HAWAII - PART 5 - KAUAI

Kauai is the northern-most island of the Hawaiian chain.  Our port of call was Nawiliwili - good luck in the pronunciation.



Approaching Kauai

 This is a view of the Harbor in Kauai  as we approached
approached early Tuesday morning.

Below is one of the coconut palms that we saw throughout the islands.

I did the "back roads" tour today, and it was really back roads.
We had to make many stops to unlock, open, shut, and lock gates along the road, as there were cattle grazing in the back country.

Coconut Palm - see the coconuts?




We actually drove this back road

 It was really rough, you couldn't believe that you could actually drive on such a "road".  Did lots of bouncing, and even though I live on a dirt road in the country, I have never been on such a road as here.  Thank goodness!

We drove through the area where a portion of Jurassic Park was filmed - the scene where the dinosaurs were all running along this grassy plain, with the mountains in he background.  You could all but see the dinosaurs as they ran by.  How awesome to see this.

Where Jurassic Park was filmed

We traveled to the top of Kilohana Crater, where the view was simply spectacular.  We saw the "blow-holes", areas where the ocean water was shooting into the air, much like the geysers in Yellowstone.  The difference, though, was as the waves came ashore, the water pushed down into a volcanoes lava tube, forcing the water from the last wave to spout into the air.  How beautiful to see this.

The view from Kilohana Crater.

We visited Old Kiloa Town, the first plantation settlement, and along the rugged coastline on our way back to Nawailiwili Harbor.

We saw the most beautiful tree, many of which grow abundantly in Hawaii, saw the remains of a sugar plantation processing plant, and more things than I can possibly share with you, let alone add pictures.




The blow hole

 On our travels this week we also saw where Fantasy Island, Gilligan's Island, Magnum PI and Mash were filmed.  I never knew until this trip that in the series MASH, all the helicopter scenes had been filmed in Hawaii, even though most of the actual series was filmed in California, we saw the mountains where the helicopters appeared flying over. 


Along the coast line

  Some of the views, and the coastline areas were so beautiful, pictures just don't do them justice.


The feral rooster that Georgia painted

 It seemed so strange to see feral chickens and roosters roaming freely, everywhere you looked.  We even got to see a hen with her young chicks around her.  But we were warned - Do Not Get Close, they WILL attack you.  Thank goodness for zoom lenses.



Also along the coat line

  Every scene was more awesome than the last one.  By the end of the day my eyeballs actually ached, I had seen so much, trying to absorb it all, and remember.


The sugar cane processing plant




One of the beautiful trees

We have come to the end of another day day in our Hawaiian adventure, one more day on the islands, then it will be time to start home.  Where has the time gone?.

As today is Sunday April 10, I will be leaving shortly for Pittsburgh and South Hills Country Club for the Whitehall Art show which will be held today.  I have done this show several years, now, it is a very high quality show. I have several friends that will be there with me

So I will sign off here, and save the next Island stop for another day.  Please enjoy and God Bless.





HAWAII - PART 4 - OAHU.................................

It is Monday, I was up early, on deck, watching us sail into Honolulu's port.  Honolulu is the state capitol, located on the island of Oahu.  Today I was scheduled for the Natural Highlights tour.  Vicki, Brenda and Kay were doing a different tour.  We would compare notes, and pictures, tonight, after our Monday Luau.

 Got to spend some time in Honolulu, browsing, quite a neat city. 

When our tour began we drove to Diamond Head Crater first, learning about this world-famous landmark.


Entering Honolulu Harbor




Hanauma Bay

 Fro diamond Head Crater we arrived at Hanauma Bay, such spectacular scenery.  Everywhere we went, it was the best, until the next place, which was the best, and so on. 

From Hanauma Bay we arrived at Alona Point, just look at the water swirling down into a lava tube as it approached the shore-line.  I could have looked all day, but we had a schedule to keep.



Alona Point




Hanauma Bay

  How beautiful the sand was the day we were there.  Our only disappointment was that the famous black sand beach was no longer in existence.  It had been washed away by a Tsunami years ago. 


Makapu'u Lookout

  Fro Makapu'u lookout we had the incredible panoramic views.  By now my finger was really getting tired, pushing the button on my poor camera.  Getting lots of exercise today!!!

Below are views of Diamond Head as seen from above.  

Diamond Head


 We returned to Honolulu and re-boarded the ship to dress for the luau.  We all tried to have something Hawaiian to wear.  I picked up a blouse that I wore as a jacket over my tank top. 

Upon arriving at Paradise Cover we were all presented with live orchid leis - they were beautiful.  We also received Mai Tai's- which had become my favorite of all time.  I very rarely drink, but was told I JUST HAD TO sample the Mai Tai's.  I did, they were wonderful.


Paradise Cove

  While there we were entertained by Polynesian arts and crafts, Hawaiian games, a Hukilauand Ancient IME ceremony.  We were treated to the Shower of Flowers, wherein a native Hawaiian climbed a palm tree, barefoot, and upon reaching the top let flower petals stream down.  It was good luck if you caught some petals.


Paradise Cove

 The evening ended with a fabulous buffet dinner, mostly of native foods.  The only thing I did not sample was the poi.  Once was enough.






The light was constantly changing



Paradise Cove



Paradise Cove

 Every time you looked it was different, so much beauty, so little time.

It was late when we returned to the ship, tomorrow would be a busy day as we would go to Kauai.

I wonder what wonderful sights we would see there, it is hard to believe that every island is so very different, but at the same time so much alike.

Diamond Head




Diamond Head

 You could spend years exploring all the wonders that make up Hawaii.

I can't believe how much I have learned on this trip, things that are not taught in school.  You learn there is a State name Hawaii, it is an Island chain, out in the ocean, but you don't learn all the little tid-bits that we got on our journey.

I guess it just goes to show that you are never too old to learn something new.  I guess it is when you quit learning something new that you enter the "old' category.  So guess I am not so old after all.  Keep on learning and God Bless.

HAWAII - PART 3 - MAUI..................................

Sunday our port of call was Maui - the second largest island, also known as the "MAGIC ISLE".  Our port was Lahaina.

No bus trips today, as there was so much to see and do.  Perfect weather.  Every time I called home, it was the same - how's your weather back there - cold, snow, more snow, colder and more snow.  I would laugh, it is 80 degrees, sunny and beautiful here.  I don't miss home a bit. 

We spent most of the day walking as there was so very much to see and do.  Never enough time, but we made
the most of what we had.

Our "water taxi"



This was our water taxi from the ship to the shore.  The water was a little rough that day, in fact pretty rough, but we were o.k.

From the shore we had a great view our our cruise ship, the scenery was pretty awesome.

We saw old fort ruins, many historical buildings, vegetation as we had never seen before, and we really did get our exercise that day.

We saw the outdoor restaurant with the pink umbrellas.  And I do mean pink.



Our home away from home

 Palm trees were everywhere, making such a beautiful picture against the blue sky.


There were many areas of sandy beaches, some small, some larger, and you could usually see chunks of lava that had washed upon the beaches.  You would not want to step on them bare-foot.

We saw many "wooden hawaiians" 

Ruins of an old fort

 here and there along the sidewalks outside of restaurants, and other buildings.  I guess they compare with our southwestern "wooden indians".  That evening we attended the DRUMS OF THE PACIFIC LUAU consisting of traditional roast pig and exotic drinks.  This was served at the sunset terrace, and it was an authentic IMU ceremony.


Pink Umbrella Restaurant

 For the first time I tasted poi - never again.  It really tasted bad, was a purply-lavender color, thick like a pudding, supposedly very very healthy, but tasted like it would do away with you.

They had the MOST DELICIOUS hot rolls with the buffet, and they were the most beautiful pale lavender color.  I found out later that poi had been added to the dough.

Palm trees and sky



Lava on the beach

.  And I had already sworn to never eat poi again.  So much for that. 

The evening ended with the traditional Polynesian dances, and the view from the terrace was breath-taking towards sunset.  It looks like the picture of a painting, but was in reality very real.  Those are the colors of Hawaii.



One of the wooden Hawaiians - I loved Mai Tai's!!!




One of the luau dancers




the view from the luau

 Upon being returned to the dock, we boarded our water taxi and returned to the ship, full of great food, beautiful memories, and looking forward to the next day, which would be Monday.

I knew tonight would be filled with visions of all we had seen that day winding their way through our minds, lulling us to sleep.

Tomorrow would be another adventure.  I wonder what we will see and do.  And so I leave you today, maybe wishing you could have been with us.  Perhaps some day, who knows.  Enjoy the trip and God Bless.

THE ROAD CALLED -- "LIFE".......................

          Life is a journey.  The journey is along the road called Life.

          We travel many roads in our life-time - rural routes, township roads, country roads, county roads, city streets, avenues, parkways, boulevards, state routes, interstate, just to name a few.  But we never, ever, get to travel all the roads. 
          The road called Life is different.  It is a road we begin upon our birth, and the destination is our death, where-upon our next journey begins.

          My journey has been years.  The destination is getting closer, but I am still going.  During my journey I have walked with many many other walkers, some family, some friends, some just acquaintances mostly strangers, sometimes pulling ahead, sometimes falling behind.

          I have one group that I have been traveling with called my "FESTIVAL FAMILY".  They are the friends I have found myself walking with during my journey, friends that maybe I only see once or twice, maybe three or four, times a year, as we are constantly taking different detours on our journey.  Some I see regularly, doing other fun things with besides the festivals, some I only see at festivals, or on special occasions.  Some I no longer see, and wonder, - "have they reached their destination, or are they still traveling, maybe ahead of me, maybe behind?"

          One of these friends is Judy Hopson.  We met many years ago at a festival.  She is a potter, beautiful creations made from clay.  She is very active in the art world, always has time to take children of all ages under her wing, letting them "throw the clay" on her potting wheel, showing them how to spin and shape the clay.  She will fire their piece of pottery, and they have a reminder of the wonders of that day.

          Judy lives in Washington, Pa.  We have done festivals together, I have some of her pottery.  She and her companion Bill bought my old tent.  I was going to quit outside shows, it is a real nuisance putting up and taking down a tent, but somehow came up with a new tent, so am still doing outside.  Bill told me a year ago, that the old tent had finally given up the ghost and they had bought a new one.

          I didn't see Judy and Bill at the Covered Bridge Festival in September at Mingo Park, Washington County, Pa., last year.  I wondered - they are usually there.

          Sometime later I received a phone call from another festival acquaintance.  She wanted me to know Judy had been diagnosed with, easy explanation, a malignant tumor on her brain. 

          I learned yesterday that her journey along the road named Life is coming to an end, the destination is in sight. 

          I feel a great sadness when I receive that type of news.  A friend, with great talent, is about ready to embark upon her new journey, along a new road called "Here-After". 

          And I wonder - where does the new road lead, how long a journey will that be, and will I, when my time arrives, be walking along-side others that have reach their journey's end.

          I am sharing two pictures here, one of Judy and one of her pottery, courtesy of her web-site.  

 
I would like to think that on her new road she will still be taking time with the children, letting them feel the wet clay, the shaping, the forming, the firing, and the finishing.  After all, that seems to have been her life's work on the road of Life. 

If you have time, please say a prayer for her and her family, and God Bless.

HAWAII - PART 2 - THE BIG ISLAND..........



The fire-boat welcome

 Our first day on Hawaii, was Hawaii - the Big Island.  Our port of call was Hilo, Hawaii's largest small town.    We were welcomed by a fire-boat circling our cruise ship, water, and rainbows, telling us hello.  Look closely - see the rainbow?

We had a bus tour of that part of Hawaii, complete with picnic lunch.
At the campsite where we lunched there was a Hawaiian family camping.  Vicki and Brenda had their picture taken at the base of one of Hawaii's majestic trees.

Picnic lunch - bus driver and tour guide





Hawaiian Grandmother at campsite














We visited Volcanoes National park, walked on the lava beds, hiked through the Thurston Lava Tube, walked on the ground that actually had the molten lava deep underground, watching the steam rising through many crevices. 


Brenda, Vicki, and tree



At the volcano



On the lava bed




The lava was very very sharp.  No open toed shoes


The lava tube is formed when  the molten lava cools, and the condensation dissipates, leaving hollow tunnel-like tubes.  As we walked through the tube, we could see the roots of the trees, which were growing on top of the tube, that had worked their way through the rock, and were hanging down over our heads. 

Entering the lava tube

Hilo had at one time been a cane field town, but was destroyed by the tsunami of 1960.  It has since been rebuilt further in-land, and many of the buildings are on stilts.

All of the Hawaiian Islands are basically hardened lava.  There was very little natural vegetation, animal or bird life.  Almost everything on Hawaii has been brought in by the original Polynesians who first landed on the islands.  All of the "soil" is actually  mulch, formed from the natural materials landing and becoming the soil.

I guess you are wondering how I kept my pictures straight, which were Saturday, which Sunday etc.  Well, you could say I cheated.  Each morning I photographed the mat in the elevator telling me which day it was.  Then I knew all the pictures I took that day were where we were that day, if you can sort that all out.  So far our trip is all we wanted and more.  I learned so much in the five days on the islands, things you never learn in school, about the history, the settling, life in general. 

Unless something really exciting happens between now and tomorrow, I will share Sunday, day 2, on the islands with you.  I hope you enjoy your thumbnail tour of Hawaii, and God Bless.

 HAWAII - PART ONE - THE HOLLAND AMERICAN CRUISE SHIP ZAANDAM.........

          We boarded the Zaandam late Monday morning, we were to sail around 5 p.m. in the afternoon.  Found our state room, unpacked, put stuff away, got organized, then went exploring so we would know where to go when we were supposed to go, and not get hopelessly lost.

          Upon returning to our stateroom, it was hot.  Air conditioning was not working. Called front desk.  Maintenance man arrived, fixed air.  Good. 

          The 5 days we were cruising to Hawaii, sleeping arrangement didn't work (there were 4 of us in the cabin, none of us are young).  They expected one of us to climb a ladder to an overhead bunk.  Ha ha ha!!  Called the front desk.  Room steward arrived and rearranged our sleeping arrangement so we all had a place to sleep, without climbing the ladder.

          Front desk called back to see if everything was o.k.  Received complimentary plate of cookies and fruit as a peace-offering.  Tasted good.

          Third day water got a little rough, nothing major, just that you could feel it.  No big deal.

          Fourth day, water really rough.  Had to hold on to stuff to stay upright.  Chased our food around on the table.  A lot of the passengers began to complain, but we just laughed.  It was an adventure.  We love adventures, and it takes a lot more than rough water, sleeping arrangements, and no ac to keep us from having fun.

          At the end of this blog, will share pictures with you of shipboard activities, from a look at the ship, the chocolate extravaganza, lounging at the pool, and water water everywhere.

          In addition to the lounging, we attended the nightly performances in the theater, saw a couple of movies, played the slot machines, I learned how to play roulette, walked the ship, ate, ate, ate, and ate some more - there was food available 24 hours a day.  We only attended the formal dining room for supper each evening, rest of the time we at at the buffet whenever we felt hungry, which seemed to be all the time.

          Finally Friday evening.  We would be docking early Saturday morning on Hawaii, the Big Island, at the port of Hilo.  We could hardly wait.  None of us had ever been there before, we were like little kids, waiting for Christmas morning.  Now for the pictures:

I figured out how to put captions with my pics.  only took, what, 2 months.  The seating areas were near the elevators.  The pipe organ,  was 4 decks tall.  At noon every day the pipe organ would give a 15 minute concert.


Seating area near elevators

 There is one of our towel critters we had

on our beds every night created by the room

steward. Also a picture of one of the tables on

the Lido Deck, where the buffet was served.

There is the chocolate extravaganza and 
 the flowers carved from veggies.  there is a
 picture of the four of us in the dining room one
night and  three of them getting their daily
exercise on the pool deck.  Since I was taking the picture I guess I am the ONLY one getting any exercise.


Towel Critter

Also a picture of our view from the deck
 every day, water, water, and more water.  But
beautiful to see.  We did see dolphins a couple
times, but they were too far away to get good
pictures.  But it was exciting to see them

Friday night before docking there was water
 dripping from the ceiling of our stateroom near the
door.  Called the front desk.  Maintenance man
appeared, condensation from the ac was not going
 where it was supposed to and was dripping on our
floor.  Got fixed.  Phone call asking if it was all right.
 Plate of cookies and fresh fruit to nibble on.  

Pipe Organ


Wonder what else we can break to keep the cookies
 and fruit coming.  Will have to think about that.
Tomorrow I will tell you about some of the things
we saw on the Big Island, how I kept the days straight.
 Until then watch out for the drips and stuff, as I don't
think you have anyone to call, fix, send. 
Until stay safe and God Bless.




Lido Deck table




Water Water everywhere






 

Chocolate Extravaganza



Chocolate Extravaganza












Veggie Flowers



 

Daily Exercise



Brenda, Vicki, Kay, Me





 
 

 

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