let's start the day with 'Anthurium 101' and a fresh coconut (you'll also briefly meet a moderately obnoxious nut in this video...):
And then on to Hilo, a Hawaiian town steeped in some pretty serious history - including a couple of deadly tsunamis in it's relatively recent past. We start with the Hilo art scene. And, yes, evidently they start 'em rather early around here. This delightful one, titled "New Years with The 'Ohana (Family)" was found hanging in a local gallery):
These are just to diffuse the rumor that it a-l-w-a-y-s rains in Hilo. It doesn't. For starters, here is a perfectly clear view of the top of 13679ft Mauna Loa:
And for those who love mac nuts, here are a few square miles of them:
And a little clip of what happens along many Hawaiian waterfronts an hour before sunset:
And that ends a perfectly delightful day in, mostly, Hilo. Aloha, Kepani & Kamila
We start the day on the 1960 lava flow (right in the neighborhood too!!). Although it has been nearly 50 years, it still looks largely like a barren wasteland (albeit a very fascinating one!) bearing Pele's unmistakable signature: a lotta lava! What you see here is an o'hia lehua flower - a colonizer of fresh lava fields and very important feature in Hawaian culture:
Actually, the tree is the o'hia and the flower is lehua. Pick one, and the skies will cry. You can read here why:
"In Hawaiian mythology, ʻŌhiʻa and Lehua were two lovers separated by the goddess Pele. Pele desired ʻŌhiʻa and when she could not have him she turned him into a tree. Lehua was devastated by this transformation and out of pity the gods turned her into a flower and placed her upon the ʻōhiʻa tree. Separating these united lovers is not encouraged, and it is said that when a lehua flower is plucked from an ʻōhiʻa tree, the sky fills with rain representing the lovers' tears."
Along similar lines, there is the lighthouse that was spared - by mere inches - when Pele diverted the lava flow to accommodate the needs of the keeper, who was on Pele's 'good' side.
And, here, the easternmost point in the state of Hawaii (which became a few feet more easternmost as a result of the 1960 eruption that resulted in this beautiful coastline):
Not sure what this fella's story is; he obviously did not meet his demise in 1960, but perhaps his family did? Perhaps he wanted to be buried near his family? Perhaps he loved the ocean here? Easternmost gravesite (or memorial) in Hawaii?
And here you can see what kind of lovely rain forest probably occupied the area prior to the 1960 eruption. This section, which is immediately adjacent, was obviously spared (Don't miss the roster at the end):
Imagine such beauty covered in lava in a matter of minutes:
Certainly no door-to-door mail delivery in these parts:
Out in these 'wild bushes' one also occasionally comes face-to-face with la-la-land:
...Seems those with a sense of 'Conscious Oneness' still possess a sense of hostility?:
The 'encounter' of course begs the question: 'What the hell ARE they DOING in there?..'
Not pondering this conundrum too long, we proceeded to have a look at some 'lava trees'. Oxymoron, you say? Indeed! Here's what happened back in 1790. This lava flow came through very fast (Pele must have been furious about something serious!!). Tree trunks of large o'hia trees (go figure!! See Pele story above) were coated in rushing red hot lava. The moisture in the tree trunks caused the lava to harden (similar to how lava tubes 'roof over' due to heat evaporation/cooling by lower air temps. Were it not for the heat factor of lava, you'd be left with dip-sticked tree trunks with trees still growing inside the tree-trunk lava encasement. However, due to the temperature of molten lava - just over 2000F!! - these large tree trunks soon succumbed to the ensuing fire. What is left over, then, are several hollow lava towers - all the perfect molds, complete with bark impressions, for the o'hia tree trunks they briefly contained:
And a look inside where the tree trunk once was:
Followed by a few minutes of live Lava Tree footage:
Onwards to more lava-related phenomena, this time a thermally heated oceanfront pool. Think of it, perhaps, as the p-e-a-c-e-f-u-l presence of Pele (because she's in there!!)
these guys eat all the little critters - flying and otherwise - that we humans 'no like'. So, remember, never hate geckos and for goodness sake don't try to kill these 'household helpers'.
Some cultures have created entire rumors that these guys are poisonous in order to justify killing them. These house geckos are NOT poisonous (unless perhaps they have somehow consumed a vast number of bugs that the people of the house have deliberately poisoned...??)
today, we saw a tide pool phull of phantastic phish:
Tide pools work like this: the tide brings in freshly oxygenated water and fish. The outgoing tide leaves some of the fish in the enclosed tide pools (= aquarium effect). Tide pools are also great places for 'small phry phish' to hide from 'big phry phish'. Ok, enough phooolishness...
Here is a video showing you the result of yesterday's snorkeling. Lava means no algae/sand/other gunk so you tend to have nice clear underwater conditions. Lava IS also fairly sharp!:
A photo of the potential consequences of a really HIGH tide. This area has dropped 40 inches since the 1960s - woops, thar it flows and thar it goes - Tutu's (grandma's) summer house!
Runnnnn, da tide is commmming innnn:
So, yes, there is a good amount of 'stilting' going on here and there. Some homes are 100% at ground level. Ouchie!
Finally, a little chat about tide pools at medium tide or so:
while hiking toward the active volcano on this evening, we snapped this photo of 'Optimism':
It is a fern emerging from a fairly fresh layer of new lava landmass. Ferns are some of the first growths you'll see in a new bed of hardened lava. Then come the o'hia lehua trees with the beautiful red hairy flowers, etc.
We are on our way out to see the highly publicized recent eruption from the rather lucky vantage point just four miles from the action (yes, that's plenty close!). It can be both tough and tricky to get close enough to a volcano - let alone an actively erupting one. But for a few recent months, the flow has been steady and the direction favorable to easy access, so only a 15-20 minute hike over undulating, jagged, and cracked lava (at night) is required to view this spectacle (photo below is a little fuzzy. Se videos further down for a better 'feel'):
Getting to the trail head involved driving over salvaged pieces of old two-lane old road from back when Kalapana was still a town nearly two decades ago (now it is buried under lava!). These nice road sections are apruptly interrupted by much rougher one-lane sections where you are basically driving on top of the old flow that, by 1992 had totally buried Kalapana. You get lava-rocky sections, somewhat broken sections, patched sections, and curvy sections, but eventually, you do reach the start of the trailhead for the current viewing area.
For reference, at the moment we are staying half-way between Kalapana and Pahoa right out by the ocean. It isn't too hard to imagine what could happen to this area, in time, should the volcano decide to turn its attention a little more northward. Anyway, here is an interesting map link to the flow that buried Kalapana, which also shows the current flow.
And, now, a couple of videos of the real deal. Mind you, that the media rendition of the spectacle is about 25% of the quality of the actual experience. It is just tough to film dark distant objects, so keep that in mind as you watch. It was so good we'll definitely be back down here in a few days!
Pele's Powerful Plumes #1 (The hike out plus the start of lava viewing):
Pele's Powerful Plumes #2 (Lava viewing - including holding camera to the binos at approximately 3:30 in this video. Music is by Lono: http://www.lonomusic.com/index.html
And who IS Pele? She is the very powerful and much respected Hawaiian goddess of fire and thus volcanoes. To this day, she reigns over the Big Island - especially the southern portion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pele_(deity)
If you enjoy farmer's markets and Hawaii kine story talking, join us of this tour of this, the Mother of all Hawaii's farmers markets. We'll walk you through the entire thing right here:
And, finally, a minor 'Frootfest' at da Mansion (P.S. Please note that the last minute and a half of this video is basically a still of a fruit/flower arrangement, basically to ensure a good thumbnail photo. And, as you can see, the experiment turned out to be successful):
yes, this is the third and final post of today's move to the 7-matress home that we - particularly due to recent sleep circumstances - immediately chose to name 'Mork & Mindy's Mansion'. But first things first aren't these awesome:
And a beautiful and very windy coastal clip:
And, as you can see from this, surface transportation in Hawaii isn't for sissies:
For a pair of New Yorkers used to packing into about 450 sqft, this 2500 sqft home is absolutely cavernous! The irony is that at the last-minute firesale rental rate, this rental runs only $30 more per night than the crappy Captain Cook Ranch desctibed in the link above).
Mork & Mindy's Mansion:
And then, goodnightzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, Kepani & Kamila
on our drive to the new house, we ran into this fella:
Bakery Gecko (feasting on crumbs, but not ours):
And this fella:
Bakery Birdz (also feasting on crumbs, but also not ours):
Malasadas - a Portugese delicacy that Hawaii, thankfully, has wholeheartedly adopted. We stop for some and show you the 'flavas'. We also point out why you just might want to arrive here via Mustang instead of a Megabus. And then a little Hawaiian vocabulary and some steel guitar and other sweet sounds:
Then a stop at a volcanic (a.k.a. black) sand beach. It is always very beautiful here, even on a relatively blustery day like today:
And may we suggest being mindful of 'the high waterline'? Here, it's just three Hawaiian guys fishing, so in this case, no worries:
However, in this particular and very beautiful place you ALWAYS encounter at least a dozen completely imbecil tourons (tourist-morons) perfectly epitomizing numbnut touron behavior and thus automatically justifying the application of the 'touron' label to them as they blatantly and repeatedly and in open daylight continue to violate a very important Hawaiian State Law (though common sense behavior - showing the honu a little pono - would obviously omit the need for such a law at all). Normally, we wind up engaging in a little 'did you see that sign' (though signage is very poor) educational pursuit here - like the time a hideous tourist came mere inches from PETTING a resting AND endangered sea turtle! Hrrmpfff! Yes, people really do this, we're not making it up. have a look at these two disrespectful fools (yes, indeed, that's the turtle right there by her right knee):
On today's visit, Camilla actually ended up in a minor shouting match with an exceptionally obnoxious and immensely bitchy female touron (yes, you guessed it, one of the ones in video below), who - in spite of (yes, pun intended) - having just been informed of the turtle protection laws, regulations, and general guidelines relating to these increasingly rare animals on the EPA's Endangered and/or Threatened Species lists, defiantly continued to pester this animal - in an altogether entitled fashion - with husband and camera in tow. Awful, just awful, what tourons will do! Please do your best to never to be an ugly touron
Whomever the particular officials are who are in charge of Punalu'u Black Sand Beach - and it's local wildlife - we intend to find out WHY they do not have more and better signs posted all over the place and a group of UH volunteers (majoring in Environmental Science or Marine Biology) handing out fliers and educating tourons on arrival - and not hesitating to give out fines to those who still just can't comprehend the 'no' part of 'no'. For years, every random visit we have made here (every year or two) has been one overt case of turtle harassment after another. We're so sick of watching this scene that we'll either have to stop coming or see something done about it. And we don't even LIVE here. We just care that the wildlife we see here today will also care to show up here tomorrow (in some cases, a particular beach may be the animal's last option, due to development and all sorts of other variables messing up their habitat).
"Q. How close can I get to whales, dolphins, seals and turtles? A. Except for humpback whales (see above), there is no law specifying the minimum distance people can approach a marine mammal or sea turtle. However, getting close to these animals may constitute a federal or state violation if the animal is disturbed or if your action has the potential to disturb its natural behavioral patterns. NOAA and DLNR recommend, for your safety and the animals' protection, that everyone stay at least 150 feet from all marine mammals and sea turtles. If maintaining this distance isn't possible, keep safety in mind and move away from the animal as carefully as possible, avoiding sudden movements and other actions that might disturb the animal. For wildlife viewers, please enjoy from a distance - use binoculars and telephoto lenses to get the best views without disturbing the wildlife".
Etiology: when your 'tourist' behaves like a 'moron', then you've got a 'touron'. Please, please never be a touron - EVEN for that once-in-a-lifetime PERFECT photograph!
Malama ka'aina. Please show da honu dakine pono. Kepani & Kamila
Aloha - and welcome to yet another sleepless night..
We're moving today - a week too soon (well, actually not a moment too soon, but sooner than intended). We moved into this place by the name of 'Captain Cook Ranch' on 07 FEB and, while the view from the nice covered lanai at 2300ft elevation certainly is nothing short of spectacular, the remainder of the premises leaves numerous things to be desired - most urgently a new mattress. Fasten your seat belts folks and make sure you have nothing in your mouths you could choke on, because when we tell you the mattress these people present their p-a-y-i-n-g guests with is 20 YEARS OLD, whaddaya say?!! Wowie - and owie! And, of course, with 'vintage' comes other 'realities, such as:
And, as an insult to injury (to be taken somewhat literally, at this point), the full-size mattress in the second bedroom (rendered unusable by heavy snoring coming from owner's unit above) was no bettah. That damn thing was so OLD that the silkscreened label was nothing but a few remaining patches of faded yellow:
Real nice, eh? With Camilla's job in travel, we have seen lots of properties of all kinds and configurations, but this one is so disgraceful it takes the entire cake (and that 1994 Labor-Day-with-dog motel experience in Lousiana WAS pretty bad!) . Speaking of cake, the owner here - Mike Breeze - seems to savor sitting IN the breeze while having his cake and then he'll help himself to yet another slice. Are we trying to pay the mortgage with a New York style 'tenement' here Mr. Mike? He's got his noisy abode upstairs - including two nice dogs but with claws that make the uncarpeted floor a perpetual canine concerto. And, you can even hear - in the master bedroom of all places - when Mr. Mike flushes his grand big toilet upstairs. Sounds like The Lord's big old commode after a genuine plunging job! Wooooooshhhhh!!!! AND, we hear there is even a baby on the way!
But speaking of water, Mr. Mike wants views, so he lives waaaay above the community catchment tank and therefore has his very own water catchment system. Too bad he is on the leeward side of the island and that his system wasn't quite designed to handle the living needs of not only his own (growing) ohana, but also those of his peskyconsuming rental guests. Add those costly Hawaii electricity rates (in a climate that requires no A/C and barely any winter heat, mind you). These welcoming home made signs that greet you from virtually every angle in the rental unit regardless where you stand really spread the Aloha and make you feel the warm welcome (E Komo Mai). Ya really feel the Aloha here, no?:
And, just in case we still did not 'get it':
This Mr. Mike is so cheap that you don't even get to have a hand towel, let alone one to share, for the duration of your stay. And, as you can imagine, you can kiss your hopes of a wash rag completely goodbye. A kleenex box, you say? No no. Here, if you're lucky, you'll get a little 10-tissue plastic pack. And to top it off, per Mike's advertising, laundry use is available, yes and when you arrive you'll learn it is on the 'honor system' (contrary to any vacation rental we've ever been in in Hawaii). The cost per load-fasten your seatbelt-is $5!
Furthermore, and as of 2009 (or thereabouts), Mr. Mike has added a SECOND Ohana unit below his (not so large) house, that runs adjacent to our unit here - and, very intelligently, has done so l-e-n-g-t-h-w-i-s-e, such that EVERYone is surrounded by EVERYone else's 'people noises'. We can temporarily live with a fair amount of 'inconvenience' (after all we've been NYC apartment dwellers for over a decade), but add dilapidated bedding - including a completely worn out AND lopsided mattress, and you've got disaster looming on the horizon of this 2300ft vantage point. We travel a lot, as some of you know, and we have quite happily stayed in anything from hostels to Hyatts and can count on LESS than one hand the number of times we have ever left a place before the scheduled departure. UHUH, WOW!
Mr. Mike, however, has an arrogant and self-righteous streak about him. He firmly (no pun intended) believes his 20-year-old-cum-15-years-past-its-prime mattress as well as the other mattress (which was probably from his college days, with springs as stiff as the joints of a 90-year-old...human) provide not only perfectly acceptable but even COMFORTABLE bedding for his vacation rental 'guests' (cum Mortgage Minions). We just had to laugh (hey if your backside is unhappy and you can't sleep, you might as well just laugh). In any case, Mr. Mike had the blatant nerve to suggest immediate check-out (though we needed no encouragement in that regard, as that decision had already made itself) but his additional chutzpah included a firm reiteration of his no-refund policy. Not so fast Mr. Mike. Only time will tell...
...And when, in a couple of decades, Mr. Mike decides a replacement is finally due, and ventures down to the Salvation Army - the old 'trusted' mattress in tow, so he can get his tax refund for 'donated goods' - whaddaya think? Will they even take the wretched thing off his hands or will he have to let his 'blemished, buckled, banged-up, bedding buddy' go up in smoke?? Again, only time will tell...
Anyway, we won't bore you with the details any further, except to say that the following video has 'the rant' in it:
Considering the utter toxicity of this very bad 'mountain apple' experience, we will be posting the lovely scenic drive to our new abode in a separate post for today (and will include a link to the footage titled 'Mork and Mindy's Mansion' for a full tour of the Puna Premises. This 'new' house is as big as an entire country! An odd juxtaposition indeed!)
So, if you find yourself at the end of this entry, be sure to see the next one above - for a sense of balance and good old karma.
Good Riddance, as they say. In the case of Mr. Mike Breeze and his so-called Captain Cook Ranch, there will most certainly be no 'A hui hou' on our part. And so, we leave! Kepani & Kamila
today is dedicated pretty much entirely to local Waikiki activities: A surf lesson, several hotel inspections, a special Mork lunch tradition, and more of Kanoe's hula.
The order got a little messed up because our rather famous surf instructor failed to show for reasons unknown (except to say he is 'always on time'...except today...). So, the 8:30AM lesson became a 2:30PM lesson, which turned out to be a mixed blessing. The 'blessing' part had to do with being achy for only the latter half of the day. The 'mixed' part involved Camilla having to apologize for conducting her hotel room inspections wearing a lycra skin (surf shirt), pareo, and bandana, in lieu of the usual and more 'proper' business casual attire...fortunately, it was mid-day in Waikiki, so thankfully it all worked out ok...
Getting Pumped up for Surfing:
A Fancy Lunch Amongst Japanese Wedding Couples (first the succulent photos, then video):
And now SURFIN' WAIKIKI
Having hoped earlier in the day (see end of lunch video) that everything would be 'pono' with regards to this surfing situation, it turned out we got everything we'd hoped for - and then some. Our very surf instructor was so pono, that Pono was, in fact, his very name. Was surfing quite as easy? Not quite, but it wasn't too bad. The bad part was the 'everything we had hoped for "and then some"'. Let's just say that we quickly discovered that surfers very much EARN their lats and deltoids and generally well-muscled overall sexy appearance.
...And, isn't it funny when, after engaging in a certain - usually new -activity, you just TOTALLY KNOW there will be some considerable hell to pay when the body eventually overcomes the initial shock and suddenly awakens from the heinous assault amassed upon it on an otherwise fun, lovely, and delightfully sunny afternoon? Steve, for one, left his 'personal crime scene' in an elated adrenaline-driven boyant state of absolute delight, very well aware of the nearly perfect imprint on his lower right rib cage of the entire Canon waterproof camera case (including the complete strike plate) acquired during the split second when the wretched thing relentlessly inserted itself between his ribs and the surfboard just as he came to land upon it... ...and Camilla will have to converse with the Higher Heavens, in the days to come, and attempt to account and beg forgiveness for the complete pallette of 'bruise' decorating her left knee in particular...oh yes, there will be hell to pay no doubt. We'll gladly keep you posted :)
Nothing like a good strong Mai'tai and a little mesmerizing hula to delay penance and postpone the absolutely inevitable arrival of reality...
And then Kanoe's mezmerizing hula to erase some of our more recent 'muscle memories':
And the remainder of that generous hotel 'room credit' (Chocolate is good for healing!):
Tomorrow is yet another day. A hui hou (we hope :) Kepani & Kamila...Kahana...moku...maybe...
