| My new life, so far... |
|
06 Mar 2009 |
Hawaii
Twenty-O-Seven, an Encore (September
2007) Big Island, Close Up & Personally My first visit to the Big Island... Chapter 10 |
FROM KONA (BIG ISLAND), HAWAII
(click on thumbnail images to enlarge)
Aloha, Farewell, Mahalo...
HAWAII, Sep 14 - And then it was time to leave. Sadly. For, the Big Island has been an amazing experience. And not just for me. The hotel staff, especially the three or four Fairmont concierges, have been also eagerly following these travelogues, day by day. Some of them said they have learned things from them they didn't know about their island. And all of them said they loved the pictures. But the credit for that goes to their home - the Big Island - an easy thing to photograph and write about, given its beauty and variety of landscapes.
As with most trips, this one has had its highs and lows. But unlike most trips, they were literal (altitude). Otherwise, every day has been an emotional high of a different kind and at a different level.
Some of the Fairmont staff (who were all great... the best hotel experience I've had in along time), asked me if they could use the travelogues to show prospective guests "how much fun the island can be." Of course, I agreed. But I warned them that others may prefer a more sedate vacation. Still, I suppose everyone can live vicariously and travel safely this way to the top of the world, and back down through the thickets of the desert - without having to feel lightheaded and short of breath at the top, or pick big thorns out of the soles of their shoes at the bottom. :-)
I also told my friends that holidays are what we make them. As is
the life at home, too. Full of high and lows, or just flat.
Our choice.
In short, it has been fascinating trip in many respects. Much more than meets the eye from the travelogues alone. You know what they about Las Vegas, "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?" Well, the same here. Not everything that happens on this island is fit for publication.
Let's just say that some such experiences may turn out to be life-altering. We'll see...
But there was one good omen, at least for those who may be superstitious. Let me introduce you to my new friend, Kermit...
...whom I photographed late last night here outside my dorm, oops... hotel suite. :-) He seemed to be waiting up for me on my last night to say goodbye and farewell, too.
They say that frogs bring good luck (see below).
| Some old superstitions about frogs... |
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A frog brings good luck to the house it enters. |
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Believed to be the souls of dead children |
| Frogs were used in love-magic. In one story, a girl, whose lover was untrue, stuck pins all over a living frog and then buried it. The young man suffered extreme pains and eventually returned to her. She dug up the frog and removed the pins, after which the young man stayed with her for life. |
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Touching a frog - infertility |
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Killing a frog - bad luck |
Whether or not frogs really bring good luck remains to be seen. Most of the time we have to make our own luck. And this has been one lucky trip for me.
So, aloha, farewell, mahalo... from Hawaii to one and all!
THE END
A Turtle Epilogue
But wait, "it ain't over till the fat lady sings," as they say. I thought I was done with this travelogue. But when I went to the beach at sunset to rinse out a slight knee wound (I hit a steering wheel in my convertible... I know, after coming through unscathed through those desert bike rides). And lo and behold, I found out that I wasn't alone...
How many sea turtles do you see here soaking in the sun's last rays? There was also one behind me, doing it solo, like an outcast. And here I was, excited on my day #3 to see one of them! :-)
And now, this IS the END.
