, is the bread used should be day old bread. Instead she said the bread’s texture was very fresh. When you use day old bread it has much better flavor and texture. Even the griddle flavor is good. Sometimes you can taste the fish, or whatever, that was cooked the night before, she said this had no other flavors.
Frittata is delicious. Great flavor of freshly made with fresh ingredients. I was disappointed to not have salsa available, only Tabasco sauce. Upon tasting the frittata I realize why the restaurant doesn’t have salsa. There is no need. The Tabasco is the perfect complement for those looking for a little spicy kick. I am impressed. Leise’s looks so good that I want to eat hers also. OMG, it is fantastic (as I go back for a second, third, and fourth bite when she’s not looking).
With the light breeze gently caressing your skin, the roosters crowing in the distance, and the great food and drink we are truly enjoying this experience and will come back again. For ambience I give Holuakoa Gardens 4 out of 5 surfboards. For food quality I give 5 out of 5 surfboards. For service I give 5 out of 5 surfboards. Overall I give it a 5 surfboards.
Mahalo,
James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
In the wee hours of the morning all is still, all is quiet. In the wee hours of the morning the moon is setting and the sun still sleeps. The geckos have not warmed their cold blooded bodies, the clouds are still dark all in anticipation of the new morning’s show.
The birds start the show with an early morning song. They call to the sun stating that it’s time to wake up, time to take the stage. The clouds slowly, turn from dark to light blue. You notice the waves crashing on the shore in the distance as the doves coo to each other.
The sun stretches it’s arms reaching across the sky touching the clouds as they melt from blue into cotton candy pink. As more birds awake noting the most precious of times the white heron stretches it’s wings and takes flight. This is the show.
The sun kisses the sky as the pink clouds disappear. The pink becomes white and the dark bobbing ocean dwellers share their true identity. As they shed their dark cloaks in favor of a white distant form revealing their true nature and purpose, they are fishing boats catching your breakfast.
The dark blue of the sky is all gone now. The first signs of human life can be heard in the distance as the bird’s songs hit their crescendo and fade into the recesses of your mind. This is the start of another amazingly beautiful day full of fantastic possibilities. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow’s a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why they call it The Present. Enjoy it with all your heart.
Mahalo, James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
Biscuits and gravy delicious. I little spice. Good flavor. Biscuits could use a little more butter. Coffee is good. Not bad. Scrambled eggs looks and taste like they are out of a milk carton. The Korean bbq sauce is wonderful. Salsa sucks. From a bottle. Not home made. Quiche is pretty good once you add some sauce. Bacon is okay. Portuguese sausage is much better. Big, thick sausage slices full of flavor. The breakfast potatoes were okay.
LEISE likes the oatmeal.
Kelan is working the omelet station today. He is a local man. Born and raised Honaunau mauka. We talked story while he made my omelet. He asked what I wanted in my omelet. I told him I married a gourmet chef and I’ve learned. When she cooks with aloha, with love, the meal always tastes so much better. So I said I trust you. You can put everything or nothing in the omelet. I leave it up to you…. The omelet turned out fantastic.
Be warned. There is a very high pitch frequency and a continuous clicking sound which is designed to keep the birds from entering the open air dining area. It is effective. It not only keeps the birds out, I wanted to leave. I had to have them turn it off. Which they did without complaint. When 4-5 birds came like the the police storming a crack house, we told the staff they could turn it back on if they need. Tool with the experience. Experience something new. 🙂 If you are sensitive to high frequencies I recommend do not sit near the large open glass doors with the amazing view of Keahou Bay.
All and all we give it only 3 out of 5 surf boards for food quality. And 3 out of 5 surf boards for ambience. The food is nowhere near as good as the Hilton Waikoloa and the ambiance is no where near as good as the Marriott Waikoloa
Aloha, James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
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We are back at one of my favorite coffee joints on island, Holuakoa Café in Holualoa town above Kona. We arrived early. There are still some carrot cake cupcakes. Yum. I ordered the BLT on a croissant. I got a black coffee. Leisè got a chai. The carrot cake cupcake is, as usual, divine. The coffee is a little rough. The croissant is burned. Leise’s chai is good, not great. ONLY because this is a small shop will we let these issues slide today. Besides, they are busy and I don’t feel like complaining today. I am in such a great mood today that nothing will slow me down. Usually the croissant is toasted perfectly. Other than the burned croissant the flavor is very good. Fresh tomatoes, lettuce, tons of tasty bacon. Yum. All in all, a pleasant experience. The ambience is always great, relaxed and friendly.
On a scale of 1 to 5 surfboards with 1 being it stinks and 5 being its amazing we give Holuakoa Café for food flavor and quality a 3.5 surfboards. For the burned croissant a 2. The croissant tasted good once you got past the burned part. For ambience they receive 4.5 surfboards. All and all the food was good. Really good time had by all.
Aloha, James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
http://www.tripadvisor.com/members/ThruJimsEyes
My wife and I met 11 years ago and we are finally enjoying living the life of our dreams. Travel has been something we have never shied away from. In fact we both believe in taking around 2 months off each year. And we have. My previous career allowed us to do that. It allowed her to not have to work and me to take as much time off as we could afford. Which we did. Why would anyone leave that? I can sum it up in 2 words: residual income. In the past, I did not understand the power of these 2 little words: residual income. I understood the concept of network marketing and I always thought it was pure genius. I am not talking about one of those illegal pyramid schemes. I am talking about a legitimate network marketing company. A company with a good or great product and one who pays their associates on time. Anyway, we finally made the plunge headfirst into network marketing 4 years ago. I will tell you it has been one of the greatest rides of our life. I have always enjoyed a good thrill ride but this is soooo much more. I have heard network marketing discussed by the following words: “It’s not the money. It is who you become in pursuit of the money.” Oh my, were they ever right.
Now if you have taken on the joy of network marketing and you are a newbie or you have struggled with other companies in the past, hear this now, “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable” ~David Wood. It is all about living into your potential. If you are willing to push yourself through any and all predetermined self limitations you will do great. On the other hand, if you are unwilling to do all that for money, why not do all that to live into your dreams. “There’s only 2 things in life. Results or excuses” ~Jase Souder. Since I was in my teens I have had the saying, “Overcome your fears by doing what you fear most. Stare into the eyes of the dragon.” By having this attitude I have been able to step up in ways I thought were pretty good. I now realize they were just that, pretty good. Network marketing became my new addiction because it involves, what Tony Robbins would talk about, CANI: Constant And Never-ending Improvement. David Wood talks about the 2 greatest fears: 1) fear of rejection; 2) fear of public humiliation. Wow, I thought I had conquered those with my previous career. NM takes it to a different level.
The most powerful lessons I have learned on this journey are these: 1) Become a life-long learner; 2) If something scares you or appears difficult, assign a new meaning to it; 3) Everything you have ever done has prepared you for is exact moment in time; 4) Take time to yourself… And keep moving forward. 5) Read everything in your field of interest. “The only difference between you today and you 5 years from now are the books you read and the people you will meet.” ~ Les Brown
As I implemented these lessons in my life I learned to define my dreams with clarity, make a plan of action, and execute the action steps to live my dreams. If I can, anyone can. The lessons/action steps were sometimes scary, difficult, seemingly impossible, and yet as you define your dreams and break down the impossible to the possible you can do anything. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
So don’t listen to anyone who tries to talk you out of network marketing because
“It’s not the money. It is who you become in pursuit of the money.”
aloha,
James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
I awoke this morning feeling spry, deciding to take a walk downtown, a 10 minute walk from home. We chose to dine this morning at Don The Beachcomber’s Tiki Grill Daily Breakfast Buffet. This is one of our favorite places in Kona because Don’s restaurants are ocean front. Listening to and watching the ocean waves crash over the rocks a few feet away gives Don’s our “best choice for ambience” rating. Regardless of weather conditions, warm or hot, it’s always relaxing watching the boats rock while the paddle boarders, swimmers, kayakers, and outriggers come and go enjoying the peaceful nature of Kona Bay… And the waves surge against the rocks.
We arrived late for the buffet. They serve until 10:30am. We arrived at 10:09. They let us in and said they would let us know when they start to break down and put away the food. Which they did. We sat right up front with an ideal table and view. The food was good but not great. The dishes were as follows: eggs: good, nothing more; Mexican eggs and salsa: good flavor and spicy which lingers; potatoes and bell peppers: good with lots of flavor; bacon: good flavor but nothing special; ham: good flavor but nothing special, a little dry by the time we got to it; fresh papaya was delicious!!; lime wedges which I squeezed on the papaya, yum; orange wedges; fish cakes: like a crab cake but thicker, denser; oatmeal: neither of us tried; miso soup with fixings: I am no expert on miso soup, but it had lots of flavor and tasted fishy, probably from the seaweed I added; waffles with fruit compote: nice with whole berries and nice flavor; mango orange juice: first cup was tasty, second was syrupy, they need to stir it up near the end of the breakfast; coffee was good, not great, still better than most things on the mainland.
Now comes the food coma. This is a truly great place to relax, unwind, and melt into the ebb and flow of energy which is the energetic sea. We are still here an hour later. The staff has closed up and cleaned up everything. We moved over to the big comfy chairs by the sea wall. I write this now with my feet on the wall as I look out to the sea.
On a scale of 1 to 5 surfboards with 1 being it stinks and 5 being its amazing we give Don The Beachcomber’s Tiki Grill Daily Breakfast Buffet for food flavor and quality a 3.5 surfboards. For ambience they receive 4.5 surfboards. All and all the food was good. Really good comfort food, not great, but good.
Aloha,
James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
My wife says I am walking like a duck since I hurt my back. She says I walk like her Uncle Donald. Evidently, he had back challenges as well. I think she is funny. I check out the way I am walking. She’s right. I am walking like a duck.
Last year Leise and I purchased the Skechers Shape-Ups walking shoes. They are designed to tone your body, straighten your spine, give you renewed health and vitality, and grant world peace if you wear them. Okay, maybe not the world peace thing. But they make all these great sales and marketing claims. We were skeptical. But we bought them and tried them out.
They work!!! We have been so very pleased. Like the training DVD that comes with it tells you, “you want to take it easy the first week of wearing the shoes. This is a new type of workout for your body.” It was interesting to having a training video for a pair of shoes. I am grateful they included it. Our calves and butts were definitely feeling the difference in the walking experience. Leise’s butt is getting back to it’s cuteness of when we first met.
When she said “duck” the third or fourth time I said to myself, “Where are my Shape-Ups?” I had not worn them for a while, because I prefer to where them for longer walks and I had not been on a longer walk for a while. This morning I put them on and went for a walk. Immediately I could feel in my right hip where and how my body was out of alignment. Again, I immediately knew Leise was right when she said I had been walking like a duck. I had been!!
Doing my Egoscue back exercises the last three days has made a marked difference in my energy level and back alignment. This is where I mentioned in a prior blog that my nerves would get frazzled due to the mis-alignment of the back. That would effect my overall energy level. Today, between the back exercises and shoes I am feeling well on my way to recovery. If you haven’t read the book, “The Egoscue book of health through motion” by Pete Egoscue, I highly recommend it.
If you know anyone who has back challenges or is part duck, share with them these methods of self healing. I believe that the quality of your life is more important then the length of life. This information just may be the turning point to helping someone regain the vitality they once had.
aloha,
James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
At first entering Annie’s Island Fresh Burgers Restaurant you relax to the open air feel about the place. The makai (ocean facing) side of the dining area is screened in with sliding windows retracted into the walls so you feel the light breeze while listening to the gentle rain on the clear plexiglass awning allowing in the fresh filtered light. Looking out you see the peaceful, beautiful soft peach colored, trumpet shaped flowers of the belladonna tree.
The coffee they serve is 100% Kona coffee, Hawaiian Paradise label. I was not familiar with this so I ordered a cup. It has an amazing aroma with I light flavor. The coffee is smooth and I will order it again.
I ordered the Herbed Goat Cheese Poppers. The poppers are not the traditional stuffed peppers. They are chopped jalapeño, herbs, and goat cheese which are tempura fried. Served with a sweet chili garlic sauce on a bed of arugula from their garden. The poppers were okay until the server saw we weren’t touching the arugula and suggested we wrap the popper with the arugula and then dip it. OMG. That’s the ticket. The arugula added a pepperiness which redefined the appetizer into a category of “we will order again.” Yum.
Sweet Tempura Onion rings. Great flavor. Leise says they are possibly the best she’s ever had. I loved them but I wouldn’t go quite that far… but close.
I ordered the special. Sautéed spinach, roasted garlic, local Hawai’i Island grass-fed beef burger on ciabatta bun. Sour cream horseradish sauce and au jus. I added Gorgonzola cheese. The burger came with a side of homemade purple potato salad, which was divine.
Grass-fed beef cooked properly is always the best. The portions were generous and I don’t feel weighted down or angry like when you eat non organic beef. The coffee I’m sure is helping a little by giving me a little lift.
Leise ordered the Bacon Bleu Burger. Juicy Island grass fed raised beef smothered with their creamy garlic bleu cheese sauce. Topped with thick bacon on a toasted traditional bun. Fantastic. Juicy and tender, bun had great texture. She was unable to finish the portions were so generous. Truly Island style. She sadly informs me that she would like to keep eating but is full. I say sadly because she knows I will finish it tonight before she has a chance to think about it.
For peaceful and relaxing ambience I give Annie’s 4 out of 5 surfboards. For food quality, flavor and organics I give 4 out of 5 surfboards. Over all I give 4 out of 5 surfboards. We will definitely stop back. I want to try their Hamakua mushroom burger and the deserts sound fantastic.
Aloha,
James Christopher
ThruJimsEyes.com
Relaxing on Hapuna Beach, Hawaii as the sun winks it’s last goodbye of the day.
Thru Jim's Eyes 
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