TravelStream™ news feed for member melissagquest on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/melissagquest en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:38:23 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/1/1214767380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/1/1214767380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/1/1214767380/tpod.html Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:38:23 -0500 Greece Quest 2008

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Athens, Attica, Greece

Our last full day in Greece! I'm woken by a few reddish rays of Dawn as She appears on the horizon. She shines over our balcony through the thin curtains and touches me. I greet her: Chaire, Thea! Shortly afterwards, the rooster in the lot beside us starts to crow. We've been woken almost daily by roosters. I will miss that at home. Perhaps there are hygienic reasons for keeping chickens away from densely populated areas, but human beings have lost something in the process: we've gained somewhat better physical health, lost emotional health. We no longer feel connected to the land, to our own past. Our children think chicken is only something to eat, not clever little creatures that prowl the weeds and stones for their livelihood, when permitted their freedom. In Greece, they are often allowed to roam about. A chicken may meander around the corner of the gas station or in the courtyard below your balcony or on the other side of the wall from your hotel.

After a few minutes of contemplating Dawn and how She rouses the roosters and other who attune to Her, I tiptoe to the balcony to snap the sun that She heralds as He rises over the sea. Here the sea is greenish and very warm now, yet it still glistens in a way that says "Greece" in a soft voice. He shines through greyish clouds that don't portend rain. Rain is for the spring and the green grains. Now the hay is stacked, the wheat sifted and bundled, the fruit is huge and sweet. The olives and grapes will happily absorb the unrelenting sun all summer and will reach perfection in the fall. This is the way it has been since the time of the Mycenaeans, no since before them: late Neolithic, whenever crops were first planted and the Goddesses of those crops were first perceived and honored. The connection of Goddess and grain is so close, so connected, that we still call grains by the Goddess names: cereals (for Ceres) in English and demetraia (for Demeter) in Greek.

We pack up and make our way over to Dion, our last stop, the sacred site of the Macedonians in antiquity, where the biggest altar was devoted to Zeus, but He arrived late here, as He arrived late in other locations, too, like at Olympia. Goddesses were first worshipped here by Mycenaeans and their very ancient temples remained until early Hellenic times, when Doric temples were erected almost on top of the old. In the historical era, the Goddesses were called Demeter, Persephone and Artemis. Around them, people honored the land, the cycles of nature, the wild creatures with whom we share the Earth or whom we've sometimes eaten. Zeus arrived with the need to proclaim laws, settle border disputes and, of course, win wars.

Much of the site is from the Roman era, which is impressive and beautiful but out of touch with what preceded it, even before the Christian era. The works of man reflect a concern with status, identity and power, not love for the Earth and respect for Her abundance and creatures.

We walk the site of Dion, which is extensive and even more excavation is underway. But the sweet coolness of Dawn has given way to the heat, so we soon escape to the shaded patio of the entry gate with a cool drink. Later we drive up to the museum and discover it is closed! A local proprietor, seeing us as potential customers, waves us up to her shaded deck. She explains, in Greek, that the museum is closed until October and, as a result, very few tourists are filling the lane of tavernas just behind the museum, including hers. In fact, the entire time we are there, we are the only customers. We share the space only with the owner's extended family, including some very cute preschoolers looking out for each other. I suspect that some local people may come after church lets out, which happens as we are driving away, but we're sad for the townspeople who depend so much on the tourism generated by the site and museum. For sure, the museum probably needed renovation, but Karen said that she hoped the Ministry responsible gave the people some sort of advance notice. Even so, what can the people do with that knowledge? This is their home; the taverna is where they live. What else are they to do? Even confronted with the unchangeable, they are hospitable, enduring and resilient, accepting of what is in a way that is foreign to most North American businesses.

So we return to the high-speed Ethniki Odos (National Highway), which is mostly upgraded to four lanes all the way from Thessaloniki to Athens. The section through the Tempi Valley is still narrow, winding and scenic and probably presents engineering challenges for constructing four lanes. The present drive, however, while slow is ruggedly beautiful.

I'm delighted to see that along this mountainous road are many springs and fountains, each one named for an ancient Goddess! I wondered: are these ancient place names that have persisted until now? Was there always, for example, a Pigi Artemidis? Were there always fountains at these locations? Or were the springs found when the present relatively modern road came through and then given names to reflect an honored past? I need to do some research! But in the meantime, I feel my sense of connection to place and history through these divine names: Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis. As always, Goddesses and female spirits are connected with place and nature, especially water.

If the engineers have to blast tunnels through the mountains of Earth--the greatest Goddess of all--as they have in so many places on the National Highway, they will be furthering the separation of humans and Earth. We will fly through the area hardly noticing the wonderful sculpture of Earth here, nor pausing to taste the waters of the divinely named springs, letting their coolness flow over our faces and heads. We'll drive even faster, not savoring the moments, arriving at our destinations drained rather than restored.

Surely the mad traffic of a Sunday night in Athens reflects the human disconnection from nature and eternity. I watch the teaming cars and think of swarms of insects, probably roaches. They honk, yell, cut each other off; tempers rise. We can't find our hotel for the night but, when we finally stop in a less crowded neighborhood of Vari to ask for help, the young couple who manage a store there get us sorted out. In fact, the husband, named Costas, returned to his Vespa and led us through rural back allies, next to sere fields, dry red soil and grey rocks and palatial houses, to our destination. He is happy to help, that's all. In Greece, you're really not alone, especially when away from crowds and cars. In the quieter places, you can connect just as people, no matter the amount of language you have in common. In these places, especially, the Greeks are eager to help someone in distress, to offer comfort or even a joke about the weather of the traffic. We are all more human.

So, we settled into our last hotel, upsets of the day--being lost, being overwhelmed by traffic, running out of money, discovering our hotel had no elevator and an iffy air conditioner--faded away. We enjoyed a final taverna meal then savored some chocolate gelato while watching the final game of the Euro Cup (Spain won). As we repacked to come "home," we noticed a family of goats in an enclosure on the ruddy hill behind us. Chickens and roosters strutted among the goats. Oddly, we felt like we were already home.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/1/1212598740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/1/1212598740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/1/1212598740/tpod.html Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:19:41 -0400 Greece Quest 2008

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Athens, Greece

And Wednesday is one of the days the National Museum in Athens closes early. So, as it turns out, are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And holidays. In fact, Monday is the only day it stays open past 3pm. But then it opens only at 1pm on Mondays. It's good to know this before making the 45minute trip by tram and metro to see it and arriving at 3:20. Fortunately, the outdoor cafe, O Kipos Mouseiou (The Museum Garden) stays open and it provides really good sandwiches and frappes (cold, Greek coffee).

Yesterday, we didn't have time to get to the Internet because we dragged ourselves out of bed around 8am in order to get to the top of the Acropolis before the midday heat and stayed out all day. We saw the only choragic monument still in situ, the theatre of Dionysos, the Roman Odeion, the Propylaia, and, of course, the Parthenon. I was amazed at how much of it they've managed to restore in the two years since I saw it last. The columns on the north side are complete and they're placing the stones of the architrave now. The care and precision with which they've inserted new marble into the ancient damaged columns is amazing and even moving. The task is even more amazing when you consider that the workers and archaeologists have had to learn how to do the work even as they reconstructed it. In any case, the first sight of this magnificent building takes the breath away.

We also found our way into the Ancient Greek Agora and asociated museum--a quick visit because we arrived rather late (see a pattern here?). Of course, we would have had more time if we hadn't stopped just across the road from the entrance to the Agora to cool ourselves with frappes. And our trip was also made more exciting by the rare appearance of a bit of rain. Meira and I ran through the shower to the Temple to Hephaistos and Athena. She wanted to know the history behind the ancient religion, the arrival of Christians and, now, the revival of the ancient religion by both Greek nationals and others. None of this was taught in her school.

The day was completed by much shopping in the Plaka, especially for souvenirs and shoes (I do have my daughters with me, after all). After a fashionably late dinner in the Plaka, we made it home just before the tram shut down for the night.

Tonight will be an early night, though: the tour company picks us up at 6am for our high-speed ferry ride to Mykonos. I hope the girls will get up in time! But at least my cold is now disappearing, thanks to very strong Greek cold medicine. I must bring some home with me!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218525360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218525360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218525360/tpod.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:54:23 -0400 Hawaiian Adventure

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Kawaihae, Hawaii, United States

We wrapped up the course this morning and said our goodbyes to everyone attending the course-always hard to do because we all get so "related" during these courses through sharing so deeply, so "authentically". We took emails from each other and one person set up a "Play Wisdom" site just for the participants on this course. This way we can maintain some degree of contact and share what's opening up in our lives, extending the course indefinitely, if we want.

I also found it hard to say goodbye to the "Prince", with its incredible vistas and amenities. As we prepared to leave, the last of the temporary construction walls came down revealing the full view from the entrance way into the lobby. No photo does it justice: it just needs to be experienced. I find it one of the most amazing design ideas I've ever seen and it makes an amazing impact when you walk through; each and every time you think you've entered the pearly gates. With any luck, maybe one of our daughters will choose to get married on the beach at the Prince (several couples did get married here during our stay). Or maybe we'll invent some other reason to visit again. It's beautiful, as is the whole island. And this is on the dry, California/Greek-like side of the Big Island.

Having finally taken our leave, we headed north and then east toward Hilo, on the lush, green, tropical side of the island. In fact, it's easy to forget you're actually on an island, with all the climate changes, although the ocean is never far away. In fact, some times it's actually too close: one site we stopped at along the way was Laupahoehoe, which was devastated by a tsunami from the Aleutian Islands in the'40s. But we noted several things that we'll return to, to visit, such as various waterfalls and the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. We also be seeing the lava flow, hopeably at dawn or dusk to get the full impact of glowing rock. Tomorrow, we'll be taking a helicopter ride to see the volcanoes and waterfalls from a bird's eye view. The adventure continues!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1217880600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1217880600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1217880600/tpod.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:50:24 -0400 Hawaiian Adventure

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Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, United States

Today we've set aside mostly for getting over jet lag, but I went for a walk to get a feel for where we are and to get some photos of the amazing vegetation found along the oceanfront road.

While walking, I paused to take a photo of a plumeria tree, the flower of which seems to be used in a lot of leis. Just afterwards, one of the delicate white and red blossoms gently floated to the ground. A gift! So, of course, I picked it up and placed it behind my ear.

Now I have been welcomed by the island itself.

So, here are some photos that I took this morning. Enjoy!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218826200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218826200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218826200/tpod.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:41:51 -0400 Hawaiian Adventure

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Hilo, Hawaii, United States

Having decided that we would not take the lava trek we decided to take the lava trek. Being averse to loss of sleep, we did not do it in the wee hours of the morning. Instead we went with the hordes that go at sunset. It was all good. I think what decided us were the nice people at Volcano National Park (http://www.nps.gov/havo/) who insisted that we had to go, it is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle, etc., etc. But I'm getting ahead of myself a bit.

We were delighted to wake up to a sunny day, which allowed us to finally dry out a bit and to pack up without getting rained on. I took some parting shots of the Inn and noticed, in the process, that Sunshine Helicopters really do fly over the Inn as part of their tour, so I probably have an aerial shot available somewhere. This is certainly one of those places that it's hard to say goodbye to: both seeming far away and remote but, in reality, very close to people and amenities--the kind of place I'd love to live in myself. I learned a lot about running a B&B from this place, too. Really, it's the conversation between land, water and people that draws me, and I hope to continue this kind of conversation back in Ontario.

Once we got organized and headed out, we headed for Volcano National Park, just southwest of Hilo about 29 miles. We saw the visit as a complement to our helicopter tour, but it became it's own adventure and, as I said at the opening, it became an inspiration for continuing to the lava viewing. However, being us, we arrived in the afternoon to see a place that could easily have taken all day, but we did our best.

The current attraction of this part of Hawaii is, of course, the volcanoes. Always fascinating, even when the activity is low or quiet, they are particularly interesting right now because the action is occuring in several places. In fact, the Crater Rim Road (http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/craterdr.htm) is partially closed due to the venting of Halema'uma'u, a caldera within the larger caldera of Kilauea, the longest continuously erupting volcano in the world. According to the park's web site: "Kilauea Volcano has erupted lava almost continuously from its east rift zone since 1983. These lava flows have added over 568 acres (230 hectares) of new land to the southern shore of Kilauea and covered 8.7 miles (14 km) of highway with lava as deep as 115 feet (35 m)."

We arrived at the visitor center just inside the gate in time for a guided tour of the sulfur and steam vents, so we joined in. Although it's easy to forget you're driving and walking in an active volcano when you first arrive, a walk through any section of the park will bring you many reminders in the form of vents of various kinds. The caldera of this volcano is huge. HUGE! It contains roads, visitor buildings, research labs, hiking trails and several microhabitats, from tropical forest to desert. Right now, warnings are posted about the levels of sulfur dioxide in the park, so the smell of struck matches or rotten eggs (take your pick) wafts by the nose at frequent intervals. The sulfur vents are particular exciting (and scary) because they are technically "fumeroles" and thus considered to be connected to the magma chamber underground. The steam vents, while hot, are relatively innocuous because they simply represent ground water that has vaoporized and found an escape through cracks and rocks in the earth. Standing downwind of the latter is pleasant, not unlike visiting a steam bath. What surprised me is seeing how plant life has adapted to live cheek by jowl with these scalding hot and, in the case of the sulfur vents, noxious features. Alas, many of the species present today--including an orchid and a ginger species--are invasive and are crowding out endemic species of plants and birds. You hear a lot here about the (mostly unfavorable) interaction of native and introduced species of plants and animals.

After the hike to the sulfur and steam vents, we checked out the visitor center, where we were persuaded to go to the lava viewing after all. Marv bought the requisite flashlights (for nighttime viewing) but we first drove to the Jagger center, which overlooks the venting Halema'uma'u crater. This is the closest you can (safely) get to the action. Until this year, you could actually walk on the floor of the crater and up to the hot spot. Not any more. Not even the scientists go there now, except suited and masked and carrying air with them to sample gases and other scientific parameters. From the viewing area, with its interpretive signs and viewing telescopes, you look out over a landscape that is more desolate than the moon or any number of planetary surfaces I could imagine. There is no soil, no green thing below. Rocks, black and gray lava and rocks and deposits in various earth tones define the picture. And, in the middle of it all is a belching hole about 150' feet across. At night, the guides told us, the steam takes on a ruddy hue, but I could see a hint of this even in late afternoon.

Around the Kilauea crater you can see tropical rain forests, savanah and desert. The weather on one side was clear and blue, on another, misty and dark, and inbetween the two, white and gray gases slowly turning into "vog" (volcanic smog) create a third, indefinable weather pattern. You can see the process of the vog as it settles back to earth on nearby Mauna Loa like fog or, more descriptively, like DDT mists of the late 50's and just as toxic to local residents. With the prevailing winds, the vog wraps itself around Mauna Loa and eventually finds its way to Kailua-Kona, where we first encountered it.

Because we wanted to get to the lava viewing area in time to get parking and make our way to the viewing platform before dark, we had to pass on the Thurston Lava Tube (http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/craterrimtour_tube.htm), another "must see" feature of the park. We'll have to see it another time.

I have to admit to feeling a bit anxious about going to the lava viewing: lots of warnings--on signs, on the internet and in park brochure--certainly provide a deterent. But Marv was inspired by all we'd seen and heard and enrolled me in the idea of seeing such a rare event. So we gathered up all we needed and headed down.

The lava viewing area isn't actually inside the park. Instead, you have to head back almost to Hilo and take what used to be a shore road southwest. The road was interrupted in the 1980s by the same lava flow that buried the town of Kalapana. To get to the viewing area, you have to cross segments of technically closed highway, over jury-rigged (or jury-paved) car paths. "Use at your own risk", of course. But I give the locals credit for making lemonade out of lemons and for providing as much safety as is possible given the conditions. The biggest problem is that you not only have to drive over several winding, bumpy temporary one-lane (barely) roads, you have to walk at least half a mile over unaltered lava flows, also. The lava on the trail, though cool, is rough: hillocks, cracks, loose stones, pits and jagged edges are the norm. Flashlights and running shoes are essential (at night) and lots of water and running shoes (and sunscreen) are essential during the day. Even so, there's a first aid booth at the beginning of the trail and we saw at least one person being treated. And given the festival atmosphere here, the locals have provided porta-luas (lua being the Hawaiian word for "loo"--don't confuse it with luau) and private enterpreneurs have set up booths with crafts, food and photos better than what any of us can get who follow the rules can take.

We bypassed all that (except for the porta-luas: my travel mantra is never forego a chance to use the facilities when they're available) and headed for the viewing platform. The steam created by the fall of lava into the ocean seems very far away at the start of the walk and, in fact, you can't safely get really close at all (unless you take a lava viewing boat tour, but they sail dangerously close, it seems t me). My camera wasn't really up to the conditions, which is why I have indifferent photos of the scene, but they will still give you the idea. The lava oozes into the sea, casting a fiery glow on the steam and, every so often, the surf and lava interact to create something of an explosion. The resulting flashes and sparks elicit "oohs" and "aahs" from the viewers (us and a few hundred of our closest fellow tourists) as if we were all watching a fireworks display. It's spectacular! And the moon was almost full, providing some soft light and additional safely for those who hike there as well as a magical mood. Overhead were few clouds and many stars, adding to the viewing. The night of August 15 didn't provide the most exciting lava viewing, but even so, the viewing is memorable for those who've never seen such a thing and worth the trek, if you take reasonable precautions. Even Marv, who usually has many a pun available to describe anything, was left with nothing (worthwhile) to say. (Okay, I promised him this much: he called the lava viewing a "rock concert" and he thinks the porta-luas should be called "lava-tories". Get it? You see, it's funny because...oh, never mind.)

After we left, just before 8pm, we made our way back to the car ahead of the hordes and hit the road. Our destination: Kailua-Kona and the Castle Kona Bali Kai (again), almost three hours away. On the way, we left clear pristine skies, passed through fog and rain (some of it torrential) and eventually returned to desert dryness again, although I slept through most of it. And we arrived safely at Kona for our last night in Hawaii. Tomorrow we plan to visit the seahorse ranch, er, farm, at NEHLA on our way to the airport. Final entry in a day or two, when I've had more time to reflect.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218932820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218932820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218932820/tpod.html Sat, 23 Aug 2008 11:08:44 -0400 Hawaiian Adventure

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Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, United States

We didn't get to see seahorses after all: the seahorse ranch was closed for the weekend. Like a lot of Hawaiians, they take time off on weekends and close at suppertime. Very civilized and humane, and we from the mainland are not used to those kinds of hours!

What to do instead with a whole day, since our plane didn't leave until 10:45pm? We discovered a snorkeling shop across the street, so rented some equipment and went to Kahalu'u Beach Park. This is the same park I went to with the TYS participants when our dolphin viewing trip fell apart. I knew it to be a wonderful place to snorkel and it's somewhat protected from currents by stones put in place by a Hawaiian ali'i (ancestor) or two.

The other thing I decided to try was underwater photography. Mike, the snorkeling shop owner, sold underwater cameras for the purpose, so I bought one and tried it out. A bit of juggling is needed to look through a viewfinder through a snorkel mask while trying to stay afloat and breathe, too, not to mention trying to see the fish through several layers of plastic. The other trick is waiting for the film to develop, because the underwater camera contained actual film instead of pixels. I haven't used that for several years!

The fish, though, are worth it! I'm convinced that the ocean must have a sense of humour, of whimsy, because I can't imagine why there are so many species of fish that eat the same food and seem to occupy the same habitat. The colors and patterns are delightfully inventive and simply beautiful. Perhaps the ocean creates like a child with a new box of crayons. Further, if you hover over a section of coral reef for a few minutes, you can also see little dramas play out. Little fish chase each other over seemingly nothing. Pairs of bright fish flirt and dance about each other. And one slender fish just seemed to need to learn to "chill-lax": he darted this way, stopped and quivered, turned and darted back, quivered, darted here and there, agitated, as though the clock was ticking and he didn't know where he had to be. I tried to laugh and got a mouthful of salt water.

As before, I noticed the fish noticing me. Of course: I was the stranger here. The spotted puffer fish in particular seemed to study me, an action made easier since, unlike most other fish, he can focus his eyes forward. (He didn't "puff," which is a defensive action that I'm glad I didn't trigger because it's stressful for them to do it.) Other species were equally accepting or oblivious. After a while, I began to recognize patterns and colors. Using the fish reference card I bought and tied to my swimsuit, I identified the Hawaii State Fish, the Reef Triggerfish (Humuhumu-Nukunuku-Apua'a, in Hawaiian), first. Others I saw included Moorish Idol, Black Durgon Triggerfish, Orangeband Surgeonfish, Raccoon Butterflyfish, Convict Tang, Sailfin Tang and a Threadfin Butterflyfish, among many others that I couldn't identify. I've included my better shots here (and if you're a Hawaii fish expert and I got anything wrong, let me know!).

For sure, I'm going to incorporate snorkeling into my future holiday plans, and now that I've got an underwater camera, I'm going to do more of that, too, even if I do have to wait to develop the film.

Alas, the day came to an end all too quickly. We returned our rentals and went back to the Keauhou Plaza and the Thai restaurant for our last meal in Hawaii. Afterwards, we discovered the plaza had put up bleachers with a perfect view of the western sky and the ocean horizon. We joined a few other folks (mostly couples) and watched a brilliantly orange sun sizzle into the sea from our front row seat. Then we headed up the airport by the light of a full moon. It broke through the clouds and vog for a final goodbye. We boarded the plane for an overnight flight to Phoenix. We'll be back.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218164640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218164640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218164640/tpod.html Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:57:04 -0400 Hawaiian Adventure

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Kawaihae, Hawaii, United States

Today we started our course in earnest, got to know the other participants in the course and enjoyed the amenities of the hotel. In the evening, we went to Roy's restaurant in a nearby town--a great Asian fusian eatery, even if it has an unimpressive name.

Here's some photos to enjoy!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218612060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218612060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218612060/tpod.html Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:15:19 -0400 Hawaiian Adventure

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Hilo, Hawaii, United States

We took off from the Hilo International Airport this morning at 11am in a helicopter operated by Sunshine Helicopters. Listing off from the heliopad, we rose up over Hilo and then flew south, toward Volcano National Park. In the park one finds Kilauea Volcano, active recently since 1983 and thus, the world's most active volcano. At first we flew over suburbs and lush green forests, but in the distance brilliant white steam was rising up from the ocean where lava is flowing into the sea.

Our first destination was the Pu'u O'o crater at the edge of the park. As we circled it, we caught glimpses of the eerie caldera, not glowing but rimmed with yellow sulfur and other minerals and venting like an industrial furnace. The thought of the mythical volcano in Mordor in Lord of the Rings entered my mind, especially when the smell of sulfurous gases seeped into the helicopter cockpit once or twice. Surrounding it is desolate, moon-like landscape--again like Mordor--black, rough, desolate and devoid of plants. The welling lava has created cracks and rifts through which gases are seeping and from which, in a couple of places, lava is pouring. Even in the daytime, lurid molten rock glows inside black pits and fissures. In one opening, we saw pahoehoe lava (at 2000C!) rushing furiously, but not onto the surface: it was gushing through a "lava tube" and disappearing from sight. No doubt its final destination is the shore.

After circling Pu'u O'o and the rift field a few times, the pilot headed for the sea. We passed over "rivers" of cool, black lava from the last couple of decades. This area has been active since 1983, when an eruption of lava flowed from the mauna (mountain) to the sea and buried the village of Kalapana. About 180 houses were buried. As we flew, we could see the cooled lobes of lava like ragged highways below us. Islands or oases of green survive on slight hills that deflected the flow, although the trees at the edge of the groves have turned brown. How they managed to live through the heat I can't imagine. In a few places, we saw where the lava had covered roads completely or partially and isolated intersections and even houses, some of which are now inhabited again. Sadly, we also saw rooftops and burned shells of houses there weren't so lucky. A local resident, Chris Arruda, tells me that his family cemetery lies under the lava near his home town of Kalapana. Now they place leis on the lava above it.

The lava also cut off the Chain of Craters road at the coast but, from the north end, people can walk across cooled lava to see the current flow. Sunset and nighttime are the most popular times to go, because the glow of the lava is more apparent, even through the steam and gases. However, hundreds of people go at this time: parking is at a premium. Arruda, who operates Big Island Outfitters, prefers to take people at sunrise: not onl do they get a private view of the lava, they can also see the sun rise out of the ocean. Marv and I are tempted by this, but are not thrilled with the idea of getting up at 2:30 am to do it! (You can see some amazing nighttime views of lava on his web site: www.bigislandoutfitters.com; click on Lava 1.)

Anyway, the steam rising from the ocean where the lava emerges from under the cooled lava and drips into the ocean is pretty impressive. For many meters out, yellowish sediments stain the turquoise of the ocean and sulfur dioxide rises with the steam. The lava is building new land here, but often the new land breaks off and collapses wholesale into the sea! It's dangerous to walk on the lava for that reason, but also because it's hot! And the terrain is rough and treacherous and can shatter beneath your foot if the layer is thin. But as we fly over, we see tiny people below us, making the trek even during daylight hours, as close to the lava and shore as the state authorities will allow. We also see other helicopters and even some small planes. The lava is big business in Hawaii. As one of the Sunrise staff said, "I don't know what we'd do without the volcano."

As we finished our tour of the lava fields, I noticed another volcano belching in the distance, at least a big and as furiously as Pu'u O'o. This one was a bit difficult to see under the clouds coming in from the ocean as a weather front approached, but it was definitely another volcano. I learned later that the distant eruption is coming from Halema'uma'u, within the caldera of Kilauea itself. This is very recent activity, just since late July and early August this year! (The activity in the entire area has picked up since early in 2008.) Because of this unusual activity, part of the Crater Rim Road is closed: you can no longer drive completely around the caldera because of the fumes and ash. Nor can you any longer hike up to the rim of the volcano or walk across it: the volcano has awoken! Madame Pele is agitated! Local geologists and vulcanologists are watching it carefully, lest the activity becomes violent and threatens visitor and nearby residents alike. The activity has become unpredictable lately. (I don't know why people have chosen to live so close to the volcano: perhaps they live the adrenaline rush or maybe they built when the volcano was quiescent or the land was cheap? No doubt they are reconsidering right now!)

I snapped dozens of photos and even a couple of short videos but none of them do the experience justice. The closest I could come was to buy a video of the flight taken by the cameras mounted on the helicopter! The DVD is even now on its way to our house and we'll have a volcano trip viewing when we're back. But even this can't convey the smells, the sounds and the physical movements of hovering over and soaring around an active volcano!

The fifty-minute flight ended in a bit of anticlimax, with a pass over Rainbow Falls and the Boiling Pots. The latter two features are not volcanoes but part of a the Wailuku River system flowing down from Mauna Kea over lava ravines. They are beautiful, of course! In fact, the river at the Inn where we're staying is part of that system. We'll probably go visit them or similar ones in this area before we leave.

Eventually the helicopter returned to the airport and ground. Autumn, the employee who had driven us out to the helicopter at the beginning, now returned to pick us up and snap our photo. We returned to the staging area and found several of our friends from the TYS course: Tanya, Mark, Sylvie, Manon and Kristen, who'd driven down from the Kohala Coast. It was thanks to Sylvie and Manon that we had signed up for this tour, half price, before we left the Hapuna Prince. So, after their flight ended at 1pm, we went to lunch together. And the Gods here must love us all, because the rain arrived just as their group returned to reception!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218748740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218748740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218748740/tpod.html Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:22:02 -0400 Hawaiian Adventure

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Hilo, Hawaii, United States

Today rain fell all day long. Mostly. It did manage to hold off while Marv jogged but otherwise, we were in it all day except for when we were inside. The forecast had been 80% of chance, which turned out to mean it rained for 80% of the day. And we have the wet laundry that won't dry to show for it. Good thing we go to Kona tomorrow where we can dry out.

We had decided not to go see lava at 3:30am after all. Dragging our sleep-deprived carcasses out of bed and into the vicinity of burning hot and unpredictable lava while clumsy from sleep deprivation just wasn't that attractive an idea. Nor was staying up really, really late to see it, given the rain and the lack of dry clothes. Although, thinking about it now, I realize that maybe we could have dried out our running shoes and clothes by taking them into the lava fields. But you know, it would have been too much like work and not enough like vacation. Blogging is about as much work as I want to do!

Instead of a lava tour (which you can get vicariously at Chris Arruda's web site: www.bigislandoutfitters.com, click on Lava 1), we decided to explore the property that our bed and breakfast is on. We'd been listening to the waterfall outside our lanai for several evenings and not really gone to see it. So we put on such raingear as we had and headed down.

The first thing we discovered is that it's a long way down. That 120 feet of fall has to be descended to get to the bottom. And we had to do it in the slippery, muddy rain, although there is a nice and fairly well maintained path down. We managed to keep our feet dry until we wanted to explore the path that leads around the pool at the bottom of the falls. We discovered the wet way that the path isn't actually passable, although you could, in theory, swim in the waterfall pool. But you just can't get to it.

The view of the falls is worth the effort, rain and mud, though. It's wonderful, even in the few soggy photos I managed to get. Along the way there are many beautiful plants, wild or planted. It's a hike of discovery.

When we got back to the top (thus fulfilling my aerobic requirement of the day), we followed a different path down to see the bamboo garden. This hike turned out to be a pleasant surprise because it leads down the water's edge or to a lovely patio over the river and to yet another series of falls, just like we saw from the helicopter. Again, we saw many wonderful flowers as well as the promised bamboo.

By the time we got back to the top, the drenching rain had turned into a barely perceptible mist but we were thoroughly drenched. We went back to the room, peeled off the wet stuff and discovered that we had insufficient room to hang everything to dry. But we did our best, redressed and planned our day. Since it was already two in the afternoon and we hadn't had lunch yet, we drove down the bumpy, one-lane road into Hilo and found the Garden Snack Club dinery. I can't really call it a restaurant: it's too small. Yet I can't call it just a "snack bar" because the food is too good. The owner, Tina, had created what you might loosely call a Thai "fusion" but that doesn't do it justice. We started with vegetable rolls (fresh salad inside rice paper wraps sliced like sushi), then I had tofu with rice noodle spaghetti and Marv got a nut medley entrée more like a salad. Either of these main dishes would have satisfied both or us or more. We took stuff home. The service was great, too. Really, we haven't had any bad food here.

After this, we realized that we had only an hour to go anywhere that had typical Hawaiian closing times, so we opted to go see...more waterfalls! The Akaka and Kahuna Falls are among the top seven "must sees" for the Big Island, so we had to go see them. I mean, we were already damp, so what the heck. But since the description of the park where they are said that there's an "easy paved path" to the falls, I wore my flip flops and took the umbrella. Both were wise choices.

The Akaka Falls drop 420 feet from top to bottom and it does take your breath away. This is the quintessentially romantic, tropical waterfall, a great photo op (see photos). And the path really can be traversed in flip flops while carrying an umbrella. This time we remembered the bug spray although I didn't notice as many mosquitoes here. There were dozens of tropical flowers, though, and my camera got another workout. I discovered, among other things, that the vine-like "morning glories" I'd been noticing along the road to Hilo were actually orchids! And deliciously sweet-smelling ones at that.

After taking the requisite photos, I noticed a man selling opihi shell necklaces under a shelter provided by the park. His sign proclaimed that these shells are very dangerous to gather, a selling point for sure. His practiced (but sincere) monologue told us that these shells, from a variety of local limpet found at the water's edge where big waves crash against big rocks, were not easy to gather because of the unpredictability of the waves and tides and that several people die each year trying to harvest them (for food as well as decoration). The latter factoid caused Marv not to want to buy one but I was drawn by the idea that this was a local craft and, since the food is so much more valuable that the shell necklaces, the practice wasn't going to end regardless of the necklace trade, which was just finding a use for the leftovers. So, I bought one.

The craftsman told us about an optical illusion with the falls that we could try out. You stare at the falls mid-way down and keep your eyes on one spot. It's tempting to keep following the water down, but you have to keep your eyes in one spot for the illusion to work. After 15 seconds, you glance at the moss-covered bank to the right of the falls. So I tried this and discovered that a small section of the bank appears to move up! Marv couldn't get it to work for him.

Then we returned to the Inn (by way of Mr. Ed's Bakery in Honomu, back at Hwy 19--did I mention we haven't had any bad food here?), dried off again and just hung out for the rest of the evening. Tina's spaghetti had fortified us so well that we didn't need to go out for dinner. The rain slowly faded away as we checked email and downloaded photos and blogged and shared our experiences with Mark, the owner's plane partner, some folks from England who'd just arrived. Much later, I saw the moon in a mostly clear sky. But really, if you're going to get wet anyway, you might as well just get really wet and have fun. Maybe even sing a little bit.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218612120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218612120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/melissagquest/2/1218612120/tpod.html Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:55:40 -0400 Hawaiian Adventure

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Hilo, Hawaii, United States

Hawaii is the island of orchids, especially on the east side. You can even see them growing wild on various trees beside the road. But the best viewing occurs where people have planted groups of them near each other. The plants continue to grow there, like perennials everywhere, with little care. I was surprised to find an orchid garden at the airport, of all places, but then again, why not? East Hawaii is the natural habitat of these flowers. This is the local flora.

The other place we saw wildflower (after lunch with the TYS folks) was at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, located along the coastal road on the 4 Mile Scenic Route eight miles north of Hilo. By the time we arrived, the rain had been drizzling down for hours and didn't look as though it would stop any time soon. No problem! This happens all the time in Hilo, so they hand out umbrellas where you check in and you descend by boardwalk and umbrella to the trails at the shore. Even along the boardwalk you can see many amazing flowers, shrubs, trees and vines.

At the bottom, trails are laid out by theme: botanical groups, geological elements and man-made features (bird house, koi pond and wishing well). The trails visit the Onomea Falls and river and craggy coast, and signs discuss local history and culture as well as botany. In theory, the plants are all identified by signs, but in reality, not. I think some of the signs have been covered over by over-enthusiastic vegetation! (You can learn more about this place at www.hawaiigarden.com.)

Alas, there were also mosquitoes, too, which are not even native to Hawaii! In an ideal world, where insect pests are not transported around the world by thoughtless sailors, it wouldn't have mattered that we left the bugspray back in our room. But we did see some amazing plants and I took photos of as many of the plants as I could, both at the airport and at the gardens, but don't look for many names. Just enjoy!
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