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.