And God said - HI visit will be good
by Oscar Thompson
“There will be safe travel,” and there was.
“But there will be lessons,” and I had to book another flight out of
Denver. And the non-stop flight from
there to Honolulu was fabulous. And I
rejoiced.
Click on pictures to view a larger image.
“Two of you shall meet in Honolulu,” and we
did. “Three of you shall meet in Hilo,”
and we did. “The four Thompson boys
shall meet at the House in Hawai’i,” and we did. And we rejoiced.
And the sun shone brightly. And the rains were plenteous – over four feet
of it. We smiled.
“And snoring may interfere with your sleep,
David.” And it did. “But another room shall be provided.” And it was.
“And the coqui’s will entertain you.”
And they did, for me – all night!
But it was good.
http://ltmtnele.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/coqui1.jpg.w560h364.jpg
Listen to coqui frogs
Listen to coqui frogs
“And your schedule for tomorrow will be
changed.” And we said, “What
schedule?” For there was none.
The tomorrow took care of itself. We rejoiced with the overnight showers. Some of them lasted throughout the mornings,
and some even into the afternoons, and it was good.
We had time to visit, to read, to research,
to phone, to meditate, to compute, to photograph, to bake, to clean, to hug, to
… And we did.
And the traveling did take place. To the lava fields, to the pounding
shorelines, to the winding roads, throughout the island. And it was good.
The abundant rains came. But the resulting glorious waterfalls were
breathtaking.
And He said, “There will be snowfall.” And there was. The road to Mauna Kea was closed. Our rental of the four-door pickup had to be
cancelled. But the roads were once again
opened. And the rental Ford Expedition
was even a greater blessing as we enjoyed it while viewing and visiting the
snow-capped, silent, Mauna Kea. And on
it there was sunshine. Oh, so
magnificent. And the ensuing sunset –
unlimited pleasure. The view through the telescope - breathtaking. And it was good.
(Note from JD: This mountain is sacred to Hawaiians. It is the subject of much controversy because scientists want to place a thirty meter telescope on it.)
(Note from JD: The hill behind on the right is the summit. All of the mountain is sacred to Hawaiians. Indeed, all of the land (aina) is sacred to Hawaiians, but especially the mountain Mauna Kea. The peak is like a holy of holies.)
The tour of the perimeter was
unparalleled. With Tom and Ann as our
hosts and guides for those two days.
Marvelous. Kona. The Kailua-Kona Waikoloa Hilton. Parker ranch. Whale watching. Snorkling (my first time ever) and then with
the huge but harmless manta rays in the Pacific Ocean. Honokohau National Historic Park. The tour of the refuge Pu’uhonua o Honaunau
dating back to the 1500s. Mamalahoa
highway. White Sands Beach Park. The legend of Captain Cook. South Point.
Black Sand Beach. Green turtles.
A zebra. The list goes on.
Waikoloa Hilton
Kona hotel
Kona
Whale watching and snorkeling
Green turtle at Pu’uhonua o Honaunau
Pu’uhonua o Honaunau
Pu’uhonua o Honaunau
(Note: We were officially in the middle of nowhere driving south on the heavily forested Mamalahoa Highway toward South Point when I spotted and photographed a zebra!)
(Note: We were officially in the middle of nowhere driving south on the heavily forested Mamalahoa Highway toward South Point when I spotted and photographed a zebra!)
South Point
South Point
Black Hawksbill Turtle sleeping on the Black Sand Beach
Black Sand Beach
There was Hilo, with its parks. Farmer’s Market. Coconut Island. Tsunami Museum. Rainbow Falls. The Boiling Pots of Wailuku. The
visit with the woodsmith Gene Short. I
was overwhelmed.
And also Lava Tree State Monument. And the warm springs pool. (Ahalanui Park aka Pu’ala’a County Park) And the stretching, flowing blackish lava
fields contrasting with the piles of a’a which defined the shorelines. The Kilauea caldera. The stench of sulphur. The magnificent ne’ne. The mystery of the life and death of King
Kamehameha. I was enchanted.
Add some Kona coffee, macadamea nuts, a
coconut Smoothee, but no lefse ‘til later.
But that was good.
The quiet times at the shore, listening only
to the pounding of the mighty breakers.
And an occasional call of the exotic native birds.
The tour of the planetarium theater, the
Hawai’ian culture. Spam, poi, a new meaning to the word kapu, you name
it, we enjoyed it. And it was good.
Ready to experience the 3D stereoscopic digital full-dome planetarium with special glasses from Germany
Is he loco?
There were “hitchhikers??” and a suddenly
appearing prop, the lamp. The quietness
of the beaches, the bustle of Honolulu, the serenity of Pearl Harbor, all to be
savored.
Dave and Ann, ill-fated hitchhikers
The infamous lamp
Pearl Harbor
The hosting by JD, the chocolate covered
coffee beans, the grilled pork chops, garden touring, mind stretching. And it was good.
I wanted to take a coconut home so...
Then there was the sad departures and safe
travels home. And He said, “It was
good.”
