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Published: February 25th 2009
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We were warned by Susan early on that we should always have rain gear along because the weather could change or we could travel into wet weather.
By the third day, many of us left jackets and umbrellas behind. The weather always seemed to cooperate when we needed it to.
Ann and I were up at 6 and down for breakfast by 7. Half the group was already there eating. If anyone was behind the group, it was us and we did all we could to not hold them up the rest of the program. It was becoming apparent that the group as a whole was able to show up on time or even fifteen minutes early. Except for several like Ann who had serious knee or hip arthritis and one person with emphysema, everyone else's health was quite good.
Susan lined up activities that would take us north on the Big Island. We started at the Hilo Farmer's Market where the enthusiasm of the group did slow us down! The sellers were most gracious, offering samples, and their produce or products (many home-made items of food and keepsakes) were so attractive it was hard to pass on
Sugar cane
"Volunteer" cane grows next to the field of green beans which replaced it as a cash crop. by. But all finally came out and found the bus for our trip to Akaka Falls.
We passed beautiful countryside, some along the ocean.
The park itself was loaded with flowers whose names we may have been told at the time but are no longer recalled. But they are still beautiful.
Some of us were unable to make the climb down to the falls and enjoyed one another's company as we waited for the others to come back. While we sat there, a local man set up to make figures out of palm strips. He did a grasshopper and a fish that were most clever.
We went to lunch at Tex's, a drive-in run by a European woman who bought out the original Tex ("Tex" is short for something besides Texas though I've forgotten what). She served some local favorites like "loco moco" which is a rice patty and a hambuger on top with brown gravy. Spam and fish are substituted for the hamburger, according to the menu. Unfortunately, our budget could only afford pocket vegetarian sandwichs with sweet potato chips and malasadas. The latter is a deep fried holeless donut. If it had been covered
with powdered sugar, it would have been a biegnet, a treat popular in New Orleans. We dipped it into granular sugar.
The title of the Elderhostel is "Spectacular Beauty and Vibrant History." If we had returned to Hilo from the north shore of the island of Hawai'i at that point, the day would have been an excellent illustration. But we had one more stop.
The Pu'ukohola Heiau National Park became the gem on top of the day.
Waipi'o Valley had been the refuge of King Kamehameha when he needed to rest from the wars and affairs of his realm. Pu'ukohola was his "front." Facing toward the other islands of this chain that extends as far northwest as Midway, Kamehameha put up a huge fort-like heiau (more on what that is later) on the side of the hill near the shore. No one could miss the installation from the sea.
There was a lot of trade among the islanders and with voyagers from Tahiti, Samoa, and some of the other Oceania cultures whose ancestors had settled all the islands in the Hawai'ian chain. By his establishing such an imposing presence, all who came around knew that they
had to deal with him if they wanted to trade at all.
Not far from this great structure was the plantation of John Young. Young had been with Captain Cook who first established trade there on behalf of the British Empire. Young settled, learned the language, and helped Kamehameha relate to the outside world and expand his intellectual horizons.
The heiau was the site of human sacrifice, a practice which offended Young deeply but which he could not overcome. Young was also against the Kapu ("Taboo" - remember the lessons on switches among some consonants) and played a part in its breakdown after Kamehameha's death.
Some of the things we had heard at the museum on history were made vibrant as we stood in the shade of a mesquite tree on that hillside above the ocean.
The trip back was across the length of the Big Island but gave us time to assimilate what we had experienced.
Supper, preview of the next day, and early bedtime concluded our day.
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Marty
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A slide show!
Oh yes, I just discovered there's a slideshow feature too. I'm going back and viewing all of my photos in slideshow form.