Sandy's travels

Yesterday, we drove up behind Keauhou shopping village to fill our drinking water bottles at a fill station. What a view from up there! Almost everyday there is a cruise ship anchored in the Kona Harbour. This huge ship in the top photo is the Pride of America. This ship can carry 2,146 passengers. She does 7 day around Hawaii cruises and is based in Honolulu. This ship was partially built in the USA, but due to a bankruptcy filed by her then owners, she was acquired by Norwegian Cruise Lines and hauled to Germany for completion where she was named and to sail under Norwegian Cruise lines in their new American division. She sort of dwarfs everything around her doesn't she? Following the coastline are various resorts or private properties surrounded by lush plantings and palm trees of one sort or another.

Thought I'd post a picture of a turmeric root. We had not seen this before, yet all the farmers markets offered them for sale. We finally asked about them to learn what they are. Turns out it is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial here in the tropics. It is a native of India and the dry powder is used extensively in Indian cooking. Healthwise it is an anti-inflammatory and may have benefits for various inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases, and arthritis. Some studies assert it's use in helping control various cancers and other diseases. Still, a great deal of study and professional consultations should be undertaken prior to using it, especially while taking prescription meds. One thing we found was drinking the ground and boiled rhizomes as a tea, it tends to react with certain drugs and can raise body heat so we stopped drinking it. The Farmers Markets are so interesting here. The best one is at Hilo, they get much more rain so everything gro

On Saturday we got up early to drive the Saddle Rd. Across the island between the two volcanos Moana Kea to the north and Moana Loa to the south. Older books caution about using this route, but it was a great highway with traffic speeds up to 55 mph. which is more than other highways about the Island (normally maximum 45 mph.). Moana Kea which you can see in the first photo has astronomical observatories at the top. It is recognized as the tallest mountain in the world if you take into account it's base at the bottom of the sea. Mt. Everest is 29,029 ft high while Moana Kea from its base on the ocean floor soars to over 33,000 ft. And is over one million years old. We could not take our rental car off road so a trip up to the observatory would have to be in four wheel drive vehicle should we wish to go there. One reason the observatory is on Moana Kea is that the air is ver dry and low in turbulence making for ideal sky watching. The second photo shows Moana Loa way off to

On a walk yesterday I happened upon this beautiful example of Angels trumpet.  The colour is decidedly light salmon with the inside of the flowers a shade darker.  I had a white one growing on my patio at one time but after the second winter in hibernation in my garage it died.  They really are a show stopper when you come upon them.  Last photo is our new little car which we will have until we leave here  on the 28 th of March . Sent from Sandy's iPad

Just along Ali'i Drive, beside (White Sands) Magic Sands Beach there is a parking area for the park.  I was standing watching the antics of the Spinner Dolphins who seem to show up in the same area every day, maybe a good feeding area, or perhaps they are drawn to the boats who bring folks out to snorkel and swim with them....who knows!  I tried my best to snap a picture of one when it was spinning in the air but they were quicker than my finger! I digress.....on the water side is a lava rock fence and what looks like rock platforms of some sort.  Signs have been put up indicating the area is historically significant to the Hawaiian people and someone has put up a hand painted sign....Kapu.  In other words, keep out!  I found the following on the internet which gives a little information about the meaning of Kapu...... Credit to: paulwaters.com/kapuhist.htm When one speaks of ancient Hawaiian culture, one of the first things to come to mind may be the "Kapu&quo

I have always had an interest in rocks, particularly geological rock formations. Here are some pictures of lava rocks. The first is but a piece of a larger slab, but you can clearly see the form the lava took, bending and folding as it cooled. In the second and third pictures which front along Ali'i Drive, you can see the original lava flow and someone has built these rock fences over and along the natural flow of the land. I've noticed a lot of these piled rock fences, even going off into scrub land, and some have been in place for a very long time. I can't seem to find information about who would have built them. I guess the old saying really applies here, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade, except here it would be use the lava rocks to best purpose!

Taking photos with my new camera means I can only send them to the blog more than one or two at a time by reducing their size. That being said, I will have to work on the remaining ones I took but thought I'd send this one of what I suspect is a strangler fig. I could be wrong but it's quite impressive anyway and it lives in the neighbors yard.

An interesting book was left here at the condo, possibly by a recent visitor prior to our arrival.  I started leafing through it and then found myself actually reading some of it.  It's one of those Hawaii Revealed publications with the authors comments and critiques and interesting information. One article that caught my eye was about the Parker Ranch which is a huge cattle ranch here on the big Island.  In the article it said that  most Hawaiian cattle are either flown by 747 to California or shipped by boat to Canada, then trucked to Texas to fatten for slaughter.  Why shipped to Canada you may wonder? This is because of a maritime law dating back to 1920 which basically says that it is illegal for a foreign built ship to sail from one US Harbour to another.  Still, it is cheaper to ship cattle to the mainland than to ship grains here to feed them!  I found an article online that talks about all of this if ou are interested in reading it. It is a bit longish. http://www.livest

Over the years of traveling, I've spent time on each of the other main Islands in the Hawaiian chain, Kauai, Maui and Oahu.  This is my first visit to the Big Island.  Each of the Islands seems to be a separate entity unto itself, with it's own lifestyle, climate and history. The Big Island is so very diverse in its climates and terrain.  I learned that there are in effect four main climatic. Zones with subzones under each category totaling ten distinct climate zones.  At the tops of both Moana Kea and Moana Loa the temperatures can drop down into the minus zones...I.e. -10 or so.  The peaks are zoned tundra.  In the temperate zone, mainly in the upper elevations running down the slopes of the volcanos, there is a summer-dry cool area and a summer-dry wet as well as a continuously wet area.  Once you get down closer to the ocean you reach the tropical zone consisting of four zones...continuously wet, winter-dry, summer-dry and monsoon.  lastly,the arid and semi arid zone whic

Yesterday we had to be out of the condo for several hours while the carpets were cleaned.  We caught the Hele On bus which was air conditioned and rode out to a mall where we wanted to have a look around.  That is to say, Joanne and I both looked around and both made a few purchases while Tracy manned a chair by the door and read.  We later wandered over to the Target store and then to the International Marketplace where we caught the trolley back to White Sands.  We had late lunch, early supper at the mall enjoying a hamburger from Island grown beef along with some fries.  Something we haven't had in awhile.  Our fat quota for the month!! When we returned,  the carpets were almost dry and the place smelled nice and fresh.  We donned bathing suits and headed off to the pool for a refreshing dip. Bert the gecko is becoming braver and braver now that he knows we won't try to grab him.  He is also becoming a tad demanding by showing up earlier and earlier for his orange juice!

Another lovely and warm day today so it being Monday, none of the markets are open and it seems to be a quiet day around here. I took these photos for Barb....looking up to the condo you will be in I believe! And second one is looking at the pool from where I was reclining!

Well, here I am again. We have been ill...all having a bronchitis thing happening but we are on the mend now. All you can really do sometimes is let it run it's course and just rest and wait. We haven't been anywhere the past while so I walked around the complex a bit and took a few photos of some of the flowers. I'm not sure of the name of the salmon pink in the first photo, perhaps not a native but the second photo is the flower stalk of what is called Shell Ginger. It's planted around the base of the building and attracts these huge black bees. Think twice the size of our bumble bees!!! Last photo is bougainvillea. So many colours.... and they are used as shrubs, constantly trimmed to form hedges, as fillers and trailers or just allowed to grow wild along roadside banks. It seems a lot of hue plants in Hawaii have been introduced and the bougainvillea itself originally came from Brazil.

I spotted this spider in first photo above spinning his weird web in the plants by the workshop at the back of the complex. That's him centre stage, but look at the funny zigzag pattern he has spun! In the middle is another of the beautiful hibiscus flowers growing below our unit. Huey also come in a variety of colours and shades and easily hybridize. Last one is my pal Bert who comes running if I set a glass of orange juice on the railing on the lanai! So curious.

Thought I had a photo of this in my photo roll but didn't. This is a picture from the internet of the Captain Cook monument . The bay is an excellent snorkeling place.

When we went on the Circle Island bus tour, our driver, a Hawaiian man told us about the Kanaka...south sea islanders, especially those from Hawaii who were taken to the Pacific Northwest to work and ultimately who married and settled in parts of BC, especially Salt Spring Island.  See the article below. http://saltspringarchives.com/kanaka/barb/timeline.html I'd asked my friend and distant cousin, Rocky Sampson about this and he agreed with what I've read and learned and related that his family can trace their lineage back to King Kamehameha the first.  Two articles I found talk about King Kamehameha: www.sacred-texts.com/pac/hhl15hhl/ . .htm. And.... Kamehameha I c. 1758-1819 Born at Kokoiki in North Kohala on the island of Hawai`i, Kamehameha descended from chiefs of Hawai`i and Maui. As a young man, he distinguished himself as a talented warrior and served his uncle Kalaniopu`u, ruler of several districts on the island. As part of Kalaniopu`u's retinue, Kamehameha met C

Just wanted to keep you all updated about us here! What's it like in your neighborhoods?