Anyway- I had a few days left in my vacation, and we were considering going to Maui or maybe Kauai, but neither of them just really felt right, and L was telling me about this Hawaiian blessing that they'd had at her work... apparently, the salt that they used in the ceremony or whatever was from this peninsula on the north shore of Moloka'i called 'Kaulapapa'... which happens to be where in the 1800's they sent all the lepers from the Hawaiian islands. As it turns out, I had, in fact, heard of this place, and even read an article about it before I came to Hawaii... and given that we were looking for a place to go, during this discussion, we decided we would try and go to Moloka'i and visit this very place. So we did. It was great... we found a condo online and couldn't have been happier with it. We took a tour to the former Leper colony on Friday, spent Saturday on the beach and came back today, refreshed and rejuvenated.
So about this former Leper colony, Kaulapapa (pronounced 'Cow-la-papa' for those interested)... it began in the mid to early 1800's, when Hawaiians began contracting Leprosy (or Hansen's Disease as it is known today), and were unusually susceptible to it. This peninsula on Moloka'i was chosen as the site for the colony, because it was naturally barricaded by nearly 2,000' cliffs as well as ocean. It may have well been a deserted island. In the early days, they just dropped people off there that had the disease. They had to live off of the land, and had no supplies or anything given to them. Anarchy was also the rule of the day, as there was no formalized government, well the Catholic church established a small outpost there in the 1850's and a 33 year old priest by the name of Father Damien spent a 30 day mission there, and, realizing how much this distraught community of lepers needed spiritual leadership, as well as guidance and leadership in general, volunteered to come back and dedicate his life to helping these people. While we were there, we saw areas where he had changed the cemeteries by building walls around them to keep the feral pigs from digging up the shallow graves, saw two huge fresh-water wells that he dug, a reservoir for collecting and storing rain-water, a small cathedral that he built, which I found especially touching because he cut holes in the floor along each pew so that those afflicted with leprosy, that had lost control of their mouths and/or saliva, could spit into the holes without interrupting the service and walking out. It was quite moving to say the least. Because of his commitment to these people he unfortunately was afflicted with their disease as well, and 16 years after starting his service to the lepers, he succumbed to the disease himself. He was buried on Kaulapapa, and in 1935, his body was exhumed and he was sent to his fatherland of Belgium. Eventually, his right hand was returned and buried again at his original grave site, where it is today. He is currently awaiting Sainthood and was beautified in 1995. Read more about him and his life here... It was moving to be around this spectacularly serene tropical environment, and hear all the stories of those afflicted with this disease. At the height of the population, this 5 square mile peninsula had over 5,000 lepers on it. So Father Damien, and his staff that accumulated over the years, had quite a large undertaking. Today, Kaulapapa is a Hawaiian county itself, and there currently reside approximately 15 original patients that are still living. Fortunately, due to the wonders of pharmacology, Leprosy is no longer a threat, and is treatable, but those that remain are some of the last patients to ever have been confined to this colony. There are currently 26 of them still living. Quite a touching story really.
About the Saddles... in order to get to this particular locale, one must traverse said 2,000' cliffs... and there happens to be an outfit designed specifically for this purpose. With Mules. So L and I plopped down our dough, and saddled up. Literally. It was quite an enjoyable ride, albeit a little frightening at times, especially when my Mule, 'Chevy' (glad he wasn't a Ford), decided that he wanted to take the outside of the path, meaning here I was staring off of my saddle down a 2,000' drop... but Chevy, in all his nearly 20 year career has yet to drop anyone, and alas, his flawless record continues. I did have a bit of a scare, as Chevy and I were the lead mule and ass in the train... we came upon what appeared to be a hastily built bridge, over a small gulch that had some lumber off to the side... well, Mister Chevy, seeing something different than what he's seen on that trail would have none of it... first he stopped... to which I prodded him to continue with a kick and a click... and he decided he was going to turn his ass around... which he did. Or at least try to... even with me kicking him and pulling him... and trying not to think about me and my ass going over the side of this cliff... it was an interesting moment... fortunately Chevy's cool head prevailed after Bobby, our trusty mule-skinner, got off his mule, and walked Chevy across that bridge. It was interesting to say the least... I was wondering if I was going to kiss my ass Chevy goodbye there for a second or two... ironically, I was filming a video at the time too... maybe I'll post it to YouTube, so my readership can see it...
In fact, here it is:
Finally, seclusion... we stayed at 'Paniolo Hale' (pan-ee-oh-lo ha-lay meaning Cowboy House in Hawaiian) near several beautiful beaches and a beautiful Ted Robinson designed Golf Course... except, due to the unique depressed economy on Moloka'i, it was closed. So here was this incredible golf course, on an incredible beach, in an incredible place, that had been unkempt for a couple of years. L and I walked around the complex (it was also a resort at one time) and the buildings all look like people just left things as is... it kind of reminded me of 'I am Legend' except in Hawaii... the beach had a pretty good break, and so there were surfers there of course, and oddly enough, the pool was still being kept up (we guessed for the residents of the nearby condo's) but other than that, it was completely a ghost town... almost eerily so. Fortunately, it was a pretty popular beach, so there were a few people here and there, but for the most part, it was quite secluded. And we liked it like that. The nights were still and quiet, save for the occasional bird calling out... a far cry from the streets of Waikiki that can get quite crowded and noisy at times.
Well, that's all I've got for now. It's bedtime... and back to work tomorrow.
Cheers and Aloha.
Hal
1 comment:
So when are we gonna see a picture of this 'L' and be introduced to her?
BTW...loved your recap of the week. It was so much fun, even though the grief I was given for being too 'competitive' was so unnecessary. I'm no more competitive than the rest of ya'll! :) Thanks for taking the time and resources to come to Orlando. John and I and the girls were very happy to have you make the trip. You're so much fun Cousin Hal!!
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