On the beach with Frances Mayes

‘The journey itself is home’  Frances said, quoting the 17th Century Japanese poet and haiku master, Matsuo Basho.

Actually, Basho’s full quote was, “Each day is a journey and the journey itself is home” -- the first entry of his masterpiece, “Narrow Road to a Far Provence.”

Long or short version -  it works for me. It’s the perfect response to those who say, ‘You are never home anymore.’ 

‘No, The journey itself is home,’ I will answer from now on.

Frances Mayes, the author who introduced the world to Tuscany and its sun, has been a friend and mentor of mine for nearly 20 years:

We both embarked on adventures of home ownership on foreign soil two decades ago. She and her husband, Ed, in Tuscany and Joel and I in Mexico.We had similar adventures along the way – she just had the good sense to write about them and make money – I didn’t.
She and Ed now spend a great deal of time at their homes in Cortona, Italy. Joel and I sold ours in Bucerias, Mexico several years ago.

I should mention Frances and I have never met; probably never will.  But I’ve read and re-read her books so many times that I feel as though we are long-time friends. She’s definitely a mentor.

Before traveling in Europe, I always grab my, now dog-eared, copy of “A Year in the World” to see if Frances spent time in any of our intended destinations and if so, what tips she has for me.  She is the one who introduced me to Spanish poet, Lorca, and inspired my search for his ‘duende’, that elusive earth spirit of Andalucia on our recent travels there.

***

I’ve been reading her, “Every Day in Tuscany, Seasons of Italian Life” during my lazy afternoons on the beach.  It’s a touching look at  her experiences and life’s lessons learned since she lost her heart to Tuscany.

When I selected her to join me on our Hawaiian holiday, I didn’t realize that my friend Frances would be mentoring me again.

This trip, while providing us post-card perfect  idyllic tropical days has also found us being jolted –  far too many times – with disquieting news about friends. . . a colleague’s death, . . .a friend’s cancer diagnosis. . .another facing surgery. . .with frightening regularity the negative news has arrived.

Is it a sign of our age or could the moon and stars simply be out of alignment?  

We think about our friends. We think about us. How many years ahead will we be able to consider our days as journeys and the journeys home?  Life, like travel itself, is an experience in which we must anticipate the unexpected – but must it be bad?

So having pondering repeatedly those and related questions at seaside, I returned to Frances and as if on cue, she was also pondering similar questions and observed: 

“Life’s little wake-up calls. (Do they have to be so numerous?) Scroll down the list and start to wail – or shout out Carpe diem.”

Carpe diem, seize the day! Once again Frances has given me a phrase. . .one I’ve been repeating all week. 

We must seize the day –  yes, we will plan for next year’s return. . .in fact, we’ve been invited to dance with the the Honolulu Lions I wrote about earlier this week and who in their right mind would want to miss that. . .right? The reservations at Ko Olina, our Pacific paradise home are confirmed. We plan to be here under the Hawaiian sun. . .just as Frances will be under her Tuscan sun.

Carpe diem. . .seize the day.  . .each day is a journey and the journey itself is home.

How have you seized your day? Is your journey itself a home?

TP Thursday: When the Lions Dance

The belief is that when the lions dance they bring good luck, prosperity and happiness to every joyous occasion. And such was the case when the lions danced at Ko Olina to celebrate the arrival of Chinese New Year.



Some of you may know that this is The Year of the Dragon –  he didn’t make it out to dance because he’s some 80-feet long and requires some 27 adults to bring him to life. 

We were quite happy having a foursome of Lions come to life, thanks to the youth and adults who make up the Hawaiian Lion Dance Association.

Most of the dancers and musicians were young people being guided by adults, a refreshing demonstration of what wonderful things can happen when elders pass traditions on to the next generation. 

Those of us who attended the dance presentation learned much about Chinese Culture and the role of the dance within it. . .culture and tradition, celebration and happiness – the new year was off to a great start.




With the beat of the drum. . .

 
The lions danced . . .



And then they rested. . .until the drum beat again brings them to life.



It is again Travel Photo Thursday, so be sure to visit Budget Travelers Sandbox, creator of this weekly event.

Aloha Pro Bowl!

In Hawaii  the word ‘aloha’ is used as a greeting, as goodbye and to describe the welcoming, warm spirit of these wonderful Pacific Islands.

It’s a word used a lot this last week when talking about Pro Bowl.

Pro Bowl, that pseudo-football-game that this year precedes the Super Bowl was first played in Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium in 1980 and for 30 consecutive seasons with the only recent hiccup in continuity  being two years ago when it was played in Miami.

Pro Bowl – the game – kicks off a few hours from now, in Honolulu. Pro Bowl - the festival - began back on Monday when banners went up and the hoopla and players began arriving at their Pro Bowl headquarters hotel, J.W. Marriott’s Ihilani, just footsteps from our place at Ko Olina Marina and Resort, some 30 minutes away from Waikiki.

Aloha surrounds this particular game this year. The players were welcomed with great aloha; there’s been a warm aloha spirit surrounding the various street parties, beach parties, parades, fireworks and charity visits that make up the week preceding the game.

But local media report this could also be aloha, as in goodbye, to the game in Hawaii. The two year contract with the NFL expires this year and rumors are afoot that the game will be moved next year.

Speaking of feet, Hawaii’s Governor has place kicked his into his mouth this week with some of the less-than-aloha comments he’s made about the negotiations. He’s been rushing to get back into aloha formation since being tackled by tourism officials.

Hawaii pays $4 million to the NFL to host the game and state tourism folks report that is generates $28.15 million in spending, of which $3.07 million is taxes paid into the state’s coffers.

Players interviewed by local media all say they want he game to stay in Hawaii.  One Seattle Seahawk, Michael Robinson feels so strongly about it, that he flew here on Tuesday to practice, on Wednesday flew to Pennsylvania to speak at Joe Paterno’s funeral and returned to Hawaii Friday (on Mr. Nike, Phil Knight’s jet).

Okay, so I have to mention that five Seattle Seahawks appear on the game’s NFC roster this year – they’ve not been represented in the Pro Bowl for the last two years.

So which way will the trade winds blow for the Pro Bowl? Time will tell. For now, let’s play ball!

TP Thursday: Magical Mai Tai Moments

There’s no other drink that more signifies Hawaii than the Mai Tai. It’s a mixture of light rum, topped with a combination fruit juice and Triple Sec and finished with dark rum ~ always sporting a pineapple wedge.







Our time to sip a Mai Tai is as the intense tropical daytime sun slowly sets, giving way to the coolness of the evening's stars and moon.  It is a magical time of day.



We’ve been enjoying these Mai Tai moments while on the island of O’ahu.  The first photos were taken at the Outrigger Canoe Club and the third at Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club. 

It is once again Travel Photo Thursday so visit the many other wonderful places highlighted today on Budget Travelers Sandbox.

Honu! A lulu of an afternoon!!!

Beach Boy and Hula Babe discovered Honu, (Hawaiian for turtle) last year in the lagoon near us at Ko Olina on O’ahu’s western coast.  We hoped we’d find our seafaring friend again this year but we’d been unsuccessful until today. . .

We arrived for some sun and sea time at the lagoon shortly before Honu arrived for a bit of an afternoon nap.



The amazing thing is that while Honu napped, Honu’s twin decided to take a look at  the humans that were in the lagoon. (It is a violation of federal law to approach a honu as photographed above – I used telephoto setting and stayed more than 10 feet away --  but nothing prohibits them from exploring us).

So Honu II checked out Beach Boy:



And then decided to head toward Hula Babe who chose to keep a good distance between us (thus the blurred photo):



Tonight Beach Boy and Hula Babe are  both sunburned; we couldn’t pull ourselves away from the lagoon once we saw Honu and Friend, but we are delighted to have seen these magical creatures again.  Hopefully we’ll have another encounter before our time here comes to an end.

Lotus: The Hotel. The position

Our first few nights in O’ahu were spent at The Lotus at Diamond Head, a hotel that we’d found on Jetsetter at a great rate.

The hotel turned out to be as great as the rate, with added bonuses of free morning coffee, free wine happy hours, free bikes (we didn’t use them) and. . .free yoga classes in Kapi’olani Park.

The tag line of our blog is, “Travel tales and tips to inform and inspire” so I decided that since I’d never taken a yoga class I would do so; write about it and inspire others to stretch (literally and figuratively) while traveling.

After all, I exercise regularly, so yoga couldn’t be that difficult, right?



I started having misgivings when Courtney, a young, slim, happy woman introduced herself as our instructor.  She's pictured above in the Lotus pose. There were five of us: two very tall men, and two women about my size.

The setting was incredible, the grass still covered with dew as we spread our mats to face Diamond Head.  And the first few stretches were easy. . .



I remember Courtney, saying something about being one with our bodies and then one with the universe.  At one point we extended our fingers in a prayer like motion and were to give thanks to whatever or whoever we wanted to thank, again I think I was supposed to be thinking universal thoughts but 30 minutes into this class, I was giving thanks for still standing upright!

I lifted with the left and grabbed with the right while facing one way but turning the opposite direction.  Remember the old game, Twister? Not quite as easy as I had thought. . .in fact, downright difficult.

But then the sun peaked around Diamond Head, and three birds sat on a branch above us cackling as they watched the crazy humans below. 

And then we were doing the final stretch. . .class ended.  I had made it! 

For two days afterward I couldn’t bend over to pick anything off the floor and bringing my coffee cup from the table to mouth hurt muscles, I didn’t know existed.

Yes, I had been one with my body, Hawaii and the universe. I did stretch. I’d do it again (but at Marriott Ko Olina those same classes are $27 so forget that! I’ll wait until I get home. . .or back to The Lotus.)

Inspired? Let me know what you’ve done thanks to travel that you wouldn’t have otherwise done.


NOTE:  Joel and Jackie are unable to access their regular email and Microsoft MSN is not cooperating in solving the problem. If you need to reach us in the near future please write to: travelnwrite@msn.com

 I’ve also been unable to respond to comments on the blog (the Hawaiian techno gods are against me) so thanks for the TP Thursday comments.

Traci, I am not sure which ship Sue will be on, if she lets me know I’ll post it, otherwise you might write celebrity cruise lines and ask.

TP Thursday: Seaside Serendipity

Hula Babe and Beach Boy (our noms de blog while in Hawaii) set out Monday afternoon to visit Honu, the sea turtle we’d happened upon last year at a nearby lagoon.  We were disappointed in not finding our old friend, but totally stunned to find a new treasure: a Hawaiian Monk Seal sunning herself at the lagoon.



What’s so amazing about our find is that there are fewer than 1,100 such wonderful creatures still alive; they are an endangered species on course to vanish in 30 – 50 years.

 

She had arrived on the beach Monday morning and the volunteer keeping watch over her said she’d likely swim away that night.  A rope barrier kept curious on-lookers from disturbing her slumber.



Sadly, the headlines have been reporting that three Hawaiian Monk Seals were killed recently; two on Molokai and one on Kauai – rewards are being offered for information leading to the criminals responsible for the deaths. The good news is that people like the volunteer are working to keep the seals safe.



Hawaii continues to provide us a new travel treasure with each visit – this one was priceless.

It is TP Thursday so head to Budget Travelers Sandbox for more photos and tales from around the world. Just click these photos to make them larger.

Diamond Head: Been there, done that!

  Hula Babe’s and Beach Boy’s Hawaiian adventures began by climbing Diamond Head. As we gazed out over the Pacific Ocean, the only thing we asked ourselves is, “Why did we wait so many years and visits to Hawaii to enjoy this trek?”

Thanks to Kim and Sue, who after reading last week’s post in which I pondered the possibility, encouraged us to ‘just do it!'Their encouragement moved it to the top of my Hawaiian ‘to do’ list.

And then there was our hotel...

Our first four days were spent in Diamond Head’s shadow, at the The Lotus at Diamond Head in a room that provided a postcard view of this decades-old symbol of Waikiki. It felt as if we could reach across Kapi’olani Park and caress its rough hewn sides.  We used binoculars to see the people way up at the very tiptop viewpoint (the point on the right in this photo).

So Friday the 13th we tackled Le-ahi, the other name for Diamond Head; a name given by the goddess Hi’aka because the summit resembles the lae (forehead)  of the ahi fish. . .or at least that is one of the stories told of its name.  Another is that it stands for the wreaths of fire lighted atop it to guide canoes to shore.

We walked from our hotel to the trail head in the midst of the crater of this 300,000 year-old volcano. Entry fees were a very reasonable $1 per person walk in.  Parking fees for those who chose to drive were also minimal.

The trail itself is less than a mile (1.3km) one way and the climb is 560feet (171m) from the crater floor.  The trail, built in 1908 as part of the U.S. Army’s Coastal Defense System, was originally used by those on foot and mules that hauled construction equipment up it. The surface was uneven in many places but secure handrails made it feel safe.  There were steep stairways and dark narrow tunnels – it might not be for everyone. 

 I admit there were a couple of times as I paused to drink water and suck air on the way up that I did wonder why I had been so hell bent on doing it. However we were joined by young and old; fit and fat - a testimony to its popularity. More than a million visit Diamond Head each year.

And then. . .the final flight of stairs and we were at the top. . .paradise literally surrounded us every direction we turned. The views were stunning.

I can hardly wait until next year! It might just have moved even higher on my “must not miss” list.