Fish Market

As one might expect on an island, fish is a large part of the local diet. I don’t think it is a cost issue, but I don’t know much about grocery prices so I can’t really tell. Everything is expensive. Fish seem to have a prominent place on restaurant menus and at COSTCO. You have items like poke available in grocery stores and fish tacos from many food trucks. I do really like the fish we have here. It must be because it is fresh caught and unfrozen.

Natasha and Oleg are leaving today so we went to the Dolphin Fish Market in Hanalei to get fish for one final feast. The display case in one of these markets always intrigues me. The fish is always displayed in such large chunks that are solid and often a different color than you see in the Midwest. I have the utmost respect for walleye, but uncooked ocean fish just makes you hungry. 

My own iPhone was not charged so I had to borrow Cindy’s to take these photos. Watching what goes on in the background is also interesting because you can see the larger slabs of fish being cut into smaller pieces for display and sale. I did not really have the opportunity to get any photos this time, but maybe on a future trip.

We bought Striped Marlin and one fillet of Kona Kompachi (no idea). The Marlin steaks are shown in the second photo. The taste was excellent. Click the display case to blow it up and get the full effect. 

Almost

We went on a whale watching outing last evening. It was pretty spectacular as whale watching goes with 4 different whale breaches. Photographing a whale breaching is very difficult. You have to be very lucky. Trying to photograph whales is something I do with my camera instead of my iPhone because of the telephoto lens. A whale watching boat is not allowed to approach within 100 yards of a whale so the telephoto is necessary. The challenge with my camera is getting the camera to focus. To focus at a distance, you must depress the shutter button slightly, wait for the lens to focus, and then press completely to shoot. If you wait to start the process when you see a whale breach, you miss the photo. What you get is the splash that follows after the whale disappears into the water. 

Photographing whale backs or tails or sometimes heads is far easier. You have enough time to focus and shoot. We saw one whale that seemed to be standing on its head with its tail out of the water for minutes. The captain thought the young whale may have been trying to sing. 
The second shot is more typical as the whale is rolling into a dive and the last thing you see is a tail. 

I am guessing the kids will want to go out on a boat when they arrive so I will have more opportunities. The breach is not an impossible shot. Maybe I will try video.

 

Such an ignorant thing to do

 

Maybe it is just the crazy way my brain works, but present circumstances in the world keep bringing the song Sting sang in the mid '80s running through my consciousness. The song was called "Russians" and the song concerned the foolishness of the nuclear threat the Russians and the U.S. had created to each other. In a war that could not be won from the perspective of an American, there is a line that comes as close as anything to offering a hopeful perspective:

But what might save us, me and you

Is if the Russians love their children too

I can't say I am against all wars because there are certain values that must be defended and certain wrongs that must be confronted. From the Russian perspective, I just can't see in this case what justification the Russian people would see in the invasion of Ukraine.

Russians at the Russian Fort

 Oleg knew there was really not much to see at the Russian Fort, but he wanted to stop anyway. What remains of the fort built in the early 1800s is the volcanic rubble of the stones that once formed the walls. So he and I walked around the pile of stones and took a few pictures.

According to what I read online, the fort was created in about 1817 because the Russians wanted an outpost in the Atlantic that could be a stopping point for ships moving from Alaska west. I thought Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her house so need for an outpost in Hawaii does not make sense to me. 

Anyway, the story gets more complicated. Kaumualiʻi, ali'i 'ai moku took control of some cargo resulting from a ship wreck. King Kamehameha I (king of all the islands) was involved in getting the goods returned. Just a side note. Can you imagine being a middle schooler faced with learning Hawaiian history and you have to learn to spell names like Kamehameha. I cheated and copied and pasted the King's name. Anyway, after negotiating with Kaumuali'i, a new plan was formed. The plan involved becoming a trading partner mostly focused on sandalwood. The fort was built to support this venture. However, the negotiations for a trading partnership fell through and after three years the Russian venture was abandoned.

There was a new addition at the fort from the last time we stopped. A statue has been added to recognize Kaumuali'i, King of Kauai. 

A shrine constructed in the Native tradition.

Hamura Saimin

 We made our second stop at Hamura Saimin in Lahue yesterday. There seems to be no web page for for the "stand" unless you count Yelp and TripAdvisor. They are that type of no nonsense restaurant in an industrial district kind of place. Every culture must have a form of "Chicken soup" or ramen - some type of noodle-based soup. Saimin is native Hawaiian. 

We were in Lahui because Cindy and I decided we should upgrade our iPhones. We are on a plan through ATT so there was no reason not to get more recent models. The newest cameras are great and we mostly rely on our phones for photography. The opportunities for photos will never be better.

I would be remiss if I did not mark that day as the beginning of the Russian aggression into the Ukraine. We follow Russian events like most Americans and have a unique interest having visited Russia and having people we value as friends both in Russia and now living in the U.S. Two of these friends happen to be staying with us now and they have been on their phones talking with friends and relatives in both Russia and Ukraine. They have already been through one war in their lives moving to Russia when escaping the Chechen war. The world is so interconnected everyone ends up impacted by war, but not like those who must face it directly. 

Rainbow Eucalyptus

 Kauai is such a different place I could possibly write a separate blog on the food, flowers, or in this case the trees of the place. Today, I am featuring the Rainbow Eucalyptus. This tree grows in areas not experiencing freezing temps and is named for its unusual bark which it sloughs off to eventually reveal a wide variety of colors. I have no idea what possible adaptive value this serves, but the effect does attract your attention.

Perfect Day at the Beach - Mark's Version

 

No fish, let's go

 The Hanapepe Swinging Bridge is an interesting historical relic and moves enough to make you feel uneasy when you cross with another person. The present bridge is a replica of the original built in 1911. Oleg told me when soldiers cross such a bridge they march using alternate feet to reduce the movement of the bridge. I tried it, but I could not sense a difference. The bridge is a bit of a drive from Princeville, but we were in the neighborhood anyway to retrieve the credit card I forget at the last place I paid. 

Oleg is one dedicated fisherman. He notices when he sees anyone fishing in the ocean and wanted to know about the price of a license. Ocean fishing is free. If you take a boat, the fish belong to the boat. He was the first on the bridge and when I caught up with him he let me know there were no fish. As for the title, I added the part about "let's go".

Kilauea Point Refuge

 We visit the Kilauea Point Refuge when we stay in Kauai. You must now make a reservation because they want to limit visitor density because of COVID. Bring your old person National Park Pass for free admission.

Most people take photos of the lighthouse and the beautiful small island immediately below the overlook.

Eventually visitors figure out that the area is really a wild life refuge and the protected area is for birds.

The birds swoop from the nesting area (see video above) around the island and sometimes close enough to the view area to get a photo. You see birders with long lenses, but all I remembered to bring was my iPhone. I did figure out there must have been a nest below one location on the cliff and eventually was able to take the following photos. I think this is a Red-Footed Booby (note the blue bill).

Food Trucks

 Food trucks are very plentiful here. I suppose this makes sense because of the many tourists constantly moving around exploring the island and the constant warm temperatures allowing outdoor dining. After noticing this and discussing it with Greg who was familiar with many aspects of city government in the Twin Cities and an expert on all things dining, I was informed it is also likely it has to to do with the ordinances that control the licensing and actions of the trucks. My guess is that local governments here simply must find ways for people to work and the hospitality sector is simply an area in which there many opportunities.

I did some online research on Kauai food trucks and found a directory that listed 77. Kauai is a small place so this seems a very large number. Often you find half a dozen or so trucks surrounding a central area with a few tables. The arrangement resembles mall food courts allowing different food tastes to be satisfied at once. We have noticed that at any given time a rather small proportion are open. How they work this out or what factors are involved is beyond my expertise. Perhaps some are breakfast places and others suited to fine dining. This guide offers greater detail on many of the trucks. The diversity of foods is a good reflection on the diversity of cultures and backgrounds.

Probably our favorite so far is this truck that offered sushi and sashimi. Very good food. The experience of eating fairly expensive food with chop sticks while sitting at a picnic table at the edge of a parking lot is different.

Aflac, not the actor

 My wife and Natasha have mentioned several times in past week seeing Aflac with his family around the island. We were driving past the golf course that is near our condo and they spotted him again. Cindy turned the car around, parked the car in the course lot, and she and Natasha took off with their phones to get photos. Annoyed, I tried to stop them and said they needed to leave the poor guy alone. 

It turns out I thought they were talking about Ben  Affleck the actor and not Aflac the snow goose that some how ended up on Kauai and eventually was adopted as an honorary NeNe. Cindy patiently explained they never used Ben when they described their sightings and Aflac comes from the Goose in the car insurance commercial. 

Once I finally understood, I realized I have pictures of Aflac from this year and at least one previous year. Somewhere, in a past year, there is a post with the title “One of these is not like the others”. 

Here is a more recent photo. 

Dance Off

 Another visit to see the Albatross. First a mother and young chick. Then, a video of the strange Albatross dance. 

Hibiscus

 The hibiscus is a very popular hedge plant here. Evidently it can be easily sculpted without slowing down the productions of blooms and it forms a tight hedge many use to edge their yards. At one point I decided I would try to generate a collection of images to show the variety of shapes and colors, but it did not take long to decide this would make for too much scrolling should I post everything. I was walking today and came across a hedge that must have been planted to demo the diversity that is possible. I generated a pano of this hedge and you should be able to enlarge it to see what I mean.

Laysan Albatross

 The golf course close to our condo seems to be home to a group of Laysan Albatross. These are remarkable birds, but I have been unable to verify everything we were told on the golf cart tour. The Albatross is monogamous and raises one chick per year (confirmed). The male and female take turns on the nest while the other ventures forth to find food (confirmed). Each may be gone for 17 days flying to Alaska for squid (unconfirmed - squid is the food, but National Geographic source says 3 days). They can fly for many days (up to 17) without stop because they turn off half their brains which sleeps while the other half remains awake (unconfirmed, but some birds do this). Very confusing - I did find a source that argues all claims were true. I think I will go with the scientists over the pro golfer/tour guide.

Valentine breakfast

 We have had several guests who are foodies. Natasha and Oleg are unique. Natasha made cottage cheese from scratch for breakfast  

New Color

 I walk for exercise and tend to use the same route each day. I have a route here that is nearly 2 miles in length so that is about right. I like to listen to podcasts when I walk as this input provides the diversion via audio that I need and I tend to pay less attention to what I can see. 

Earlier I wrote that the visual dimension of walks I take here change even when I take the same path every time. I noticed this new blast of color today. I tried the new identification feature of Apple Photos. It  offered Rhododendron or Bougainvillea as options. I am going with the second but I am not going to try to spell it again.

Fresh Eyes

We have a number of guests coming in different groups to stay with us. It is interesting to watch their reactions as all visit from different locations and different climates. Planes seem to land after dark so the trip back to the condo does not allow much of a view. The new day kind of provides an "in your face" exposure to a very different place. Watching reactions offers the opportunity to revisit familiar scenes with fresh eyes, Existing the condo and looking over the cliff I probably included in one of my first posts is there again.

Our newest visitors are Oleg and Natasha from Colorado City by way of Russia. We have traveled with them many times after Cindy first met Natasha when spending time in Russia.

 

Save your photography budget for getting there

 I do enjoy taking and curating photos. I wish I still had the many photos I took before digital photography became possible. I even wish I had done a better job organizing and stories the images I took with my first expensive digital camera. Oh well.

I have come to focus almost exclusively on the images I take with my iPhone. Yes, an iPhone is an expensive device costly nearly what some of the cameras and lenses I own costs, but you also can't surf the web with any of my cameras. You can turn one of them into an Internet server so you can download the pictures, but that doesn't count. 

As a whole, I think the photos I take with the iPhone are superior to the photos I take with my more traditional cameras. The one setting my some telephoto shots. The iPhone has such great intelligence that framing the shot is nearly always all that is necessary. There are ways you can override this intelligence if you want to limit yourself to your own control of certain details but why bother. Story first. 

If you enjoy setting the settings and hauling around the lenses and tripod, good on you. I do throw in my camera equipment when I use my care for a trip. My general advice would be - save your photography budget for getting to where you can find interesting things to shoot. Bring you iPhone.

The Great Puka Dog

Before our guests Laura and Greg returned stateside, we had to find and consume a Puka Dog. I admit that my previous trips to Hawaii had not included eating a puka dog, but evidently this is on one of those lists you must complete so it was a task that must be done. 

The puka dog seems to me pretty much a brat in a bun that has not been sliced. This is not to be confused with a corn dog as the bun in this case is like a regular brat bun, but unsliced. The process, in pictures, follows.

Sign proving our experience was authentic

Ordering - type of meat, sauce, relish, mustard. Polish is the only way to go. Mild sauce when inexperienced. I skipped the relishes. Mustard.

Special bun preparation equipment, The buns are first impaled on these heated spikes (the puka) and warmed from the inside.

The puka master injects the sauce, relish, and mustard according to the specifics of your order.

The finished product.

I had to add the following picture Laura was willing to share. It captures the great uncertainty and the related courage it requires to take on a new culinary challenge. Foodies forge ahead.

I spent some additional time researching Puka Dogs so I would be able to offer an informed perspective. First, Puka Dogs are called Hula Dogs in some locations. I have no idea which came first. In reading about the Hula Dog, I did learn that they are made with a puka (the heated spike or the hole I am not certain). The location we visited for our Puka experience has a video offering a more complete experience than I could provide. You can evidently prepare a Puka Dog at home. I tried Amazon to find the necessary equipment, but this must be an item too  specialized even for Amazon.