Blogs from Big Island, Hawaii, United States, North America - page 11

As we were driving to another wonderful snorkeling spot, David exclaimed, "I haven't worn socks for a week!" After living through one of the coldest winters in 30 years, going without socks for a week is worth mentioning. Not only, have we not worn socks for a week, we haven't worn pants, or sweaters, or parkas, or mitts, or ... life is just easier. We've been in Hawaii for over a week and this is my first post. There is so much I could write, but where to start? How about the weather? Well, the first day was a little overcast, but warm, the next day was sunny and warm (between 78 & 84 degrees Fahrenheit -- I can't even think in Celsius anymore), the next day was sunny and warm, the next day was ... ... read more

I love snorkeling! I'm not a great swimmer (well, not even good), but the ocean is so different than the cold, freshwater lakes I swam in as a child. The salt water holds you up and with goggles and a pair of flippers -- it's swimmer's heaven! I'm always a little hesitant when I first get in the water, but the minute I put my head under, the world becomes a quieter place. If I had to describe the perfect place to meditate, it would be swimming in a warm ocean with schools of colorful fish all around. You hear your breath go in and out, while you glide along effortlessly as the sea rocks you gently back and forth. Time stands still and all seems right with the universe. David and both sons are excellent ... read more

We have pretty much given up on this blog cause half the time idoes want seems to upload what we send, but this morning fueled with good Kona coffee we are trying again. Three years ago I took a picture of a beach at the northernmost point that I promised myself I'd hike down to next time I came so that was our destination yesterday. We drove there exploring a few places along the way and got there just after noon. The hike down was a bit of a goat trail but well worth it! Gorgeous silky dark sand and big waves and hardly any people! Got a rather worried and reluctant Joni to come and play in the waves and once she did she was hooked and we frolicked for a few hours! We finally ... read more

To borrow a phrase from my Dad: You can't make this shit up. A series of 3 chance encounters has lead to me sitting in a condo loaned by the owner to a friend of a friend whom I met shortly after arriving to the Big Island, about to imbibe an ayahuasca brew made by a Punatic calling himself Kolomana, claiming to have been trained by Terence McKenna, with the ceremony being lead by someone who had spent substantial time in many ayahuasca ceremonies in the jungles of Peru, where the shamans have been administering this "medicine" for generations. Ayahuasca was something I had only heard a bit about before coming to Big Island of Hawaii, but it kept coming up in conversations here, as it's become pretty popular locally, and the url=../../North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Bi... read more

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