Blogs from Upcountry, Maui, Hawaii, United States, North America

Reality check 1. I still don't wake up to alarm clocks. I was 03:48 when it went off, but I managed to wake up at 04:22, realising that I'd put my entire plans for the day in jeopardy. Sunrise in Hawai'i today was at 06:24 and it's a two hour drive to the summit of Haleakala where I wanted to see it. Although very tempted to give in and collapse back into bed, I packed my bag full of water and nourishment for the day ahead. Whilst always observing the speed limit up the mountain, I somehow made it with 10 minutes to spare. There were already a collection of onlookers gathered at the summit waiting for dawn. It was a clearer day than yesterday, but clouds had still entered the crater through the gaps, meaning ... read more

Blogging For Becky Becky thought she might provide an entry explaining why she is carrying around a cardboard cutout that resembles her grandson and that is in a number of our photos. Becky?... Alas, it has not manifested. So, here i am then, trying to explain what i am not entirely clear about myself. Those of you with children undoubtedly know what i don't. But my understanding is that there is a book about a boy who gets flattened, i think literally, and hence becomes known as "Flat Stanley". He is able to travel by being mailed... Well, that's about all i know about it. And that may not be entirely right. Still, Becky has the cutest figure made out of two pieces of light cardboard, painted to look like her grandson - it really ... read more

Haleakala Sunset Of all the events of the day, this coming “meeting” is one I have looked forward to with interest and anticipation. My sense to attend to a sunset rather than a sunrise - which others said was amazing - is due purely to spiritual guidance. Our sense was clear and I trusted that this experience, and not the other, was the one that belonged to us. I brought with me those items that are tokens of my respect and that reflect my gratitude for the aspect of Life/Spirit that we will commune with while there. The two nature aspects in this case are Fire and Water. Primal as they are, each is experienced uniquely according to the time, place, and purpose at hand. In this case, I could feel the elemental nature of ... read more

Haleakala crater is the extinct volcano that formed the eastern part of Maui. There is a switchback road travelling up to the top of the crater, going so high that you literally drive through clouds, then are above them at an elevation of over 10,000 feet. It always is so pretty when you get above the clouds! We had read about a bicycle trip down the side of the mountain which had sounded like fun, but it turns out that the road up and down from the crater is so very steep, and without a shoulder to make it safe for bikers, that people get hurt by doing that. Not only that, the wind is so strong and the air is so cold that they provide you parkas and gloves so you don't freeze. And the ... read more

The Eye of The Storm I woke up yesterday morning like I have for the past 3 months worth of Saturdays, preparing to go to my Saturday morning job, but first tending to my morning routine; i.e. coffee, e-mail, meditation, walk the dog, then off to my day.........The first email I opened was from my Uncle, with a link to an alert about a possible Tsunami heading toward the Hawaiian islands. Say what???? Wait a minute, I need more coffee..... With a fresh hot cup ‘o joe in hand, I log on to the Maui County website and sure enough, there is a Tsunami warning, with the first waves expected to hit around 11:25 a.m. Well, in the short 9 months since arriving on Maui, I had gone through this once before, but by the time ... read more

...einen Deutschen im Ausland? Daran, dass er "Güd Mörning" sagt? Nein. Daran, dass er blass ist? Nein, dass kann auch ein Schwede sein. Daran, dass er das "th" als "s" ausspricht? Nein, dass könnte auch ein Mexikaner sein. Daran, dass er die Sonnencreme zu dick aufträgt und sie damit nach zwei Stunden noch sichtbar ist? Gutes Indiz, aber das kann auch ein Kleinstadtamerikaner aus der Provinz sein, der in die große weite, weite Welt hinaus gefahren ist. Woran denn nun? An den Schuhen etwa? Was könnte er denn tragen? Um diese Frage zu beantworten, schweife ich erst ein wenig aus und erläutere die Ausgangssituation. Wir befinden uns in ca. 3000m Höhe auf einem erloschenen Vulkan. Im ehemaligen Krater hat sich aufgrund der Erosion eine recht trostlose, kaum mit Pflanzen bewachsene und durch die Kraterwände vom Regen ... read more