Monday, January 29, 2007

Whale sail


On the whim of the unexpected, Ben and I found ourselves in the hull seats of a doulbe canoes style sailing boat from the 50's. We were charging over waves, over the bluest of blue waters with a color I wanted to reach out and take home, and past pinnacles of pastel reef gliding below. Six of us made the crew and the swells rolled us in and out of view. The small sail sent us to an ancient village site with stone walls to remind us of the ancient culture that was fostered here. On the journey home we passed a mother and a baby whale, not in the far distance, but 20 feet away. Their soft spots on the water left a window into the void as we smoothely slided by, avoiding collision with the prehistoric.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Earth meets ocean


The power of Hawaii keeps unfolding, just as the lava, traveling from the depths of the earth, sizzles and cracks as the waves of boil and bubble. Feeling as if I was in a National Geographic movie, Ben and I rewarded ourselves with a sunset over the lava flows into the sea, a skylight, and smoking rocks a few nights ago. I was breathless and spellbound. I felt as if we had traveled through a time warp as we trekked over that alien landscape of fresh and liquid, ropey, and sharp rock. We had dropped down to the prehistoric beginnings of our earth.
The last few days have been spent using our legs and backs, hiking to a remote beach oasis in the midst of a desert of the Volcanoes National Park. We swam in crystal clear waters, surrounded by countless colorful and new fish. Turtles lazed in our little lagoon. Then we hiked back up over the Palis (cliffs), as steep as the Grand Canyon, to be greeted by two Nene, endangered Hawaiian Geese. The ache in my feet and legs has been well rewarded.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Centipedes and dolphins

A gap of time since the last blog has elapsed since the last writing. In a quick recap, Ben and I spent time enjoying the city life in Chiang Mai, including massages, museums, music, and a floral expo the size of Disneyland. Then we went for 3 days on about 4 hours of sleep traveling by taxi, plane, and rental car, dropping out of the sky to Honolulu and then hopping over to Hilo on the Big Island, Hawaii. After flying for 8 hours over nothing but ocean and then stepping onto a large and volcanic rock with hungry ocean crashing against it's cliffs, the power and rawness of this place sets in. The plants, birds, and insects are the most diverse and beautiful that I have ever seen, even those 7 inch long centipedes. Fruit is overflowing on every tree and the weather changes from one valley to the next from lush jungle to arid desert. We finally met with familiar faces and I got to experience the highly revered Olson's farm. There was a party straight out of the O.C. and clear, clean, fish-filled water straight out of Robinson Curusoe. We are excited to explore and put on our packs, tie up our shoes, and use those leg muscles exploring lava floes, caves, and hidden beaches.

Monday, January 01, 2007

Stage-fright

Wat after wat, chedi after chedi, and buddha after buddha. Ben and I have discovered our secret Angor Wat of Thailand. We've walked among crumbled and ancient ruins for three days now. We could sense the holiness and voices of people in the past. The power was at its height with the almost full moon tinkling down through a lacey canopy of tree, casting shadows over an ancient river that has been sustaining life for eons. For New Years, Ben made friends with a gang of local youngsters, we got invited to a village party, where dish after dish and shot after shot of Thai whiskey were offered. As the party heightened Ben got called up on stage to play the harmonica and dance, greeted by big grins and applause. I learned some Thai dance movements from a group of school girls, a mom, and a little 3 yr. old girl. A perma grin was pasted on my face the whole evening, as our main form of communication was smiles, laugher, and pantomime. Our first morning of 2007 was greeted by the red rising sun over the ancient river, people fishing the waters, and the sound of monks chanting.