Day 13
Up and out to Honaunau, There's a Hawaiian Cultural type festival today at this National Park Service site.
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We arrived around 10 and waited on line at the pavilion for a food tasting. Behind us was a very friendly woman who worked as a coffee picker (Kona Coffee, you know) and it was her first time at the festival despite the fact that it's been held here for 35 years. We chatted with her for a while and she told us how to eat poi.
At the food area we had several local favorites including dried octopus, crab legs (the small black guys you see scurrying on the rocks), semi dried beef (tasted like beef jerky but softer), breadfruit (dry and nasty), coconut pudding (good) and kalua pig (they saved the best for last). That was fun. After food, there were a bunch of activities. besides checking out the ancient site, Kristen made a lei for her wrist from scratch, a basket from palm leaves and a wooden fishhook. Jill also persuaded a guy to make Kristen a nose flute despite the fact that he was closing up shop. He was the ranger from the Volcanoes national Park the other day, now dressed in traditional garb. He took a lengh of bamboo and burned 4 holes clean through it in order to make the flute. Damn, but we still can't play it. |
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We also checked out the site, which was an ancient place of refuge and a sacred site. besides hosting numerous human sacrifices (none while we were there) the location was a place of refuge. If you broke a taboo, you could run here and get absolved for your crimes by a priest, and all was forgiven. But if they caught you first, they killed you. Must have been quite dramatic!
In Letters From Hawaii, Mark Twain writes of paying a local to take him here by canoe, and he tells the story of people getting caught and killed a few steps from the front door of the temple.
In Letters From Hawaii, Mark Twain writes of paying a local to take him here by canoe, and he tells the story of people getting caught and killed a few steps from the front door of the temple.
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Stopped by the Painted Church, which a Catholic priest had painted with colorful scenes, reminiscent of Europe, in the 1800s. He must have been bored but he did a nice job.
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After a fun time, we headed back north and stopped for a late lunch at the ALoha Angel Cafe south of Kona. When Jill realized how big the portions were she cancelled her order and just mooched off my nachos and Kristen's 1/2 pound burger. Good and overpriced as usual.
Then on to Kaloko-Honokohau, a one-staffer National Park Service property where we saw other amazingly recreated ancient structures and our first sea turtles (about 2-3 feet across.) Stopped in Safeway again on the way home for stuff we forgot yesterday. Day 14 >>> |
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