Beauty and the Beast on the Kona side of Hawaii

While we were on the main island (Hawaii) we stayed in two Bed and Breakfasts. The first one was on the Kona side close to Captain Cook. It was beautiful and especially comfortable.


Total relaxation. "However they make me take off my shoes."
As you can see the yard was huge, fantastic and very Hawaiian.

We visited a National Historical Park called Pu'uhonua Honaunau, seriously that's it! Anciently it was the home of the Royal Chiefs in the Kona District. No palace just several thatched buildings within a coconut grove on the beach. It was only to be used by royalty and staff. A common person could not look at or get close to the chief, touch his possessions or even let his shadow fall on the royal grounds. There are a couple of wooden images in the water that warn people that this is royal beach. The penalty for such contact was death.

The kinder side of the story had to do with the other half of the park. In English it is called The Place of Refuge. A massive stone wall that was built in the 1500s divides the Refuge from the Royal Grounds.

The "kapu" was a long list of restrictions and the penalty for breaking one of them was always death. If you were a person that had broken one of the rules of social behavior (the Kapu), which in addition to the no contact with the royals included things like women could not eat with men. They also couldn't prepare the food for men, how about that? The Refuge was a sanctuary that gave people a second chance. No blood could be shed within its confines. People who had broken a "Kapu," or other law if they could get to this place of refuge the priest would perform a ceremony of absolution and the offender could return home safely.



Well that is enough for today.

Escape from snow - Hawaii

Santa Claus brought a trip to Hawaii for Marvin and I for Christmas. Such a smart man!!!

We spent three days on Oahu saw the Sea Life Park (It is much like Sea World in California),


went to the Polynesian Center where we attended an authentic Luau (pig in the pit and all)


and took an excursion out on the ocean to do some snorkeling and to see whales and dolphins. We did see several whales and a large group of Spinner Dolphins that performed for us like they had been trained to dance. The snorkeling was the very best.



Beautiful sunset off the western coast of Hawaii - the Big Island our next stop.

Response to tagging from my daughter ;)

For years I have enjoyed reading about English history. That is one of the things that made the trip to England so enjoyable. Recently I have found a new book by Philippa Gregory called The Other Queen. It is the author's idea of what happened to Mary Queen of Scots. The author has a very extensive bibliography at the end and seems to have done some good research but it is admittedly fiction when history failed to share the needed information.

Page 56 "We are all growing afraid of Cecil's knowledge, of Cecil's network of intelligencers, of Cecil's growing silent power.
"This is between the two of us, I say quietly. I glance around to see that no one is in earshot. It is amazing to me that I, England's greatest earl, and Howard, England's only duke, should fear eavesdroppers. But so it is. This is what England has become in this tenth year of Elizabeth's reign: a place where a man is afraid of his own shadow. And in these last ten years, my England seems to have filled with shadows."

Does it sound very different from today?