2012 - OAHU & MOLOKA'I, HAWAII

If any of you have never read Hawaii by James Michener, you have missed a treat. A wonderful book. Part of it talks of the Leper Colony on Moloka'i. My friend Peter who lives on Kuaii told me you can fly to Moloka'i and take a donkey ride down to Kalaupapa, so I thought I would take advantage of my kind nephew's offer to loan me his apartment & visit.

My nephew Ken lives near Koko Head on Oahu Hawaii. Turn left at the second volcano after passing Waikiki beach. If you get wet, you have gone too far.

But first I have to get there..

I head out of Ottawa where it is unsurprisingly veeeeeery cold...

And arrive at Ken's place in Hawaii Kai, in time for rush hour...

Next day I went for a walk to get some breakfast and saw this lady doing the doggy paddle..

After breakfast I was wandering around and came across a marine supply shop that was offering scuba diving trips. I do not scuba but enquired if they would let me tag along with them anyway. This was fine by them, & they gave me a price of something like 20 dollars for a morning out on the ocean.

We pass Koko Head, which my nephew tells me he runs up and down a couple of time a day!!! A likely story..

Don't recall what this is called but it looks great fun...

The boat stops for people to get their gear on and get wet. Someone throws a bit of bait in the water to attract a few fish & my mind wonders if there are any sharks around here who might be hungry. Maybe go out for a Chinese, dear. Or Korean?

Is that someone drowning? No silly boy - it's a Turtle..

One guest, an Australian girl, got quite ill while in the water & the crew got another boat out to take her ashore,.

We headed back to shore after a very pleasant, inexpensive mornig

THE NEXT DAY

FLYING TO MOLOKA'I

I met my friend Baki who lives here and set off from the civil aviation airport. I forget what this trip cost but it was worth it just for th flight there and back.
You'll see why..

TRAVELLING OVER DIAMOND HEAD....

I must walk up that one of these years.

Over Ken's apartment & Koko Head

before landing at Kalaupapa

Our plane parked by the gate...

Not our plane...

We board our bus. I had chickened out about taking the donkey ride down. I forget the ins & outs but there is some rule here that you cannot just stroll into Kalaupapa. You have to be invited. We were 'invited', I think, by the bus driver. I might have that wrong but it's something like it.

We had a rest while waiting for these people who did do the ride. They enjoyed it but I do not think they were looking forward to the ride back up

Had a quick chat with this nun. Her order have been involved with Kalaupapa since it's inception I think. She was just bubbling about the fact that one of the original nuns who came here, Mother Marianne, is about to be made a Saint by the Catholic church.

Imagine that. Your boss is a Saint! Not too many people who can make that claim.
Except you - Lucie.

The group is all now assembled so we started our tour of the island

Father Damien who gets mentioned in the Michener book, with a buddy....

You might not want to peer too closely at this next photo. It is a photo of a photo of some of the people who had Leprosy

Not a bad photo by any means & it is on public display after all, but take care

We stopped at a book shop & the guide recommended this. On the way home I bought it at the airport or thought I did. Same title, different author. I will remember the other guy soon. It's a fictional account of one persons life on the island & if you feel like a good cry, read it.
A Great book.

Alan Brennert - that's his name.

And that's it for Moloka'i - It's hard to put into words what it's like here but it is very sobering. Leprosy has such a long history & almost overnight it was gone. Someone found a drug & poof - no more. It is still in the world of course but curable. The deformities do not revert though.

Steve

One last look at Diamond Head as we fly past. Or is that Koko Head?