Shortly after our arrival in Molokai, I wonder if we made a mistake.
Fresh flowers and a lush environment found in Honolulu, my wife and I are staring at the red earth parched and dry shrubs. It seemed that the middle of nowhere. Even the small airport, I remembered all the end-of-the-earth small island airstrips had flown in the South Pacific: roll-away stairs from the plane, a small stone terminal and a couple of burly guysThrow your bags on a bench.
"You are in the country now," another passenger said to me when we landed the plane. It was a site of the island, the return of Oahu, and he must have noticed my puzzled expression. I was surprised as he said he has suggested, although it has not been proud to be apologetic.
Okay, so it was not the rain forest, palm trees and white sand beaches. We decided we wanted to get away, really far away. Thus, despite their appearance initially sterile, maybe it was just the Molokai 'Ticket.
At the moment, if things do not look promising. Our rental car was not able to show at the airport. A call to the agency brought only an answering machine. So we sat on the sidewalk, wondering what to do. I finally got in touch with Ray Miller, the broker, of which (the Internet) we rented a condo facing the sea had for the week.
"I'm coming to get you," he said. Fifteen minutes later, Ray helps us load our luggage in hisa little 'battered blue pickup truck. He was tall, thin, white-haired, quiet and surprisingly optimistic. "Do not worry," he said, as he continued, "you have a car."
A few minutes later we were in his office in Kaunakakai. While Ray did a few phone calls to try to locate our car, we went out to look around.
As for the city to go, Kaunakakai is a shame. In fact, could someone with a strong arm, literally, a stone's throw from one end of town. UsStanding on one main street lined with faded and dilapidated wooden structures. There was something old from the west, Dodge City Plumerias and coconuts. It was not even a traffic light. In fact, as we saw later, there is a traffic light in the whole island.
Consequently, Kaunakakai blissfully quiet, free from the tourist bustle. Proposal for Ray, we went to the market while 'on the opposite side of the street to buy food. We had just finished shoppingThe rental car was released, along with a strong apologetic agent who immediately gave us a discount on already low.
All the brochures say Molokai is "The Friendly Isle." It 's always been clear why. On this island, where everyone knows almost everyone else, everyone is nice, even the tourists. Molokai is like a family.
Molokai is the fifth largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Thirty-seven miles long and 10 km wide, is on the south bythe longest white sand beach in Hawaii and north from the highest cliffs in the world. These cliffs dive into a heart-stopping, nearly 2000 feet vertically, directly into the sea.
In essence, the old Molokai by two volcanoes, one at each end to leave the island. The center island has a saddle formed by lava flows of the two. The higher the eastern edge drains most of the moisture available at the prevailing trade winds, making it the richest and greenestIsland. The central plain and the western end is dry, dry, in fact, the point of being deserted. Some areas are almost completely devoid of leaves.
Since most of the island is dry and no more than "South Pacific" appeal of the other islands, Molokai has almost completely neglected the tourism industry. The result is an 'island, where life is slow, and where things have changed since 1920. Less than 7000 people live here, and of these about 50% (some say 70%) of the HawaiianDescent. And 'the highest percentage of every island except Niihau (privately owned island of Kaua'i in the vicinity), so that the Molokai Hawaiian islands of Hawaii.
Long higher, more friendly - many superlatives for a place in the world seems to have forgotten. While we were there, you can add another: windy.
"Not so good for diving today," said Bill Kapunata. "Maybe tomorrow. I'm going tomorrow morning."
I hung up and looked out the sliding glass doorcoconut trees and sea wind. Far away, a humpback whale jumped out of the water, his long, white pectoral fins flashing in the sun. We had come to snorkel and dive and find themselves on the beach. This was Hawaii, after all! Unfortunately there have been unusually strong trade winds make these activities possible. Kapunata Bill, the owner of the diving companies on the island is only our first dive was scheduled for today, but he was concerned that makes diving rough sea would be embarrassed ifnon-hazardous.
I began to wonder if maybe I had to take courses. Our apartment Kaluakoi, a town at the western end of the island, is only 100 meters from a rugged, rocky beach with the surf. But between us and the waves had a putting green. In fact, we were in the middle of the golf course, which for a non-golfer like me is like the only vegetarian BBQ Texas. But I had to admit, when I saw the putter putter around in front of me, whichwas a certain fascination with Zen-like concentration using them to place the balls into small holes were rebellious. Maybe it was the perfect pursuit of a peaceful island. At least I would not worry about rain. In fact, it was difficult to imagine a better place for sports.
In the end, but we go for an exploratory. We were told that overlook the Kalaupapa was worth a stop, we drove toward the center of the island, then turned to the north, the cliffs.
Icrept to the edge as close as I could force my fear of heights to go to the body. Down. I mean, down. 2000 feet. The following is a dark, rough sea and surf.
To say that these are the highest cliffs in the world, there is nothing to say. These are just words designed to categorize and classify, but can not convey the vastness and grandeur of the green walls of the old lava plunging vertically into a dark sea. The view is breathtaking. All the rest of the world,This would be a mecca for tourists, with souvenir shops hawking "Overlook" T-shirt and full of people in line. There were only a few people next to us. No one has said anything, stunned by the spectacle in silence. "It's worth a stop" in fact.
Protruded from the bottom of the rock was likely a small, flat peninsula called Makanalua. Formed by a rogue, late-term lava flow that last belch of a volcano, died before him sits a perfect natural Makanalua penal colony. Isolated fromsteep and dangerous cliffs on one side and struck by two other waves blocked, a person should have a hard time escaping. What exactly because the rulers of Hawaii decided to land there are lepers their votes.
The fear and suffering that must have taken place in this seemingly idyllic town is almost unimaginable. If left to themselves - people with leprosy from their homes and their families and raised in the country and often pulled into the rough seas offshore. Manydrowned, before the country. Those who survived lived in central and spartan existence. There was little to eat, speak no building materials, and without medical care. Then, in 1873, a Belgian priest named Father Damien in exile Makalanua tend to outcast. Father Damien built shelters, food maintained, cared for the sick, and basically brought the civilization called Kalaupapa leper colony. Damien himself fell victim to the plague in 1889, but his legacy remains. Today isMolokai almost revered as a saint.
In my opinion, above the former colony seemed a paradise. The beaches are pristine and the country is not overloaded. On the leeward, western side of the peninsula, the sea was calm and clear. It looked excellent snorkeling. Unfortunately, Kalaupapa is off limits to all but carefully controlled groups of tourists. Leprosy is now curable, but some people still bear the scars and allowed the rest of his life in privacy andIsolation.
We pulled away from the precipice and followed a trail to the famous phallic rock. The ancient Hawaiians, like many ancient peoples have been associated with fertility consideration. So, if a natural rock somewhat like a foul, it was natural to embellish, apparently. Therefore, the phallic rock hidden in the trees on the cliff top Molokai. Attention to women, not among the rocks, unless you want to become pregnant. So theLegend.
Molokai is an island rich in history and legend. The hula was expected here on Mauna Loa was born on the west end. The old Molokaians were known for their bravery in war, and the island was a stronghold of the powerful kahuna (magician). Kamehameha the Great, the first to bring all the islands into a single rule Molokai used as a training ground for soldiers. Some people even believe the ancient Hawaiians first landing Halawa Valley, a mystical placeon the eastern tip of Molokai.
"This is where you get your feet wet," Pilip said as he sat on a stone to take off their shoes. A few minutes into our hike, we had cultural flows are a rocky stream running through the rainforest.
Pilip Solatorio was our guide in the Halawa Valley town, near the northeastern tip of the island. Our destination was the famous Moaula Falls. Along the way we were learning about the ways of ancestors Pilip, the ancient Hawaiians who lived inValley for hundreds of years.
Once safely over the river (from which a member of our group was a little 'wetter than before), we followed Pilip is safely through dense jungle and vineyards overlooking. Halawa Valley is not always so covered with lush vegetation, Pilip told us. At one time the whole valley was under cultivation. The first farmers had covered the bottom with a complex mosaic of terraces for growing taro, a staple in their diet. ThisTerraces were found by carefully constructed walls of rock, however, many of which still stand.
We stopped at a look from them. It differs from the jungle like an old black skeleton, dyed green with a skin musk. The stones fit together like pieces of a puzzle, sturdy and perfect for hundreds of years, although the Hawaiians had no metal tools for carving.
A few steps further, Pilip reached up to a yellow, mottled fruit from a tree broadleaf choice. "This iscalled noni fruit, "he said." The ancient Hawaiians as a drug, or drink the juice as a topical treatment for cancer or for use by burns. "He also told us about the kukui nut obtained by the" Candle tree ", so named because Hawaiians were more than a wax heart shaped nut spit sharp stick, and light up. As the nuts are very oily, you would with a slow, steady the flame and then provide Hawaiians with a night light.
Giant monkeypodTrees, more than a hundred feet tall and decorated with a giant bird's nest ferns, lined the path. The air was rich in the moist green of new leaves smell of earth and decaying. Suriname cherries - bitter, red, heart-shaped fruit about the size of grapes - has grown at random, and every few minutes we would come to a patch of raspberry, such as berries, sweet and ripe for the picking.
Soon we were far from being a sign of civilization. The only sounds were the gurgle of the stream below us, the chirping oftropical birds and the rustle of a breeze through the dense foliage. It was easy to imagine that we go back in time, after the well-beaten paths of the ancient Hawaiians to their secret location in the jungle. Each new set of ruins we went to the feeling.
Pilip raised his hand, keeps us in our tracks. "We're going to go through a heiau," he said. Heiaus were sacred places of Hawaiians, their temples. "In the past, it would be immediately put toDeath to cross a heiau, but the current has washed the original path. "He pointed to the current flowing in a gorge below us." So we have no choice. "But he made clear, we should respect the earth has passed.
A moment later we were gathered around a large pile of rocks. It 'was a mound, Pilip explained, and we were standing in a town former refuge, one of the many places in ancient Hawaii. All violators of the law, regardless of the crime, he escaped punishmentif he or she could do in a city of refuge before admission. The refugee was then required to remain in exile for seven years. Criminals from its position, the city has tried before the time immediately punished, often facing death. But after seven years, the slate was clean and the ex-offenders was free to return to the home and family.
I looked at the moss-covered stone pile in front of me and asked me if the person buried there before us had been here onlyhe died before he was seven years old.
We pushed through lush flower beds and rocky streams. The sound of louder and louder until we could finally see the falls. We entered a small clearing, surrounded by steep hills covered with jungle. A shining pillar of high water raging from pure dark rock in a volcanic waterfall swimming pool. We climbed over the huge boulders standing in front of the whirlpool. Floating mist dampened our faces and createsRainbow in the air around us. A deep roar drowned out any noise.
Standing on a big rock with the falls behind him, shouting to be heard, recognized the monumental cartographic Pilip a misunderstanding. "This place is Moaula cases of all the cards," he said, "but this is a mistake. I have the wrong foreign cartographers. In Hawaii, Moa" chicken "Ula, meaning" red ", but" red hen makes "No way. There is no red chicken here! Instead, the real name Mo'o'ulaIf, after the red lizard god, Mo'o, watching her. "
Pilip then described how the Hawaiian are getting ready to swim by throwing in a series of carefully prepared and leaves you watch him closely. If it is washed and swam around the pond, you can safely swim. If it sank, was the god of the pool and swimming can be dangerous discontent.
"The god lives in the cave," said Pilip, while a black hole in the side of the cliff. "Everyone, give a? Swimming "
Surprisingly, two brave souls shed their shirts and jumped into the cold, dark, groped his luck. But not huge red lizard appeared chase.
Too soon we're back downstream to Pilip in country houses and his newly planted taro fields, where we had started our hike. As we retraced our steps through the jungle, I took the sound of helicopters overhead. These were the tourists from the nearby Maui, the valley and arrive at the famous "chicken red seefalls. "
It must have been a nice view from the top, I thought. But they saw to remove one, and saw only the surface - a blanket of lush foliage between high cliffs and a spectacular waterfall, down. He could hear the sound of water, feel the mist on their faces, or feel the presence of the red lizard, and guards his treasure. Nor could the ancient ruins and feel the weight of ancient tradition and wisdom.
They paidmuch more than us, no doubt, but they have a lot 'less.
On the return trip in Kaunakakai, we have deviated House Bill Kapunata, invited him for an earlier one. Since the rough water and strong winds continue to dive impossible, Bill asked us to look at his work. It 'came out of his front door when we stopped.
Here's the thing Kapunata Bill: He is a giant of a man larger than life, as a legend of how the Hawaiian King Kamehameha orthe great Duke Kahanamoku. When Bill Kapunata in a scene, all eyes are on him. But at the same time, he is polite, quiet and reserved. Speak slowly and deliberately.
"Pehe or" thundered the front porch. How are you?
Pilip nudged me and whispered: ". Maikai not Tell '"
"Maikai no," I repeated. I'm fine.
Bill a huge smile. "Now I speak Hawaiian, huh?"
He joined theStairs grabbed his hands back and buried in an embrace Pilip. Then he invited us to where we were greeted by his Irish-American wife, Kyno, a woman, almost as big as Bill and his heart just as big. Even a year-old child in her arms looked huge Kyno. My wife and I felt like Gulliver in Brobibdinagia.
Bill Kapunata is fairly well known for its diving school, but there is still much more to it than a diving apparatus and regulators. When he was younger he had the classic hot rods, all newwhich were very popular collectors' items. Now, in addition to diving, it carves into the wood. We have been told. But when we went in her living room was clear that the truth is much more than that. To say that the wood carving of Bill Kapunata too wildly underestimated the truth. It 'a little' like saying Picasso tried to use oil paints.
We found ourselves in the midst of several exquisite works of art in native wood. Among them were ceremonial drums, traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoe and replicas and miniatures. ButDwarf everything else in the room, including Kapunata, was an impressive piece that was recently completed. "This is a tribute," I said with some degree of pride "for the skill and courage of the ancient Hawaiian surfers".
It is an apt one. The work consists of a life-size of the navigation wheel steering and two solid, all carved by hand, all mounted vertically in the most impressive of wood I've ever seen. Standing nearly ten meters high, the light seems to calmBill-house, dominates the room. Its smooth lines and exquisite radiating brute force.
Bill told us that the work was funded by the Governor of Hawaii, is planned or tried in the residence of the Governor of Honolulu International. It seemed totally indifferent to the well-known that the exposure might kill him. He seemed a little 'embarrassed by the compliment to his ability.
It 'was an attitude, unusual for a consummate artist, still secondI had come to realize the Molokai people. I've always been amazed at how much they were genuine. Bill Kyno, Pilip, even Ray Miller were all simple, friendly and warm welcome to friends and strangers.
Later, after Bill left the home, took Pilip us in his house, speak to us to preserve its collection of ancient artifacts and its efforts, the country and the culture of his people. We drank lemonade and talk about the historyand family and life on Molokai, as the evening went silent and the world.
"Molokai is not like any other island," Ray had said that the first day we went to town.
Sitting there in the comfort of home Pilip, the truth of this statement was clear. Without our being aware of his, Molokai had worked its magic on us. Our city is afraid evaporated, so that the charm of Molokai and the friendliness of its people to bring us back to earth - the real world of flowers andSea and sky, the grass underfoot and the spicy scent of plumeria in our nose. The pace of island we took a slower pace and "island" of Oahu and Maui could ever be. We were brought back to our senses.
Unfortunately, our time was almost up. So, the next night, our last night on the island, we decided to make a deal.
The strong 22:00, we were parked in Kaunakakai, compared to store Imamura is. The road was dark and deserted. We got theCar, looked around to make sure they were not looking, then make our way in a dark alley in the back of the bakery Kanemitsu. The walls were covered with graffiti-lined street, and empty beer bottles were scattered on the sidewalk. In the high windows at the back of the bakery, I could see, ceiling fans rotate and the weak tinny radio music spread through the bug screen. A single bare bulb light shines through a blue, paint chipped door.
I screwed my courage andknocked on the door, timidly at first, then when there was no response, with more emphasis. Approached by steps inside the building. I stepped back and held his breath. The door suddenly opened and I was faced with a thin, dark-skinned man with a flip-flop sandals, dark trousers, a dark blue t-shirt and a scowl. He was covered from head to toe in flour.
I gulped.
"Bread?" I asked timidly.
The man nodded. "WhatWhat do you want? "His voice was rough.
"What do you want?" I asked, sticking to the script I was given.
He grimaced and muttered some variety. Most were indecipherable, but I already knew what to order.
"Cinnamon Butter," I said.
The door shut in my face. A moment later, he returned with a loaf of fresh bread in his hand. I gave him the money and we have sunk away. Others had begun to arrive, the money in hand andAnticipation on their faces. We sat in the car and swallowed hot, delicious bread.
As the island of Molokai itself was better than we were told.
