I just got back from a vacation in Hawaii so have a limited amount of time to write, but wanted to record a few observations from my time there.
—If you go, I think Kauai is a really good choice, at least for people like us. I suppose it depends on what you are going for. This is not the island of massive, beautiful beaches and the shopping is not high-end, but if you are looking for peace and serenity, beautiful, rugged scenery, and delightful, quiet towns, this is a good island. I have never been to any of the others, but this was a very good match for our temperaments.
—One disappointment is that whales are not as plentiful (or at least not as common to see) on Kauai as they are elsewhere. We heard that Maui is particularly fine for that purpose and may give that island a try next time.
—Try snorkeling. It's really quite easy to pick up and a great deal of fun. And once you have some basic and inexpensive equipment, it's free. We swam with all sorts of tropical fish and quite a few sea turtles, which is an amazing experience. However, you will want to get a good book if you haven't snorkeled before, and find a website that will tell you where it is and is not safe to snorkel on the day you go. If you go to a beach with a lifeguard, they really are very knowledgeable. There can be riptides and undertow, and these can change from day to day. Two great pieces of advice we got from the book we read: take a few minutes to stand on the beach to see how the current is flowing and see if there are other snorkelers out there and how they are doing.
—Standard sunscreen kills coral (who knew?). You must use zinc oxide based sunscreen if you are in the ocean around Hawaii. It also smells better, doesn't get in your eyes and make them sting, and is less toxic. I'm never going back to those old sunscreens.
—If you aren't made nervous by such things, try a helicopter ride. It really is amazing. We chose to go up in one with the doors off, but if you like the feeling of security, you can go with the doors on. This will limit your ability to take good photos, though. It's pretty pricey, but worth it to do at least once.
—I also would recommend the catamaran tours that are offered. In retrospect, it might have been nice to go on a snorkeling tour (more fish and clearer water when it's deep), but we were beginners and not sure we wanted to snorkel off a boat so soon. It probably would have been fine, but we had no way of knowing in advance.
—If you go to Kauai, take advantage of the fact that much of the island is either park land or rural. There are beautiful spots all over the island that are not in any guidebooks. We took a great hike on a beautiful trail in the central part of the island.
—We fell in love with Hanalei, a small town on the north end. Beautiful little shops, and the best lattes I had on my whole vacation.
—If you have heard that Kauai has a lot of feral chickens, you heard right. It's the only island with such a huge population of these because the mongoose has never spread there.
—Shave ice really is pretty amazing stuff. Pay extra and get the natural fruit syrups.
—Pineapple really is better there. It's not native to Hawaii, though (almost none of the food crops are). Apparently natives get peeved if you assume that pineapple was not brought to the island by white Europeans. In any case, though, it is amazing. And relatively cheap.
—It's true, everything is more expensive there. And, like almost anyone will tell you, if you hit Costco when you get into town and stock up, you will save a lot.
—We were staying on the north side of the island. There is nothing north of there until you get to Alaska, so the wind has nothing to slow it down. Especially in the winter, you can get sustained winds of 25-30 miles per hour fairly commonly. If blowing wind and crashing waves keep you awake, you might want to stay on the south side, which is much more sheltered. We loved it for the most part, but were glad to be out of it by the time we left.
And there is nothing quite like a vacation to remind me that I live my life far too much in a doing mode rather than a being mode. I cannot imagine what it is that I accomplish with all of my busyness that justifies the anxiety I put myself through to get there. I am going to try to bring into my daily life some of that relaxed spirit that permeates the islands and soaked into me during my stay there. Yes, I know, there is much to be done. And there is much to be concerned about in our screwed up world (and particularly this strange nation of ours just now). But I have yet to find that my anxious urge to get things done has any perceptible effect on either the world at large or even the manageability of my immediate environment. I need the basics (food, water, shelter and all that), but what is all of the rest of this stuff about? I'm not at all sure it's about anything that truly matters.
What the Buddha was trying to tell us, it seems to me, is that struggling is never fruitful, whether it be struggling to keep what is good or to avoid what is bad. Yes, we can control some of the outcomes of our lives, but how much, really? I must do what I can with the time I have and simply leave the rest alone. I have been living far too much of my life aspirationally, ignoring the present joy in favor of some future goal. Even the goal of enlightenment is rather missing the point. A goal can either be accomplished or failed at; enlightenment, if it were to come, would come from allowing rather than seeking.
—If you go, I think Kauai is a really good choice, at least for people like us. I suppose it depends on what you are going for. This is not the island of massive, beautiful beaches and the shopping is not high-end, but if you are looking for peace and serenity, beautiful, rugged scenery, and delightful, quiet towns, this is a good island. I have never been to any of the others, but this was a very good match for our temperaments.
—One disappointment is that whales are not as plentiful (or at least not as common to see) on Kauai as they are elsewhere. We heard that Maui is particularly fine for that purpose and may give that island a try next time.
—Try snorkeling. It's really quite easy to pick up and a great deal of fun. And once you have some basic and inexpensive equipment, it's free. We swam with all sorts of tropical fish and quite a few sea turtles, which is an amazing experience. However, you will want to get a good book if you haven't snorkeled before, and find a website that will tell you where it is and is not safe to snorkel on the day you go. If you go to a beach with a lifeguard, they really are very knowledgeable. There can be riptides and undertow, and these can change from day to day. Two great pieces of advice we got from the book we read: take a few minutes to stand on the beach to see how the current is flowing and see if there are other snorkelers out there and how they are doing.
—Standard sunscreen kills coral (who knew?). You must use zinc oxide based sunscreen if you are in the ocean around Hawaii. It also smells better, doesn't get in your eyes and make them sting, and is less toxic. I'm never going back to those old sunscreens.
—If you aren't made nervous by such things, try a helicopter ride. It really is amazing. We chose to go up in one with the doors off, but if you like the feeling of security, you can go with the doors on. This will limit your ability to take good photos, though. It's pretty pricey, but worth it to do at least once.—I also would recommend the catamaran tours that are offered. In retrospect, it might have been nice to go on a snorkeling tour (more fish and clearer water when it's deep), but we were beginners and not sure we wanted to snorkel off a boat so soon. It probably would have been fine, but we had no way of knowing in advance.
—If you go to Kauai, take advantage of the fact that much of the island is either park land or rural. There are beautiful spots all over the island that are not in any guidebooks. We took a great hike on a beautiful trail in the central part of the island.
—We fell in love with Hanalei, a small town on the north end. Beautiful little shops, and the best lattes I had on my whole vacation.
—If you have heard that Kauai has a lot of feral chickens, you heard right. It's the only island with such a huge population of these because the mongoose has never spread there.—Shave ice really is pretty amazing stuff. Pay extra and get the natural fruit syrups.
—Pineapple really is better there. It's not native to Hawaii, though (almost none of the food crops are). Apparently natives get peeved if you assume that pineapple was not brought to the island by white Europeans. In any case, though, it is amazing. And relatively cheap.
—It's true, everything is more expensive there. And, like almost anyone will tell you, if you hit Costco when you get into town and stock up, you will save a lot.
—We were staying on the north side of the island. There is nothing north of there until you get to Alaska, so the wind has nothing to slow it down. Especially in the winter, you can get sustained winds of 25-30 miles per hour fairly commonly. If blowing wind and crashing waves keep you awake, you might want to stay on the south side, which is much more sheltered. We loved it for the most part, but were glad to be out of it by the time we left.
And there is nothing quite like a vacation to remind me that I live my life far too much in a doing mode rather than a being mode. I cannot imagine what it is that I accomplish with all of my busyness that justifies the anxiety I put myself through to get there. I am going to try to bring into my daily life some of that relaxed spirit that permeates the islands and soaked into me during my stay there. Yes, I know, there is much to be done. And there is much to be concerned about in our screwed up world (and particularly this strange nation of ours just now). But I have yet to find that my anxious urge to get things done has any perceptible effect on either the world at large or even the manageability of my immediate environment. I need the basics (food, water, shelter and all that), but what is all of the rest of this stuff about? I'm not at all sure it's about anything that truly matters.
What the Buddha was trying to tell us, it seems to me, is that struggling is never fruitful, whether it be struggling to keep what is good or to avoid what is bad. Yes, we can control some of the outcomes of our lives, but how much, really? I must do what I can with the time I have and simply leave the rest alone. I have been living far too much of my life aspirationally, ignoring the present joy in favor of some future goal. Even the goal of enlightenment is rather missing the point. A goal can either be accomplished or failed at; enlightenment, if it were to come, would come from allowing rather than seeking.
(All of the photographs here are from the trip and taken by me).
