Iz still not so good around here, now three days later. In fact, we ran out of Kleenex, so we had to leave our little 'geodesic dome home' for a run to the corner store. Fortunately, there were three boxes left on the shelf - we bought one and left the other two for other island residents who might find themselves in a similarly miserable predicament...show a little pono for the island 'ohana...
On the way back home, we had to snap this one, however. If only such stunning beauty could kill cold viruses...
today is a sunny day and there is a trek scheduled (yes, even in Hawaii we use schedules - at least to s-o-m-e degree).
First have a look at a taro (or 'kalo' as it is also known in Hawaii) patch. Taro was a definite staple in 'Old Hawaii' and is still consumed with gusto (but at a fairly hefty price unless you can grow your own taro). Growing Taro has become increasingly difficult, as incessant real estate development in certain parts has led to water diversion away from those lush valleys most ideally suited for taro cultivation. A simple version of this equation would be: Taro vs. Townhouse? Unfortunately, the 'Taro Committee' tends to be much smaller than the 'Townhouse Committee', so guess who wins?
But here, Taro planting is on a newly restorative path and here is a nice-looking patch for your viewing pleasure:
Dryland taro-family (looks a lot like wetland taro plants, which we couldn't get close to for you on this day):
Hawaiian chili pepper (puny peppers that pack a prominent punch):
Heiau (ancestral religious site - some are still in use today):
A whole different kind of religious site:
And, finally, the incredible waterfall that gave rise to this magnificent valley and the reason that, at one time, thousands of of native Hawaiians lived here permanently (now only a few call this place home 365 days a year)...
And by now we had positively caught a pretty nasty cold virus right here in proverbial Paradise, and that largely put a stop to things over the weekend.
Another early beginning - this time with snorkel gear and wetsuits in tow (and scopolomine behind the ear for the 'susceptible' party...). We departed just after sunrise, everyone hoping for a calm morning without trades, but the trades were off-schedule on this day and we got the 'best' of it. Camilla considers this a 'bonus' when it comes to destination research. From a professional standpoint, she would much rather know just how rough it can be rather then how perfectly calm it can be, if the goal is to use the findings to evaluate a prospective client for suitability and subsequently deliver useful preparatory advice. Good thing she (not Steve) is also the one with a propensity for motion sickness!! No human motion consequences on this day, however, and as you will see, no murk underwater either (since there is no sand churn or mud runoff issues at this great snorkeling site). Do listen for the WHALES on this video. They were very easy to hear, even just 3-4 feet below the surface. Amazing! (Again, boring thumbnail. Hey, YouTube picked it!!).
Later on, while waiting for our afternoon flight to another island, one of Hawaii's glorious rainbows put on a minor runway show:
And for those who enjoy scenic low-flying vistas, here's a little Sea Cliff eye candy for ya:
arose waaaay pre-sunrise for an early morning whale watch outing. It is humpback whale season here in Hawaii this time of year. Here you'll get the highlights accompanied to Lono's music. For more on Lono, click here: http://www.lonomusic.com/index.html
And, a lucky moment with Hawaiian Monk Seals (zoomed in from a respectable distance):
One of Hawaii's largest Banyan trees (originally from India):
The afternoon drive brought about some surfing (as a 'spectator sport'!!), some grindz, and some scenic one-lane convertible cruising. have a look.
Maui Winter Surfing:
The following three video clips (pre-lunch, lunch, post-lunch) show you what Hawaii looks like sans development. This road eventually peters down into a rural one-lane (just to be clear, that's ONE LANE total, not one lane in each direction).
Pre-lunch:
Local Lunch Stop:
Post-lunch:
Back at the picked-on-purpose-despite-way-past-due-for-renovation-'$100-suite', here is what met the eye between 5-6PM. We really love this spot and Camilla has decided to use this property for those who aren't too fussy, but is really hoping those renovation dollars will become available sooner than later. Fabulous location!
And for the whole sunset experience from outside and inside the due-for-reno suite, here is that video clip (by default, this one includes 'The Decision' commentary):
And thereby ends the day - with plenty of Aloha! Snorkeling tomorrow morning.
A night full of packing and short on snooze, a 6AM flight, and an excellent 10AM business meeting later, we take a look at a few oceanfront rooms before the coveted check-in hour - and much desired nap - at 2PM (our hotel was 100% full, so no early check-in on this day).
Here a quick side-by-side of the $1500 vs. $100 (normally $200) oceanfront suite:
After said nap. we proceeded to Lahaina for a spectacular 'ulalena performance. Note, this is NO kitschy luau spiel, but rather a fabulous culturally-sensitive rendition of Hawaiian culture, history, and tradition. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! To learn more, check out the 'ulalena website: http://www.ulalena.com/
And here, three special videos from the Post-show event. Very neat footage. Watch:
Acrobatics Training:
Cast Interview #1:
Cast Interview #2:
This wrapped up a long, rewarding, and also productive day...
we're packing up stuff on this day. The reason is that the next three nights are to be spent wrapping up some business over in Maui, and someone is booked for our geodesic dome home here for those particular days. It's all good. Gives us a chance to 'test pack' before the next real move occurs on 02 Feb.
This afternoon, we had arranged to visit the home of a kupuna (auntie) to talk some story about the business of developing culture-sensitive trips and sending clients to the island. Here her son demos some limu for us - edible Hawaiian seaweed. Have a look and a listen:
This lovely day began with a scenic drive and a visit to a beautiful beach (in serious surf condition!!). We then hiked down to La'au to pay our respects for the hard battle fought by the residents here - in 2008 - to keep the Molokai Properties enterprise from developing this special 'aina (land).
First a few scenery shots and videos from the morning, then the hike in 2 parts.
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
And here, some Wavy Winter Waters for you:
And then, the remote trek to La'au begins...
La'au Hike#1: Malama ka 'aina
Aside from the disgraceful mess left behind by Moloka'i Properties, it was a very beautiful hike. Here are some photos (and remember take only pix, leave only prints):
And someone had set up this nifty coconut seat enroute:
Also, a chunk of coral shelf with shells and other goodies still embedded:
And, finally, we reached La'au Point - the site of immense controversy in Spring '08. We set this piece of the hike to Lono's music. After all, he says it all so well... http://www.lonomusic.com/index.html
La'au Hike#2: Keep Moloka'i Moloka'i (w/Lono):
Pretty much speaks for itself, doesn't it?
If not, here is a previous post with Lani explaining the situation from a Moloka'i perspective:
And on a more light-hearted note, here is what greeted us in the fridge upon a hot, sweaty, dehydrating return from lovely La'au:
On this evening, with residual sore butts (from Thursday's mule ride) and tender leg muscles from today's hike, we proceeded to a new friend's party, we had graciously been invited to. It was a lovely indoor/outdoor setting with jamming local musicians, nice kine people, and a sky absolutely stuttered with shining stars. Wow!
We wake up Friday with - guess what? Yup, exactly! Sore derrieres...
...but that does not deter us from celebrating Aloha Friday with everyone, per Friday tradition here. Besides Camilla's coiture pal, shall we call her 'Muumuu Jean', a good handful of new na kupuna friends, and a - by now - familiar trio, the Doran Ohana from Pennsylvania, who had a birthday to celebrate on this day as well as some sore butts (they, too, rode mules the day prior), and the fact that some of their numerous Post-A-Nuts had successfully reached Pennsylvania, seemingly at godspeed, and then their friend Morgan, of course, we just had to show up and partake in the festivities.
Here you see Yours Trulys along with the Sore-butted, Birthday-celebrating Doran Ohana:
And so here we are, once again, doin da kupuna thing....
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
After na kupuna ended their sunset spiel, we proceeded to 'elsewhere' to hear Lono do more of his musical magic. You'll find his musical accompaniment on our Kalaupapa #1 and #4 videos as well as on the 'La'au #2: Keep Moloka'i Moloka'i' video. Here Camilla is waxing poetic about Lono's music. For more on Lono and to order his music online, here ya go: http://www.lonomusic.com/index.html
Camilla Waxes Poetic about Lono's Music (sorry for the dark thumbnail - only choice):
And here, your Cool Camera Man enjoying Lono kine paniolo style:
And finally, tongue-in-cheek, let's just say that here in Hawaii, besides the Macadamia Nuts and Coconuts that we have already shown you, on occasion you may also encounter a whole other nut species here: the Eccentric Nut (we no crack dis, we just crack up):
Of course we do agree on ONE thing: Lono is totally awesome :)
howdy and howzit? This day has Kalaupapa written all over it. This may not mean much to many until we add that this place is home to the world's tallest sea cliffs, that many years ago, King Kamehameha V ordered all Hawaiians suffering from leprosy (now more sensitively referred to as 'Hansen's Disease) separated from their families and subsequently quarantined here (for life!). It is the place where Father Damien, soon to be canonized (Feb 2009), made his life's work for sixteen years until he himself became stricken with Hansen's Disease and died at the age of 49. It is also, on a more light hearted note (depending on who you ask) the place of one of the world's most famous mule rides - the 90-minute 1700 foot drop over a distance of 3.5 miles containing 26 switchbacks!!!
We set the most obvious videos to Lono kine music (with permission from Lono, of course). For more on Lono's onolicious music, click here: http://www.lonomusic.com/index.html
This was a long day with lots of video and photos. If you cannot watch it all, whatever you do, don't miss videos #1 (Descent) and #4 (Ascent).
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
It's 8AM and we are ready to descend:
Kalaupapa #1: The Precipitous Mule Back Descent:
Here is a quick photo of the view that greeted us on arrival at Kalaupapa:
As you will see in this next video, our ride in Kalaupapa bears testimony to the remoteness of this locale. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, other than perishable goods, is shipped in by barge once a YEAR. Undoubtedly a costly and cumbersome affair. In other words, use it until it won't work no more (see da yellow bus!)
Kalaupapa #2: Da yellow ride and the Kalaupapa Tour:
The famous Mother Maryanne who took over caring for patients shortly before Father Damien's death:
And, Father Damien himself:
And then back on da Bus Gus (sea cliffs in background) for a ride over to Kalawao, the original landing spot for the patients (the colony was later moved to Kalaupapa):
Kalaupapa #3: Kalawao, Damien's Grave, and Incredible Vistas:
A rare photo of Yours Truly's together (note Camilla's hideous grin. What de heck is dat all about??):
And now, Kalaupapa #4: The Precipitous Mule Back Ascent:
Hence, with sore derrieres and a heart-pounding new adventure in our most immediate past, we retire early this evening full of impressions, respect, and appreciation...
Howzit? Here iz going mo bettah after a 24hr bout with dakine bowels. Humor aside (it wasn't fun!)
This morning, we set off for what turned out to be a fabulously calm (v-e-r-y) early morning snorkel outing.
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
Video from Da Snorkel Shuttle:
Pics from Da Snorkel Shuttle:
And here, have a look at Da Underwater Goodz:
Even more Underwater Goodz:
After all those Underwater Goodz, we needed these 'Very Ono Local Grindz'!
The afternoon was a study in Hawaiian Gourmet - mac nuts and locally grown coffee.
this day began with Wall Street (Steve), then a business meeting (Camilla), and off we were to the local sugar mill and museum, where we found not only sugar history and paraphenalia, but also taro plants, Cook Island pines, papaya trees, and an excellent little exhibit on Father Damien, whose dedicated work at the Kalaupapa Hansen's Disease (leper) colony recently earned him a nomination for sainthood. More on that after we visit Kalaupapa on Thursday.
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
A stop outside to look at sugarcane and dry-land taro plants:
And, now, on to the old restored sugar mill:
After this 1.15 hrs at the mill and museum, we proceeded to a local post office for a fun little adventure: Shipping Coconuts to the mainland!! Yup, cocos with stamps!!
Finally, at days end, a little tropical 'Frootfest' (Coco, lilikoi, chico, papaya, guava, starfruit, and jackfruit) complete with tasting notes and opening instructions Have a look at all dis froot!!
Dinner this evening was a Philipino dish that Sally at the market taught us how to cook at the market last Saturday. Turned out so ono delicious it even broke da mouth of our local hosts here who dug in and shared da grindz.
This day began with an early morning visit to the bakery for some pastries before a morning snorkel outing. Here Lanari gives us a complete rundown:
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
A brief stop at the market yielded not only a hearty handful of fruits and veggies, but also a very interesting chat with one of the islands most seasoned residents:
The water early in the morning was perfectly calm on this ancient Hawaiian fish pond:
And, then, hoping we nailed the tide just right, we stepped in to have a look at the reef - again. This time, better than the previous visit, but we still need higher water in order to avoid unwanted close encounters with (and possible attacks on various private parts by) moody moray eels (see video for more). Here you'll also see a gorgeous beach totally devoid of human presence:
Then we met a Morning Monarch:
Serious Saturday Surfers and Scenery:
Our Hawaiian friend's community fish pond - in action. Look at that opening to the ocean, now do da math..
Time for some late-morning 'Grindz' (Hawaiian for 'Good Grub'). Here, The Loco Moco:
If you can't afford to go to the movies here in Hawaii, just grab a bowl of popcorn, find an ATM machine without a line of people waiting (pretty easy), and start watching. Have a look:
On this morning, we were off to the bakery early. If you want baked goods before the flies find them (and perhaps leave more behind than 'flavr') you'll want to beat them to the punch and get there e-a-r-l-y!! We swung by a special place on the return so we could share the sunrise with you (I look awful this early - profound apologies :)
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
Then it was back to work, work, work and then it was time to put on the muumuu and the aloha shirt for the Aloha Friday celebration:
Then back for a snack. Here we'll share a few Hawaiian goodies (and flowers) with you and we'll teach you something new:
How To Do Turndown Service for your Laptop...
Nocturnal 'hana' (work): While the laptop dutifully backs the new data of the day up on it's external hard disk, the little mo'o critters are hard at work crunching bugs for all the snoozing humans. Check out this little fella:
Tides and snorkeling can be a tricky thing. The place we're working on has a fairly shallow reef as it is, which means it can only be snorkeled at a reasonably high tide. The million dollar question is: how high a tide is high enough? The tide table can't answer such detail - ya' gotta go to find out. So we went. Too low for comfort (ours and the reef's), plus the trades were getting busy, so we made it brief and will try again later and only in the morning before the trades pick up...yup, tricky stuff..:)
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
On the return, we saw a sign for Coco plants and Green Coconuts. Always hard to pass up, so we took a little detour into the Coco Jungle in search of this beverage. No luck on the nutty potion, so we did a little talk about Windward vs. leeward instead:
On this evening, we went to a special place to hear a new Hawaiian friend and his band. The sunset on this evening was absolutely sick (read: gorgeous!). Check it out:
'Hawaiian Winter Sunset by the Shore':
And a 20-second mini-movie of our 4 favorite photos from this evening's sunset:
Finally, more music and a word about the 'grassroots research' involved in TATC trip designs:
After Wall Street rang the finishing bell, we ventured West for the afternoon. First, a beautiful, remote, scenic coastline - complete with driftwood, lava rock, and nuts!!
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
On the way, we encountered some 'Leeward Optimism':
And found some truth in the old adage 'Birds of A Feather Flock Together':
And then we gathered a few coconuts on the fairway. What better way to utilize the golf course that Molokai Properties shut down and left behind when they decided to cease operations in 2008 because the public resisted yet another tourism development project - this time several million-dollar lots at La'au Point - one of the most remote and beautiful spots on the island (and a favored beach for the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal)? Lani will tell you EXACTLY how big a local insult this was:
It isn't the first example we have seen of what can happen when Big Business suddenly owns half of a tiny island. Ugly stuff transpires. In any case, they made sure to even cut down a great number of the perfectly healthy coconut palms gracing the golf course out there. Vandalism, except we cannot call it that, of course. In any case, we intend to turn some of this bitter debate into a lavish and delectably creamy Golf Course Coconut Vanilla Sauce and share the meal with some of our new friends here on the island. Lemonade out of lemons, Coco sauce out of Crabby Corporate Crud...you get the idea... ...So here you see Camilla, 'The Rebel' gathering up some of these 'neglected nuts' - left behind 'in not-so-kind' by a handful of 'neglectful nuts':
One of the marvellous side-effects of the above-mentioned scandalous business dealings is the reality that, even at sunset, there is practically NOBODY on the islands most gorgeous of beaches (which also happens to be one of Hawaii's longest). Have a look for yourself:
After this twilight-zone experience, we were most certainly ready for a hearty reality check. We swung by one of the local hangouts for a teriaky burger that broke da mouth (a.k.a. 'tasted great') and an hour of dakine music (a.k.a. na kupuna) that 'broke da ears'! Mo Bettah! Have a listen:
Hula:
And for those who - by now - love Na Kupuna, here is another 9+ minutes with them:
And then, a small 'Soapbox Segment' regarding that wretched Molokai Ranch issue and the Fairway Coconuts:
We had one other encounter at the local market. Since this is not exactly a typical 'Talking Story' type of event, we decided to post it here in a separate entry. Here we present (with the subject's permission) the Hungarian composer Guyla Csapo:
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
The local 'Market Day' is a big day in most Hawaiian neighborhoods. This is where you purchase fresh greenery and fruits for the week to come. This is also where you find local artisans, music, sometimes food, and of course you 'talk plenty of story' with everyone else present. You always learn something else, meet new people, and feel dakine aloha...
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
Market - Talking Story 1 (Fruits & Veggies 101):
Market - Talking Story 2 (Bananas and Art):
Market - Talking Story 3 (Coconuts, Snow & Music):
Market Talking Story 4 (Jawaiian & 'Green Butter'):
Market - Talking Story 5 (Kimo's Shells and Shakas):
Market - Talking Story 6 (Jeff & 'Flies Leave More Than Flavr'):
Market - Talking Story 7 (Politics: The A'ole La'au Issue):
As you can see, the heart of the local community beats firmly at the local market. Never miss an opportunity to visit one whenever and/or wherever you have the chance!
And a flower for the ear on our way home...
'Pink Parking-Lot-Plumerias Under a 'Watchful' Eye':
yes, so two days after Willem - our 'Greater Dutch Grater' - departed, we're still grating and squeezing coconuts...Finally, Mama Ilima steps in with some local advice:
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
Now that we suddenly had plenty of time, we decided to head down to Hotel Molokai for some Aloha Friday fun and hear the Kupuna (the Elders) play music. They were blowing bubbles too (but no in dakine Izzy way, you know...)...
Aloha Friday with Na Kupuna:
And then, a new 'Molokai Cause' was coined right there at Hula Shores together with our new friend Jean..have a look: 'Bring Back the Muumuu!!'
And, finally, some more Aloha Friday with Na Kupuna:
Once we had recovered from the New Years festivities we set off for a little drive up along the coast of the island - our first of several such survey jaunts. We found lots of relatively untouched nature with a very local presence (as opposed to the usual out-of-control development imposed on many Hawaiian coastlines). We even came across a spectacular traditional Hawaiian fish pond - in use! We do pardon that the first two video pre-view images depict neither the pretty landscape nor the amazing fishpond. Unfortunately, YouTube does not let you pick your preferred pre-view images but rather gives you three auto-selected images to choose from. They all featured Camilla and her face!! We did you a favor and picked the best ones. Sorry, it's the best we could do...
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
The theme of today was most definitely 'Mork on a Mission'. We awake to the reality of several coconut halves in ziploc bags occupying our guesthouse host's refrigerator while awaiting further processing in the eventual quest for home made Tahitian vanilla sauce, so a quick breakfast and we were off. Conveniently, this was also our shopping day, so we were already headed into town in pursuit of whatever rudimentary handful of fruits and/or veggies we might be able to find...
As we exited the car down near the market, we met a very nice local lady selling just what we needed - fruits and vegetables. Soon, the three of us chatted away while trading greenery for greenbacks and of course we managed to casually work a little line about coconuts and graters into our 'story-talking' (i.e. Hawaiian for 'conversation').
Well, lo and behold, the stars must have aligned perfectly on this day, because our lovely veggie lady, by the name of Sally, came to our rescue almost right away! As it turned out, she had a grater that she wasn't using at all, and suggested we might as well take it to our guesthouse and keep it for the whole month. We suggested renting it might be a reasonable solution, so, a visit to Sally's house, a full tour of her lovely garden, and $5 later, we were the temporary owners of the perfect traditional coconut grater, just like the ones we have used out in Tahiti! Yay!
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
'Collecting the Coconut Grater':
As you can imagine, once back at the guesthouse, our Dutch friends were immensely thrilled to learn that we now had a real authentic coconut grater in the house. Willem willingly went to work right away - first filming Steve and then getting down to the business of grating coconuts, as you will see in the laborious footage below:
And now, time to squeeze the milk out of the grated coconut:
Once we had enough coconut milk for the immediate purpose, we proceeded with the sauce making. Here you see the delectable result of several persons' concentrated multi-day effort:
(R-L: Hostess Ilima, Nanda, Willem, and Camilla)
And for dessert, Marty and Kelly had kindly shared their 'Ice Cream Fruit' harvested on their guided journey through the Halawa Valley earlier in the day (Mahalo nui loa)
And then our Dutch friends were off to Honolulu and we gradually proceeded toward the new year one hour at a time....as is customary...
The intention had been to head into town and have a look at whatever local festivities may be taking place on this special eve, but after witnessing a couple of neighboring hours of quasi-legal fireworks (interspersed by what sounded unmistakably like gun/rifle shots to the resident army veteran here) our plans swiftly continued along a far more home bound path. Once all house dogs had been calmed down successfully (thank goodness for 'green butter'), we proceeded with our reporting.
Here, our home-spun war correspondent brings you a snippet of the 'Dueling Pyromaniacs':
And finally, the new year became a reality - 'hauoli makahiki hou' - Happy New Year! (D'ya know Costco's own Kirkland got a 90 from Wine Spectator - it was actually very good stuff)
so our new Dutch friends (staying in the room next to ours) Willem and Nanda heard my silent whisper about Tahitian coconut vanilla sauce yesterday and therefore managed to procure a handful of coconuts during their westward venturing of the island on this day (turns out the majority were sourced at the the post office in Ho'olehua, which ships them as souvenirs to the mainland).
Camilla had already made (very tentative) arrangements to possibly gain access to someone's home to grate nuts 'sometime in the next month' but this sudden delivery of nuts placed an immediate impetus on instancy. More on this later....
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
First things first: time to husk and then crack da nuts, which you can see more of here:
Later this evening, our new friends joined us for 'A Late Night Snack in the Alley':
today, just a few photos of the gorgeous sunset we were bestowed with this evening. You know that when even the local residents are excited, it is time to whip out the camera. So we did! Here goes...
On this day, to assure ourselves that we actually did shed some permanent pounds off our luggage, we decided to line up everything for the 'Partial Pantry' here in Moloka'i. The intention is to consume these ingestibles during our month-long stay here, leave whatever is left with our hosts, and travel lighter to the next island come 01 FEB 2009. From a coarse calculation, we determined that we had indeed lugged about 100lbs of consumables with us from the previous island, which means we'll effectively 'lose' that same 100lbs when we depart from here in a month. In other words, all is well in the luggage department, after all!
After a long night of digitizing and then shredding documents (Camilla slept a total of 3 hours while Steve got about 5)we headed off to the local post office with a few pounds of clothing not really needed at these latitudes. Thank goodness for flat-rate USPS boxes when you're in a place like Hawaii. We sent off three to our California Connection on this morning at the lovely local aloha-filled post office - they even hand out candy canes for Santa!!
[HELP: IF YOUR VIDEO STOPS INTERMITTENTLY AS YOU TRY TO PLAY IT: For those without super fast internet connections (including us, at the moment) your videos will probably not play continuously without some advance buffering. It is easy to buffer, however, so all is not lost. Simply click 'play' to start it playing, then just click the pause button (II) on the lower left side of the video screen until you see it has buffered 1/4-1/1 past the right side of the dot (there is a red 'play' line to the left of the dot and a faded red 'buffer' line to the right of the dot). Once buffered, simply hit the red play (>) arrow in the lower left corner again and the video should play through without interruption. If it does not, it is most likely because you did not let it buffer long enough. Slow connections may require you to buffer the entire video before you begin to play it - fine so long as you know what to do!!?? Now you know. Enjoy the show!]
'Shedding More (Baggage) Pounds':
Later in the day, we packed up our remaining stuff plus about 100lbs of basic provisions to partially sustain us over in Moloka'i - our home for the next month and change. We bid our farewell to the beloved red Ford Mustang, paid the baggage overcharge (which still justifies schlepping 100lbs of provisions), and hopped a quick flight to the Friendly Isle of Independence next door.
'Flying to the Friendly Isle of Independence':
E komo mai (welcome) to low-key ohana-style living with plenty of aloha:
