Kona Winds bring beautiful clear vistas to Hawai’i Island as it blows from the south. While the trades keeps vog away from Hilo, the Kona winds, act in the reverse – they clear the air on the Kona side of the island and sends the vog towards Hilo.
I awoke this morning to still another Kona weather day. It was brilliantly clear, and the tradewinds were nowhere to be felt. You could see for miles with not a cloud in the sky. After an appointment with Dr. Frederick Kennedy, a chiropractor; to loosen up some tightness in my neck and spine; as I sat to tie my shoelaces, the scent of the Punalu’u Bake Shop wafted from across the street. “Well, doesn’t that smell good! And so, I succumbed, decided it was a day for myself and that I should go across the street and pull into the banyan tree-shaded parking lot and go right in and get a glazed liliko’i malasada. For some, it is chocolate, and for others, it is ice cream. Bakeries fall into the same category.
So I bought four. I know one would be insufficient and three a little too indulgent. Two for me, and two for my partner. Great choice, fresh, sweet with that tartness from the passion fruit so difficult to resist.
As I started to leave Dr. Kennedy’s office, which fronts Na’alehu town, I thought how nice it was to live in a small a town as Na’alehu, where the speed limit is 25mph and business as usual moves at it’s own rhythm – albeit a relaxed one. But better yet, how nice to have a bakery to tempt you with such delightful taste sensations.
The Punalu’u Bake Shop is open every day from 9-5 pm except New Year’s and Christmas. 866-366-3501 or 808-929-7343 Located on Rte 11 in Na’alehu.
Malasadas from the Punalu'u Bake Shop (Taro, liliko'i, and guava)