The Magic of La Duna

A bit north of La Paz in a remote desert hideaway is La Duna, an ecological retreat center. Here are some La Duna-inspired poems.

Gift of Water

Hot sand, hot sun, piercing, brewing, wavering
We find shelter in the shade
Under the palapa
In the chill of the night

Oh! The majestic Cardón
These cactus skyscrapers that rule the desert
With giant arms and armor of barbed thorns
Stand sentry—and warn of desert peril



Nevertheless, we enter and climb the canyon path
We follow the stream
And find delicate blooms
We see nature's beauty on the canyon wall

So precious is the water, so rare
Along the way we discover nature's cruelty
La vaca pobrecita—
Lay dying of thirst on the desert floor



Ode to La Luna

Low on the horizon
In the early evening afterglow of sunset
Between the outstretched arms of a mighty Cardón
Rises La Luna

You are the goddess of the desert
You create shadows in the night
Shadows that move as you move across the sky
You outshine the brightest stars





Full and luminous,
You mock our adoration
You do not hear our songs or smile at our poetry
Each night you arrive later
Each night you arrive changed

And eventually, despite our platitudes, you disappear
The shadows in the night no longer move
The shadows in the night no longer appear

Travels on the Big Island: Body Boarding in Kohala

Part 7 Conclusion

(View Part I—Overview)

This concludes the description of our Big Islands adventures—one couple's take on traveling in Hawaii. The Big Island offers so many choices in accommodations and activities that part of the fun is finding the mix that's right for you. This multi-part post describes what we found. To read from the beginning, click on the Part I link above.

After a full day of snorkeling, we reluctantly gathered our snorkel gear and towels and headed north on Highway 11 towards Kailua-Kona. We have now completed our circle of the island and we're back where we started. But, we're not done yet. In our research, we found two highly rated body boarding beaches: Hapuna Beach and Mauna Kea Beach, happily right next to each other. Our thought was to stay at the Mauna Kea Beach Resort (where each night cost approximately 3 times the cost of the other places we stayed), rent boogie boards, and play in the waves for two days.

We arrived late in the day, checked in to our lovely mountain-view room, and had a very expensive and delicious dinner at one the resort's restaurants (we sort of felt we earned this wonderful meal).

The next morning, we had another lovely meal (yes, my two eggs over easy with fruit and toast costs $20) and headed to the beach to rent boogie boards. To our surprise and exasperation, Mauna Kea does not rent boogie boards during red flag conditions. Unfortunately in the winter (when there are waves), every day is a red flag day and we soon realized that if we wanted to boogie board, we would have to find our own equipment.

Now, was the surf big? No, not at all. Were the waves strong? Well, yes, even the small waves pack more of a punch than the waves I am used to in San Diego. And, some of the waves close out, meaning they don't break gradually in a nice line, but tumble straight over all at once. These waves are not fun to catch because they throw you over the falls. But, many, many people sported boogie boards and were enjoying the surf.

Approaching a boogie boarder as he exited the water, we found out that Costco sells boogie boards. A 30-mile detour to an area very close to the Kona Airport brought us to Costco and for $26 apiece, we were the proud owners of two new Body Glove Boogie Boards! (Bonus: we checked them at the airport and they arrived home undamaged. Amazing!)

Back at Mauna Kea Beach, we spent the remainder of the day taking mostly lefts and enjoying our time to the max. Again, the lightweight wetsuit tops let us stay in the water until we got tired. (Wetsuits are totally optional. The water is about 75 degrees.)

The next day, we took the short coastline hike to Hapuna Beach to check out the waves there. Impressed, we decided to boogie board at this second beach. We were not disappointed. We spent a full day in and out of the waves.

Our flight left that evening at 10:45pm, giving us the entire day to play and plenty of time for dinner, rental car return, and airport check-in.

In order, here's the list of places we stayed.

King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel
Hotel at the pier in Kailua-Kona
Least favorite place (it's a hotel and it's fairly close to the Kona Airport)
reservations@konabeachhotel.com
808-329-2911
1 night

Hale Hamakua Guesthouse
Guesthouse in Honoka’a, easy walking to downtown Honoka’a
Not fancy but comfortable, complete kitchen!
8 miles to Waipi’o Valley
2 nights

The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls
Bed & Breakfast 15 minutes upcountry from Hilo
Awesome! Great breakfast, great meeting other travelers; this was our favorite place
waterfall@hilo.net
1 night

Hale Ohio Cottages
reservations@haleohia.com
Cozy cottage/bed & breakfast
1 mile from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Breakfast in room, so no chance to meet other travelers
2 nights

Areca Palms Estate Bed & Breakfast
Delightful upcountry bed & breakfast in Captain Cook Village
Convenient to great snorkeling beaches
Great breakfast, lovely rooms & grounds
Usually 2-night minimum
1 night

Mauna Kea Beach Resort
30 miles north of Kona in the Kohala Resort area
Pricey resort with all the amenities
Great beaches
2 nights

Aloha!

Travels on the Big Island: Snorkeling with the Dolphins

Part 6
(View Part I—Overview)

Leaving Volcanoes National Park, we follow Highway 11 towards the village of Captain Cook and our next bed and breakfast.

Note: The village of Captain Cook is near the Captain Cook Monument, a white obelisk on British soil erected to honor the famed explorer killed on this spot in 1779. To visit the monument, you can kayak from across the bay or follow a steep hiking trail from the road up above. We did this hike in 1979, but skipped it this trip.

Along the way, we take a slight detour to visit Punalu’u Black Sand Beach. We are rewarded with seeing two beautiful Hawaiian Green Sea turtles sunning themselves on the black lava rocks.

We find our way to the village of Captain Cook and the Areca Palms Estate Bed & Breakfast. The house sits up on the hill above Captain Cook and offers great views of the sea to the west. The breakfast is superb—we had a lovely quiche, fresh fruit, bread, juice, and tea or coffee. They have a two-night minimum, but we were able to stay just one night.

Hosts Steve and Janice Glass helped us plan our snorkeling trip the next day and we selected Honaunau Bay (commonly called Two Step—because of its convenient two-step entry into the water) and Pu’uhonua o Honaunau (Place of Refuge), a wonderful cultural attraction.

The snorkeling experience was one of the highlights of our trip. We donned lightweight wetsuit tops that allowed us to stay in the water for over two hours. The coral was varied, colorful, with intricate structure. Deeper in the bay (beyond the coral and any good snorkeling), we saw many, many spinner dolphins. They generally kept fairly deep, but of course, surfaced for air. At one point, a frisky dolphin put on a show, jumping and spinning as if frolicking in a park.

Unwilling to leave such a magical place, we came out for lunch, rested a bit, then returned to the water for more time with the dolphins.

Next: Body boarding in Kohala

Travels on the Big Island: Lava Viewing

Part 4
(View Part I—Overview)

The helicopter tour whetted my appetite. I wanted to see more lava! The second way you can view new lava is to drive from Hilo to the end of Highway 130, where the road is closed from lava flow.

What you get to see exactly, no one can say ahead of time. It’s a lava lottery! The viewing area is open from 2:00pm until 10:00pm. People like to stay after dark so they can see lava glowing.

We arrived that afternoon. Two days previously, new flow crossed the road and took out a residence. When we arrived, that new lava was still hot, steamy, silver in color, but not glowing. Disappointment! But about 50 yards away, we saw a river of lava (well, maybe a stream of lava) glowing red as it coursed down a crack of older lava. In the area vendors were selling escorted hikes to the sea, hikes to active lava, and souvenirs. As the crowds got bigger, the security guards kept a tight watch to make sure people wouldn’t take off and walk on hot lava. (I’m not kidding.)

At Road's End Highway 130

A house survives amidst lava flows

A fern peeks out

Hot lava!

Pele's Art provides awesome formations

After a bit of time viewing the awesome destructive power of lava flows, we retreated back to Highway 11 to make our way to Volcano Village and our next lodging.

Next: Hiking in Volcano

Travels on the Big Island: Helicopter Tour

Part 3
(View Part I—Overview)

The best way to see active lava flows on the Big Island is by helicopter (well, unless you are lucky enough to see an active flow at the end of Highway 130, but that’s hit or miss). But helicopter tours present some decisions. First, helicopter tours are expensive. The consolation is that years from now, you will probably remember the exciting helicopter tour and you will forget how expensive it is. Second, the weather on the Hilo side will almost always have clouds and some rain. With Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours, you are given big discounts by signing up online ahead of time, but then you are locked in. If the weather is not ideal, you’re stuck. On the other hand, if you wait for perfect weather, you may wait awhile. Of course, if the weather is really bad, so that it is dangerous to fly or you can’t see anything, Blue Hawaiian will cancel the tour and either reschedule your flight or give you a full refund.

We signed up for a 10:00am tour ahead of time and hoped for decent weather. We left our cute little guesthouse in Honoka’a Friday morning and took a leisurely drive along the Hamakua Coast to our next lodging, the Inn at Kulaniapia Falls. Along the way we saw Laupahoehoe Point, a rugged point that is the site of a 1946 tsunami that killed 21 school children. We also saw ‘Akaka Falls, a 4-mile scenic drive to Onomea Bay, and somewhere along the way, a scenic overlook where we had lunch. We arrived early at the Inn at Kulaniapia Falls.

This charming bed and breakfast is a multi-building complex built in an Asian style. It was by far my favorite place, and I was sorry that we had only booked one night here. It is about 15 minutes from downtown Hilo up the hill in the midst of a macadamia nut orchard. The complex generates its own electricity and uses solar panels for hot water. The waterfall on the property is visible from the main house, and you can hear it from all the buildings. There is a short path to the waterfall, and if the weather is good, you can swim in the pool by the falls. The breakfast includes made to order eggs and waffles with fresh local fruit. Perhaps the best part of staying at a bed and breakfast is meeting the other guests. In our guest building, they were all friendly and quite willing to share their Big Island travel experiences.

Saturday morning we had breakfast in the common room and packed up, driving to Hilo airport, our check-in point for the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tour. We flew in an EcoStar, a helicopter that holds the pilot plus six guests. The weather was overcast, but we were hoping for the best.

Pu'u O'o Vent: The site of the current volcanic activity.

Lava hot spots zoomed in from the helicopter.

The tour was approximately 50 minutes. We saw both sun, clouds, and even some rain. Our pilot gave us breathtaking views of Kilauea Volcano, the Pu’u ‘O’o vent (the source of most current volcanic activity), and close-ups of lava meeting ocean. The sun and rain even combined to give us a beautiful rainbow!

Volcanic activity builds new land!

Lava meets the sea in a steamy brew.

Hot lava creeping along older flows.

Next: Lava Viewing

Travels on the Big Island: Exploring Waipi'o Valley

Part 2
(View Part I—Overview)

Hawaii’s Big Island is the largest of the Hawaiian Islands, and it is still growing. Recent volcanic activity has added landmass to the island. The Big Island is also the youngest island. It consists of five shield volcano peaks, with two, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, reaching over 13,000 feet. Kilauea in the southeast part of the island is very active, with current eruptions occurring continuously since 1985.

We arrive late in Kona from the mainland, rent our car, and check into the King Kamehameha Hotel in Kailua. (Kona is the name of the airport, Kailua is the name of the town, and Kailua-Kona is the name the post office uses. Confusing, but basically Kailua and Kona refer to the same town.) The hotel is well located right at the Kailua Pier where the famous Ironman Triathlon begins, but we don’t particularly like the hotel. It’s big, impersonal, and a bit old. However, our room is comfortable, recently refurbished, and we have a partial view of the bay. We walk to downtown Kailua and pick a nice café for breakfast overlooking the bay. We notice a cruise ship outside the harbor, and soon, small tether boats begin depositing scores of cruise ship people in Kailua. We decide to hit the road. Before leaving, we briefly tour ‘Ahu’ena Heiau, the personal temple of King Kamehameha the Great. He lived here for the last seven or so years of his life.

We drive north to Highway 190 towards Waimea (called Kamuela by the postal service to distinguish it from Oahu’s Waimea). Waimea is a bustling town that sits in the valley between the extinct Kohala and Mauna Kea volcanoes. We pick out a likely place to have lunch—Merriman’s. Paul has a great nose for finding excellent places to eat and we are not disappointed. We also find a Foodland and purchase future lunch supplies and a cheap Styrofoam cooler.

Tip: Be sure to sign up for their discount card. We saved over $60 on our purchases. You just need to give them a phone number and spout the number in any other Foodland.

Great decision! We made our lunches for the next week, saving time and money. My Swiss Army knife came in very, very handy.

We continue winding our way to the small village of Honoka’a, where we secured a cute little house for two nights: Hale Hamakua Guesthouse. This house has a wonderful ocean view from the backyard, full kitchen, living room, three bedrooms, and bath. It is a block from the town and the town’s only real restaurant, Café Il Mondo, a pizzeria that makes excellent thin-crust pizzas. You bring your own wine.

Why stay in Honoka’a for two nights? Honoka’a is a mere 7 miles from alluring Waipi’o Valley where we planned an early morning horseback ride in the valley, followed by an afternoon hike. Staying in Honoka’a enables us to avoid the long drive from either the Kohala resorts, Kona, or the Hilo area.

Waipi’o Valley

We signed up with Na’alapa Stables for their horseback riding tour. The scariest part of the entire trek is the ride in their 4-wheel drive van down the 25% grade road. As we clambered into the van, our driver told us:

leave the sliding door open and don't use the seatbelts

I, however, dutifully fastened my seatbelt. He promptly told me to unfasten it. I exclaimed, ‘I thought you were kidding’. Apparently, no. If the breaks or transmission fails, your only hope of survival is to jump out of the van. I realized that there was no way all 9 of us could possible exit that van before the van began its descent to the valley floor—the short way.

Thankfully, we successfully made the trip to the valley floor, forded a few streams, and arrived at the stables. We were assigned mounts, took sips of water, tied our rain gear onto the saddles, clutched our cameras, and began our tour. We passed taro farms, forded streams, and saw waterfalls. Waipi’o Valley is truly a sacred, magical place.

A few hours later, we finished our ride (it was a walk, really). We declined the return ride to the top of the valley so that we could commence with the second part of our Waipi’o adventure—hiking the switchback on the far side of the valley. We brought daypacks with water and lunch and headed to the valley’s black sand beach to reach the trailhead.

We walk to the beach and find a sheltered place for lunch. The beach is quite windy and the surf looks rough. After lunch we remove our hiking boots to ford the Waipi’o River. It’s moving pretty fast. We enter a place near the mouth, but a bit back from the raging surf. The water reaches past our knees and I grab Paul’s hand to make sure I don’t fall. I’m worried about my camera and my new zoom lens. Once successfully across, we make our way to the far side of the valley and find the trailhead to the next valley, Waimanu Valley. We hike to the top of the third switchback and have an amazing view of the coastline, the valley, the hazardous road into the valley, and the back of the valley. The sun has come out and we just take it all in.

The return hike is uneventful, with fording the river the most challenging part. And, we must hike up that 25% grade road. It’s like being at the gym, doing a workout. But we feel good (and tired) when we’ve arrived.

Back in Honoka’a, we decide to check out the town’s only bar, the Hamakua Sports Bar. We were really hoping for a cold brew and a hamburger. We get the cold brew, but the only food consists of hot dogs, wings, chips and salsa, and popcorn. We went for the hot dogs because we were too tired to cook! The beer was good, the bartender was great, and we even met the owner. Honoka’a people are very friendly! And yes, they even have several TVs for sporting events.

Next: Helicopter Ride

Travels on the Big Island: Reflections on a recent trip

Part I—Overview

The Big Island of Hawaii is a magical place, in part because nature provides countless wonders (active volcano action, old and new lava flows, beaches, mountains, rainforests, and stunning views) and in part because the Big Island is the birthplace and home of King Kamehameha I (1758-1819), who united the islands under one ruler. As the Arthurian-like story goes, at age 14 Kamehameha was able to lift a large stone. This presaged his royal ascension and his ability to unite the islands and rule them as one.

The Big Island is the largest Hawaiian island, yet its population is less than 200,000. It boasts wonderful beaches, and offers hiking, snorkeling, surfing, and lush vegetation. After reading and researching online, we came up with the short list of what we wanted to do.

Exploring Waipi’o Valley—Helicopter ride—Lava Viewing—Hiking in Volcano—Snorkeling—Body Boarding—Photography

We’ve been to the Big Island two times previously, but both trips were many, many years ago (don’t make me say how many!). For this trip, we planned on renting a car and staying in bed and breakfast type places. The last two nights we wanted to splurge and stay in a fancy resort. We had our eye on staying in the Mauna Kea Beach Resort. Many years ago when we were young and poor and camping, we had brunch at the Mauna Kea and vowed that one day we would return as guests (even though today a two-egg breakfast costs $20).

Bed and breakfast type places may not be for everyone. But, staying in such places is a great way to meet like-minded people, the hosts are typically friendly and helpful, and communal breakfasts are an inspiring way to start the day.

With only a few weeks to plan, we began by redeeming some American Airline miles to secure our flight between San Diego and Kona. We departed January 18 and returned on January 27.

The bad: we arrive late (9:15pm) and it will be dark. The solution? Get a hotel fairly close to the airport for that first night. The flight from Los Angeles to Kona is approximately 6 hours. At this time of year there is a two-hour time change, so 9:15pm will feel more like 11:15pm.

The good: our return flight doesn’t depart Kona until 10:45pm, giving us an entire last day to play, have dinner, turn in the rental car, and arrive at the airport. The return flight (from Kona to Los Angeles) is approximately 5 hours.

Next, figure out where we need to be so that we can loosely circumnavigate the island (by driving) in a clockwise direction. By staying in different places, we will see more of the island and drive less. We minimize backtracking. We decide to stay two days in a place whenever possible so that we can easily participate in early-morning activities without having to get up super early and drive a long way.

Our final itinerary includes six different accommodation locations: 3 for 2 nights and 3 for one night.

Next: Exploring Waip’io Valley

Parlez-Vous Français?

Some years ago, in preparation for a two week sojourn to France, I decided to take up studying French. I had more than six months and a lot of drive. Obviously, fluency wasn’t a realistic goal, but I wanted to be able to carry on a simple conversation, such as “How much is the room?” “We’ll arrive on Thursday” and so on.

My quest was successful and since making another trip, I decided to brush off the cob webs and reacquaint myself with the cadence and vocabulary of this singularly fascinating language.

By revisiting some of my study materials, I’m able to look at the language from a fresh perspective. Had I known then (when I first started my French studies) what I know now, I would have saved myself some grief by investing in a bit of conditioning. I did not realize what a physically demanding language French is to properly pronounce. By physically demanding, I mean exactly that. American English is so relaxed, so lazy if you will, that we Americans are not prepared for the extreme physical demands that enunciating French requires of us. To be able to speak French properly, you must train. Here are a few basic exercises to get you started.

Note: Before beginning any new physical exercise program, please check with your physician, especially if you have any concerns about your current physical condition.

Let’s begin. Sit upright in a straight-back chair. Put your feet flat on the floor, about six inches apart and place your hands on your knees in a relaxed position. Make sure your back is straight and your shoulders are back, but relaxed. Tuck your chin slightly, close your mouth, and close your eyes. Relax all the muscles around your mouth. Think happy thoughts. This is the “base” position.

Now, slowly purse your lips together into a nice pucker. When you think you have it, push yourself past the pucker point into a downright pout. I know you guys are thinking “Wait . . . guys don’t pout.” And you may be right. But French guys pout, so just give it a try.

Here’s the tough part. You need to really strain your whole mouth here. You should feel muscles straining around your mouth, upper lip, and all over your chin. You should feel tension along your jaw line up to your ears. Your mouth will be slightly open. Take your hand and feel the tension in your lower face. This is the “pucker-pout” position.

Return to the “base” position and relax.

The next exercise starts at the pucker-pout position and morphs into a half-open “whee” form. Your tongue should be up against your pallet and a soft aspiration emits from your lips. Your mouth is in a half smile and there will be tension, this time in your tongue and chin. This is the “whee-smile” position.

Your training regiment should consist of several cycles starting at the base position, then alternate between the “pucker-pout” and the “whee-smile.” After a half a dozen reps, relax and return to the base position.

Serious Francophiles will want to build a workout routine to condition themselves before attempting to pronounce any words in French. I’m not sure how 3- and 4-year olds have the strength to speak French, but it just goes to show you that maybe we can learn something from the French after all.

It's Obama!

This historic election is still sinking in. Every morning I wake up and pinch myself.

Did America just really elect Barack Obama president? Did America really just demand a change? Did America really just do the right thing? Or, is it all a dream? (You see, we all have a dream.)

We spent the last two weeks traveling in London, around Belgium, and in Paris. We were in Paris for the election.

In Belgium (see here for my Belgian connections), Paul predicted an Obama victory and said that after the election he would wear his Obama for President hat and get his picture taken at the Arc de Triomphe. Our Belgian friends were rooting for us all the way. And even though we believed that Obama should win, we wondered what election irregularity would occur that would steal Pennsylvania like Ohio was manipulated in 2004 and Florida in 2000. We were cautiously optimistic.

On November 4^th Paul donned his Obama for President hat. We went up the Eiffel Tower (it was a sunny day) and then over to Sacré-Coeur Basilica to get a great view of the city. A few people shot encouraging comments and smiles our way. It is an understatement to say that all of Europe longed for an Obama victory. They have been watching this campaign with intense interest. After all, what we do affects them. A lot.

We heard that Harry’s New York Bar on Rue Daunou in Paris was a gathering for those interested in the U.S. Presidential Election. Ha! It was a veritable block party! The police barricaded the street, the bar was packed, and a long line of election watchers waited to get in. We met three young men from Paris who peppered us with questions about American politics. They were interested in our thoughts of Obama, would he prevail?

As it turns out, Harry’s holds a straw vote every presidential election (Obama won). We stayed at Harry’s until 2:00am and when we left, there were no results yet.

Back at the hotel, we watched SkyNews and CNN. When Obama won Pennsylvania at 3:00am, we felt we could go to sleep.

The next morning, we turned on the TV just as Barack was giving his acceptance speech.

People will continue writing about this election for weeks. Where were you? What was it like? What were you doing? (My friend Tom hosted a poll in his garage in California and was just barely putting things away when the election was called.)

Sandy Banks, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, printed the following text message a man sent to his mother, Margaret Kean, during the campaign.

Rosa Parks sat, so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Obama could run. Obama is running so our children can FLY.

And we all voted so Obama could win. Yes we did.