11/15/09
Hilo, HI
Warm, wet, salty & sweet wishes from the
Big Island where we are a 5-min walk from downtown! Everyone is sooooo nice! Friendly, talkative & helpful! They really do have the aloha spirit! We have been warmly welcomed by Wild Ginger Inn’s owners
& have enjoyed their $2 ‘spread’ for breakfast that generally includes
papaya, banana, 5 different cakes, muffins, or toast, hot rice or oatmeal
cereals, rice cakes wrapped in green leaves, & coffee. Brothers (co-owners) are also chefs – they
love to bake & love grandchildren!
We have used the ‘shared’ kitchen a few
times – a bit of a challenge.
Although one can ask, there is not much in the way of utensils, towels,
plates, or really anything to cook with except a few pots! We did use their sink to wash all of
our farmer market’s purchases - to make sure we got rid of any “rat lung disease.”
And we fried a nice fresh ahi fish
– had it with snow peas! A woman,
in her 80’s, who calls herself the “kitchen Gestapo,” monitors the comings
& goings of the kitchen. She suggested
we “sign up” for a cooking time!
Guess this system works for the many long-timers here – but it’s a
double standard – one she doesn’t have to follow!?
The clientele are an interesting mix of
elderly (waiting for senior housing), the mentally challenged, international
tourists (we met a nice couple from Austria & another from Belgium) for a
few days visit, a guy whose here for a few months while firming up a place to
live, & a young family who just moved in next door (with large plastic
bags?) for a week. This place is
as described on their website – with an old fashion country atmosphere
that reflects the 1920's sugar cane plantation era. These buildings were part of the ‘workers’ house. In
the 1950's it was converted into an Inn with 27 private bedrooms with
baths. It apparently has the original look and feel of the Hawaiian laid
back, simple living style with a relaxing ocean view. Now it is a
hotel/hostel & low-income housing.
Our room has a microwave, 2-cup coffee maker & 2 doors with 2
balconies! We make GREAT Kona
coffee in the morning that goes nicely with a fresh papaya (5-7 for $2)! This place is rustic – you might say
really, really ‘quaint.’ A little
like a homeless shelter!
We bought extension cords so we can both use
our computers at the same time. If
we sit close to the door, we have Internet. If we sit on our back balcony we view the parking lot, but…if
we sit on the other side we can see the ocean over the tops of palm trees! After installing multiple hooks, we now
have places to hang hats, jackets (yes, even a sweater) washcloths, etc. Arthur quickly found us a table (for
all our groceries/supplies), larger refrigerator, & a comforter for these
cool nights. It does happen to be
the rainiest month – with downpours every day so far but one - but unlike
Portland, the rain is warm! So we
listen to the downpours that sometime drown out the croaking of the coqui
frogs!
Our car is now registered & legal – with
Hawaiian license plates so we don’t stick out like tourists. We are getting acquainted with the city
– even in the dark at 6pm we found the lecture on global warming by a NASA
spokesperson at Hilo University. We
have also been up the north coast a few times & around to the Kona side - saw
a few gushing/rushing brown waterfalls & some pretty nice properties! We also had a relaxing evening with a
lovely island-savy couple that Chuck met thru Internet web/blog sites - she is
a chef/writer/ceramic artist & he is a realtor. We enjoyed their gorgeous home on a bluff overlooking the
ocean (multiple decks, etc) & were treated to a delicious dinner of Indian
carrot appetizer salad, spicy sauce with papadams, lobster claws, Indian rice
& fresh fruit sorbet! A
wonderful evening getting tips for Hilo living! We have also been to the old Palace Theatre (said to be
haunted) several times – once for a fabulous multi-ethnic drumming concert
& also for the politically entertaining movie, “Yes Men Fix the
World.”
We are enjoying a variety of activities –
books & magazines, walks – parks/beaches, movies & lectures. Saturday we are going up to the observatory
on top of Mauna Kea – 14,000 feet, with a guide - actually a guy who was
recently part of a team who discovered/saw the first stars/galaxies that formed
around the time of the Big Bang - about 13.2 billion years ago. We are volunteering to raise $ for kids
on Sun, bringing corn & a banana/chocolate/coconut dessert to our potluck
here at the Inn on Thanksgiving, doing contra dancing… and doing a beach or two
for snorkeling! So…why do we miss
home? Hmmmmm
As Bill Martin, the King of Portland’s Old-Time
Square Dancing community said today, “With every day of living we know a little
more about ourselves, the world and our own mortality, and we change. But that
knowledge also causes me to treasure the sweet memory (with his wife) of our
magical moonlit party in the ruins. Many experiences are one-time events.
When its party time we should let it take hold of us without regretting the
past or our approaching death. That joy
stands alone. Its not indebted to the coming end, cares nothing about that,
but is a prize for us to take when it
comes along.”
Each period of time that we spend in another
country or culture, brings us to a new understanding of the world &
ourselves. We love that! However, each experience is a unique
‘moment in time,’ a prize to be
enjoyed to the fullest. We realize
over & over, one cannot go back or open the genie’s bottle to recapture a
past experience, like the magic we experienced in Thailand. We’ve had many ‘growth opportunities’ –
ones some call ‘AFGOs’ (another f*** growth opportunity) that are thorny &
tricky! But the BEST ones are not
only where we learn the most, but those that stretch us in physical, emotional,
& spiritual ways - ones that bring us together with the young or old - who
are full of life! When people share
their joy, excitement, or exuberance – through music, poetry, stories, food,
religion, rituals, politics, clothing, games, or just their smiles…we feel ever
so grateful - for these moments!
It is in the smallest of interactions - - - saying good morning to
someone you love or to a beggar in India, talking with your kids or teaching a
song to children, playing cards with Tibetan monks or sharing a meal with
friends - - - when we feel most alive!
We are enjoying & searching - - for those moments here.
