California sputters to start

Having a vacation be idyllic every day would be expecting too much. Especially if that vacation spans several weeks. My first morning in Ca, I had planned to visit one potential graduate school. In retrospect, I should have scheduled a day to acclimated.

Heading into town, I started to feel a touch anxious, which is not unusual. But it continued getting off the BART. I felt adrift in a foreign ocean (the Mission District of San Francisco). It was full of a variety of individuals – professionals, young, old, a few homeless people, which is always interesting to encounter. But the feeling that I was in the wrong place kept gnawing at me.

I had about a mile walk to the school, which was made longer by my getting turned around. So I started to pass more and more sketchy individuals. Not that there is anything wrong with this area, just that I was feeling vulnerable or just plain out of sorts. I am the type of individual to trust my intuition, so I should have stopped to somehow throw the I Ching to confirm that nervous feeling.

Well, I arrived at the school and things did not improve much. The security guard told me which floor to go to. I checked in with the receptionist, but the people I had been communicating with were not in. So I asked about the class I was supposed to attend. I looked it up on a sheet and went to wait in the classroom. No luck. Waiting for twenty minutes, I got very frustrated and upset by how it was feeling like I had fallen through the cracks. What was my heart saying? It wanted me to inquire more. Was there someone else I could speak with? But I was not able to speak with anyone who had specific knowledge of the program I wanted. Gggrrrr!!! I had had enough. My sense of discomfort had not eased up, so I left to find some lunch.

Luckily, later, a professor called me back and I got to ask more questions. But my initial feeling was that the place was either very loosey goosey, or they were having an off day, or Perhaps they had specific days for people to visit, and I missed them. Not sure.

On reflecting, I may still apply there and go back to visit in the winter before deciding. But I would need to have a radically different experience to change my mind.

I went back to the home I was staying in, and then I actually took the next two days off, to rest, to walk the town and to integrate all my Hawaiian experiences.

Oahu, second leg

After several fun filled and packed days on the Big Island, I had two days on Oahu, to catch my breath before flying back to California.

Considering my intention of this overall retreat / vacation is to rest down and relax, I really needed some down time. I told my Dad this fact, and he did his best to accommodate my need.

We stayed at the Prince hotel, which is quite fancy. Upon landing and arriving in Honolulu, we ate at a 24 hr Hawaiian restaurant in Waikiki, add name later, which is very very popular. We ate there twice and fortunately there was never a line out the restaurant. However, every seat was occupied. You can tell they are popular though, because they have menu items you will not see elsewhere- spam, viennese sausage, and many foreign to me Chinese names for sauces and sea food. I ordered different omelets both times and enjoyed them. Although, the Irish breakfast is a ton of food (corned beef stuffed omelet).

Later we went to the Waikiki beach, which has been dredged in some places making for pleasant swimming conditions. I wore my rash guard, not wanting to take any chances with sun burn. In the past, my Dad led a very busy life, so it was nice to have some quality time for meaningful conversations with him.

Waikiki is basically an enormous three mile shopping mall with many hotels breaking up the lines of shops. Needless to say, I spent the middle day on the beach. I wonder if there is something to the theory that ocean water, being loaded with negative ions, is rather healing and / or rejuvenating. I did not want to leave, for one reason or another.

That night, we ate with another friend, at the Surf rider Moana beach cafe (at the Hotel). This is one of the older hotels in Waikiki (it is one of the original two hotels, back when Waikiki was a heavily wooded area). Their cafe almost goes out to the waves, which perfect for watching the sun set.

Then, the next morning I took a cab to the airport. My Hawaii chapter was finished (for now).

in Muir Woods, thinking of you

the fog tickles emerald moss

tantalizing whispers deep-belly moans

ancient secrets kept hidden frozen

dry rocky soil rooted solid tight

spokes of sun stir redwood heart

boughs bark branches lips needles

dance, jiggle, sing, celebrate

life dreamily melts, flows, longing

for your warm touch, soft eyes

tender caress, kisses, wishes escape

lusting after a kind word

Pacific breezes, cool watery mist

soggy mysteries dissolve in clear light

Big Island day four

After a busy couple of days with a new friend, my final day on the Big Island was more chill. The friend I had been staying with wanted to do the Atlantis submarine tour, so we geared up for that. We arrived early, so we enjoyed a drink in the yacht club. We got to hear a funny conversation tidbit – there was a server whose English was decent, but not native. And we heard her exclaim in a surprised voice, “Oh! I’m not looking for a husband.” Then the reply, “don’t worry, I’m not looking for a wife either.” We chuckled and one of us mentioned, you could just get it all out there in the open by saying that you are a sailor… I’m just saying.

So we got on the boat to head out to the sub, along with about 30 other people. It was a mixture of Asian and Haoli (Caucasian) tourists. The guide was entertaining and good with kids, and he informed us of everything we might see at 70 – 100 ft below the surface. He went over protocol on the sub. I was very pleased with the crews’ manner – they were professional, direct and friendly, but you knew they were in charge, therefore I felt well contained. It was definitely structured well, very coherent.

I must emphasize something here.

If you are claustrophobic, this might not be a good idea. Fortunately I don’t have this issue, but once on the sub, which is a long bench with seats facing out multiple portals. I rather enjoyed it myself. The sub dropped to 100 ft but I never felt it in my ears. Plus our sub was not full (it could hold a maximum of 48 ppl).

We went by many coral reefs with an amazing diversity of fish. I was a little disappointed to not see any eels, but when we passed the second shipwreck, there was a white tipped reef shark sleeping next to the sunken sailboat, so that was a find. We were underwater for at least forty minutes.  They let one of the kids steer the boat back to the harbor which was fun.

Overall, I’m glad I went, but honestly I saw more fish by both snorkeling in Keauhou and later by visiting the Honolulu Aquarium.

The highlight of this day may have actually been to visit Peabody’s and Gisselle, a crepe and tea house. I had the best crepe I have ever encountered there – I ordered the Ratatouille crepe, perfect combination of spices, so good!! Plus we had some nice red bush tea to boot. A nice ending to my visit to the Volcanic Isle.

We returned to Hawi and enjoyed an episode of Doc Martin – a show I had never heard of prior, but which was entertaining.

I flew back to Honolulu early he next morning.
;

Big Island, day three

Day three found me pondering whether or not to do the hike we had planned. Let’s just put it like this, at times, I can be terrified of heights. And the description of the hike was an acrophobe’s worst nightmare. It went something like this: the hike is pleasant for the first several miles, going through some rain forests, then you will come upon one of the best sights in all of the Big Island – you emerge on the edge of Waipio Valley with a view of a thousand foot waterfall in front of you. That is if it is not locked in fog. Then the trail continues along the edge of a cliff, but the recent earthquake took out sections of the trail. So proceed with extreme caution. If it is foggy, do not proceed at all. By the way, this hike, the Waimeia to Waipi’o Valley, is a bit controversial, starting on private property. Look it up ahead of time.

Seriously!?! No thank you! I was very pleased when she called to tell me she wanted to change plans. I chose to go visit her in Hilo instead. The highways on the Big Island are interesting. Typically they are just two lanes. And there are no divided highways at all. Therefore the speed limit is lower and you can get stuck behind slow moving trucks for several excruciating miles.

Needless to say, I had never done this drive on my own. In the past, I had flown directly into Hilo or Kona and then stayed on that respective side of the island. My fear of heights gets worse the farther I am from my comfort zone, so this drive was not easy for me. As you get closer to Hilo, the road hugs the coast, but thankfully there are only a few places where you realize how close you are to such a vertical drop… So I made it and finding her hostel was easy.

We met up and I had secondeses (that would be a second breakfast) at a local 24 hr almost fast food joint called Cafe 100. It was very delicious. In fact it was so much food, she had to help me eat it all. Thankfully when she asked me what kind of food I ate, I answered with red meat and fish and veggies, she was on the same page. So we both enjoyed the Teriyaki Beef. If in Hilo with a good hunger, order the Hilo Boy or Island Girl platters, they are delicious and a great value.

Then we opted to head down to Volcano National Park. By the way, when visiting Volcano, no matter what the weather is in Hilo or Kona, bring warm layers and rain gear! I made the mistake of forgetting both. Hilo’s weather was sunny and pleasant, so I only realized my mistake once I got in the Park. Volcano is situated on one of the Big Island’s five mountains, Kiluea, the most active volcano in the world. Therefore we were at least 3 to 4 thousand feet above sea level.

We still had a great time in Volcano. Due to Kiluea’s being active, no one was allowed within half a mile of its main caldera (which glowed red at night). Therefore we chose to hike in a nearby crater which has been dormant for a long time – Kiluea Iki. This is a beautiful hike – going through a forest of huge ferns and passing native ginger plants with massive ginger roots. Then you hike down into the open, steamy crater and you become another small speck on this majestic lunar landscape.

I especially enjoyed kissing and being kissed in the crater. How many people can say they have done anything like that? But we were well behaved for the most part – we did not want to alarm the foreign tourists who were constantly passing us.

While in the crater, the sky started spitting, and for a few minutes I feared hypothermia. Although in all honesty, the ground was very hot (from steam), so I could have just lay down and been fine until the sun came back out! But I would have preferred to have had rain gear.

We climbed the far wall of the crater, looped around and came back to her car. Due to stopping for many pictures, we did the loop in three hours. It was very pleasant, but it was also a little strenuous on the legs.

Next we opted against visiting the Lodge as their prices are higher, and we went to the Lava Rock Cafe instead. We had cocoa to warm up and enjoyed a delicious pi’ikoi cheesecake. Pi’ikoi is a tart Hawaiian fruit and the dessert was incredible!

The weather in Volcano was cool, breezy and overcast, so we opted to head back to Hilo. We purchased a small sandwich, which acted as dinner considering the enormous platters from earlier. Then we sat on a lava rocky section of Hilo Bay and prepared to enjoy the sunset.

Instead of enjoying the sun setting over the large mountains (Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa), I noticed a huge rainbow forming behind us (opposite the sun of course). Therefore we watched the sun set as reflected off the magnificent double rainbow over Hilo. It was a very pleasant evening. Of course I was sad to see her go, but all meetings eventually end in separation. She had to catch a flight early the next morning, so we said good bye and I made the now familiar, and less harrowing, drive back to Hawi.

The drive back was easier, as I was alone on the road (it was getting late) and I was listening to music to stay awake and distract me.

Day three ended with my wishing her and all beings well.

Big Island, day two, part two

Where were we?  Oh yes.

We left the Pu’uhonua o Honaunau and headed into Kona.  She assumed that I knew the island, so I was leading the way.  Parking was a mess but we navigated it fine.

We tried to get a table at Huggos, a fine dining restaurant right on the water, but they only had a waiting list.  Therefore we crossed the street and ate at Bongo Ben’s, a bistro / bar type place with a great view of the ocean and the sunset.  We both wanted fresh fish, what with being in Hawaii and all.  So that is what we ordered – Ono and Ahi.

We got to know each other a little better, and I purchased most of dinner, along with buying her a lei (flower).  Later I found out it was her birthday, and she really enjoyed it.

The sunset was not much to write home about, but hey, we were in Hawaii!  So we had to watch it.

We planned to meet for a hike the next day and then she headed east toward Hilo and I north toward Hawi.

I was pleased for a bit of a magical day.

The Big Island, day two

Having arrived in that curious new world, I was anxious to explore, or rather, anxious to revisit old stomping grounds. Back in 2005, in what was to be an incredibly potent and magical year for me, I visited the Big Island for a week. In that time, I swam with the dolphins (where I was comfortably “mugged” by them), did a whale watching voyage (where the captain positioned us within 50 yards of a mother and calf humpback pair), hiked an unimaginably beautiful trail which passed under waterfalls and had exquisite views of dozens of rainbows (near Pololu in the North, beyond Hawi) and participated in a workshop entitled “Sacred Partnerships.” It was quite a visit.

And yet, being more grounded and embodied now, than I was then, I had a similar visit this time around.

So, day two. The Kona side of the island does not have a lot to offer someone less than interested in touristy areas. That is, someone who is not at all interested in resorts or busy shopping areas. Now don’t get me wrong, it offers a lot, but maybe not as much as the Hilo side. From Hawi, Volcano is very far (at least 100 miles), so I figured I would go with what I knew. Therefore I planned to visit Keauhou for another round of delicious snorkeling. Then I planned to do a bit of ocean gazing a Kealakekua Bay.

Keauhou Bay has many resorts and shopping, but it also has one of the best and easily accessible bays for snorkeling. It was overcast and cool, so i did not stay in as long, but it was still beautiful swimming and fish viewing. Trigger fish, parrots, long thin cornets and many other colorful fish were busy munching away on the coral. So if I was near a school of munchers, there was the tell tale crunching sound. I loved it!

Next I traveled south, to where I had been previously. I planned to do some practice at Kealakekua and then I was to do a nice dinner later.

When I was on the island back in 2005, multiple people spoke about the potent energy vortex that is in the area. Now, ask me what a potent energy vortex is (scientifically), and I’d be the first to screw up my face in a skeptical grimace. However, as someone who has one foot in the empirical world of scientific evidence based fact and the other foot in a mystical world of intuitive healing wisdom (based on efficacious meditation practice), I personally pay attention when I hear something multiple times if it is moderately compelling. I heard that the vortex led to increased or magnified response from the universe if a wish was made. And this naturally leads to the conclusion, that if one’s wishes come true faster, then one should be careful what one wishes for.

This plays into my current story in that, after doing Green Tara practice, just for a couple hours, I set a very powerful intention. I said, “with swift yet appropriate timing, may I meet a female partner who is empowered, embodied and preferably a Dharma practitioner. (as an aside I think that some people are Dharma practitioners without being Buddhists, either their karma has not ripened for it yet or they are taking a break during this incarnation.).

Then I took some pictures of some delicately stacked rocks. The rounded obsidian-colored orbs were stacked four and five high, so I figured why not try to get a good shot? And then I headed back toward the parking area. Due to my being in a more meditative state, I did not particularly want to talk to anyone at that time. And yet, I saw an attractive woman coming toward me, so I went for a different trail to get back. But then she took the same detour to stand between me and the pounding surf, leading to my car.

I approached gingerly. She asked me if I had seen any dolphins. I said no. She asked how long I’d been on the island, and then we slowly started talking. She was timid or reserved which I appreciated. In the past, I explored natural signs from wisdom presence, meaning I associate certain messages from seeing certain animals engage in certain behavior. Well, when I was talking with her, I kept seeing pairs of animals – sea birds, insects, etc. Perhaps this was a subconscious projection on the world, but I took it as a sign that it was okay to follow her lead. (An example of another “sign” is seeing hawks or eagles, which is an indication that the guardians are watching over you.). Back to the story.

I told her I had the previous plans to have dinner with another friend and I mentioned that I would like to continue talking with her. She did not want to leave the area before going to the City of Refuge. I post poned my previous engagement. She drove us down the narrow lava-skirted road leading to the National Park. I paid for the entrance fee, saying that was why I wanted us to take one car. (Of course I was happy to spend time with her, but it’s always nice to have a platonic reason behind potential romantic fantasies.)

We toured the simple yet powerful area, seeing thatched huts, lava rock walls and spring fed pools which only the Hawaiian royalty would have had access to. We took many pictures, as the ocean waves lap right up to the edg of the Park. By the way, I would be remiss to not say that the Hawaiian name of this park is Pu’uhonua o Honaunau.

To be continued…