A Trip to Hawaii

Aloha!

We recently visited the islands of Hawaii and Kauai in the Hawaii state which is part of the USA.  Yes, you got it right, Hawaii refers both to an island as well as the entire conglomeration of islands that together form the state of Hawaii.  With a view to avoid confusion with the state which bears the same name and also because of its size, the Hawaii island is also referred to as the Big Island.  The capital of the state, Honolulu, is situated on the island of Oahu.

Two words that all visitors to Hawaii invariably learn, are Aloha and Mahalo.  Aloha is used both as Hi and Bye.  Mahalo is the Hawaiian for Thank You.  Hawaii describes itself as The Aloha State.

Our port of entry in the state of Hawaii was Kona which is located in the western part of the Big Island.  The Airport seems to be one of its kind with a big open-to-sky courtyard and pagoda like open structures surrounding it.

At Kona we stayed in an apartment with a fabulous view of the ocean from its balcony.  The complex was beautifully landscaped with numerous varieties of palm and plants bearing beautiful flowers.  The ocean lining one side of the apartment complex was rimmed by black lava rocks and huge waves kept crashing on these rocks.

Soon after checking into the apartment, we visited a beach where people were snorkeling to view fish and turtle and witnessed the beautiful sunset with the sun lighting up a streak of gold across the ocean as it appeared to sink in it.

Next day in the morning we visited was the National Historical Park of Hawaii.  A notice at the entrance of the park requested visitors to keep in mind that it was a sacred place.  It displayed various statues of the Hawaiian God who bears a fierce grimace with the upper row of teeth forming a continuum with the lower row.  The statues seem to have been carved from a single trunk of a palm tree each.  Same is the case with the boat displayed inside an A shaped thatched hut.  The beach is made of lava that seems to have frozen even as it was flowing.  Some of the rocks forming the beach look like the intertwined braids of hair that you find on some naga sadhus in India.  We saw some beautiful golden fish in the crystal clear waters of the beach and also a huge turtle.

We also visited the Kealakekua bay by boat and snorkeled near the Captain Cook Monument.  It was a thrilling experience.  I am myopic and was worried whether I would be able to get a clear view of the marine life.  I was delighted to find that masks with prescription (powered) glasses were available.  There was one that was close to my prescription and I picked it up.  Here we snorkeled in waters that were more than 100 feet deep to quite near the coast.  During the boat ride back we saw caves and tunnels in the lava stone shoreline that have perhaps been formed by the water beating down on the stones relentlessly.  Everyone was excited to find a house sitting right on top of one of the sea caves.

We visited the Kona downtown too.  The seashore reminded me of Marine Drive in Mumbai while some parts of the downtown reminded me vaguely of Lucknow.  There was an sprawling banyan tree close to the sidewalk that made me instinctively look for idols that might be placed at its foot. :) We had some flavored shaved ice and had dinner at an Indian Restaurant called Kamana Kitchens.

All this while we had been staying in the western part of the Big Island.  For subsequent sightseeing we moved base to the eastern part.

As we drove along the highway from our earlier location that runs along the periphery of the island, initially we found rocky terrain with some hardy vegetation.  However things changed rather dramatically as we approached the west-south part of the island.  This part receives heavy rains almost throughout the year and is covered with lush green trees, foliage and flower plants.

On our way we stopped over at the lookout at the valley of Waipio.  It also had an inscription stating it to be a sacred place.  At the bottom of the valley there was a huge stream carrying muddy water resulting from the Darby storm that seemed to be almost traveling with us.  It was pouring into the sea making the sea water near the shore muddy too. There was a long and steep trail leading down into the valley and to the foot of a huge waterfall.  Some of us went halfway down the trail.  We decided not to do the whole trail with a view to not hold up those in our group of 12 who could not do the trail.

The Big Island has an active volcano on its south-eastern side.  This side receives conspicuous rains - over 100" each year - and has rainforests that are preserved with much care.  We went to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which features an active volcano.  The day we started for the park, the Darby storm was sweeping the island and on the way we saw dense clouds and light to heavy rains.  There was a warning for flash floods and we could see some swelling creeks close to overflowing on the road.  However we could safely make it to Park only to find it enveloped it in dense fog.  The Park museum closed almost as soon as we entered it. .  A fascinating display in the museum was Pele's hairs which looked like a bunch of golden hair.  Pele is one of the Hawaiian godesses.  Pele's hairs are formed when molten goblets of Basalt glass emerge from a volcano and are blown into fine long gold hued strands.  The famous lava tubes were closed because of the storm and flash flood warnings.  We did manage to get a peak into the rainforest that surrounds the entrance of the lava tubes.  It was enchanting.  We also saw the steam vents which had vapors smelling of sulfur emanating continuously.  The fog underscored the writing on one of the signposts near the vents that proclaimed Hawaii as a land of great spiritual significance.  Because of very low visibility we could not see the glow from the active volcano.  Later while ziplining our instructor and guide showed us a video of the volcano which he had filmed earlier from rather up close.  It was truly awe inspiring with red and orange glow dominating the visuals and red hot lava flowing out.  Upon further inquiry he told us that he had to go up a five mile trail to get close enough to the volcano to film the video.  Yes, that makes the total trip 10 miles.  The weather was inclement, we did not have enough time and many in our group were not fit or grownup enough to make it, and we let go of it.

On our way back from the Volcano Park, we stopped over at Rainbow falls.  The entrance was cordoned off with an yellow tape and a notice said that the park had been closed because of storm warning.  We saw people entering and so ventured to enter the area ourselves.  It is a powerful fall.  Though, the waters were muddy from the recent rains.  The mists rising from the bottom of the falls made a fascinating sight.  I watched the fall for some time and stood motionless.  The sight seemed capable of inducing a trance. We also climbed up to a scenic point level with the start of the fall.  The foliage and the flowers created a magnificent scene.

It was getting dark and an Internet search showed that the Indian Restaurant, Kamana, had a branch nearby. The dinner was good.

It was quite late in the night by the time we reached the locality where our house, rented through AirBnB was supposed to be.  As we were looking for the house a dog, kept close to the gate in one of the houses strained at it's chain and started barking loudly.  The erratic network signal added to the difficulty in locating the house.  We found the house just as we had started to despair.

The house was a big one, enough to accommodate our two groups of six each.  The architecture gave us the feel of a house in rural / semi-urban parts.

Next morning we visited was the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.  It is a breathtakingly beautiful garden that seems to be a piece straight from the Garden of Eden.  It has a beach and a waterfall too.

Post lunch we went for ziplining.  At the company's office which was close to our rented house, we filled out liability waiver forms, had our weight checked.  Next we were introduced to our guides who helped us put on the saddle like gear.  A van took us to the first course.  It drove along bumpy and muddy narrow path through what seemed like a trail through an agricultural farm. Ziplining was great fun.  We started out with easier training courses graduating to the final one overlooking a waterfall far below.  In between the courses, the operators served us local fruits including chopped and peeled pieces of sugarcane.

This concluded our tour of the Big Island.  We drove back to the airport and returned the car.  Two short flights were to take us to our next destination, the island of Kauai.  The first flight took us to Honolulu.  The Darby storm had been keeping threateningly close to us, brushing past us at times but never hurling itself directly on us. The next flight was delayed.  After we boarded the plane, the pilot found some problem with the craft which he attributed to the incessant rains.  We were shifted to another plane and we were late by a few hours when we landed at Lihue airport in Kauai.  We were apprehensive whether the car rental fellows will still be there as it was 11:30 pm when we reached the exit at the airport.  It seems that good luck had been keeping close to us like the Darby, and we could catch the departing car rental fellow almost by the tip of his tail.

By the time we reached the rental apartment and settled down, we were into the wee hours.  We got up quite late in the morning next day.

In Kauai our first destination was the Waimea Canyon State Park.  On our way we saw a roadside eatery that had a very attractive display of fruits.  We stopped over there and had some fruits, duly peeled and chopped by the vendor after we selected the items.  We also had coconut water and the owner scraped the coconut meat out for $1 apiece.

The Waimea Canyon is nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.  When we reached it, the sky was cloudy.  The zigzag patterns of sunshine and shade added a layer of magic to the canyon below us.  It was a grand view indeed.

Later we visited the white sand beach named Poipu beach.  It has a tiny island a little away from the main beach and a sand spit that serves as a walkway between the main beach and the island.  As one walks along waves come in from either side and collide at the walkway swaying you and causing a splash that is huge at times.  The island has warnings displayed not to approach any monk seals that may be resting there.  A little while after we reached the island a seal did turn up and lay down at the edge of the island.  My daughter-in-law got a little too close to it for a photograph.  This seemed to so upset and alarm the seal that it stood up to its full height and bared its teeth.  However it went supine again as my daughter-in-law withdrew after hearing our shouts.  Soon enough it rolled back into the sea and swam away.  Only minutes later another seal scrambled up on the main beach and lay there.  We crossed over to the main beach and joined the spectators who stood at a respectful distance away from the animal.  We enjoyed our stopover at the beach.

Later on we visited the Spouting Horn, a stone formation on the seashore through which the waves emerge into a pretty high spout with a roar.  It reminded me of La Bufadora in Mexico of which it seemed to be a mini version.  Another fascinating scene at this spot was that of several hens and roosters perching high on a tree at the shore overlooking the spouting horn.

I forgot to mention earlier that on Kauai, and to a lesser extent on Hawaii, you find lot of free roaming hens and roosters.  This comes as a surprise as your are unlikely to find wild animals roaming the streets or sidewalks elsewhere in USA (birds and squirrels excepted, of course.)  Legend has it that a poultry farmers had let loose his birds many years ago to spare them from drowning to death because of a huge storm.  These free roaming birds are stated to be their descendants.

We also learnt about the "flower code" from a vendor selling jewelry made from shells.  He said that if a lady wears a flower on her left ear, it means she is engaged or married.  On the right ear it says, "I am available."  If placed in the middle on the front side, it denotes that though married, she is looking for an "upgrade" :))  And, finally, if placed at the back of the head it says, "Follow me!"

The last spot that we visited was Kee beach and Kalalau trail.  It seems to be a hugely popular spot as parking was a big problem and it took lot of time to find a proper slot.  Many vehicles parked alongside the road had a ticket slapped on the windshield.  The Kee beach is a reef enclosed lagoon with still waters suitable for even non-swimmers to enjoy snorkeling or just getting their feet wet.  The Kalalau trail is a rather difficult and risky one to be attempted by only the fit and strong.  We met many on their way back with mud all over their shoes and legs.  They advised us strongly not to go beyond a certain point which affords you a good view.  We stood at the vista point catching the nice breeze and a view of the mountain tops engulfed in floating clouds.  There we acted like wise men who learn from others' experiences and returned to the base.  From here we drove back to Lihue airport and finally caught a flight to LA.  The flight left at 9 pm and reached Los Angeles in early morning and we had to remind ourselves that the two time zones are 3 hours apart.  Another flight took us back to Oakland.

The memories of Hawaii, a land of beaches, mountains and valleys and exotic flora and fauna and volcanoes, remain etched on our minds.

Mahalo, dear reader, for making it to the very end of this rather lengthy blog.