Blogs from Hilo, Big Island, Hawaii, United States, North America - page 3

I lived like a monk for 10 days. Actually, the lifestyle was probably more restrictive than that of a monk, in that nearly all the day (10.5 hrs) was scheduled as sitting meditation, and talking was forbidden. Here's the schedule: 4 - wakeup bell 4:30-6:30 - Meditate 6:30-7:15 - Breakfast 7:15-8:00 - Leisure 8-9 - Group meditation 9-11 - Meditation 11-11:45 Lunch 12-1 - Questions for the teacher, if you have any 1-2:30 - Meditate 2:30-3:30 - Group Meditation 3:30-5:00 - Meditate 5-6 - Dinner/Tea 6-7 - Group Meditation 7-8:15 - Discourse by Goenka 8:30-9 - Group Meditation 9-9:30 - Questions for the assistant teacher 10:00 - Lights out Even though I knew the schedule going in, it was experientially more demanding than I was anticipating. The first few days were the hardest, as I la ... read more

Departure Today I departed for Hilo, Hawaii. Thus begins my 2014 travels, whose length and itinerary are indeterminate. I had originally planned to start in Bangkok, Thailand, or at least somewhere in SE Asia. The reason for my change to start in Hawaii is that it's the location I was soonest able to get into a 10 day Vipassana meditationcourse/retreat. There are many in SE Asia, but most were booked 1-2 months in advance. My interest in meditation practice is one of the several reasons that I'm going to SE Asia. Many of the countries there have strong Buddhist roots, and continuing opportunities for honing one's mental skills at Buddhist monasteries. My interest in a Vipassana course was piqued in by a friend in Zurich back in the fall. The courses are given at centers worldwide ... read more

We started the day with a drive to Pahoa Town, and then to Lava Trees State Park. The mile from Pahoa to the park is amazing, with giant trees making a canopy over the road. The rain turned into a downpour as we arrived in the parking lot and didn't let up, so we changed our plans and drove a few minutes to the coast (rain stopped a mile down the road), where we took a gravel, one lane road through the jungle (there were homes down driveways from time to time) to the shore and then into a housing development, and back to Pahoa. Since the sun was out, we headed back to Lava Trees, only to end up in the same downpour we'd been in an hour earlier. We were only in a few ... read more

You probably remember all the National Geographic articles on volcanos and especially the eruption of Kilauea in Hawaii, with photos of roads and homes being covered in oozing lava..... Well, I was there today....! And since I can never see enough lava, I loved every minute....only regret is that there is no flow right now that you can get close to....so that experience will have to wait... But here's lots of footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rk3oW4aahQ We started off with a view of the eruption in the crater, called Halema'uma'u, from the Jaggar Museum (where they have a comparison between Mt St Helens lava and that of Kilauea!). The plume of volcanic gas is a "constant and dramatic reminder of the molten rock churning in a lava lake beneath the crater floor". The crater became active again in March ... read more

Not quite as tall as the Hi’ilawe Falls, and not as ummm… petite… as Rainbow Falls, Akaka Falls stands out. It falls straight down 442 feet (129 meters), and you can semi-easily get to it’s Overlook. (“Easy”, in that there are pathways right to it, and “semi” in that there’s a lot of stairs, so if you need your inhaler, take it with you.) Hiking to Akaka Falls is a nice walk through bamboo forests, passed Kahuna Falls (100 feet), oversized trees and huge flowers. There is now a $5 parking and access fee (for non-residents) , which was a big surprise to me, but still worth going. (The parking area is about 11 miles North of Hilo, and through a cute little town, url=http://www.hawaii.com/travel/bigisland/what_to_see/sightseeing/article/492/honomu_and_akaka_falls.phpHonomu, where we sto... read more