I'm up at 7am in the morning and attempt to get this blog done & put into words the experiences we have had here, there has been so many. Well what can we tell you about the Islands first?
Well they are one of the most spiritual places that we have visited in our life time. The islands themselves have different energies but you can actually FEEL the energy from the lands. The islands go way back with their people well before Captain Cook discovered them and most questions asked is where did the Hawaiian people come from? It appears that they were mostly from Polynesia but then people from Tahiti came and changes were made. The Japanese and Chinese followed and there is even a link with the Aborigines and Maui’s. Once Captain Cook had come here more white people followed bringing with them Christianity and this is when Hawaii and their traditions started to change. Now today all these people live together with a large community of American and Mexicans too. The Hawaiian people are trying to keep what is left of their traditions with Hula, Lomi Lomi and preserving Sacred sites whereby their people can go and honor their ancestors and the land. We can understand why, the islands feel very sacred and almost alive with information and experiences. If you think or want for information of some kind you almost get the answer in some way shape or form from a book to a person to an event and it is almost immediately. When you sit and meditate in some places you find yourself so totally relaxed and again being given guidance or information too. As for dreams go, well my dreams have become more prolific now.
Big Island was the first one we came to, one of the largest and not so developed as Maui or Honolulu. The island itself is such a great mixture of scenery from the active Volcano which oozes its lava into the sea and glows and sends a VOG (a volcanic smog) over parts of the land. The dried out Lava fields stretch for miles over most of the island into the sandy bays that offer you white and black beaches. In the north there are no lava fields but you have the rainforests and the waterfalls with lush green trees and foliage that cascades down in to deep valleys. The great Pacific ocean spreads for miles and you come to realize that this island is the most remote from any mainland, 6 hours by flight to San Fran or Los A being the nearest. For me I honor it completely and in some way fear it a little as the waves and currants are really strong. At times the waves are so strong that they come crashing down and take your breath away, brilliant for surfers and there is great snorkeling here too. One of the main attractions though are the dolphins, they come into the bays and people gather from 7am every day to either swim or kayak out to them. Craig went out quite far one of these days to swim with them, they were swimming all around him beaming their spiritual light into him,. it was the best experience so far on his trip and possibly one of his most magical and spiritual experiences ever.. I did swim out also, getting further into the deep blue sea, meeting my fear head on so I was pleased that I was close up to see them but I would recommend a wet suit to wear as it can get really cold after a while. The sea also offers you Whales, Turtles and many species of fish with Tiger Shark thrown into the mix. The turtles are lovely creatures they pull themselves onto the warm sand to rest and sunbathe just like us and most people are good and leave them alone as it should be.
We have found that people here are very friendly and we have made some wonderful friends along the way. First our Beverly whom we stayed with here on Big Island we have been to so many beautiful places with her, camped overnight in a deep valley, which was amazing. We took with us her dog a Rockwilder called Tasha whom when it rained at night decided to push her massive body into our tent and then to let loose her extra air shall we say! Now I am not sure if any of you have ever been in a tent with such a dog doing this but we can assure you that it is not one of the most pleasant experiences we have had but one of the funniest. She was completely unashamed of her bodily functions and did not quite understand why we pushed her out into the forest but we are sure you will!! Beverly's house stands high up on a hilltop with jungle plants all around her property, from her lanai (balcony) you can see the ocean in the distance with outstanding views of sunsets. Trees with Papaya, Avocado and Bananas are in her garden which you pick and eat and she also has a small farm where coffee is grown. Craig and I had never seen coffee grown let alone picked it so when we picked it for Beverly it was a new experience for us even though we were quite slow at it! We have made a wonderful friendship with her and have been blessed to have met her and spent time together.
We discovered that Big Island has many spiritual workshops, gatherings, meditation groups etc going on that you can do something every day if you so wish. Know one bats an eyelid to any esoteric activity you may mention, everyone is open minded and keen to offer information and help. We have been most lucky to network easily into the groups here and we are known as the 'English couple' maybe a sort of 'Posh and Beck’s' of Hawaii but without the dosh of course. We decided to attend Q Gung classes with Nadia Po another lovely lady who has also become our friend, she introduced us to so many people and events that helped us with our work. We also met a lady called Elizabeth who lives her life in a shamanic way and makes drums, rattles and all kinds of beautiful objects which she sells in her shop. She has wise words and I had the opportunity to make another drum with her and Craig to repair his drum. It was a great time to share our teachings together and stories and again make a sincere friendship too. Some of the places we visited was Waipi'o Valley (valley of the kings) a very sacred place worshipped for their Hawaiian gods. Wai referrers to cycle of water and Poi the main staple diet of food from the kalo root which has supplied food throughout the islands for centuries. The walk down from the cliff is 2000 feet high and draped by many waterfalls, it is breathtaking and once you get to the bottom there are wild horse, black beaches, ancient fishponds with large boulders.
In kona there is the Paleaku Gardens a Peace Sanctuary of Botanical gardens with mediation rooms, walks and spiritual healing areas together with 2 Tibetan Sand Mandela Paintings. It is a wonderful place to sit outside with your lunch and be peaceful and quiet. The Big Island also offers you many waterfalls in lush jungle and the opportunity to view the volcano from above from a lookout. Another place is the Place of Refuge many years ago this was a place where vanquished warriors or people who had offended the gods came for a place of safety. This has been restored now and you can walk around the sacred site which takes you around a bay with wonderful views. Whilst we were on Big Island we also we lucky to attend some healing events with a person called Braco. He has been labeled a healer although he does not like to think of himself as one but because of his gift he has helped so many people here in Hawaii, US, Germany, Croatia where he lives./ Craig’s turn
Hi all xx
Braco is labeled a miracle healer, "yes that’s not easy to swallow" we didn't pay too much attention to it when we first
heard about him, but when many people were excited about him coming here & telling us, he is a big deal, you must go & see him! We thought lets look him up on the internet & see what all the fuss is about. Yes we found out he is a big deal, he see's up to 10 thousand people a day in Croatia!! How can he see that many people a day, I here you ask, The audience of people stand in rows & Braco walks up to a platform & looks at each person & heals through his gaze, it was still hard to imagine how the healing took place. So off we went & had our first gazing session, the energy in the room was very much alive, we came out feeling very bubbly & loving. Braco has 5 to 6 healing sessions a day here, lasting about 10 min for a room of 150 people. Next day our second gazing session & WOW did we get the bigger picture of what this is all about. As he looked at me I was struck on the forehead with this energy that’s hard to explain, my eye sight went blurry & he looked all golden, it was an overwhelming feeling of pure love & healing. When looking into his eyes this time I didn't see Braco I connected to something beyond our comprehension, something of such pure love which feels very familiar & profound. When his gaze went to another person I was left in this emotional daze, a disbelief of what just happened. As there wasn't a vast crowd he looks at each person a second time, so when his gaze came to me it happened all over again, I felt so blessed to have had such an experience. There are so many stories of people healed from cancer, heart problems, others being able to hear / walk without aid & so on, the list is endless.
Gale mentioned swimming with the dolphins, this also was a magical experience, jumping in the car, driving to a bay 10 min away at 7am, swimming out to the dolphins, it reminded me of a guy talking about a world war 1 air dog fight, This is when one minute he is in the midst of a battle and the next everyone has gone. So with me it was 'one minute I'm swimming with people & dolphins the next I look up & I'm completely on my own with nothing around!' where did they all go? The feeling of swimming with them in their own environment is magical, you can play games with them too, you have big leaves from trees, swim down a few meters leaving a leaf 1 meter apart hanging in the water, then from know where a dolphin will come along & take one on its flipper! Some times you will be hanging around waiting for one to take a leaf but nothing, so I'll swim over to grab the leaf myself, then woosh the dolphin zooms by & grabs it before I can. You can imagine these are not the sort of experiences I get in Addlestone :-) (I have a video that a local guy took & ill try to post it with the pic's) Hawaii for us has been so amazing on many levels, I don't think we would have had hardly any of these experiences without staying here this length of time, we put a lot of effort into net working with people & being open to different beliefs. The local boys are really friendly & quite funny, some don't give a second thought of wearing a lei of flowers around their neck or dancing the hula & others have that street talk even when serving in a restaurant. Gale & I were finishing a meal & this young waiter came over, Gale said to him "I was really hungry & I've managed to eat everything" he replied "YEH MAN YOU NAILED IT" it was so funny coming from a waiter!
At Beverly's place I loved the fact you could stand outside on the balcony, watching the incredible sun set over the ocean with a cup of tea, listening to the birds singing & the dam roosters for that matter! Her house in on the mountain so its elevated & the balcony is at the same level as the tree tops. There are so many different birds flying around & bathing in the small water feature, some bathe whilst others look out for any predators. We had a hawk in the tree at the back of the house, but he was there because of the chickens, one had small chicks & the hawk wanted them, he was so bold, walking on the ground with me watching him, the mother running at him with her wings flapping, screeching but he stood his ground & wanted one of the chicks but I scared him off. One day Beverly & Ralph were talking in the garden & the hawk dropped out of the tree right in front of them grabbed a chick & flew back into the tree!
Gale & I got a bit addicted to the coffee here as its such a big thing, which sent me off the rails at times, all gittery hyperactive babbling mess, so many people grow it here & its "probably the best coffee........ in..... the..... world" ( Heineken advert said in a Jeremy Clarkson voice ) I must admit the American's can't make a cappuccino if their life depended on it. The cappuccino award without doubt is the South African's, The Cape Town Cappuccino Kings, hot strong coffee, creamy smooth swirling froth with a chocolate sprinkle mmmmmm, we never have a bad one there. There is so many coffee cafes / bars / farms etc here, so after a swim at the bay, pop into a cafe` & grab a latte which is the closest you will get to a cappuccino & a cake, take it to a scenic point with a book, lovely just what the doctor ordered. The last time we went traveling I lost about 3/4st in weight, this time I stuffed myself with cake in Argentina, breakfast, lunch & dinner, stuffed myself with cake, coffee & donuts in Cape Town & US. In Hawaii you can't walk anywhere as there are no pavements so we are sat in the car the whole time, not burning off the latte, pumpkin pies, cake, biscuits, chocolate, burgers, chips, macaroni mayo salad........................................................... ( and this is what Craig eats)!
OK now both of us will do the writing. The one thing we had to adapt to was time, getting up and going to bed. In Argentina know-one eats till 9pm in the evening and the place is buzzing, here in Hawaii by 9pm everyone is in bed! People tend to get up early and eat no later than 6pm and we were hard pushed to find anything open after 9pm. We spent a lot of time chatting with Beverly or Craig eating as usual and getting up early! After 7 weeks on Big Island we said our farewells and caught the plane to Honolulu which was the smallest jet we had ever been on which sat around 50 people. Then we had to catch a plane from Honolulu to sleepy Molokai Island with a population of 7,400 people. When we looked at the plane ticket it said the aircraft 'cessnor' I heard Justin saying that he flew a cessnor, just how big was our plane?! We were taken outside to the tarmac by the pilot and given our seat numbers 7 & 8 and lo and behold there stood the smallest aircraft in the world for paying passengers. Gale went into a slight panic wondering how high it was going to fly with our luggage, she should of seen the light when they asked to weigh her and I at check-in. All 8 passengers boarded and after a little shuffle we were up and away with a few shaky moments in the air. We must admit it was beautiful to see the ocean and the island ahead from 5000 feet with the sun shining in the sky.
Molokai is the old Hawaii, not much has changed over the years, there is one main hotel a few eating places, 2 petrol garages, a bookshop, libary and a bank. There is a few other stores in the main town and one main highway road leads right through the island from West to East. There are no stop lights on the island and very few vehicles which you do get used to and NO ROAD CAMERAS!!!! The island itself is very pretty with rich russet earth and there is a beach near where we are staying that is over 3 miles long. The earth has mixed with the sand and there are boulders and rocks along the coastline which are beautiful to look at. As like Big Island the energy is very strong but different, for me when I sat on the beach I felt the beauty of the earth and all that it is which moved me to tears. I cannot explain why or how but it felt so peaceful with blissfulness that I have never felt before. After only 1 day Craig and I met some Hawaiian people and we went to their home and sat and spoke about Hawaii and story for over 3 hours. This we did not experience on Big Island as there are more Hawaiian people here who want to keep the development out and stay loyal to their heritage and traditions. We can understand this as there are not many places on this earth which has not been developed by western society. In just a few hours with Aunty Snooky and her husband we came to learn more about Hawaiian spirituality and its teachings. There is also another man called Lawrence who we have met and his lineage goes back many years to Aunties and Uncles that taught and healed people in a holistic way. Hula the dance is in itself a spiritual practice and is taught in the old way here on the island. There are some lovely places to walk and hike too and sometimes we only meet one other person on our travels. We are going to spend some time in the east side of the island for the last 10 days of our stay where there are beautiful waterfalls and jungle walks and we will be staying with a Kahuna (Hawaiian Shaman) called Lawrence, he has some beautiful land in a valley with a large stream going through it, we are there to learn more teachings
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Our 90 day visa is up at the end of January so we are now making plans for our next adventure. Keep listening and looking out for the next blog. We will finish this wonderful Hawaiian message with Ho'o pai pai o ke nalu meaning We encircle you with Aloha Blessings xx
