Weight=188.6 pounds, Steps=17,775

​Kalani

Gyongyi had massage duties at the Kalani Oceanside Retreat (Kalani) which is about a 35-minute drive located on the Red Road (Highway 137 or Kapoho-Kalapana Road).  She mostly practices Lomilomi style of Hawaiian massage these days.  While she worked, I hiked around the Kalani compound and walked down the Red Road to Kehena Beach, about 1.5 miles from Kalani.  While there, we also partook in a 45-minuite acupuncture session.

​For those not familiar with Kalani, it was founded by Richard Koob and Earnest Morgan in 1975, as a non-profit retreat center, occupying a 120-acre compound located in the Puna District of the Big Island of Hawai'i. Kalani's mission is "to provide a fun, safe, and educational retreat village which encourages ALOHA love for life in each person's own deepest way through participation in nature, culture, and wellness experiences". In keeping with the focus on nature, culture, and wellness, Kalani hosts diverse residential workshops; sponsors community arts and special events programs; provides lodging and meals for guests; oversees volunteer, sabbatical, and visiting artist education programs; and houses a sustainable community of residents in an ecovillage.  There are few paid positions but there are over 100 volunteer residents on the property. 

​Yoga and massage training and workshops are very popular, as well as the clothes-optional pool-spa area.  A good place to get an all-over suntan. Kalani's Wellness Department offers land and aquatic bodywork, including traditional Hawaiian LomiLomi, Thai massage, and Watsu. Kalani serves healthy buffet-style meals in a roofed patio known in Hawaii as a "lanai". The dining lanai is considered to play a central role in the community, described as a gathering place where one "can experience the daily rhythms of assembly and departure reminiscent of ancient village life". A guide to Kalani's cuisine describes the food as "a Pacific fusion of local, Thai, Indian, Italian, and many other cuisines".   Lunch is $12 but very tasty, mostly organic vegetarian cuisine.   It reminds me somewhat of Harbin Hot Springs north of the San Francisco area but with a more subdued ambiance.

For 38 years Richard Koob served as the Director of Kalani. After a period of transition Koob officially retired in July 2013. He continues as a Kalani Board Member and Director Emeritus, assisting with the realization of Kalani's second thirty-year plan. Kalani appointed a new Executive Director, Joel Tan, in April 2016.

​If you like new age learning, massage, yoga, vegetarian cuisine, and relaxation, Kalanai is worthwhile visit when traveling around the Big Island of Hawaii. More information at kalani.com.

It took me about 40 minutes to trek down the Red Road to the secluded Kehena Beach.  It is somewhat difficult to get to as one has to carefully walk (climb) down stone stair steps on a steep cliff.   It is known as a nudist beach among the locals.   Once down on the black gravel sand, jump into the ocean with care.   The beach has strong currents, strong undertow and sometimes vicious shore breaks.

Weight=190.0 pounds, Steps=19,592

​Growing Orchids on Tree Trunks

Monday was spend doing a bit of yardwork which included grafting Dendrobium orchid plantings to Manila palm tree trunks.  A good time to do this seems to be when the plant starts forming roots.  The technique Gyongyi uses is to attach a pad of sphagnum moss to the roots of the orchid and tie it tight to the tree trunk with cotton string.  After several weeks the roots will attach themselves to the tree trunk and begin a symbiotic relationship.  ​The cotton string  will eventually decompose and not harm the environment. It fades in a few weeks, blending in with its surroundings, and the plant will have rooted in place. No further tending or watering required.

​The orchid and tree have an interesting symbiotic relationship.  A symbiotic relationship is a relationship between two organisms that can be helpful, harmful, or have no effect. A mutualistic relationship benefits both species involved in the relationship. Commensalism is a type of a symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits while the other species is neither harmed nor helped. A parasitic relationship helps one of the species involved in the relationship but harms the other organism. 

The symbiotic relationship that occurs between an orchid and a tree would be classified as commensalism. Most orchids are epiphytes, which mean that that they grow on other plants. This benefits the orchids because they can grow on top of the jungle canopy, which prevents the orchids from being walked on or eaten by ground-dwelling organisms. Being in the canopy also allows the orchids to receive more sunlight for photosynthesis. However, the orchids receive nutrients from the air and compost on the trees. Thus, they do not harm the plants on which they grow by drawing nutrients from them.

​In the evening we attended a talk about the status of the volcanoes on the Big Island at the Lyman Museum.  Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843, most recently in 1984.  In September 2015, the Volcano Alert Level for Mauna Loa was elevated from “NORMAL” to “ADVISORY” due to increased seismicity and deformation at the volcano.  Hualālai has been quiet for over 200 years, but it is still an active volcano that could erupt again.  Kīlauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone has been erupting nearly nonstop since 1983, the Puʻu ʻŌʻō Crater.  Presently, lava continues to enter the ocean from this crater at Kamokuna and surface flows remain active within 1.5 miles of the vent at Puʻu ʻŌʻō. These lava flows currently pose no threat to nearby communities but there is a heightened threat of sea cliff collapse near the Kamokuna ocean entry.  In 2008, a second vent opened at the summit of Kīlauea, the Halema'uma'u Crater, but lava is not flowing from there at this time.

​Below: 
Lunch consisting of summer spring rolls from the Maku'u Market, Hawaiian style tuna poke, and rice cake with guacamole and feta cheese.

Weight=189.0 pounds, Steps=5,207

My regular breakfast fare consisting of a groats cereal and a half papaya.  The cereal consists of cooked groats and quinoa with a sprinkling of raisings (one cup total). Groats are the hulled kernels of various cereal grains such as oat, wheat, rye and barley. Groats are whole grains that include the cereal germ and fiber-rich bran portion of the grain as well as the endosperm.

Every Sunday, the Maku‘u Farmers’ Association (MFA) opens their gates and hosts hundreds of residents and visitors at the infamous Maku‘u Farmers’ Market (MFM).  The market is located between Keaau and Pahoa on Kea'au Pahoa Hwy. 130.

There are over 150 local merchants and artisans offering produce, food, and a wide variety of new and recycled products including crafts, plants, jewelry, clothing, books, and records/CDs.  The Farmers’ Market typically has live music and entertainment which adds to the ambiance of the market. The weekly event has become the “thing to do,” the “place to be” on Sunday morning. Some of the best organic produce is gone by early morning, so we arrived early in the morning for produce shopping.

My journey to visit my sister, Gyongyi, in Hilo was open ended as the goal was to lose 15 pounds before being able to return Bellingham, Washington.  It was a trip to Momi's Fat Farm (Momi is her Hawaiian name which means pearl).  The regime was to be rigorous.  A regular dose of steamed and roasted vegetables with some chicken and poke salad thrown in for good measure.  She has chickens roaming the grounds providing eggs--provided Gyongyi finds the nests (not difficult).  There are plenty of avocados from the avocado tree.  The mango tree is starting to flower. 

No gluten, no dairy, no sugar, no alcohol...a bleak existence if you ask me, but what the heck, I self-inflicted this culinary punishment to shed pounds so suffer and be deprived I must.  I will weigh in each morning, and count the steps taken at the end of the day using a Fitbit Charge2.  To achieve the goal of 175 pounds by losing two pound a week, I am limiting myself to 1,500 calories per day from food intake and output at least 2,500 calories by normal living and exercise, i.e., walking.  I figured out that I would have to walk an average of six miles a day to achieve the goal.

​My flight routing on United Airlines was a bit convoluted because I was using mileage points for inbound travel.  Departed late morning on Friday Sept. 27 from Seattle to San Francisco with connections to Los Angeles and Hilo.  The flight in San Francisco was delayed by two hours since the 'expert' union mechanics were not able to fix the head in the back of the plane.  I missed my LA connection to Hilo so United had to put me up for the night at the Four Points Sheraton near the LA airport.  On Saturday, I was rebooked from LA to Honolulu and then on to a Hawaiian Airlines connection to Hilo.

​I arrived  in late afternoon on Gyongyi's one-acre spread in the Hawaiian Paradise Park development in Keaau which is about 15 miles from Hilo.  After 16 years of living there, her compound has fully matured with fruit trees, gardens and chickens.  Wild boars and unsavory characters are kept away by a chain link fence surrounding the plot.  A mutually-adopted, stray cat named Moochie keeps the vermin under control.  Gyongyi is living off the grid using rooftop solar panels for electricity and a cistern for rain water catchment.  Welcome to paradise.