Farsighted Fly Girl

Sometimes, traveling can be as simple as mental transportation to a favorite spot. For me, nothing does that as quickly as food or music. I may be in blustery Chicago but my mind is in Kaua'i and Peru. That's because I just nibbled my way through a box of  buttery coconut-macadamia shortbread cookies accompanied by a tangy glass of chicha morada. I bought the cookies in Kaua'i and every bite conjured up memories of  tossing ocean waves and the aloha spirit. I apologize for not posting pix of the cookies, I gobbled them too fast for a photo op but the box is lovely, as you can see. Chicha morada i s a Peruvian drink made from purple corn, pineapple, lime juice, cinnamon and cloves. I drink gallons of it whenever I'm in a Peruvian restaurant and this time, I took a bottle home. It tastes sweet and zesty and purportedly contains more antioxidants than blueberries but the appeal for me is that it's a deep, lovely shade of purple.  ...

I was greeted with a variety of expressions when I visited Kaua'i. Besides the famous Aloha, which claims many layers of meaning, from hello to love, I learned that Hawaiians pour a lot of thought into saying hello. It's all about the Aloha spirit, which literally translates to sharing breath and being present in the essence of life. From younger Hawaiians, I heard, Pehea 'oe?  which means how are you or what's up?  I was also  honored with a traditional greeting of  gently pressing foreheads together, which threw me off guard initially. Now I understand that according to traditional Hawaiian beliefs, words and bones contain mana  or energy and spiritual power. The frontal bone of the forehead represents the true self and pressing your forehead against some else's opens the true self to each other. Most memorably, I was instructed in the Hawaiian "Shaka" greeting by the imitable Dickie Chang , above.  Dickie is a popular TV show host and a membe...

Kaua'i is an island that boasts several taste highlights that are a must for any visitor. You must try Hanalei poi, you must nibble a Pukka Dog and you must sample shave ice.  Now JoJo's is the place that will usually top shave ice lists or maybe Halo Halo but I didn't get a chance to go to either. Instead, I was advised to visit  Uncle's Shave Ice, a new treat shop in Koloa.  Shave ice might look like typical sno cone fodder but it's not. Good shave ice is literally shaved into a fluffy, snow like texture, it shouldn't be crunchy.  I tried an ice that was covered with my favorite lillikoi (passion fruit) fl as well as guava syrups. It literally melted on my tongue. The popular Hawaiian style is to fill the bottom of the ice cup with rich, macadamia nut ice cream but I nixed that. I figured I'd be overwhelmed by all the strong flavors. As it was, it took me hours to finish the heady fruity flavors of my shave ice. Yes, it melted but it was still tasty...

Kaua'i is a topographically diverse island filled with gorgeous canyons, lovely beaches and sweeping mountains. You have to experience all of these aspects to really get the complete picture of Kaua'i and one of the most adventurous options is to go mountain tubing. I love mountains and I love being in the water so mountain tubing sounded like a fun, if slightly scary excursion to try. I glimpsed the mountains looming over every place I visited on the island and I figured mountain tubing would be a much easier way to see them up close than hiking them. Kauai Backcountry features the only mountain tubing experience  on the gorgeous grounds of the former Lihue Plantation.  I not only gained upfront views of Kaua'i's  majestic mountains, I witnessed the expertise of the complex irrigation system of tunnels and flumes hand dug over a century ago. That's what I call an adventure. The tour starts with the tour guide outfitting passengers in headlamps, gloves...

In Kaua'i hula, like all aspects of traditional Hawaiian culture, is taken very seriously.  It's not about pretty costumes and elegant moves but about the meaning and purpose behind them. The colors, patterns and style of a dancer's adornments all reflect an aspect of their background and training. For instance, if a dancer is honoring Kane  who is symbolized by fresh water, they may wear colors and patterns that imitate water. During the Prince Kuhio Celebration, I was honored to learn how to make kupe'e, which are traditional wrist and ankle adornments that draw attention to graceful hand and feet movements. The process begins with asking permission from the god of hula before picking the plants. Depending on the hula, there are proper plants that should accompany the song. An array of plants were spread out on a table during the kupe'e workshop. Some plants offer wonderful aromas and some supply sounds. I selected the ones that were easiest to weave into ...

Kaua'i is filled with so much history and culture that it can feel overwhelming. If you can look past the stunning vistas and awesome natural wonders, you'll discover the rich heritage of the Hawaiian people. With 10 miles and 5 million years of history, I knew that hiking the Koloa Heritage Trail would be a highlight of my Kaua'i visit. The sites are scattered over the island so it actually took me three days to see most of the monuments. The first was Spouting Horn Park, above. Early Hawaiians called blowhole puhis  and an ancient legend chronicles the story of a giant lizard or mo'o  that got caught in the puhi , shooting waves skyward as he struggled to escape. You can see the start of the spouting water in the photo above. I biked to Prince Kuhio's Birthplace & Park, above.  The park is a lovely stretch of greenery accented with a pond and a bronze statue that marks Prince Kuhio's birthplace in Koloa. The Pa'u a Laka or Moir Gardens is celebra...

Purple has always been my favorite color. To me, everything looks and tastes better when it's purple. So I was thrilled to discover that two Hawaiian staples glow with  a lovely violet hue. Poi, or mashed taro root, plays a major part in any truly Hawaiian meal but the Hawaiian sweet potato, called uala, comes in a close second. Also referred to as the Okinawa sweet potato, I saw them grace tables mashed, in soups and my favorite, in a pie. Growing up, sweet potato pie was the finale for all holiday meals, which was of course, my favorite part. So imagine my excitement when I gazed at my beloved dessert drenched in a vibrant version of my favorite color. I almost forgot to eat it, I was so busy staring at it. The pie was covered in another Hawaiian favorite, haupia or coconut pudding. The flavor was smooth, delicate and only slightly sweet. Filled with antioxidants, Hawaiian  sweet potatoes pack a  powerful nutritional  punch with a low glycemic index and mo...

The essential element that really attracted me to Kaua'i was its history and culture. Not the legendary beauty. Not the cliffs and canyon.  As the oldest of Hawaii's islands, Kaua'i cradles the ancient legacy of Hawaiian culture and traditions and I felt compelled to discover it.  The annual Prince Kuhio Celebration, held every March in observance of Prince Kuhio day on March 26, provides one of the best ways to experience Hawaiian heritage personally. Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole Pi'ikoi  pictured above, was born in 1871 and was known as the people's prince. He worked to uphold Hawaiian rights and culture after the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown in 1883 . Prince Kuhio  was the first Hawaiian elected  to the the U.S. Congress and served  for 10 years. He also established the Hawaiian Home Commission, which preserved land for native Hawaiians. Although he died in 1922, Prince Kuhio's legacy of  preserving traditional Hawaiian practices ...

You can not visit Hawaii and not sample traditional foods like Kalua pig and poi.  Food holds a significant place in Hawaiian culture and if you haven't tasted any traditional dishes, then you haven't really been to Hawaii.  All luaus or feasts, will supply lots of both of these staples. At the Kaua'i Grand Hyatt Resort, I witnessed an 185-pound pig being carried out for the traditional ceremony, above. The pig was covered in ti l eaves and then wrapped in chicken wire before being buried in an imu  or pit.   Then it was roasted over hot coals for eight hours. The meat is  so tender and moist that it doesn't really need to be cut so the hosts simply pull it off the bone. They offered me a quick taste but since I don't eat meat, I couldn't venture into hog territory but I made up for it with my poi consumption. Poi i s pounded taro root that looks like a lovely lavender pudding, above. The lavender roll  was also made with taro. The taro plant is s...

There are a lot of things that you'll find all over Kaua'i. Rust-colored dirt, the  friendly spirit of Aloha and chickens. Chickens prance around the island like they own it and I guess when you consider their numbers and the centuries they have roamed the island, they sort of do. The scientific name is Polynesian waterfowl and they are prettier and more cocky than your average barnyard birds. It doesn't matter where you go, to the beach, a luau, a parking lot, you will see chickens. Or at least hear the insistent crowing of the roosters. You are advised not to bother them. After  I witnessed a gaggle of chickens crow and peck each other in a furious fight, flying into the air and landing on backs with sharp claws, I understood why. Sometimes you'll spot birds that aren't chickens. You have to keep your eyes peeled because the chickens are so plentiful that all other birds seem to just blend in with them. Except for peacocks. There's no way peacocks...

Just as you can't journey to New York and not sample a hot dog from a street vendor, you can't possibly visit Kauai and not eat a Puka Dog . It's a requirement. A Puka Dog is a Hawaiian style hot dog and trust me, it doesn't look or taste like any hot dog you've had before. It's a  grilled Polish sausage or a veggie dog cradled in a loaf of  toasted Hawaiian bread with a hole or "puka" punched into it. The bread is filled with a series of sauces that can make the experience alarmingly messy if you don't know how to handle it.  Fortunately, I was given detailed instructions on how to order and eat a Puka Dog. First of all, just because they suggest a slew of sauces, doesn't mean you have to order them. The first sauce offered is a garlic lemon sauce that I was cautioned to skip to avoid sauce overload. So I did. Next you choose from a series of seven tropical relishes, which is my favorite part. You can choose from an overwhelming selection...

I'm back and I'm overwhelmed. My experiences in Kauai has altered me on so many levels that I didn't know where to begin with my posts. It has  actually taken me a weeks just to mentally shift back from Kauai and more days to decide what would be my first account. In a week of cultural exploration and natural spectacles, there's a lot to choose. So I went with the most dramatic.  Waimea Canyon unfolds with such dazzling beauty that it literally snatches your breath away. It was a long, hour drive from the South Side of Kauai to the West Side, where the canyon stretches 14 miles long, one mile wide and 3,600 feet deep. I wasn't quite prepared when I faced these panoramas of crags and valley gorges, washed in shades of  emerald and russet. They don't call it the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" for nothing. I know these pix look like  re-touched post cards or professional shots but I took them with my little Cannon 495. There really isn't much c...

The red dirt of Kaua'i's gorgeous coastline will be clinging to my feet as I explore the culture and history of Hawaii's oldest island, courtesy of the Kaua'i Visitor's Bureau.  I'll be covering the Prince Kuhio Cultural Celebration, a week-long festival in honor of Hawaii's most beloved monarch, who was the last  royal heir to the throne at the beginning of the 20th century. I'll also hike through the valleys of the striking Napali Coast pictured above, as well as checking out the Waimea Valley (The Grand Canyon of the Pacific), endangered Hawaiian monk seals at Poipu Beach Park and tracing the Koloa Heritage Trail, including a volcanic cone and sacred heiaus or temples. A tour of the Hanapepe artist colony and mountain tubing will round out my schedule for next week. Stay tuned for posts about my Kaua'i adventures at the end of the month, aloha!