Hawaii, the Big Isle

      It is a long way down to the ocean on the dirt path below Captain Cook.  The locals put in a golf course now, erasing the beautiful wilderness of Captain Cook. It is challenging to the surfers to jump off the twenty foot lava outcropping into the crystal clear waters near Kealakekua Bay. It's worth it because of the huge reef offshore which forms the most beautiful waves you will ever see.          You must plan well.  Only at certain times, can you even see the break.  Sometimes it is at night or early morning.   

      Even then, one can only surf a few before the conditions change. You can hear the roar in the distance.  Blowouts are common so patience is the word for this adventure.
    Stealth wins the day along with camouflage and a desire to be close to Mother Ocean. You can smell her if you haven't killed your senses yet.  The ocean scenes are inspiring as you finally get wet.            

     Your timing must be spot on. It is always a leap of faith.  The ocean is relentless as it pounds the lava into a pink submissiveness.  One careless brush with the lava and you will be slashed and the day ruined.   Suddenly there is an opening.  You step off into oblivion.  Your eyes firmly fixed on the offshore breakers and the long paddle ahead.  This will be the best day of your life.
     I had been to the Big Island many times and even visited the Mauna Kea observatory during the Halley's comet transit sometime ago.  You line up and wait in the freezing cold. You get just a few seconds to look at this wonder before you are moved away. 

      Mark Twain was the writer who wrote about Halley's.  He was born on its arrival in our Solar System and died on the comets return. He planned the whole thing. I am not that lucky. 
       That was an interesting year. We sailed the Jaladuta to the Big Island and had the sails blown out in the Alenuihaha channel. We were stranded at the farm for a few months.  We celebrated the 200th year of Lord Caitanya's appearance the very same year as the comet so looking back in history you can see how great souls appear at these interesting times. 

      For that powerful celebration, many sadhus came to pay their respects and eat some prasadum. They were covered in ash to ward off mosquitoes and flies that constantly hover nearby, waiting for that opportunity to land.

        Not knowing about other religions and calling everything not Christian as evil is short sighted and very narrow minded.  Hinduism has been around longer than dirt.   If anything, one should respect the beliefs of others before calling everything a cult.  This is the most distressing thing about Christians.
         Lee and I went boar hunting in the great Ohia forests of the Big Isle.  We brought the dogs who gave chase and surrounded the sow making a bloody mess by chewing off its ears and tail. Lee finally put an end to this suffering with his.44 magnum pistol he carried. To me, this was not hunting but watching the dogs work.  I got to keep the boars teeth as a souvenir. Life is hard and then you die.

       Lee had provided a roof that catches rainfall for me to live under.  I hung my hammock and enjoyed my cold showers. One night I was awakened by the dogs and chickens causing a ruckus. Suddenly an huge earthquake came rumbling through the entire island.  I was on the slopes of Muana Loa volcano. This is the largest mountain on the face of the earth. Most of it is hidden underwater so it fools the senses.             Sheer mass is how a mountain is calculated. On top of it was a live volcano. The vents of Kiluea are the only visible evidence of this volcanic history.  The lava regularly flows into the ocean making a huge steam cloud.         

     When it flows you had better get out of its way.  It is unmerciful in its travels and very unpredictable in how it transverses the land. 
      Far below there is a huge caldera. It felt like the ceiling of this caldera fell in, it was so large.  The earthquake that followed this event was astonishing. My mind could scarcely grapple with the immense physics of such a thing.  

     My dreams were my only sanctuary those days.  Some of them were spiritual in a guiding sort of way. The devotee's Spiritual Masters appeared as guides.  Others were simply delightful about the way ocean creatures play. In my mind's eye, I saw a juvenile swordfish swimming with another juvenile dolphin.  

     They were eyeing each other and sharing a moment in time just like young kids often do. I once saw a tribe of dolphins in a continuous swim around the Big Island in a waking dream. What a wondrous sight.   Each event has a back story that I will include one day.