I have just returned from Hawaii. I was a chaparonne on a Biology Club trip. The first picture is of a beautiful sunset taken from Oahu the last night we were there. It was taken from Paradise Cove at a Luau.
The next picture is of Chief Siela Avea of the Kualoa Ranch. He is the 1st World Champion Fire Knife dancer. He threw the spear that lit the Olympic Torch in Salt Lake City. He was very informative and super funny. He gave us a tour of the gardens around the ranch and told us much of his culture. He made the fire you see in his hands in about 5 seconds of rubbing a stick on wood. Chief then did a fantastic fire knife demonstration. He is also showed us music and even taught us how to dance. Incidentally, I won the dance contest and received a real coconut and fish made from a palm leaf. Our guide is good friends with the Chief and wanted to impress us.
The last time the Chief put on a show like that it was for the President after he was elected. He was very impressive and this was by far the best day of our trip. He and his guys not only put on a great show but they fed us BBQ on a secret island. It was great! The Chief is also starring in an upcoming short film called "Chief"
The island was the home to Gilligan's Island and recently the show Lost. The ranch may also look familiar. The mountains in the background were the setting for Jurassic Park. The house you see is the restaurant on 50 First Dates and a dock to the right is where Tatoo used to run out and yell "De Plane, De Plane!" Several other shows and movies were filmed here also. We enjoyed the day on the island by playing in the water and volleyball. One of the natives was a fantastic volleyball player even though he looked quite old.
This tree is the Australian Eucalyptus. It looks much like our sycamore but when planted in Hawaii, because of the minerals in the soil, it has the pastel colors on the tree. This tree only has this in Hawaii and not in Australia. This picture was taken at the Dole Plantation. There is a maze at the plantation which I completed and found all 8 stations. Also, the pineapple was super.The guy you see with me in the last picture is our guide Kiri Fualautoalasi. He is from Samoa. He went to school in Hawaii, worked at the Polynesian Culture Center and is now Director of Sales at PPF, the company we booked our trip through. He enjoyed dealing with us on the phone when setting up the trip and left the office to be our guide. He hasn't done this in over 2 years. He taught us so much about the Polynesian Culture and learned quite a bit about ours. He really went above and beyond his duty to make our trip. He got us VIP seats at the Polynesian Culture Center as well as gave us a private tour. His friend, Boyd, who met us at the airport the first night at 11:00 pm to give us Leis, was the star of the Polynesian Culture Center show. His picture was on almost every bus and many of the magazines and pamplets in Honolulu. Also, at the Polynesian Culture Center I threw a spear with great accuracy to win a shell necklace. I reminded the young guys in our group that often times the key to survival in these cultures was being able to accurately hit your target (as I was rubbing my necklace). Kiri switched days and moved things around to beat crowds so we could better enjoy our stays. We went to Pearl Harbor, Kualoa Ranch, snorkling at Hanauma Bay, climbed Diamond Head (got a shirt), had a luau at Paradise Cove. He was with us all week and we pretty much asked each other questions about each others cultures and places each other lived. The whole group enjoyed getting to know him and he really enjoyed them. The last day we showered him with gifts, including the coconut I won at the dance contest. I could not get it home without a USDA inspection so we made it a thank you note and all signed it. He said he will keep it on his desk.
Kiri made a good trip a GREAT trip. We formed friendships that will be treasured. Everyone is trying to get him and his wife to Louisiana to return some of the hospitality he showed to us. We realized that even though our cultures and places we live might be different we are still people who enjoy many of the same things. Good Friends, Good Food and Good Times.
