From the Archives: Agent C's Secret Hawaiian Mission Part 2

 To:  Spy Team Leader 

CC:  Mission Commander 

From:  Agent C

RE:  Mission Update

The biggest understatement I could make is to say that your parents took a lot of pictures today, but I couldn’t blame them!  I too was amazed by the beauty of God’s creation all around us… 

Today we visited the Waimea Canyon on the western side of the island.  God used both the volcano that formed the island as well as different rivers to carve out this amazing sight. 

The driving was pretty difficult.  I’m glad Dad was at the wheel.  There were lots of narrow roads, tight curves and steep cliffs.  We saw one accident where someone who had parked on the side of the road had their car slide in the mud down into another vehicle which got sandwiched between the first car and some trees.  They had quite a difficult time getting that out!  We had a good vehicle though.  I’m sure you appreciate the importance of having the right equipment for the job. When things got really tough, I helped navigate. 

There were no heights too high, no paths too steep, no roads to long for your parents today.  They hiked up and down steep mountain paths that would have challenged a goat!  

Dad worked so hard to get just the right pictures that at times I had to remind him to be safe too.  He’s got pretty good balance though so I probably didn’t even need to be worried.  

I also met a new friend.  You wouldn’t believe how many chickens like to hang out at the top of the mountain!  They were everywhere I looked.  

After we finished up on the mountain, we stopped at Jo Jo’s Clubhouse and had a new treat called shave ice.  They take a sharp blade and shave the ice then the pack it on top of some ice cream and add flavors to it.  Mom tried the rainbow one with guava, pineapple, and papaya on top of macadamia nut ice cream.  Dad’s had berry flavors over vanilla ice cream.  Both were absolutely delish!

Last we went to the Waimea swinging bridge next to the Menehune ditch.  The bridge looks pretty sturdy, but when you walk on it the whole things shudders and sways.  Dad was most curious about why the built the bridge since there wasn’t really anything on the other side!  The story behind the Menehune ditch is that a long time ago Menehunes, Hawaiian dwarves or sprites (think a leprechaun with a grass skirt J), hauled these huge blocks of stone and cut them in special ways to form a big irrigation ditch to bring water to the fields.  There are lots of references to the Menehunes on Kauai.  There is a story that a huge lake that is on the South East side was made by them in one day.  One of the bottled water companies on the island is named Menehune because of this.  I couldn’t say that I believed in these creatures, but it sure is a fun story!

Well, I hope everything is going well at the beach for you guys!  Here’s Agent C, signing off.

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 To:  Spy Team Leader 

CC:  Mission Commander 

From:  Agent C

RE:  Mission Update       

Mom didn’t sleep very well the night before, so most of today was spent relaxing. Mom stayed home, read her book, and took a nap, while Dad walked down to Moloa’a beach again and followed the trail to it’s end.  He got some really great pictures!

In the afternoon, they went down to Donkey beach.  It was named this because early residents often saw sugar plantation workers using donkeys or burros up above while they were on the beach.  I’m sorry to report that there are no longer any donkeys there, though Dad tried calling them repeatedly.  The surf here was very much like it is at Ocean Shores where the waves churn up the sand making the water a little more murky.  No wading on this beach!  After a little bit, they return up the nicely paved path cleaned up, and headed to their luau!

For the first thirty minutes, we walked around the beautiful gardens.  Dad found one of the Easter Island heads (like in the movie Night at the Museum) and he and I checked it to see if there was anything up it’s nose.  Sorry to report that there was nothing exciting there. After seeing beautiful flowers and trees as well as several exotic birds, we returned to the main area for the Imu Ceremony where they show you how they cook the pork in the ground, along with the rice pudding.  Then we found our seats and waited to be called to dinner.  I was very pleased that they prayed for the meal before serving it!  There was lots of food, and nobody went hungry.  They served a traditional food called poi, which has the flavor of paper and the consistency of glue.  Everyone made a big deal out of how terrible it tasted, but Mom and Dad thought it was no big deal.  The coconut cake at the end was really good!

 A dancer got up on stage near the end of dinner to show us the hula.  She even invited people up on stage to learn with her.  Lots of kids and grown-ups went up, including a cool older man.  

After dinner, we all went down to the theater and watched the hula show.  The dancers were amazing, with excellent moves and impressive costume changes.  I don’t know if any of our agents could change both their costume and hairstyle faster than these guys!  They danced while throwing things around, jumping between swinging piece of bamboo, and even spinning long knives that were lit on fire!  Yes, the girls often wore coconut bras, but what are you going to do – its Hawaii! Even the men wore skirts most of the time!

They got home safely and rested well that night!  I’ve got to tell you, Journey, it’s exhausting trying to keep up with these guys!  I’m going to need a good vacation when I return home from this assignment.

Signing off

Agent C

 To Be Continued...