Sham S. Misri
Friday: 10th August, 2012.
Brimming with happiness and joy, I woke up
early in the morning making all the preparations to go to Hawaii. I had dreamed
of something more! My trip to Big Island Hawaii would create memories that last
a lifetime.
My
wife Sarla, whom I love a lot, was packing all my clothes and keeping them
ready in the attache. I was busy in charging the batteries of the handy camcorder
and the camera. In this rush hour we left the home in hot haste, someone
calling have a cup of tea, don’t leave your home hungry, that is the custom of
a Kashmir i Pundit, we should reach home safe and sound. Nobody listened to it,
and everybody trying to leave and reach the Airport.
Having left Redmond, Seattle residence at
8 AM by car, Sunny, my son, gave us a pick up to the Airport.
We left Seattle Airport at 10 AM. To reach
Maui, the first stop at around 3.15 PM.
The time difference between Maui and Seattle is three hours. When we reached
Maui, the time there was 12 Noon. Halted at Maui for 45 minutes, boarded
another plane to reach The Big Island of Hawaii. It took us only 30 minutes to
reach the Big Island Hawaii air port. We landed at Hawaii airport at about 1.30
PM. Hawaii time.
As we stepped out of the airport, we came across a board with the
caption; ‘Aloha’. I enquired from the person standing there, what it meant. He
translated it and told me, it meant “WELCOME” We all were excited to have our
vacations on “The Big Island.”
The International air port of The Big
Island of Hawaii is …………………………….
From airport there are Hertz buses which
transport the passengers to their car rentals, which is hardly ten minutes
drive. Took the Toyota Capri rental car and proceeded towards Kona Coast Resort.
The lodge which was booked by us was a nice spacious one with two big bed
rooms. One bed room had a King size double bed and the other had two queen size
double beds. A big living room and a nice kitchen with all the facilities, like
fridge, oven, gas, washer and drier utensils, and all the comforts of life. The
suite had the entire sofa and was very well furnished. The furniture of the
suite like the dressing tables, the dining tables and the drawing space nicely
laid and furnished. The entire suite was air conditioned.
I was accompanied by my wife Sarla, my son
Sandeep and his family, comprising his wife Suprigya, and two lovely children
Parum (9 years) and Neel (6 years). Being tired we stayed in the suite and
rested well for the night. The first night was very comfortable in all
respects.
“The Big Island” of Hawaii is the largest
Island in the Hawaiian chain (nearly twice as big as other islands combined).
Other nick names include the Volcano Isle, and the Orchid Isle, for the
profusion of orchid farms that thrive here.
Saturday: 11th August, 2012.
We woke up early in the morning making
preparation to leave for: Akaka Falls”. This spot is nearly 90 miles from Kona
Costa Resorts where we were staying. Akaka Falls has a short paved trail. This
trail leads through lush green rain forest and the entire view is beautiful and
scenic. The photogenic waterfall is 442 feet. It rained while we were making a
round through the trail. Akaka Falls, lies on the Big Island’s famous Hamakua
Coast.
Hawaii is a terrific place for wide range
of activities, exciting deep sea fishing and boat cruises. We drove around the
Big Island all along the coast. The Kona
Coast of The Big Island has best snorkeling in the state of Hawaii.
The people of Hawaii love their food. The
local islanders use the term ‘grindz’ for yummy or tasty foods. While dining at
a local style restaurant, a favorite food topper is chili pepper water. In its
simplest form, chili pepper water is formed of Hawaiian red chilies, a little
salt and water. Sometimes a bit of crushed garlic, ginger and rice wine vinegar
is added to the mix. The chili flavor enhances local style cuisine. This hand motion is made simply by extending
pinky finger and thumb, while curling the middle three fingers inwards, towards
the palm.
Among the wonderfully preserved Hawaiian
legends, the early settlement of the little archipelago is shrouded in mystery.
The best testimony, however, warrants the assumption that the islands were
first discovered and occupied by a
people who had drifted from southern Asia to the islands of Pacific in the
first or second century of the Christian era, and by migratory stages reached
the Hawaiian group in about A.D. 550. The first discovery was the result of
accident: but those who made it were able to find their way back to the place
from where they had started. In due course of time they would return with
augmented numbers, bearing with them to their new home dogs, pigs, fowls, and
the seeds of many fruits and vegetables.
The little colony grew and prospered, and
for nearly five hundred years had no communication with, or knowledge of, the
world beyond. In about A.D.1050, the people of the group were suddenly aroused
from their long dream of six centuries by the arrival of a large party of
adventurers from Tahiti. Their chief was Nanamaoa. Their language resembled
that of Hawaiians, and their customs and religions were not greatly at
variance. They were therefore received with kindness. In a few years their
influence began to be felt throughout the group. They landed at Kohala, Hawaii,
and Nanamaoa succeeded in becoming the influential chief. His sons secured
possessions on Maui and Oahu.
Since A.D. 1778, was the year of Hawaii’s
first major contact with the Western civilization? Until the introduction of written Hawaiian
language system in the year 1820’s, the stories, tales and lore’s of Hawaiian
people were entirely oral. They were passed on from generation to generation
through chant or dance or story.
In 1888, Hawaiian society, religion, and
values had undergone tremendous upheaval as foreign settlers, ideas,
commodities and disease overwhelmed the islands. Most foreigners viewed the
religion as “idolatrous,” the family relationships and enjoyments as “immoral,”
and the art as “primitive”. The tragic dissemination
of native Hawaiian population to a scant 44,000 by the 1880’s (possibly less
than one tenth of the Hawaiian population in 1778) was lamented as an
unfortunate by product of too rapid assimilation.
Polynesians migrated to, and established
communities on, the islands of Hawaii before the arrival of Captain James Cook
in 1778, who is widely credited as the first European visitor to the islands.
At that time, each island was a separate kingdom. With the support of western
advisors and weapons, Kamehameha I of the island of Hawaii conquered all the
islands except Kauai, which acquiesced to his rule in 1810. King Kamehameha the
Great was Hawaii’s first great official monarch.
There are many beliefs how king came into
the power. One legend claimed that there would be a “great light in the sky
with feathers” that would signify the birth of a chief. It is believed that
Kamehameha was born in the district of North Kohala of the Big Island the same
year that Halley’s Comet streaked across the sky. In 1758, the warring clans threatened the life of the
unborn child, and so immediately after the birth, baby Kamehameha was taken by
a priest and hidden for his protection in the valley. After the tension
subsided, he moved to Kona at the age of five and was named Kamehameha (the
lonely one). He grew to be a courageous
warrior and leader. In order to unite all the Hawaiian Islands, he battled high
rulers, neighbor island chiefs, and even family members. In 1790, he attained
control of entire Hawaii Island, successfully invaded Maui. In 1810, he united
all the islands under one kingdom. Hawaiian rulers worshipped a powerful war
god called Ku. King Kamehameha, who fought many battles to unify all the
Hawaiian islands, sought Ku’s support by building a massive stone temple 400
feet above the harbor in North Kohala. The great king died in 1819 and his
bones were hidden by his priest. Their location remains a secret even to this
day.
Sunday: 12th August, 2012.
Hapuna Beach.
The world famous Hapuna Beach is a State
Recreation Area. It is a splendid large white sand beach with clear water of
the Pacific Ocean. This beach is at a distance of 35 miles from the Kona Coast
resorts. This beach is great for swimming. The beach was very much crowded. People
were on a week end and on summer holidays. All along the beach the shade is
scare, so we had our own arrangement, the beach umbrella helped a lot. For some
time Sarla and I sat in the shade of the umbrella. For some time we watched the
rip currents of the Pacific Ocean. Life guard, picnic areas, snack stand, rest
rooms and showers were available.
I
had a dip in the Pacific at this beach. Sandeep swam, while Suprigya, Parum and
Neel had lot of fun. Sarla waded in the shallow water of the Pacific. Many
people on the beach were doing snorkeling and body boarding. Getting excited in
the waters of the Pacific Ocean, Sandeep also wanted to have boogie board and snorkeling
sets to have some more fun in the ocean. Soon he went to the store to get the
stuff. With the boogie board in the hand with some snorkeling sets, he showed
some gestures of excitement and went straight in the water to swim and enjoy.
After some time Suprigya and Parum joined him.
After being in the water for some twenty minutes, he abruptly came out
of the water and came to me to enquire if his wallet was with me. I, instantly
replied, no.
Then there was the great calm. Everybody
began to search for the wallet in all the bags and purses. There was no clue
anywhere. I became worried and told him
what was in the wallet. With all hesitation he half heartedly said, nothing
much, nothing much. And then, he came out and said the wallet had slipped out
of his pocket- as he had worn waterproof shorts. Then he along with Suprigya
began to search for the wallet in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The search
continued for nearly half an hour. All the merriment that was there was no more
seen on anybody’s face. In the heart of my hearts I thought it was ridiculous
to search for the wallet in the Pacific. Getting tired and nervous, and as the
time was running out, they gave up the search of the wallet. We wound up the
show at the Hapuna Beach. Collected all the snorkeling sets, the umbrella, and
the boogie boards, we moved towards the store to return the items. There we
left a message with the in charge store person
that if anybody finds a wallet,
we be informed. We gave them our contact numbers. We took their contact numbers
too. We went to the person where lost property is deposited. We got
disappointment from every corner. Sarla was in tears. She is only praying to
Sai Baba, in whom she has blind faith. My sister is a true devotee of Sai Baba.
In fact, every household member of the family has true faith and firm belief in
the miracles of Sai Baba. The only thing that had escaped getting lost with the
wallet was the driving license. How it got saved was, that at the time of getting
the boogie board and the snorkeling sets, the storm man had asked for the
identity and its deposition till the things would be returned. I pray to god
that at least the driving license was saved.
With all displeasure we then left the Hapuna Beach. This was the memory
of the Hapuna Beach which would be never forgotten. Bye Hapuna Beach! Bye
Pacific Ocean! We left towards Kona Costa Resorts where we were residing.
We had travelled nearly thirty miles, and
were just five miles short of our residence. The time was running fast and it was
sun set time now. I told Sandeep to stop for a while and have a sun set view in
the Pacific. We halted at another beach had photo session and the videos. The
fire ball of the sun got immersed into the Ocean. Bye Bye Sun. I left towards
the place where we had our stay.
We parked the vehicle. There is a phone
call, The Motorola mobile phone is ringing.
I put my hand in the pocket to pull the mobile phone out. It was a call
from Sunny, who had stayed at Seattle, and not joined us in this tour.
All the doors of the car are open, only to
pick up the luggage from it, to be shifted back into resort. Removing the items
from the trunk of the car, we kept the items on the ground, to be picked up
gently. Again there is a buzz call, this time on Sandeep’s mobile phone.
And
Lo! A Miracle!
Someone by the name Rick called.
Is it Sandeep?
“Yes, yes, “said Sandeep.
“I have found a wallet five feet deep in
the Pacific Ocean.” It is full of Dollars, Credit cards, Insurance cards,
Citizen Cards, and is soaked. Some sand of Pacific has also crept into the wallet.
I have been able to locate your contact number from your official visiting card
and thought of contacting you.” Said Mr. Rick.
Sandeep’ joy knew no bounds.”You are my savior”
Sandeep told him.
We are waiting on the roadside, outside
the Kona Coast Resort.
Sandeep wrote his address, and all the
relevant details. Excited and happy we picked up the entire luggage from the
roadside and went up into the resort to thrash the entire issue.
I said, “Where does the man live?”
Sandeep
Googled the address and was thrilled when he found that the Rick was residing
just two miles away from the place where we were residing. He rushed to his
house and after ten minutes returned with a wallet all soaked.
What did the wallet contain, was my
question?
All assembled around the table and the
contents of the wallet were taken out one by one with all the care.
Ten cards in all, some credit and some
debit cards, from several banks. Among the cards were his citizenship card,
Insurance card, and some important cards.
Sai Babas’ photograph and the Vibooti. One
gets baffled how the Vibooti {sacred ash} which is all ash remained dry after
the wallet had been under the ocean water for so many hours.
Two hundred twenty dollars cash.
Some gift vouchers.
Sometimes, I wonder, had Mr. Rick
travelled nearly thirty five miles to find the wallet in the Pacific Ocean that
Sandeep had lost there. Was he sent by Baba? Mr. Rick has a home in Hawaii. He
is a domicile of Hawaii. There are some beaches in the close vicinity of his
house. He is a multi millionaire, as guessed by Sandeep, when he received back
the wallet from this man. This incident
of Hapuna Beach can never be forgotten.
American missionaries came to the islands
to spread Christianity. As the ancient Hawaiians did not have any concept of
owning land, the missionaries became official land owners of many of the islands.
Their children would later become successful businessmen in the Islands and
still own entire islands to this day. Pineapple and sugar cane plantations were
established, and workers from other countries (in particular Japan, the
Philippines, China, and Korea) were imported as contract laborers.
The Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown in
1893 by a group of American businessmen. While the U.S. administration at the
time refused to annex the former sovereign nation, in 1898 the United States
did annex the islands, which became a territory in 1900 and a state of the
United States in 1959.
Hawaii also became an important outpost
for the U.S. military through the 20th century, and Pearl Harbor was the site
of the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, that resulted in the U.S. joining
World War II. Today, the military maintains its presence here, with several
major military bases on the island of Oahu alone; Pearl Harbor remains the
headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. At Pearl Harbor, a remnant of the
original fleet, the U.S.S. Missouri [a battleship] remains anchored as a
museum.
Over the years, many major retail chains
have expanded their presence in Hawaii. There is a strong commitment to keep
alive native Hawaiian traditions, as well as the cultural heritage.
Monday: 13th
August, 2012.
Having made preparations early in the
morning we left the resort towards the Volcano site. White, Black and green
sand beaches abound along the Big Island’s 266-mile coast line. The Big Island
has many barren lava fields. Mauna Kea is the world’s largest active volcano
and one of two volcanic peaks that dominate the Big Island. They spread over
half of the Island. While enroot to volcano site, we detoured at several
points.
From the main road some twelve miles diversion is the South Point.
Ka Lae (South Point), Hawaii
Island
Travel to
the southern cliffs of Hawaii Island in the Kau
region and gaze out at the endless Pacific Ocean. Can you believe there’s
nothing but deep-blue ocean between the spot you’re standing on and Antarctica?
That’s because you're at Ka Lae, also known as South Point or simply “The
Point,” the southernmost point in the United States.
It is
believed that the first Polynesians to arrive in the Hawaiian Islands
disembarked here at Ka Lae somewhere between 400 and 800 A.D. With the ruins of
heiau (temples), fishing shrines and other cultural vestiges found here, it’s
no wonder why this entire southern tip has been registered as a National
Historical Landmark.
The
offshore currents and winds are notoriously powerful here and mariners from the
first Polynesians to today’s locals have devised clever ways of plying the rich
fishing grounds without being swept away. For instance, you’ll find rock
loops carved through the lava here that tied off fishing canoes hundreds of
years ago. Today, shoreline fishermen use toy boats to haul their lines into
deep water or large metal boat hoists and ladders to launch small watercraft.
The actual point is a short walk away in front of the black-and-white light
beacon, where there are no cliffs.
To get to
this rocky shoreline you need to take the narrow South Point Road 12-miles
through open ranch lands lined with white windmills. There is a small heiau
(sacred place of worship) near Ka Lae so visitors should treat the area with
great respect. Because of the dangerous currents here, swimming is not advised.
Our next
point was the Green sand beaches; (Papakolea)
Reaching
Green sand beaches is slightly difficult. Some make it half way, while others
make it with difficulty. Access is limited to four wheel drive vehicles. Most
car rental companies prohibit use of their vehicles on this rough road.
We took a Chevrolet car and proceeded towards
the Green sand beach. Mr. David was the
driver. He was a jolly good fellow who drove the vehicle slowly and with care.
The zigzag, uneven, desolate rocky and muddy dirt road was an experience in
itself. Though the journey was only 2.5 miles it was quite tedious. Calling for
passengers to board his vehicle, some who had got tired did board the vehicle.
This journey was completed in nearly twenty minutes. On reaching the Green Sand
Beach, the view is picturesque. Green crystals sparkle like jewels in the sun
next to a magnificent turquoise sea in this unusual, most beautiful crescent
beach. Swimming could be dangerous, but some good swimmers swam at the beach.
There are no facilities, but once you kick off your tennis shoes and have a
refreshing soak, you will appreciate the awesomeness of nature’s gift. At the beach some yellow rocks were also seen.
Some patches of the dirt road were also yellow.
While Parum and Suprigya were having fun on the beach,
Suprigya had left her purse far from the current on a rock. Enjoying the play
on the Green sand along with Parum, her son, there arose a swift high wave from
the Pacific Ocean, which washed away the purse from the rock. My watchful eye noticed
all this. A loud shout came from my inner heart. I cried, Dimple, Dimple, (pet
name of Suprigya), your purse has been engulfed by the Ocean wave. Parum and
Dimple began to dance as per the waves. They wanted to catch hold of the purse.
The dance continued in the ocean for some time, till ultimately Parum caught
hold of the purse. The purse remained in the water floating and tossed by the
waves for some minutes.
What did the purse contain was again my question!
Apart from some usual currency, it had the pass ports,
regular credit cards, the gift vouchers, gold jewellery, and the mobile phone.
All the contents were immediately taken out of the purse to make them dry. All
the things inside were safe, but, we had to surrender something. Perhaps the
Pacific waters needed something for communication. And the mobile phone was sacrificed. We tried
hard to repair it, but the circuit was damaged.
After having taken some snap shots and videos we
boarded the vehicle and reached back to the place where we had parked the
rented vehicle.
Our next stop was the Black Sand Beach:
It was just one mile diversion from the
main road. A lovely black sand beach, which offers
shade and nice view. Swimming can be rough as strong rip currents are seen. It
is a general place to watch turtles. We also saw a turtle on the sandy beach.
The secluded location of the beach draws nude sunbathers. We had our lunch
there.
Our next halt was the Volcano site.
After having reached the spot, we took some guidelines
from the tourist officer.
Kilauea: One of
earth’s most active volcanoes, located in Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park, on
the south-eastern flank of Mauna Loa. This volcano has been pumping molten lava
over the landscape since 1983. This is the longest continuous rift zone
eruption in written history. An estimated 1000 gallons of molten lava flows out
of active vents every second. Nearly two billion cubic yards of lava rock have
come from this eruption. That is enough rock to pave a two lane highway, 1.2
million miles long, encircling the globe fifty times. More than eight miles of highway and nearly
200 homes and other structures have been claimed by the volcano since the mid
1980.
The active vents exude lava through a seven mile long
lava tube that opens into the sea. Several hundred acres of new land have been
added to the Big Island since the eruption began.
The lava tube through which we walked was an
experience in itself. Besides this we saw crater chain, in which many craters
formed by lave are formed.
Tuesday: 14th August, 2012.
The day was spent by having local visit of the main
town of Hawaii located on the shore of Pacific Ocean. On this day saw the
heritage palace of the king of Hawaii and the first church of Hawaii. The lunch
was taken as per every body’s choice. I selected fish and chips. A yummy lunch
enjoyed by all. Saw the local market and
enjoyed the whole day in Hawaiian culture.
The Hawaii environment is conducive to longevity...Hawaii
has the longest predicted life expectancies of any U.S. state. Hawaii is the
50th state of the United States of America. Situated nearly at the centre of
the North Pacific Ocean, Hawaii marks the northeast corner of Polynesia. While
it was once a major hub for the whaling, sugar and pineapple industries, it is
now economically dependent on tourism and the U.S. military. The natural beauty
of the islands continues to be one of Hawaii's greatest assets. Honolulu is the
state's capital, largest city, and cultural hub. Hawaiian and English are the
official languages of Hawaii.
Hawaii is an archipelago of over nineteen
distinct volcanic islands located over a geological "hot spot" in the
Central Pacific.
Hawaii – almost always called the Big Island is the largest of the
islands and home to Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa (the largest and one of the most
active volcanoes on Earth), Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, coffee and nut
plantations, and even green sand beaches. Kailua-Kona is the busiest part of
the island. As the youngest in the Hawaiian chain, the Big Island is in a growing phase, with active volcanoes that
add real estate to the southern shoreline as lava flows into the sea.
Honolulu - state capital and most-populous city
Hilo - largest city on the Big Island
Kona - on the Big Island, includes the
seaside town Kailua-Kona.
Although there are no true "seasons" in the islands in the
same sense as the rest of the U.S., the climate does go through annual cycles
based on rainfall. The "wet" season in Hawaii (cooler temperatures
and more rainfall) are from October to March, and the "dry" season
(warmer temperatures and less rainfall) from April to September.
Overall, Hawaii is warm. When we step out
of the plane we immediately notice that the air is soft and humid. Daytime
temperatures generally range from the low 80s (27°C) in "winter" to
the high 80s (31°C) in "summer". Very rarely does the air temperature
exceed 90°F (32°C) even in the hottest part of summer; however, the humidity
will make it feel as if it were a few degrees hotter.
The driver's license, credit card, camera,
binoculars, and some cash are essentials. One may keep clothes to a minimum...
a jacket; sweater, one or two pair of washable shorts, walking shoes, sandals
and swim gear. Sunscreen is essential.
As Hawaii is one of the 50 United States,
flights to Hawaii from all of the U.S. are considered domestic flights. A
written agricultural declaration while aboard the flight to Hawaii is demanded.
This declaration is required by the U.S. and Hawaii state departments of
agriculture to prevent harmful plant pests and diseases from coming into
Hawaii. Any fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, and the like need to be declared
and inspected by Department of Agriculture at the port of arrival; some items
may be prohibited from entering Hawaii at all.
When leaving Hawaii for the U.S. Mainland,
all baggage is inspected by U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors at the
airport. Fresh fruits are prohibited from leaving the islands to prevent the
spread of fruit flies.
Hawaii does not observe Daylight Saving
Time. Hawaii is two time zones behind the U.S. West Coast, thereby accounting
for a three hour time difference.
Hawaii is an archipelago (a group of
islands). Air travel is, by and large, compulsory for travelling within the
state. I learnt a few words of Hawaiian language which was fun and useful. Some
signs in Hawaii use Hawaiian words and most street signs use Hawaiian names.
Some useful words include:
Aloha means: Welcome
Pau.
(pa-oo) -help
Kokua
(koh-KOO-ah) =woman
Wahine
(wah-HEE-ne) =man
Kāne (KAH-ne) = child
Mahalo {ma-HA-lo} = thank you
Wednesday: 15th August, 2012
Left Hawaii for Seattle via Maui, where
there was a connecting flight ready to take us back our home at Seattle,
Washington.
During the days in Hawaii I wandered on
beaches and we drove through villages and small towns and to my Indian eyes the
thing that impressed me most was that nowhere did I see the filth and
degradation that has become a sort of recurring theme of life in India. I
landed in Hawaii in the afternoon on August 10, 2012, and from the moment I
left the airport on 15th August, became acutely aware of how dirty
most of the places of my country India looked in the fading light of the day,
when I had just watched the sunset on one of the beaches of Hawaii. I speak here not just of the slums and the
pools of stagnant water that one passes on his way into the city but of the
general decay and foulness that one sees even in what are supposedly posh parts
of the city.
