Rainbow Panorama

Rainbows and Centipedes, two of Hawaii's famous phenomena.

Riding a Scooter to Hana

Sunday, I woke up with a thirst for the road. I set out after an easy going morning to find a 200-ft. waterfall I'd read about that was only ten miles up the Hana Highway from the Chicken Coop. After a quick stop at the tourist magnet Twin Falls for a few apple bananas and oranges, I got on my way. It was another perfect day.

But the waterfall I went looking for wasn't there. I mean, it probably was there, but I couldn't get to the vantage point across the gorge described in the book. A shiny & new-looking fence greeted me at the head of the path. I guess that since the publication, somebody decided that this secret of the Hana Highway deserved to be kept a secret. No harm, though. There are probably thirty waterfalls along the thirty-mile serpentine world famous road to Hana. I could settle for something somewhere else.

Ultimately, though, I let go of the hankering to see a waterfall, as I discovered how exhilarating the journey itself was. The highway is like a squiggle - all the way from point A to point B. Hairpin turn after hairpin turn, for miles, up and down, following the contours of the coast, slipping into and out of cliffs and ravines. And the best advantage to riding a scooter along this expressway is that your total width is only two feet or so, as opposed to the five-plus foot width of the average car or truck that runs the road. So at every point that the highway squeezes down to dangerous levels of narrow, where if you're driving a car you have to slow down to a crawl to be safe, on a scooter you can just cruise. You just lean in super tight into the curve, imagine the shape of it, and do it. I felt like a little kid again, screaming in excitement on the super mini-coasters down the Jersey shore.

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving! I know it's a few days ago already, but I'm on Hawai'i time, so chill.

I spent mine with my new friends, and in a way my new family, on the farm. Robert, the owner of the property, woke up in the morning and discovered that it was Thanksgiving while he was perusing the internet. It was good that he did, because I don't think anyone had any plans for dinner. He went and bought all kinds of food for everyone, and two of my house mates (kind of, but not exactly 'cause I live in a tent outside) stepped up at the last minute to prepare the feast. And since there is so little room in the two small refrigerators we all share, there was a great excuse to stuff ourselves - there was nowhere to put any leftovers!

Before din din, I spent some time exploring the farm, taking pictures like I work for National Geographic. I borrowed a few books about the coastal flowers and plants of Hawaii, so I schooled myself as I wandered around identifying all of the wildlife that surrounds me there. These chickens in the above photo roam the farm - and really drive me out of my mind sometimes, but mostly they're hilariously entertaining. They're afraid of everything. I don't love the fact that they squawk at the crack of dawn, but at least they're a completely female population and I don't have to deal with hearing a rooster crow. Besides, I have earplugs if I need them.

The farm I live on isn't the kind of farm that comes to mind if you're used to the pastoral expanses of New Jersey, PA and the rest of the East US. Here, Robert grows Monarch Butterflies - to sell for weddings and other special events. All of the work I do has been straightforward gardening, like hoeing rocks out of piles of dirt or removing branches and logs from overgrown grass.

This caterpillar is only a few days away from curling up on the underside of a leaf and wrapping itself in a cocoon. The butterfly here came out of his shell just hours before this picture was taken. He's slowly filling his wings with fluid to give them rigidity, and then he'll fly off, but not too far. It's Maui. There isn't anywhere else a butterfly would rather be.

There are several really colorful flowers and plants everywhere on the island, and some of them incidentally grow on the farm. This explosive orange and purple flower is called a Bird of Paradise. They're all over the place. The other is a bush of ginger, which is really all over the place.

It feels good to familiarize myself with the earth around me - the geographical history, the catalogs of plants and animals and insects, and the traditions and history of the people of this place. These are all things I always overlooked in my former life, too busy or too distracted to really care. I'm thankful that I have time now, and fewer distractions, to be more in touch, to be more aware. Many blessings.

Week One: Done

I felt like a million bucks when I got to Jaws on Sunday. It was the first time since arriving that I found complete solitude in an astounding place. From this spot here, where I parked my vampire goth scooter, there is a short trail that leads down into a gulch. There's a boulder right off the trail about half way down where you can sit and watch the waves below. It's a fantastic spot because you're above the tree line of the gulch, and periodically birds come flying from out of the trees in one spot and back into them in another. I sat there for over an hour, meditating and basking in the sun. Other Sunday highlights include spending an hour and a half with Laura, from across the world, via Skype; getting stung by a bee while riding my scooter; and learning zazen at a temple in Pa'ia, where I met someone who grew up in Northeast Philadelphia. It's a small world after all.

The day before, I rode over to Maui Ocean Center to learn
about all the creatures of the sea. I thought it was a little expensive, but I like aquariums, museums and such so I paid it. The whole experience was pretty informative and interesting, but the jellyfish tank was the best part. This tank was about eight feet in diameter and ten feet high, and was lit from above with ultraviolet black lights. The jellyfish bubbled about the way they do, almost like respiration, in and out, in and out, very slowly, very controlled. It was beautiful.
It was a little frustrating seeing everyone trying to take pictures. Most people couldn't figure out how to turn off the flash on the cameras, and wives were arguing with husbands over it, so it was a big commotion and ordeal and it kinda spoiled the moment. But I don't think the jellyfish minded much, and that's all that really matters.

Of course, the shark tank was a close runner up for my favorite feature of the aquarium. They had a seven-foot Tiger Shark, which is a real ferocious fish, and lots of different reef sharks and hammerheads like this one. I thought about taking a dive into the tank, with SCUBA gear, but you have to be a certified diver and bring all of your own equipment and on top of all that it costs two hundred bucks. Next time.

I have been thinking about taking an ultralight lesson, though. They're like motor-powered hang gliders. They use them a lot in that documentary about migratory birds, Winged Migration. There's a reputable pilot nearby that does hour-long in-air lessons for about two hundred dollars. So once I've got some money saved up, I think I might have to try flying.

Here's another picture of Ho'opika Beach Park, the world's most famous wind surfing beach, which is about twenty minutes from me between Haiku and Paia. It's cool to see all of those wind surfers, like one-winged butterflies on the waves. The way they move it reminds me of termites for some reason. Watch the video - you'll see what I mean.

THE day of days

I did so much yesterday, I could hardly stand up once I got back to the hostel after sunset. I was so exhausted and overwhelmed by all of the natural beauty and wonder I encountered I collapsed into my bunk bed fully clothed and slept through the night.

It all started at 3am. That's what time you have to leave Wailuku, where I'm staying, to reach the summit of Haleakala before sunrise. The drive was tough, as I was pretty sleepy having only gotten three hours under. But by 4:30, I was there, dressed in practically everything I had, ready to confront the chill gales at the top of the world. At 10,000 feet, you can see the entire universe. There's no light pollution or smog to cloud the view. And having spent the last year in Philadelphia, being able to see the Milky Way once again was a treat.

I had a star map with me, so I spent the hour before the sun shone to learn the constellations. Orion, Ursa Minor and Ursa Major, Draco, The twins Gemini, Cancer, Taurus and Pleiades, Cassiopeia and Hydra (wow, that monster stretches across a quarter of the sky!). All were there, as they always have been. But being able to see them and recognize them - that's a beautiful thing. I've never done that before.

So then the sun began its ascent, slowly changing the sky. From ink black to subtle violet, then blue with yellow to a stunning pink. It was absolutely incredible.

I was above the clouds at the summit - by about three thousand feet. I can't even write anymore about it because it just won't do it any justice.

After I got back to the hostel, I realized that if I wanted to catch the moped dealer before he left for the day, I'd have to leave right away. I just wanted to sleep, but I jumped back into the car and took the drive south through the sugarcane valley and hooked NW along the coast into Lahaina. I found the dealer and bought a scooter new, but had to leave it there because I still had the rental. Now that one of my initial Maui to-dos had been accomplished, I celebrated with a solo lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise, complete with a Pineapple rum smoothie (which included the little umbrella). The food was so-so, but I wasn't bothered. It's funny how less worse things seem when you don't have someone you know there to complain to.

After consulting my Maui bible, Maui Revealed, I headed north up the upper West coast. How stunningly amazingly unbelievably beautiful!! This was a lush rainforest I trekked through at one of my many stops.

The drive was jaw-dropping. Hairpin turn after hairpin turn, with every one revealing an incredible display of luscious green life and one magnificent rock formation after another. I thanked the Creator and rocked out to ukulele music and static, music, static, more static, and music as I slipped in and out of FM broadcast range.

Eventually I made it out to the Blowhole turnout along the highway and, upon noticing a few patches of shattered window glass in the lot, threw my stuff into the trunk and left the car with the windows down, unlocked (Luckily, there wasn't any way to pop the trunk from inside). I boulder hopped for about fifteen minutes down the side of a lava-littered cliff. As I approached, I could see a mysterious mist of ocean shooting seven stories into the air. The sunlight hit the mist and scattered into rainbows. I stood and watched in awe as the surf grew and grew and the geyser shot higher and higher into the air. I wished I was the ocean, so I could shoot through the hole in the lava.

Later I landed back in Lahaina on the West to watch the sunset. Again, no words can describe the sight. The island in the distance is Molokai, the next island to the West.

It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

A Day of Driving

Good thing I hiked the mile to the car rental place (more like a junk yard half a mile down a forgotten road lined with abandoned, burnt vehicles and foreboding, dilapidated shacks and bungalows). The proprietor had made a mistake. He said that he didn't have a car for me. But he must have felt bad that I'd walked down, because all of a sudden he did have a car. A sweet, dirty, sun-faded silver Nissan Sentra. Perfect.

Think gas is expensive where you live? Try $3.64 for Regular! But that's not that bad when you compare it to milk. Here, a gallon costs almost $6. Yikes. I spent an hour walking around the grocery store in shock.
When you're faced with paying exorbitant prices for things, you come to realize quickly what you need and what you don't. Like seven dollar Taro chips. And twenty dollar pound of Kona coffee (although, like good wine, it's okay to splurge once in a while).
All you really need is two apples, a mango, two apple-bananas (delicious!), a bottle of water and a pack of sesame crackers to get you through the day. Not every day, but maybe every other. We'll see...

Ah. What a sweet ride!

It's pretty hilarious how ramshackle it is. But the radio works, and there's a good station that, though a bit commercial for my taste, plays great hits from the sixties and seventies. Perfect for a drive down the Hana Highway.

I went to a place called Na'ili'ili Haele, which is actually private property owned by the Hawaii Sugar Company. But I read about this hike that leads to four consecutive waterfalls, so I trespassed.

The waterfalls weren't really flowing, so that was a bit anticlimactic. Nonetheless, I found a rock, sat down and listened to the falling water in peaceful solitude. Perfect.
Driving on East along the Hana Highway, I loved seeing fenced off roads with their 'keep off' and 'no trespassing' signs obscuring the mysterious path over a hill or behind a wall of trees.

And how could you not love a view like this?

After today, I can say I've rented a car, I've given a seven-year-old hitchhiker a lift, and I've gotten lost in the labyrinthine roads of Ha'iku and Makawao. But those are stories for another time.

My First Maui Sunrise

It's 6:35 Hawaii Time, and the sun is just about to peak out from behind Haleakala, the dormant volcano that dominates the Eastern side of the island. Today is going to be beautiful. A high of 84, slight chance of rain, and a consistent breeze here on the windward, northern side of Maui. Perfect.
I'm renting a beater for three days from a cheap place nearby, where "every vehicle comes with ALOHA".

Here's the sun now. I have to take a picture...

Funny how the phone and electric lines somehow become less of an eyesore when something so beautiful lies just beyond.

Yesterday, I met a German traveler named Claus ("Klows", not "clause" like Santa) at the hostel, and together we went out for dinner nearby at a place that hosts an open mic every Monday. The service was terribly slow, but the food was good, and Claus was absolutely thrilled that they had one of his favorite German Heffeweisens, a Bavarian Wheat Beer. We sipped a few and listened to the range of mediocre to brilliant talent, as I pondered learning a few songs to sing. Maybe next week I'll come back and play.

Well, I have to get ready to hike over to the rental place. Today I'm going to go East to Haiku and Pai'a, and on from there to a trail to see four consecutive waterfalls out off the Hana Highway a few miles from the farm where I'll be staying. I also have to get out to some galleries with the hands I brought and stop by DaFactory, the glass studio I came here for.

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