Kala: Be free (and break a rule or two)

Up early for coffee this morning. Seems I can't sleep past 7 am but that is ok. More time to enjoy the view. Yesterday was another exciting experience! After a wonderful breakfast prepared by our fantastic chef, Karen, we piled in the van and headed back up to the north shore. This time we did a river plunge in the creek!

But first things first. One of our group members, Scott, had lost his step-dad the day he arrived in Kauai. Being so far away from home and his family during this time was difficult for him so we decided that first we would do a short but sweet ceremony of love in the river to help him. We gathered around in a circle and put Scott in the middle, chanted a love prayer in Hawaiian and let him release a palm frond down the creek. It was quite lovely.

Ceremony for Scott

Up the trail about 100 yards, there was a hole in the creek bed that was suposed to be about 5 feet deep that the natives would use to cleanse themselves (not bathe, this is a sacred spot). However when we arrived at the hole, it was only about knee deep. Seems a few weeks ago there were some big storms that came through and filled up the hole. That was not going to stop us, however! Each one of us took a turn in the hole dunking ourselves and feeling the cold water rush over us. The weather was quite warm and there were no sea breezes to cool us off so it was quite nice. The mosquitos were another story though!

We next headed to Ke'e Beach right next to the Na'Pali Coast State Park. There is a beauful beach there with reefs to snorkle and hiking trails all around. There is an 11 mile trail that takes you around the cliffs of the coast and you can camp and hike the trail. We were not going to do that today. Today, we were to visit Ka Ulu o Laka Heiau (the first Hula school on Kauai) and see where the first Hula dance was (supposedly) performed.

We headed down to the beach for an afternoon picnic. We had stopped at a local grocery store on the way and I picked up a small container of California roll poke. Now this is not the same sort of "poke" we have back in North Carolina. It was a wonderful "salad" of fresh ahi, onions, avacado, roe --almost like having a California roll with tuna mixed all together. It was amazing! Unforntunately, there is a shortage of ahi in the islands and the prices on poke have doubled. We enjoyed our picnic under the trees right next to the beach. It was heavenly!

View from picnic area

We then headed toward the hiking trails and and just before we reached them, we took a turn up a trail that was clearly marked "KEEP OUT!" I was a little apprehensive at first--mainly because I thought Mishi was going the wrong way, but she wasn't. The area we visited is not advertised for tourists and visitors and we were the only ones headed up that way. Around the corner, we found a small, abandoned shack that was the first Hula school. Apparently there are A LOT of rules you have to follow to practice Huna--no drugs, no alcohol, no sex, and you must take it seriously. Those rules still apply today.

Picnicin'

We lost the trail on the way up, but Mishi could see the top so we sort of made our own trail to get back on the trail. At the top was a sacred alter of rocks. We left and offering and silently explored the area. It is Kapu to take pictures of the area, but you can take pictures of the view and that is what I did. There was an alter in the rocks on the mountain and a rock facing the sea that you could sit on and meditate or just enjoy the view. Mishi told us the story of Laka and Pele and how Hula began. (That story is too long to put here, but if you want to know more about Hawaiian spirtuality, either google it or check out Hawaiian Magic and Spirituality by Scott Cunningham.)

view from the Heiau

I was anxious to get in the water, so I was one of the first down the mountain. I quickly gathered my stuff and headed toward the water. It was late afternoon and it was cold! But so very worth it. There was a strong current but luckily the water was only about waist high. We wanted to get to Queen's Bath before sunset, so we quickly got out of the water and loaded up the van and headed to Princeville.

Ike: Be Aware (that swimming in caves is not for the weak)

So day one in Hawaii is turning out to be pretty jam packed full of fun!

After our drum circle and ceremony in the cave, we were starving, so we drove back down the highway to Hanalei for lunch. We stopped off at the Ching Young Village where we could shop and eat all at the same time. I had a kalua pork sandwich which was awesome and that's coming from a girl that lives in a BBQ state.

We were running short on time, so we changed plans a little and headed back to another cave in Haena called the "Blue Room Cave." This cave is a short walk uphill and then a short walk straight downhill. Once you get to the bottom, there is fresh water pool down there. You would think the water is stagnant, but it's not. As a matter of fact, the pool is so deep that Jacques Cousteau brought his crew there to explore the caves and could never find the bottom. The cave is separated into three small rooms. There is a room that branches off to the left that is wide and dark, and then there is a room that branches to the right that is smaller, but you can also swim underneath a small wall and enter another dark room in the cave. When you are sitting at the bottom of the hill looking into the cave, you cannot see how far it goes. But you can swim to find out.

Looking down from the top. The black part is water.

Mishi and Tim had planned for us to meet a new friend, Tiffany Tatum, and do a sound healing meditation. She and her friend Preston were waiting for us at the bottom--the entrance to the cave, when we arrived. I was ill prepared for this hike because I was in flip flops, and the incline was super steep and wet--so it was slick. But I was NOT going to miss out on this experince. There were a few in our group who decided not to make the climb down. They stayed at the top of the hill to observe and listen and their perspective on the afternoon was interesting too.

When Tiffany began her meditation, I was blown away. I have never heard a person use their voice in such a way. I thought at one point that the sound that came out of her mouth could not come from a human. She was very kind and gentle and took the time to talk to each one of us. She then led us into a meditation through drums, sound bowls, rattles, and toning with her voice. It was simply transcendental.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your perspective) there were some people in the cave with us that did not feel comfortable with what we were doing. Through out the mediation they mocked and yelled out at Tiffany as she did her thing. But it did not phase her a bit. She did not stop, she did not falter and it gave us the courage and confidence to keep on going too. Afterwards, the smell of pot smoke lingered in the air as our "friends" made their way up the trail. Our real friends that we left at the top of the hill also commented that they were stoned on mushrooms and quite possibly had been drinking. Ahh the party life in Kauai.

One of the topics that had come up during our talk was fear. There were several people that had come to the caves to swim and the thought of getting into freezing cold water and not being able to see where I was scared the crap out of me. But after the meditaiton, 6 of us decided we were going to be brave and swim in the cave. As it turns out, we were so brave we were going to do it without clothes! As it turned out, our loud and obnoxious visitors had left by the time we were finishing up and no one else was coming in, so we stripped naked and jumped in.

I can tell you from personal experience that the water was so cold it literally took my breath away! I think I came up screaming! Tiffany led us through the right side of the cave first and I felt totally safe with her. Even though we were further back in the cave, there was still enough light to see and I then realized that it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. We did not swim back into the smaller room under the wall because the water was way up and it was getting late. We then swam over to the darker part of the cave and toned in  there. It too was not as dark back in there. When you are standing at the edge looking in, you cannot see at all, But when you are in the cave looking out, it is much brighter.

At the bottom looking up.

Our friends waiting patiently at the top stood by and "held the space" for us as we took our journey into the waters....although some of them took picutres. Please note the one at the bottom of the page. If you look closely enough, you may be able to pick out my white butt. If the rest of the week was going to be this exciting, I'm not sure I am going to be able to handle it.

See if you can pick out my white butt :-0

You can see the water in this one

Ike: Be Aware (there is no swimming at high tide!)

When you have jet lag, 5:30 am may not seem so early. But when you are up for 25 hours straight, and then sleep, you sort of cure your jet lag, and 5:30 am is VERY EARLY.

But, on this beautiful morning, it was worth it. We all got up and headed down to Lydgate Beach to watch the sun rise. Auntie Puna, a local teacher, came out with us to show us how to bring in the sunrise. We stood out on the beach and chanted and clapped as the sun rose over the Pacific Ocean. Not only was it special to have a real Hawaiian there to teach us (on sacred ground, no less) it was the first time I have actually seen the Pacific Ocean up close! Mishi and Tim did take us by the ocean last night to get our feet wet (and it was good grounding after that brutal 18 hours of flying) but I greeted the Pacific Ocean for the first time with Hawaiian chanting. How magical! Click here to watch a short video of the chant.

The ruins we visited were known to be a safe harbor and it was kapu (forbidden) to climb on the rocks. We did get some pictures of glyphs on the rocks.

Glyphs on the rocks

After breakfast, we loaded up the van and headed to the North Shore to Haena Beach. Here we were going to perform our first ceremony in the Menehune Cave. You haven't lived until you have about 30 onlookers taking pictures of you drumming and getting mud painted on your face.

Menehune Cave

Part of the day was supposed to be spent hanging out on this beach, swimming (washing the mud off of our faces) and enjoying the water. However, it was high tide and only one person was in the water---and he had a surf board. As I walked down to the surf, a couple walked by and were about knee deep in the surf. The lifeguard began to blow is whistle and I was looking around for swimmers. Turns out he was blowing it at the couple. Knee deep is too deep in high tide rip-tide water.

only place you can get i

We did manage to find a small area down in a jettied area where we could wash the mud off and get our feet wet. It was just enough. It turns out in our next adventure, we would have a chance to get really wet!

Inside the cave where we performed the ceremony. Can you see the faces???

High tide=no swimming :-(

Aaaaaloooooohaaaa Finally!

After planning on landing in these islands for almost 2 years, I have finally arrived!

My jouney started Friday morning at 6 am EST from Greensboro, NC. The total trip time was 18 hours and we (my silent traveling partner) and I arrived in Kauai....exhauted, hungry and ready!

This first week we are spending solely in Kauai for a spiritual retreat put on by Tim and Mishi Clauberg at Light of Aloha. We are joining 9 others on our journey to explore some sacred places in Kauai and participate in ceremonies bringing us closer together as a group and closer to the spirit of ALOHA!

view from the back of Magic Sunrise

We are staying at the Magic Sunrise Vacation rentals while we are here. It is a quaint little place (well, maybe not little-- it has 3 rooms, an apartment, and a separate house with 2 bedrooms and kitchen area on it's own.) Mishi hired an awesome cook (Auntie Karen) to come in an make us breakfast and dinner and the place is covered with crystals and Buddha's and beautiful flora and fauna.

beauty everywhere!

Breakfast and dinner area

The festivities will begin tonight (Saturday) at 6:00pm where we will offically meet and greet each other and begin our connections. Time to learn all about Hawaiin spirtuality and culture.
ALOHA!!

Two days in Cancun: Sunbathing and Shopping

So the plan for this trip was to fly to Cancun, sit on the beach for two straight days, and fly home. It was going to be such a short trip that we didn’t plan any other adventures. I would like to visit Chitzen Itza one day, but that will have to be a trip where there is more time to go. That excursion would take all day and I did not want to sacrifice any sun time.

Jetty makes for nice calm waves

long view of the jetty

Since we woke so late on Saturday morning, we wasted no more time getting to the beach. We stopped in to the hotel’s breakfast buffet (pricey, but decent) and then headed straight out to the beach. We were able to snag a couple of chairs and enjoy the sun for some time. The beach itself had quite a drop-off to the ocean and we discovered that if you walked down the beach about 100 yards, the waves were calmer and the beach evened out. The sand was a beautiful white color, soft beneath our feet. The ocean was calm, clear and cool, but not cold. We would lay on the beach, dip in the ocean, and watch the tourists and locals alike play with their loved ones, dig in the sand, swim, and climb the blocks on the jetty. 

Lucky ones made it up the jetty to a great lookout. Others were caught by the “marina” police and asked to either come off the jetty or leave the beach (because they refused to listen to the life guard). I ventured out enough to take a few pictures of a stirred up Caribbean Sea, but stayed out of harms way since I had no sneakers and well, didn’t need to take another spill—especially into the ocean. 

rock side of the beach

market place

Saturday and Sunday nights, we headed out into the town to do some shopping and dinner. The markets are a great place to find a deal if you don’t mind being harassed and are willing to bargain with the merchants. 

We had dinner at Margaritaville and shopped at the mall connected to it. Sunday night we shopped at the Coco Bongo area (no bargaining allowed there). We found Tutu the monkey and had our picture taken with him.

All in all, Cancun is a fine weekend trip. Most people at the hotel and resort were staying much longer, but we just needed a weekend get-away. The beaches were wonderful, the staff was nice, and if you don’t mind the people always trying to sell you something, it is quite relaxing. Perhaps I need to get used to the idea that as a tourist, the locals see dollar signs when I come walking. But that’s ok. They have to make some money too and this gives me an opportunity to learn the language, the culture, and to be a “world-bridger.”

Tutu and us

Cancun Sunset

Cancun: Not a bad weekend trip!

Nothing cures the winter blues like a vacation down to the little latitudes. And lately, even with the warm weather, I was feeling a little blue. So, while perusing one of my favorite travel sites (Travelzoo.com), I came across a deal almost too good to be true: 3 nights in Cancun, Mexico with airfare for $500 a person (after fees, taxes, etc.) So I texted my friend Ardra and asked if she’d be able to take a Friday and Monday off to go see some sun and surf. Luckily, she said “sure!”

Rainy Friday

So on Friday, we left RDU airport at 8:00am and headed to Atlanta to catch our connecting flight. It landed us in Cancun at about 12:30 pm. We cleared customs and immigration easily and headed toward the door to catch our ride. A friend had warned me that I should keep on walking –that if we did not, the timeshare brigade would accost us. She was not wrong. We almost made it out without hassle, until a cute Mexican stopped us to offer a map and directions to where we were going. He tried to sign us up for a meeting, but I was able to decline without getting rude. 

The travel agent also assured me that the weather should be perfect this time of year because it is the dry season. Unfortunately, when we landed, it was raining.

But this was NOT going to stop our fun! No way. We arrived at the Krystal Hotel and Resort about 1:30 pm and were able to check in right away. Francisco could not help us with the ocean view room, but I could not complain, as our room was perfect. We quickly put on bathing suits and headed down to the lobby. We both needed to eat so we stopped into the restaurant and had lunch. I can’t say it was anything to write home about—it was average. I had the fish tacos. They offered mostly Mexican food, but you could order burgers if you wanted. 

By the time we hit the beach, the sun had come out a little, but it was chilly. We sat for a bit on the chairs out by the ocean, but then decided it would be warmer up by the pool. We found and nice cabana with a couch. I had the first beer of the weekend and watched the waves. The sunset slowly in the west and we then decided to head out to eat.

There were many tables set up in and around the lobby that looked as though they could be a wealth of information about the area. But I soon learned that some were set up just to get you to sign up for a timeshare. I was not wasting time with that. I thought that surely the bellman or porter could help us out with a restaurant suggestion. I made the mistake of asking one of the gentlemen outside about a restaurant. Now, don’t get me wrong; Juan Garcia was very friendly and helpful. But, he did everything he could to get me to sign up for a meeting. After giving him the wrong name and wrong room number, I was able to get away….and fall flat on my back.

My pain medicine is on his head!

Since it had been raining, the streets and sidewalks were wet. I was wearing my Crock sandals and one food slipped and took me down. Fortunately, all I really did was bruise my toe and my ego.  I thought for a few minutes I had broken my toe.  Luckily, the restaurant served margaritas and the pain was gone by the time I finished dinner. 

The restaurant we visited was called the MeXtreme and had seating outside by the street. The waiter was pleasant and cheerful and made some suggestions on the menu. I took his advice and ordered one of their specialties that included chorizo (YUM), beef, chicken, shrimp, and cactus! I do not know what type of cactus it was, but it was very tasty. It looked a lot like an aloe plant—but had a bulb on the end, and was tangy. It was also slimy when you bit into it, sort of like okra. It was a huge dish but I was determined to eat all of it. They served it with corn tortillas, which I did not care for, so I just ate it with a fork.

The green stuff is cactus

After dinner, we took a leisurely stroll back towards the hotel (checking out the pain in my toe—which was only a little sore) and found a convenience mart to buy some bottled water. We also adventured into the Cancun Mart where you can buy any type of souvenir you want—appropriate or not.  Obviously, spring break would not be far behind us.

At the hotel, I downed 2 Tylenol pm pills to dull any sort of pain in my foot from coming back and crashed. The next thing I knew, it was 10:30am.

The link below gives you a google Earth aireal view of our stay. I have to say, it was quite perfect.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Cancun,+Mexico&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=21.132543,-86.74751&spn=0.012569,0.022724&sll=37.062497,-95.677068&sspn=42.089199,88.417969&oq=cancun&hnear=Canc%C3%BAn,+Quintana+Roo,+Mexico&t=f&z=16&ecpose=21.13274383,-86.74808533,1989.13,0.012,0,0

What's Next?

Hello Campers

It’s been several months since my last post. I was hoping to be on another Big Island Adventure by now, but Hawaii is elusive at this time. But don’t worry; I will defiantly get to see her come April–no matter what. Until then, I will have to put together a few more adventures.

The next one up is a short jaunt to Cancun, Mexico. I know it technically is not an island but trips down that way are cheaper these days. I’ll only be down there for two full days, but I plan to get in as much sunbathing as humanly possible. I am also looking into checking out some Mayan ruins—maybe Chichen Itza. 

Chichen Itza

I have also discovered a site out there call Globe Trooper that allows you to find traveling companions. Since I am on sabbatical from my job, and most others that I know are still working, I need someone to travel with for companionship and safety as well. I have a companion for Chichen Izsa but will need one for a few more adventures coming up. If you like to travel, click the link above. 

You can sign up–it’s free– and then look for trips or post one of your own. Perhaps the next several weeks will have me planning a trip. This makes me very happy.

Another website that is looking promising is Discovery Adventures. This one has trips already planned out, all you have to do is sign up. Now, generally I am not a big fan of guided tours. I would much rather go and explore things myself. However, since some of my travel may be by myself, I am thinking about safety– mainly in numbers. This looks pretty good plus I can get my own room if I want (at additional costs, of course). 

So the traveling will begin again soon. In the meantime I am checking out all of the traveling sites I can find in order to find the cheapest ways to get anywhere but here while I still have the time to do. But hopefully, if things go really well, I will have the time to travel for a really long time.