What the Hilo...?

What the Hilo…?

It seems like several weeks between this entry and the last…ship life.  Each day is packed with classes, lectures, workshops and…Stories.  We are a city in and of ourselves.  Our “newness” has transformed into routine.  We have accepted our community responsibility, the weird is now our lives and multiple inspired dialogues are our fuel.  Balancing our intellectual pursuits are those familiar routines that keep us happily grounded:  breakfast, lunch, dinner, basketball, exercise machines, Ping-Pong and swimming.  Since we have such large distances to initially travel (Mexico to Hawaii, Hawaii to Japan), the precious time we have on board has helped to ground us. 

In AFP-ese, we have set the foundation for our storytelling.  While we realize there are MANY profound, rich experiences ahead but we will be unable to process them through the storytelling machine until we lay the bricks for our path ahead (if you don’t appreciate metaphors, this is the wrong blog to followJ):  The bricks: 

-Being physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually Present.

-Creating a community of mutual respect free of judgment:  Ubuntu.

-Freedom to immediately describe experiences with language.

-Communal commitment to recording each experience.

-Listening, listening, listening.

We had two days in Hawaii:  One full day in Hilo (off the ship) one full day in Honolulu (refueling, on the ship).  Hilo was spectacular.  We arranged a full day trip with our new Brada (brother) Coconut Joe Richardson.  My numerous phone conversations with him previous to our voyage clearly illustrated we had the right dude (Trip Advisor works)—but even with the positive vibes we had no idea that we had THE guy.  Joe has lived his entire life on Hilo and a true Hawaiian.  Every step, every plant, every piece of hardened lava had a Story.  Anne Frank would have loved Joe—finally someone with an excited answer for EVERY excited question!  Aloha means hello, goodbye, peace---he Muraho of Hawaii.  Hilo, an island with a story.

First stop:  Lili’uokalani Gardens

Dedicated in 1917 to the memory of Queen Lili’uokalani and her “enduring love for Hawaii’s people.”  This, like of all of Hilo, was beautifully dense with lush, exotic foliage indigenous to Hawaii.  Paradise, simply Paradise.  Hilo is the least “touched” of the Hawaiian Islands.  The concrete terrains of Honolulu and Maui have not taken over the overgrown jungleness of Hilo.  There is an organic, natural, tropical quality throughout.  We appreciated this deep sense of Aloha at every turn.

Second stop:  Rainbow Falls

Classic Hawaiian waterfall set amidst lush gardens, hanging mango lava formations.  The walk up to the falls opens into an amazing storybook like jungle where winding trees grasp winding vines to create a magical tree park.  This is where the largest tree in Hawaii calls home.  Multiple nooks and crannies to climb, hide and swing from.  These trees represent centuries of stories and events.  It's not “if” these trees could talk, its just about listening…happy place.  We felt like we were in a Hawaiian pop-up book.

Third stop:  Volcano National Park

Over 1,000 years ago the Tahitians came to Hawaii and brought with them their belief in multiple gods and their strict code of behavior and social hierarchy called Kapu (where the word Taboo originates).  The central goddess is Pele—goddess of fire, volcanoes, lightning and wind…”Earth eating woman.”  Pele controls the volcanoes and we were honored to experience her power, mystique and stubbornness.  Hardened lava dominates the island and no wonder—these mountains are awesome.  To witness the steam vents, a giant active crater and walk through a lava tube (literally a lava crusted cave cut through the guts of a mountain by flaming lava bombs) was an awesome experience.  Nate’s science work on platonic and volcanoes was a perfect preview for the field experience—THIS is the perfect way to learn:  study the theory then experience the reality.  We were all beaming with gratitude.

Fourth stop:  Richardson Beach

Richardson Beach is a great example of Hilo beaches:  black, coarse sand and jagged lava rocks surrounding clear pools which quickly spill into pounding, uneven surf.  The entryway into the ocean is tricky but once you are in past the rocks…again, Paradise.  Thankfully, we have swum multiple beaches around the world so we came prepared:  hard soled swim shoes, mask and snorkel.  This is Joe’s family beach (Richardson) that was sold back to Hilo some time ago.  But this was where Joe grew up, so he was proud to share his boyhood watering hole; proud to include us in his Ohana.  He assured us that we would be swimming amongst Hawaii’s finest ocean life and he was right!  We dropped Nate in the oceans of Mexico when he was 3 years old, so he is an excellent ocean explorer. The current was strong, but he and I swam amongst brightly colored fish for some time searching for the sea turtles we had heard so much about.  As we were making our back to the beach…Boom!...Nate fiercely tapped my shoulder as he was giggling with joy through his snorkel…wow!  A giant sea turtle was drifting along looking for sea grass to munch on and was totally content having us follow along.  He was about 4 feet wide and 6 feet long…serene, gliding, awe-inspiring.  It was an honor to witness…especially with my boy.  A definite bucket list contribution.  We patted his shell in thanks and swam our separate ways.  Aloha.