The Furies of Pele

The Town of Volcano...

I had been driving from Kona for over an hour and a half and while I was very hungry, I also didn't want to park my jeep at a restaurant with all of my luggage, computer and camera equipment anywhere where someone might be tempted to look, I decided to try my luck in the town of Volcano.

Its small and does not sport a 'down town' per se. I stopped at the local gas station village store adjoining a rather posh restaurant - and when I asked what the wonderful concoctions without a tag or a price were on the counter, the lady across the counter said "That lady over there just dropping off these egg rolls for us. You want to try one?". After a brief debate with the other staff it was determined that one was hamburger filled, and the other banana filled. I enjoyed one so much that the lady handed me another one. Truly these were the best egg rolls I've ever eaten - and I'm not saying that just because I was hungry. I didn't have to pay for either. This gift was truly heartwarming.

Its so amazing how the locals look after each other on this island. This island is providing me with abundance in its beauty, and in the hospitality of its people everywhere I go. Truly anything I think for, if I am conscious to the opportunities presented, the universe finds a way of giving it to me. The power of manifestation is alive and strong on this island.

Lady Pele...

After checking into my B&B earlier in the day, I decided to follow the origins of the Vog - a billowing white cloud towering over the skyline to the south. I drove to end of route 130 where Pele has been spewing her molten heat into the ocean. Because of the location tourists are not allowed to get anywhere close to where the lava enters the sea, and the path publicized in an island guide book (much to the chagrin of the officials) has now been permanently closed off due to 'hazards'.

Off in the distance you can see the smoke as lava blazes its way from the vent down the mountain side and into the sea. The path along which the lava is flowing is discernable from the rising steam along the mountain. The sulfurous small accompanied my journey to the vent which spews forth its deadly vog into the air.

The only way to see the red hot lava right now is to view it from a helicopter or a boat - both options currently unavailable to me.

Its amazing to see the fury of the lava as it explodes when meeting the water's edge. The large area of the ocean around the entry point is boiled a greenish tinge. Its fairly clear to see the effects of the magnitude of the power of the volcanic flow. I will have to make my way down here at night to see if a red glow can be captured on my camera.



Its hard to put what I saw into words. For now, suffice it to say that we as a race are a very small insignificant spec in the macrocosm of this world in comparison to true forces of nature that bring us the very ingredients for life. In our arrogance and egotism we attempt to claim, own, and pretend that we have power of the elemental forces that have provided us with the opportunity to live our small little lives out of the abundance of the planet. The very forces that have constructed the continents have been here long before, and will be here long after our species ceases to exist and don't need us at all for their magic game of creation, destruction, and renewal to continue. Its very amusing to see people peopling in their natural self-absorbed way in an attempt to claim the land as theirs.




The logic of the universe to grow us out of this planet is only as an expression of the nature which we are of - that is to say - an ultimate consciousness being capable of being in awe and praising the act of the universe universing is really all we are here to witness and take part in - and what an honor it is to do so when I take a moment to forget my petty complaints and just witness the awe of living.

Its amazing to see how plant life reasserts itself in the cooled lava and begins to break it down through the force of growing roots. Ferns seem to be the first unabashed terraformers in newly created land, followed by small shrubs and flowering bushes. To see the earth literally creating itself beneath one's feet, and the transformation of the raw mineral-rich life-ore into soil is a truly spiritual experience.







The Hilo Bay Cafe...

Dark marble bar, red votive candles, soft jazz music, and a grilled farm raised papaya chicken spinach and cucumber salad with papaya seed dressing. Some of the most tender chicken I've ever tasted. The ingredients so fresh. The Hilo Bay Cafe belies its name and shopping center location by sporting its rich menu of rather expensive utterly delectable earthly delights. Alas, I'm forced to be conservative in my ordering so as to be able to pay the rent :)

Tonight a trip to the natural foods market will allow me to cut down on food expenses as I now have a nice place to cook. Tomorrow I have work to keep me occupied and a garden full of flowers. - a giant lychee and passion fruit tree by the lenai. No doubt I'll be up at dawn courtesy of the chicken coup in the back yard.

I met a very interesting lady to worked at the natural foods market. She had moved from San Francisco area 4 years ago and asked how long I've been on the island. When I said I've now lived here for 2 weeks, she laughed loudly and reminisced on the time when she said she had lived here for 2 weeks. She told me all about her reasons for wanting to be on this side of the island and turned her nose up at Kona - "Everyone wants to go to Kona, what they don't realize is its dry and not as lush as Pahoa where I bought a small house with the money my dad left in his will". She welcomed me and told me quite randomly about the Hilo Bay Cafe - the other store clerk chimed in "All their food is organic and island grown". " Its one of the best restaurants on the Island but you'd never think it given its in the same shopping center as the Wal-Mart and Ross Dress for Less" the first lady went on to say. After brief introductions I bagged my groceries and proceeded to my B&B in Kurtistown.

The tree frogs are very loud this evening. At least I think they're tree frogs. I'll have to confirm tomorrow. Outside it is nearly deafening. Tomorrow I'll wake up to a cup of Folgers - apparently the best part of waking up - as I forgot to buy local coffee at the store.