A different view of Na Pali

After being told a dozen times by Karissa to enjoy myself rather then hover over her being sick... I listened and tried to enjoy the trip and its views as much as possible.

On our way out, just minutes from the harbor, a cup of coffee just finished and dawn barely 30 minutes behind us, we coasted up next to a pod of dolphins bobbing around at the surface of the water. This is apparently how they sleep, turning off one half of their brain at a time to rest it, allowing them to just swim along slowly.

Riding against 4'-6' swells along the southern coast of Kauai we made out way to the channel and along this mix of cliff and broken red rock slopes, occasionally punctuated with pristine white beaches that grow and shrink throughout the year or a waterfall fed by rainwater trickling through the porous rock. The ship's captain brought us in close at a few points, but during the winter the surf on the north shore is rough, keeping any boats from coming in to land.

I could talk forever about the gorgeous views, instead, I'll just show you some of the ones I loved:




The passage from Na Pali to Ni'ihau was about an hour and a half, running with the currents rushing through the straights. Long pitching motions turned the ship into abit of a ride, with most of us staying inside the cabin to stay dry, when not having to make motions to the rail.

Lehua island is just starting to sprout vegetation. Why it's happening now and not previously I honestly don't know, nor was told, however the next few years should be amazing, before Karissa and I are dead, it should look as lush as Ni'ihau only a few hundred yards across the water. This is the place we dove, and more to come on that later.

As we left the snorkeling spot and headed back into the channel we caught a whale breaching. Apparently, with the motor of the engine nearby, they get curious and will breach inorder to see what's going on above the surface. We got to see her on three seperate breaches, but my timing with the camera was less then perfect.


Our last bit of nature was as we were coming into dock. A sea turtle was just hanging out below the surface of the water... our first (and only) honu in the Hawaiian islands.

The Napali Coast and Ni'ihau (a 7 hour tour)

The second week we were in Kauai, we thought we might be well enough to go on our first of what we were sure would be about a dozen touristy outings on this trip. We had heard about a cruise that brings us up the coast of the island, then out to the forbidden island of Ni'ihau for snorkeling. This captured my imagination. Ni'ihau is an island that only people who had been born on were allowed to live on, plus the Robinson family (who own the island), and as of very recently some rather high tech military something. We were told that you can see some of the most endangered species off of its coast. We did the resort time share sales pitch, and boom-- 7 hour cruise!

We arrived at 6am, and were warned that the water would be rough, but we were sure we were up for it. The captain and staff were very friendly as we set off. After less than an hour we saw dolphins and slowed to watch them for a bit. I took a few photos and then began to feel a little queezy, so I handed Dj the camera. After that I was done, seasick every time the boat stopped, started, or changed speed. After convincing Dj that he had to see this one for both of us, I stayed at the railing until we got to the snorkeling spot. It came as a really welcome break from the boat, but as soon as we began to move while I was aboard-- done. So Dj will have to tell you all about the rest of this trip.

Wandering the garden isle

As we were ill nearly the entire time we were in Kauai, our plans continued to change as we realized hiking and kayaking would not be possible every day. Instead we drove. We drove all over the island making sure to soak in as much as we possibly could.

Our first stop was in scenic Hanapepe where they were having an orchid festival. There is a revival movement attempt being made by the art community in this town. Lots of fun cute shops with local art work from traditional crafts like quilting to marbelized silk. It was great. There was also a gorgeous Zen temple.



There was also the standard kitschy tourist stuff. On Kauai they have a popular souvenir called a red dirt shirt. The dirt in Kauai has so much red iron in it that it will dye anything and everything red-- a handful of someones based an industry on this. It made me wonder how the dye would work for batiks...

Unfortunately it was here that my camera died, much to my disappointment, AT the orchid show. We tried to come back the next day, but by the time we got there they had closed up for the day. Instead we went for shave ice. Jo-Jo's came highly recommended, and it truly was the best shave ice we had while on Hawaii-- not too sweet, real fruit rather than artificial flavorings-- it was a drive and totally worth it. I got coconut and adzuki beans in mine and Dj got mac nut ice cream in his -- really super tasty.

After that we turned around and hit the craft fair that runs 4 days a week in Kapaa. Nothing there was highly innovative or exciting. Some pretty hand made jewelry, sarongs that were mass hand made in indonesia, and conch and coconut kitsch was really the majority of our findings. There were no price tags and the vendors were extraordinarily attentive. Everything was overpriced, but when we went back a week later (dressed just a little nicer) we found that the price of everything had gone up at least 50%-- we left annoyed and mostly empty handed....

At the end of our stay at the Hilton, we found a rental that had a last minute cancellation, kayaks, and other fun gear for about the same price as the hostel would have cost. This seemed perfect, and we packed ourselves up and moved in. It was a small studio apartment on the back of a house. It wasn't fancy, but more than adequate.

Getting to Kauai

When we called to confirm our farm in Kauai, we found out that yet another farm has closed. Unfortunately there were very few farms on the list for this island, and none left that could take us. Fortunately we planned ahead for this and had some space in the travel budget for a place to stay a little while if we needed it. We've also decided to push off our trip to Europe as the cost of staying there seems to rise daily... So even still a little more fun room. Enter the Kauai Hilton-- and we are so glad that we opted for something nice, because we spent almost the whole time we were there ill. We are guessing it was the flu as that was what was going around and I will spare you the gory details.

It was gorgeous and well... resorty. I will share:







Just next to the hotel was the ocean. There are no words that could capture the view of the Kauai ocean, so I just figured I'd have to show you.

Leaving the big island.

We had a 9-something am flight, which meant leaving Hedonesia at 7am at the latest. Now, we've been living on aloha time for quite a while now... ( I think we even practiced before we left) So we got up and got the car packed up, and Heidi and Briana had made coffee so we could have a cup together before we took off. We are so grateful for our time on the big island and at Hedonesia, we've learned quite a bit, and have made some amazing friends. We'll miss a lot of the amazing people there, the fascinating places, and the mind blowing views.

On the flight out we found ourselves on the same plane as another girl, Christine, who we had met a few days prior. We sat together and chatted though the short, noisy flight to Oahu. This flight was on Aloha airlines-- who had just declared bankruptcy-- a few days later they announced that they would not be honoring any more tickets and that they would be closed for good.

The next flight to Kaua'i was quiet, quick, and on time. We waited a little while for the shuttle from the Kaua'i Hilton to come get us-- and were quickly at the Kaua'i Hilton-- mmm luxurious. Within a day of getting here I had a nasty cold, the next day Dj had it too. Since then we've been staying in the sun trying to bake the cold out of ourselves and get a little healthier. Aside from an unfortunately slowly subsiding cough we are mostly feeling better and are planning to do a lot of exploring tomorrow.

Kahena Beach was really our favorite place to go while on the big island. I've written about it before, but felt the need to share some pictures from our last drum circle Sunday there. This is about half the climb down to Kahena.


This is the half-way point view.
That is the drum circle-- a little less circular.
This is the view up the cliff.
There is an older gentleman who we believe lives at Kahena, he keeps an eye on everything there.
This tree is an icon for this beach.
A great view of the canopy and black sand.
Just to get a little scale-- sorry for the bleached picture. This only shows about 1/3 of the cliff.

This may be what we miss the most from the big island.

Steam Vents

One of our last trips on the big island was to the volcanic steam vents. These are part of a lava flow that went through the east side of the big island in the 1950's. There are big pockets and cracks in the now hardened lava that hold heat, and as this is a rainy area steam as well. Some of these pockets have puka or holes just large enough for a person to get through and on the other side are large steamy cavey spaces. Many have been loved by locals and had benches and wooden ladders to ease the experience.

The first cave that we came up to had a very tiny hole to get in. I was a little apprehensive and let almost everyone else go in first. I aimed for feet first and it was surprisingly easy to get in and very large on the inside. We stayed there for a while and then decided to move on to a warmer puka. The next puka that we went to was much larger, and we needed a ladder to get down into it. The cave space had 3 small benches, but there was barely room for the four of us that went. We brought lots of water and went through it quickly, and we left with very soft skin. Unfortunately my camera would not have been safe here between the heat and the steam, so I left it at hedo.

R.I.P. Two-dogs

Karissa and I were lucky to meet a local guy in our first week on the Big Island, and ran into him literally every day for the better part of the next month and a half. Gary Poretsky, known by his friends as Gary Two-dogs (not to be confused with the other Gary, Gary No-dogs), had been on the island for most of his life... and what a life he'd lived. Sailing from island to island, until he'd settled on the Big Island, he'd bought a parcel of land out at Sea View before they'd even had running water out there (Sea View is now one of the nicer places to live on the east side of the island, complete with electricity and county water). Always quick with a story, a joke, and a laugh that literally filled whole rooms, loud and full of bass, Gary was something rare, raised in a Jewish family, he was a born-again Christian who held to the belief of love.

The last time Karissa and I saw Gary was the day before he was leaving for Thailand. The week before he'd been complaining to us about a major toothache, which just kept getting worse... eventually leading to him going to a dentist in Hilo and being told that he'd need an entire tooth removed, another two heavily drilled, and oral surgery that would have cost him more then most Hawaiians make in a year. For the population on the west coast that lacks dental insurance (which is the majority in Hawaii), Thailand is considered the safest option. Bangkok and Chiang Mai have western trained and equipped doctors of all sorts... except with the current exchange rate and the lack of back-breaking insurance costs, they can operate in a fee range that's viable, while being infinitely safer then the Mexican option...

While traveling in Chiang Mai after his surgery, Gary was shot three times at a bar by a mentally unstable Australian man. He died before reaching the hospital... and I can only pray that he felt no pain.

The Puna population will miss Gary, his funeral service is expected to overflow wherever it is, as he was loved by both sides of the heated debate between natives and locals. We didn't get a chance to meet his mother before we left the island, but we did meet up with a number of Gary's friends for a candle-light vigil on the Sea View lawn. His mother passed on word through Uncle Manu that she was bringing his ashes back and that Gary would be buried or scattered on the island he'd adopted and loved.

Even though I would probably have never seen Gary again after this trip, having someone so caring and who lived So well taken from this world is a tragedy, and I'm sorry no one will ever hear him explain what makes someone a Haole, or the stories of the Island's creation, or the plight of the native children...

I ka 'ôlelo no ke ola, i ka 'ôlelo no ka make.

In the language or word is life, in the language or word is death.

Champagne ponds

Now this was an experience! Perhaps even one of my favorite from the big island (although nothing may ever top our visit to the lava...) Heidi and Briana brought us there as a surprise. They wouldn't tell us where we were going-- just to bring snorkels, wear bathing suits, and bring towels. Well I know I don't need to say this but these girls rock! I doubt that we would have ever been able to find them on our own.

The champagne ponds are a series of volcanically heated ponds with an outlet to the ocean so the water is BEAUTIFUL. Now the big trick here is that they are on the other side of a gated community called Kapoho hiding behind a seemingly empty bit of the island. In order to access these wonders of the big island one must park on the side of the road before the gate, and walk through the community.

Even the community is stunning, the plumeria, hybiscus, and many assorted versions of palm trees are just amazing to walk by. It seems more a blessing to have to walk the near mile or so to get to the ponds.




This is apparently what happens to some palms that go untrimmed..-- so cool!
Plumeria!
Now when you finally reach the ponds there is a tiny public access path behind a house. This brings you to another tiny path with water on either side that leads to a landing with a ladder where you can jump in. The water is warm, maybe a few degrees above body temperature and has currents of cool water running through it. There are apparently 2 resident sea turtles that we unfortunately missed, as well as a whole slew of fish; clown fish, angel fish, eels, and tiny minnows among others that we did get to see. The water here is amazingly clear-- there is really something miraculous about this place.