Maui and Honolulu

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Aloha,

Our first stop was at the Maui Ocean Center with a guide who is an Ocean Naturalist. Beautifully laid out. The animals in their care are fed according to their needs, so feedings and shows are not offered. How refreshing! They also concentrate on breeding programmes with any marine life that is losing population. Sea Turtles are a good example. They are bred and then kept until they reach adulthood and can e returned to the ocean.

Our afternoon was spent at Iao Valley State Park, considered a sacred site by the Hawaiian people. Very lush and green; they get 400 inches of rain per year. Our leader was a Traditional Hawaiian Medicinal Healer. He explained the many uses of indigenous plants. For example, the state tree, the Kukui or Candlenut Tree. There is so much oil in the nuts, they can be used as candles. He also said that the nuts are edible. However, if you eat one, you should walk to the washroom. If you eat two, you should run to the washroom. If you eat three, you should already be in the washroom.

Next day was the Island of O'ahu and the city of Honolulu. One million of Hawaii's 1.4 million people reside on O'ahu. The big draw is Pearl Harbour and specifically USS Arizona Memorial. The U.S. lost 2400 military and civilians on December 7, 1941. We met an interesting lady on the ship. She lived in Honolulu when she was a child. On December 6, 1941, she entered a jitterbug contest with a young sailor. The two reconnected 50 years later. Sure enough, there was her picture as a little girl and a picture of her along with her dance partner taken a few years ago.

Here's an interesting Hawaiian delicacy: spam. Seems the average American consumption of this stuff is two cans per person per yeaar. In Hawaii, it is 10 cans per person per year.

A hui ho,
Donna

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Photos

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The Ocean Centre on Maui has beautiful coral.

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At Ioa Valley, five of us made the long climb to a chapel. The medicine man led us in a chant to thank our ancestors for the wisdom we inherited. It was very special...okay, you had to be there.

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The USS Arizona was built over the battleship that still lies at the bottom of pearl harbor.

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This part of the ship is visible above the surface.

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On the inside of the memorial, they have listed the names of the sailors that died that day.

Comments

[Gretchen Huntley]

Spam
Great blog, Donna and guess what; I love Spam!

[Leslie]

Food choices
Spam! Seriously? I live that stuff but on an island of fish and fruit, why on earth do Hawaiians eat so much spam? As for the nuts, ick! I laughed a lot when I read that and wondered if this was found by experience?

[Candy]

Aloha !
Hello Donna. It sounds like you are having a great vacation. I enjoy your posts. They are always interesting. Take care.