Revisiting Lihue, Kaua’i Island, Hawaii/Carlos Pueblo

Revisiting Lihue, Kaua’I Island, Hawaii/Carlos Pueblo

Cruise ship arrived at Nawiliwili Bay in the mid-morning, we attended a

group review of the island presented by the cruise ambassador to Hawaii

and a one hour private tour of the ship guided by cruise next manager,

then went to a lovely beach in front of a Marriott resort hotel. In 2008, we

stayed at the Grand Hyatt at Poipu where it was inconvenient for us to

revisit without a vehicle. The ambassador described the island scenery and

I remembered vividly the water fall, small river, taro field, and highway end

dry/wet caves where we passed by sailing of the famous Na Pali Coast the

following day back to O’ahu Island.

People recognize the Grand Hyatt, yet when I mention Shinseki and the stone

Lantern, nobody responses. Shiniseki is an U.S. Army general which I admire

very much is from Lihue, Kaua’i. Kapa’a Stone Lantern is a monument built in

1915 to commemorate Japanese-Russia War in 1905 and Emperor Taisho’s

ascension to the throne in 1912, buried to the ground in 1943 due to the WWII

anti-Japanese sentiment. Discovered in 1972 and moved to Kapa’a Beach Park in

1987. I was there in 2008 to read all the description and remembered the story.

Kapa’a is north of the Wailua River, a small creek side river must be full of wild eels.

General Shinseki caught my attention during the second Iraqi war during a senate

hearing while he as a witness to testify that the invasion force number should be

much higher and was dismissed.

We stayed at a bench under palm trees in front of a lovely beach, Marriott was

just behind us. Later, we went inside the resort hotel shops to visit. This is a Lihue

at large suburban area with a lot of shops for tourists. I enjoyed very much of an

art gallery of a Filipino artist with a couple of sea wave hit the shore scenery later

I understood while the cruise passing by the Na Pali Coast on the northern side of

Kaua’i.

Another couple cancelled the appointment to have a behind scene tour of the ship;

therefore, we were the only couple a private tour. Lauren, the cruise next manager,

took us to view under deck 4 facility including laundry area, bakery, kitchen, pantry,

dormitory, and theater dressing room etc. It was very interesting and a little bit different

from the Epic tour. I didn’t have a chance to ask the butcher about the roast pig actually

was presented on that night at the Buffet, I missed my roast pig head. 

Visiting Kona, Hawaii Island/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Kona, Hawaii Island/Carlos Pueblo

Cruise ship moves to the southwest side of the Big Island, Kona

the dry side or I guess it means flour in Japanese language. Kona is

famous for its clear sapphire sea water best for snorkeling to view

the underwater kingdom. We took the lifeboat tender to shore for

a morning walk down the beach front shopping street. We had visited

several places such as the old king’s residence now a museum, two nice

churches, a farmers’ market, several pearl shops, and of course many

restaurants. There were some activities on the sea, for instances, we saw

a civilian submarine, snorkeling, boat towing flying parachute like kite, and

some fiestas near the dock of tender.

My cruise strategy is simple mathematics that I only pay for the cruise fare

and mandatory tips; therefore, I can go more cruises in the future. I don’t

believe that land excursion and restaurant are good ideas. Most of traveling

is looking around of the old town and enjoying sightseeing of different culture.

Luckily, I have had some opportunity to revisit places such as Hawaii, England,

France, Germany, and many American cities. Kona becomes an attractive tourists

town and with many timeshare projects. There are all kinds of visitors from air

not just from the cruise. Farmers’ market is better organized than the one at Hilo

yet with more shoppers. Amy bought a pound of longan, a tropical fruit popular in

Taiwan. I was chatting with a lady owner of a pearl shop while she was looking around

for purchase.  I asked the lady owner again for portea, a transplant from South Africa,

and I received a much clear answer from a flowering expert. She said that the flower

season should be in the spring and the growing area should be a little bit higher. I had

had a very good impression when I first visit Maui some 20 years ago. At that time, our

neighbor supermarket carried such flower at its floral shop and Maui nursery could ship

the product oversea timely.

Kona is not that big as Hilo; however, we still can view the development up to the hill

side with a population of 11,000.  

Visiting Hilo, Hawaii Island/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Hilo, Hawaii Island/Carlos Pueblo

The cruise ship left Kahului, Maui Island, and sailed to Hilo, Hawaii Island,

the big Island. I have been to Hawaii several times yet never been to the

big Island before this trip, a sorry regret. Hilo, I think that is a Japanese

name for a wild goose or very broad and big, is the second large town of

Hawaii Islands just next to Honolulu, with almost 44,000 residents in the

neighborhood which has not yet incorporated as a township or city. In

the May Lei Day of 2011, I was in Waikiki to join the celebration and read

an article with a photo with a group of charming Hula dancers at Hilo and

regret again that I did not put an effort to save that copy, even though

I did attempt to search that Hawaiian newspaper. This time, I didn’t meet

Any of the local dancing yet I did visit the old town Hilo and observe the

snow cap of Mt. Mauna Kea, 13,796 ft or 4,207 m. taller than Mt. Jade in

my mother nation of Taiwan.

We took a free shuttle van from the dock to a farmers’ market not far away.

It was early and several sections were not open. I saw some tropical produce

on the stands which I could identify with Taiwanese names. A vender kindly

encouraged me to taste a Longan fruit and was good yet I was shy away due to

the price per pound, $2 for loose one $3 for fresh one on the fruits branch. Later,

Amy bought a pound from Kona, Big Island, for $.25 a pound and In Oahu markets

all charged more than $4.5 a pound. I could pick the fruits at my hometown free

when I was a boy at my hometown and I had bought $1 a pound of Cantonese

longans in Vancouver, Canada twice with some unforgettable memory that I had

to consume or abandon them before I reentered to the State of Washington.

We walked along the beach front old town streets one by one. It was early and only

the visitors from the ship; therefore, the old Hilo looked lonely. On the third level

street of the old town, we began to see some newer building and residential area

with newer facility, then I found a white spot on the summit of a mountain group.

I asked two people at least to solve my doubt, snow on the mountain in the tropical

Hawaii? Both answered firmly and encourage me to rent a car and drove to the top.

My binoculars did show 4 white installations on the top and I could view the summit

clearly. I thought of Mt. Jade in Taiwan which I never had had opportunity to view the

famous snow cap during winter time. Maunna Kea erects not far from Hilo while Jade

is hide deep in the central Taiwanese group of mountains.

After we left Hilo, the Captain directed us to view a live volcano, a red lava out of the

sea surface as a part of Mt. Kilauea, from a distance at night about 10:45 pm local

exactly.

Revisiting Lahaina, the old capital of Hawaii/Carlos Pueblo

Revisiting Lahaina, the old capital of Hawaii/Carlos Pueblo

I was lucky to keep on asking people for the public transportation

at Maui and hopped on a bus to Lahaina, the old capital of Hawaii.

I had had a good memory from my first Hawaiian trip some 20 years

before at this Island and Lahaina was one of the impressed village.

The public bus is on the back of the Queen’s Mall where we watched

a Polynesian dancing a day before. The bus tours the same route Hwy

30 south and turned north toward the coastal line. I can see the old

Marriott timeshare project becoming a busy harbor and also a famous

golf course on the elevated slope of a hill. Beaches along the coast are

developed for visitors and busier than my memory. I could still see the

newly closed sugar factory similar to my hometown in the southern part

of Taiwan.

Nobody remembered Mr. Ching’s ice cream store even though I recognized

Immediately when we got off the bus. It’s the same old shopping center;

however, the stores were rearranged. I kept on asking Ching’s grocery store

with a gas pump on the road side toward a winery most of the youngsters

don’t know. Ching told me that there was collection of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s

stay at Maui when he first arrived Maui and before he went to Honolulu for

high school back to the late 19 century. I had had plenty of time at that time,

yet my search was in vain.

Lahaina is very attractive on the beech line Front Street. I found that old

Cantonese Temple with a better housekeeping and a new statue of Sun donated

by his granddaughter Sun Tsui-fang. The village is much busier than before. We

visited an art gallery for a little while chatted with a well learned sales clerk. On

our way back to the ship, I noticed on the inside of the street, inside of the village,

there were some classical attractive frame building which I should visit next time.

Enjoying Polynesian dancing/Carlos Pueblo

Enjoying Polynesian dancing/Carlos Pueblo

We were at the Queen Kaahumanu Center Mall enjoying Polynesian

Dancing presented by the dancers of Aumankua Promotion at

Kahului, Maui Island of Hawaii. We were so impressed; therefore, we

had attended two shows of another group on the ship that night back

to back. Polynesian and Austronesian are the same origin and may be

the same race which cover Taiwanese aborigines, 480,000; Filipino

100 million; Indonesian 200 million, Malay, etc. I have identified myself

to this group due to my suspicion of some blood of Pinpu Taiwanese

in my vein and that’s why I have a Filipino last name Pueblo, means

chuang in Chinese and village in English. I have so much affectionate with

this group and their dancing and music are very lovely to me indeed.

There is a caller, Square Dancing terminology, in a 3 person band, to sing

and call the dance, can be one dancer, duel, and multi dancers group to

perform variety pf dancing including hand wave, buttocks shaking, and

foot work steps. I have seen 40 some dancers in five groups to perform

young girls, adolescent female, female, young boys, and men. Before each

dance to begin, the caller or the announcer on the platform would introduce

the dance origin and its meaning and various dance cover all of the Pacific

Ocean, New Zealand, Quam, Tahiti, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, and Hawaii Islands.

I recognize Hula dancing from the 60’s and fighting dance adopted by NCAA

and NFL teams before the game.  Hula dancing is one of the Menu at regular

Hawaii Luau program, a diner party with a cost to enjoy flame, grilled pork

In the pit, music and dancing. Belly dancing and the buttocks shaking are

very unique and depends on the age of the dancers, the younger dancers

shake more aggressively. Hand wave dance is an expression of love and always

keeps on smiling while at dance.

I don’t see any of the dancing including Taiwanese aborigines and I feel very sorry.

After 400 plus years Chinese, there is no Austronesian Culture existed in Taiwan

And the Chinese rulers do not respect such culture at all while Chinese have no

such interests to maintain and develop such culture of minority group. I am glad to

see Hawaiian keeping such traditional culture and enlarge its audience on the ship

, in the mall and promote to the rest of the world. They are beautiful and lovely.

重返歐胡島2017/莊峻華

重返歐胡島2017/莊峻華

這次夏威夷旅行12日，有四日在歐胡島，是舊遊地也，過去

旅行台灣日本，停留檀香山，疏困冗長機程，況且夏威夷島群

，帶來我一些童年故鄉回憶，對老年身心有益，果然幫助解脫

，自歐洲旅行回來之壓抑。我們提前一日，抵達威基基旅社，

翌日搭船，周遊茂伊島，夏威夷島，和可愛島，下船後，再逗

留威基基海灘旅社三日，我們重返幾處我舊遊之處，威基基海

灘到戰爭紀念館，鑽石頭山公園，北岸水果攤訪友，松本冰店

，檀香山華埠，公車環島，威基基網球公園。

我在網球場，遇見艾倫，喝了一杯他的咖啡，下船後，遇見悠

子和其夫里奇兩次，里奇回憶我的柿餅，和海灘沖涼，戰爭小

館前之老友，已經不再打掃涼亭下落葉，我們去了四次，地上

沒有掃地痕跡。威基基海灘，仍舊世界迷人，氣候溫和，仕女

小姐衣飾解放，美不勝收，尤其是登鑽石山頂，我必須小心翼

翼觀看小徑，以免跌倒。

環島巴士行，約六小時許，經過北岸，特別下車拜望水果攤，

老闆已經在附近村落，經營烤肉串店，聞我尋找，特別趕來相

會，水果攤已經增加幾家，有許多生意，但是水果價格，仍舊

昂貴，非常不習慣。再過幾站，就是日落海岸，許多遊客，開

始擁擠海灘，松本冰店，已經擴充門市，遠近馳名。

一日上午，我們走過運河，在動物園附近左轉北上，走到林諾

多福餅店，在過街小公園吃餅，然後搭車到夏威夷大學本校，

這是一美麗校園，我也找到曾住過客棧，剛好一位女主人輪值

，她善意帶愛美參觀，我住過之房間，一切如舊。

我們參觀華埠幾次，想買水果，尤其木瓜，但均無熟木瓜，無

法等待，愛美只好喝木瓜果汁，和切片木瓜盒，我們發現一小

手捲店，在老市場角落，價格合理，翌日專程搭車前往，不巧

週日公休，只好買甜點回旅社，丸龜麵店，仍舊排長龍，我們

多半早餐，蓋少人也。

我搭巴士半價，但因琳兒贈衣新式時髦，頭戴球帽，遮去禿頂

，眼戴墨鏡，遮去眼口袋，司機常要查老人保險卡，我的老人

便利卡，他們訓練時，不曾介紹，非常不便，我想解釋，駕駛

無暇。

探訪新世紀將軍故鄉/莊峻華

探訪新世紀將軍故鄉/莊峻華

夏威夷州可愛島之麗惠鎮，是艾瑞克˙新世紀將軍之故鄉，我景仰

將軍甚久，參觀威基基陸軍館新世紀室多次，一直注意到這位日裔

美人之動向，越戰中，他一腳被炸斷，在陸軍中，步步高升，小布

希總統攻打伊拉克，將軍為陸軍參謀長，在國會聽證會，被詢問攻

打陸軍兵力，將軍從實評估，高於國防部長和副部長之數目，遂被

逼退伍，美軍孤軍深入伊拉克，吃到苦頭，不能自拔。歐巴瑪上任

總統後，延攬將軍為國家榮民部長，第二任中期，有榮民就醫拖延

，將軍被迫辭職。

我在下船後，一直詢問當地人不果，一直到一州府辦公室，有位第

二代日裔女士，二世，聞我對艾瑞克之仰慕，非常高興，答應幫忙

找一對將軍之兄弟姊妹，蓋將軍已定居華府近郊，但若回麗惠，則

必居其兄弟保羅府，她認識其姊妹伊凡，保羅太太凱若，常開車接

阿姑逛街。她幫我找電話簿，用我手機打三通電話，兩住家號碼，無

人回達，保羅保險辦公室已易主，於是她帶我們到隔壁另一正式州

府辦公室，主事小姐曰，政府不能透露私人秘密，於是就打發掉我。

據曰新世紀父母，有七位子女，將軍傳記中指出，少年時熱心公益，

曾經當過義勇，指揮麗惠街頭交通，高中畢業後，就上西點軍校，陸

軍館中，有將軍之藏畫。

我按照熱心女士之手指方向，走向保羅住居，有些街道住家，已經改

成商業用途，仍舊有住宅用途，都是整理美觀，我繼續詢問，詢問到

一割草師傅，他說此地房價，約在八十萬美元之譜，看到一些野生遊

牧雞群，然後再回到購物店站，候車回船。

我在一禮品店，遇見一位健談店員，知識豐富，她介紹我一些夏威夷

薑類花卉，當然她可以清楚分辨頗帖亞花和一些薑花，夏威夷多雨，適

合薑類生長。她和我談起政治，國際政治，她曾經擔任旅館經理，遇見

過幾位，旅遊夏威夷之埃及女士們，談起埃及政治，世界困難，我有我

的看法，我的道理，只是我們的時間短暫，或是她有禮貌，聆聽我的謬

論。

下午回船，趕上郵輪廣告香檳聚會，在六層甲板前端，是羅倫主持節目

，主要是推廣訂金好處，散會後，我們在六層甲板散步，許多人結集等

後，那巴利海岸之，驚濤駭浪，此為峭壁，無路可通也。