Hawaii Adventure 2001

January 01 Monday through January 06 Saturday
Kay Mutti arrived late in the evening of the same day that Jodi arrived, who came to do an intensive with Bunny and Jane. The events of this week are chronicled in Kay M's email to the Mutti Family of January 13

January 06 Saturday
I (Kay Sjogren) left home at 9 to catch the 10:15 ferry from Duke Point to go to Tsawwassen. Dolores met me and we went for lunch at Dave’s fish and chips. I had halibut. It was a delicious meal. They have a small place and people are crammed in waiting for a seat. We got to the airport at 2:40 and it took a full hour to get through all the counters. It was like cattle being herded to the slaughter. The plane trip was good. They served drinks or juice or pop every so often and served dinner at 7 o’clock - not so great - chicken and rice and veggies which was like leftovers which were overheated and dried out. We arrived here at Kona at 11 pm Hawaii time. I was pretty tired - right to bed. Good bed - missed my pillow.

January 07 Sunday
The girls get up and dressed and go for a walk. Then come back and do yoga for a half hour. Then breakfast. Then we spend a half hour on a chapter of A Course In Miracles (ACIM). This is the pattern for each day. Part of my day was spent in organizing my stuff. The girls had our place pretty organized as far as our room was concerned with a set of cupboards in between our beds so one persons light wouldn’t disturb the other.
This is a wonderful house - big rooms, lots of windows, fresh air is the key note. We’re drinking rainwater and eating lots of fresh fruit and veggies. Papayas and macadamia nuts are very plentiful. We eat lots of mac nut butter on toast and crackers. Lots of key limes so we use it in dressings and soups and on our papayas for breakfast. It’s yummy stuff. The limes are about the size of a small plum.
The house has a large living room, dinette (small) good size kitchen. 3 bedrooms with large closets. Master bedroom has a beautiful bathroom with double shower. There’s a covered deck on 2 sides of the house and a large attached garage on one side. We eat all our meals out on the lanai. There are 12 or 14 wild turkeys around the area and we feed them skins from papayas. We just chuck them over the railing and they really go after them.

January 08 Monday
Walking and exercises with Pam who is helping me (KS) to help myself. Breakfast. ACIM. Left for Volcano Park. Had lunch at 12:30 in the park at the visitor center . Did the walk through the Thurston lava tube. Drove down the Chain of Craters road to see the sunset and see the lava shining through holes in lava tubes on the hillside 4 miles away. Full moon. Gorgeous night. Had a great view. They had a telescope which made viewing easier.

January 09 Tuesday
After breakfast Bunny and Jodi and I went to Ho’okena beach so Jodi could snorkel. I tried to go in water but couldn’t stand up in the surf. Cracked nuts in afternoon. Session with Jodi in evening.

January 10 Wednesday
After breakfast Bunny, Jane, Jodi, Kay and I went to Kona to see Jodi off. She bought drinks and Bunny bought all of us leis. Then the four of us went to the Hilton Waikoloa Hotel, had lunch at the Hang Ten cafe while we watched dolphins perform and play with groups of children in the adjacent lagoon. Bought postcards at the King Shops. Saw a beautiful sunset as we were leaving. Went to Costco and then to a movie (Family Man). Had pizza for supper afterwards and then home.

January 11 Thursday
Limes am. Mac nuts pm. Held a session in the evening with Kay M as focus.

January 12 Friday
Did exercise on ball. Pam and Jane took mac nuts to be hulled. Session in evening with Kay S as focus.

January 13 Saturday
Got Bunny’s things ready for her departure to Honolulu for 2 weeks for her Advanced Training in Psychology of Vision. Had afternoon session with Kay S as focus. Went to Keei cafe for dinner.

January 14 Sunday
Took Bunny to airport in Kona. Then went to Congregational church, oldest church in Hawaii. Then had lunch in a beach park. Saw Painted church. Then home.

January 15 Monday
Got our things together to go on our trip to Paradise Park on the other side of the island in Puna. Had portabella mushroom for dinner.

January 16 Tuesday
Kay S had a soul and crystal session with Malina. In afternoon we went for a drive towards Kalapana to see where the lava ran over the road. Saw The Star of the Sea Painted Church which had been moved to safer ground when the lava flowed in this area. Drove along the red road and stopped for lunch at McKenzie State Park, then again at the warm ponds. Had a great group Reiki healing session in evening at Malina’s.

January 17 Wednesday
Still at Malina’s. Went to the farmer’s market in Hilo. Visited the Buddhist temple where Takata’s ashes were. Had lunch at Liliuokalani Park (Last queen of Hawaii. She wrote Aloha Oe “Till we meet again”) From there to Rainbow falls park. Went to WalMart and bought our shorts and tops for swimming in the warm ponds. Saw Molokai video in evening.

January 18 Thursday
Went to Warm Ponds at Anakalanui Park after breakfast. Used Malina’s shoes and noodles (foam). Went home to pack and Kay M had her Beyond Healing session with Malina while Jane gave Kay S a wonderful Reiki treatment. We walked the Labyrinth. It is quite overgrown. On our way home we stopped and bought huli-huli chickens. It’s roasted over a fire and absolutely delicious. We ate it in the car. I carved the chicken in my lap keeping the bag around it and served it on plastic plates and we ate it with crackers. We bought two chickens so one was saved for next days dinner.

January 19 Friday
Errands in town got some good bargains at Salvation Army. Had berry smoothies and ice cream at Costco. Picked Rick up at airport. Got pails at WalMart. Watched video “Theory of Flight” at home in the evening.

January 20 Saturday
Went to Alice’s Not A Restaurant picnic at the old airport, then to a gathering at the mall. Rock music instead of the expected Hawaiian music.

January 21 Sunday
Limes and mac nuts. Had a video called “Waking Ned Devine” in the evening with apples and popcorn for dinner.

January 22 Monday
Mac nuts morning and afternoon. Carol Hannum came for dinner.

January 23 Tuesday
Kay Sjogren’s Highlight
We went on a boat out to a place where the whales are frequently seen doing their things. There were bottle nosed and spotted dolphins and then some whales surfaced and slapped their tails and spy hopped but I was busy trying to get them on film so I didn’t really see them. However the trip was really wonderful riding the big waves. We were out there for 2 1/2 hours which part of the time we were going along the coast and skipper Dan was pointing out points of interest and told some funny stories of whale experiences - his and other peoples. They had gorgeous colorful dolphin T shirts but I resisted.

January 24 Wednesday
Cracking nuts, making mac nut butter, getting clothes washed etc., getting ready to go to Honolulu.

January 25 Thursday
To Kona to catch plane to Honolulu. On the way to the airport in Kona we shopped at “The Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii” - a small shop with many lovely things, a few of which we acquired. Kay S bought sunglasses. We flew to Honolulu, rented a car, and with her usual driving skills and feel for direction, Jane found Schrader’s where we had a newly refurbished suite with two bedrooms, bath, kitchenette, and sitting room - very comfortable. The grounds were oceanside with palm trees. A houseboat to take guests out into Kaneohe Bay lay moored in the little inlet in front of our place. (We couldn’t take advantage as we had other plans on the day they regularly go.) The breakfast lanai, in the main office building, was high enough that we had a wonderful view of the water and the steep, wooded mountains (the Pali) across the bay. In the evening we met Bunny at her workshop site, met the course leaders, Chuck and Lency Spezzano and their son Chris, and some of the other participants Then we went out to eat dinner at Haleiwa Joe’s. Kay S had a large baked potato with the works and a large garden salad. Kay M also had a delicious salad and Bunny and Jane had garlic mashed potatoes and gingered green beans as well as a salad. Yummy food.

January 26 Friday
Breakfast on Schrader’s lanai for free - fix your own. Good but the papayas don’t begin to compare to Papa Bay’s. We packed a picnic lunch and drove up the coast and around to the west side, stopping at some of the most popular surfing areas and watched a surfing competition in progress at Sunset beach. The waves were high and the skills of the surfers were spectacular, although I didn’t understand all the fine points of the scoring. We drove on to Ehukai, the Banzai-Pipeline surfing beach where there were many surfers in the water - both long boards and boogie boards - not as daring as the competition but still requiring skill. We had our lunch there, looked at T-shirt bargains where Kay S bought 5 for $25, and enjoyed some good cookies. Then we drove down the coast to Haleiwa and had a pina colada shave ice at Matsumoto’s store. It hit the spot. We browsed at Polynesian Treasures and Kay M got several gifts for friends in Fort Collins. Then back to Schrader's to a party put on for all the guests and Psychology of Vision students. We had a ring side seat, just out our door and into the buffet line - an Italian feast. They had a DJ who played dance music until 10 and he had a lot of the participants up dancing.

January 27 Saturday
On Saturday we had our breakfast out of our own kitchen. Bunny finished up some of her obligations at the workshop, moved her things down to our suite, and then we took off for the Polynesian Cultural Center where we were to spend one afternoon and evening. We arrived in good time and spent our afternoon touring the various villages and enjoying the spectacular musical singing and dancing of each of the Polynesian island nations. The canoe pageant was the most colorful with music and dancing by the various island groups. Two canoes with a raft placed across them to hold the performers floated down the canal. There was a guy at the back with a pole pushing the canoe along. The performers (students from Brigham Young University) had studied and practiced the traditional dances and were beautifully costumed. They were able to present the dances flawlessly (it seemed to the observers) even on their tippy canoe dance floors, although there were a few laughs for the audience (possibly planned snafus). While walking through the villages, we saw some examples of the native arts of these people. We also went to the IMax theater and saw a show of mountains and valleys that takes your breath away. You get the feeling you’re going to fall off a cliff into a deep gorge. Scary!.
There was so much to see that we couldn’t do justice to everything before having to get in line for the big luau which was beautifully organized and presented. We were first invited to watch the opening of the imu, where the pig roasted, and its removal. It was to be shredded and presented on the luau table where there were far more dishes than could be sampled. I guess my (Kay M) favorite was a salad (pina colada) the only thing for which I went back for seconds. Great food and all you could eat. Afterwards we went to the auditorium for the six nights a week show - more fabulous costumes, powerful singing and dancing and drumming, a fire-brand performer who made spectacular throws clear across the stage and catches, and daring fire dancing. An enjoyable and exhausting experience!

January 28 Sunday
We were up early Sunday morning and had breakfast in our rooms so we could attend an eight o’clock Unity Church service where there was a former Kona minister whom Bunny, Jane and Kay M had heard three years ago on the Big Island. He was a dramatic presenter with a powerful message that included adherents of all religions. We were all glad we had made the effort to get there at 8. Came back and packed up to fly to Kauai at 1:10. Got a rental car there identical except for color to the one we had on Oahu, a Daewoo, and drove to the Hotel Coral Reef in a beautiful setting. Our room was on the ground floor and we could look right out to the ocean with nothing to interfere with the view. We had our picnic lunch on the grounds with a spectacular view. After a short rest we went for a drive up to the north coast and saw the Kilauea lighthouse and whale and bird refuge, past the Hanalei valley taro fields, Hanalei beach and to the end of the road to see the sun set. We had dinner in Hanalei at Postcards Cafe, a fabulous organic vegetarian dinner. We had many good meals but that was probably the best starting with a big bowl of carrot ginger soup in the middle of the table - we all had spoons. Next we had taro fritters with a tasty pineapple ginger chutney, then a garden salad with balsamic vinaigrette and Shanghai stir fry. We finished up with chocolate silk pie made with tofu and a two layered pineapple upside down cake. All dishes were served in the middle of the table and we had a small plate and helped ourselves to each as the dishes came in courses. We did enjoy that meal and would recommend it to all. There was a black and white cat that sat on the porch post during the entire meal and surveyed all. We ate outside an the lanai or as I (Kay S) know it, the back porch. On our return to the hotel we watched “To Sir With Love” on the TV.

January 29 Monday
After breakfast in our room we had a brief session with Kay S who then went to the beach with Bunny and frolicked in the surf outside our room. We then drove to Waimea to meet the Sjogren’s old friend Pat Ritchie (Christianson) whom we had known years ago in Alert Bay, BC. We bought a few gifts at the shop where she worked and then drove on up Waimea Canyon stopping at several lookouts where there were spectacular views including a rainbow in the mist drifting up the canyon. Then on to Koke’e Park where Laurel and Johanna , granddaughters of Kay M, had worked and where we met and had lunch with Katie Cassel, their friend and supervisor of their work. She had made rice, lentil soup, and wonderful cinnamon-raisin-nut whole wheat bread. We contributed mac nut butter, avocado, cheese and crackers. Katie showed us around the buildings where they work and keep records. Afterwards we drove up to the Kalalau lookout. It had been drizzling and was gray and socked in when we walked out to the lookout but while waiting a window of blue sky opened up giving us a breath taking view of the valley, the coastline and the ocean. It was a damp afternoon so we didn’t tarry long at any spot and made it back to the gift shop by six to meet Pat. After close-up we stopped at Pat’s apartment for a while before we enjoyed dinner together at a Thai restaurant in Hanapepe. The rain poured down while we were there and part of the way back to the Hotel Coral Reef.

January 30 Tuesday
We packed up and drove south through the Tree Tunnel to Poipu and Spouting Horn blow hole. The waves weren’t coming in particularly forcefully so that the hole merely burped a few times, but a smaller hole would occasionally shoot up fairly high - interesting. We had a picnic at a public beach near a fancy hotel In Poipu and Bunny had a couple of dips in the ocean.
We left Lihue in the middle of the afternoon, flew to Honolulu, where we caught another plane and flew on to Molokai arriving about 4:40. Jane picked up our rental car, a red Ford Escort. It took a long time and while waiting, the Kays and Bunny had interesting conversations with a woman who has been a lifetime resident on Molokai where she and her husband have five children and seventeen grandchildren whom they adore. They had just returned from their yearly week long stay in Las Vegas. We asked if they had been lucky and she did not hesitate to tell us she had won $400 and her husband $10,000. When asked if that was unusual, she said “Not really.” She was recovering from a stroke, but had made good progress with her speech.
Our other interesting conversation was with a young man minding a six month old baby while his wife ran errands, etc. He said they had discovered a beach on Molokai, one of only two known worldwide, where the sand possessed glide quality and he was planning to open a site for cross country sand skiing. It remains to be seen whether that project attracts a following. After the car was picked up we drove to Hotel Molokai - another wonderful accommodation - comfortable quarters and a restaurant with dining deck that overlooked the ocean with the surf coming in. There was a gorgeous sunset, wonderful food and lovely Hawaiian music played by two men. We went back to our room after dinner and watched two movies, “Batteries Not Included” and “Overboard.”

January 31 Wednesday
In the morning we had an early breakfast and caught a shuttle flight to Kalaupapa to see the site of Father Damien’s leper colony. When we were at Malina’s home we had seen a newly released video which prepared us for what we were to see. We were taken on a tour in a very old school bus driven by the local sheriff who had much history on the tip of his tongue. He had lost his mother, a brother, and an uncle to leprosy and they are buried in one of the many graveyards where he had flowers on their graves. He himself had had leprosy but had been cured by medication that came along too late to save many of the people in the colony. He had tales to tell of all the bad decisions made by the church, the medical community, the local politicians, and the state, national,and international big wigs. Unfortunately such decisions are still being made in answer to current problems.
We were picked up at 2 by our shuttle plane and flown topside. As we had a few hours before our flight home, we drove along the coast up to the east end of the island to see a newly restored fishpond. We then returned the rental car and they delivered us to the airport where we boarded a plane to Honolulu. After eating a picnic supper in the airport there we boarded a plane to Kona and arrived tired but pleased with the trip and all we had seen and done.
The day before the trip I (Kay M) hurt my back when coming out of the yoga posture, the plow, so I was very dependent on my hiking-trekking poles, and needed help getting up especially. There were things I couldn’t do at all but I managed to walk all over the grounds at the Cultural Center and to look out points along the way on the other islands and to enjoy the trip. Many happy memories!!

February 01 Thursday
Did mostly rest this day and tour around the yard.

February 02 Friday
Did not do much outside of wash the dishes and eat delicious meals with Jane and Rick (2 great cooks) We had a variety of wonderful meals.

February 03 Saturday
Getting packed to go home. Had dinner early then left for the Place of Refuge at 5 arriving 5:30. Beautiful. Watched a turtle on the beach make its way slowly back into the water. Watched the sunset and saw a green flash as the sun set. Then drove into town to see the movie “Finding Forester”, an inspiring and heart lifting story. Did some gift shopping on the way to the airport. Found that the plane had not left Vancouver yet and was not expected to leave Kona until 8 am the next morning. The airline put me (Kay S) up at the Keahou Beach Hotel with continental breakfast and transportation to and from the hotel. Got a bite to eat before checking in at the hotel then said a fond farewell to Bunny and Jane. So shalom to Hawaii and good friends and a good caring family - Bunny & Jane & Kay Mutti and Pam who stays at the house and Rick who makes himself really useful around the orchard and is an excellent chef and very kind and loving - so is Pam who also works in the orchard and helps with cooking and clean up.

February 4 Sunday through February 8 Thursday
We resumed our regular routine but with more rest so that I (Kay M) could recuperate and heal my back. We had sessions every evening often with me (Kay M) as focus which seemed to coincide with improvements in my back. I was able to fly home as scheduled with assistance arranged at each airport.


Kay Mutti’s email reports to the Mutti family

January 13, 2001
Mutti Family Letter
Dear Family,
I'm using the first part of a letter that Jane wrote to Aunt Phyllis because she has done a good job telling all the activities in which we've been involved, so the first part about a belated holiday greeting is not really apropos (sp?), but I thought you might as well hear about their summer's travels and work.

[This is a belated Holiday greetings but as heartfelt, none the same. Our year has been full, rich and rewarding. We have been focused primarily on doing our i Transform seminars, workshops, and personal intensives at both our homes on Parker Island, BC as well as in Hawaii. We had a successful tour of the Canadian prairies, teaching in the Edmonton, Alberta area, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Manitoba and back to Regina, Saskatchewan. We met many wonderful people and experienced miracles in each stop. A young woman, Jodi, who met and worked with us in Regina came to our home in Hawaii January 1 arriving on the same day as my mother and began a 10 day intensive with us. Bunny’s mother arrived on the 6th so both Moms got to experience our work first hand and were valuable participants in the group processes we did every evening. Their presence was very beneficial for Jodi. As part of the work we did a little sight seeing going to the Place of Refuge and Volcanoes National Park. The Place of Refuge is an ancient temple site in Hawaii where those escaping war and conflict and those who had committed a crime or offense against the King could come to and be forgiven to return to society as free people. The feeling of peace and forgiveness is palpable in this sacred place. It is a beautiful setting with rustling coconut palms along the white coral sand beach adjacent to jet black lava flows. A place of stark contrasts. We picnicked and relaxed there while Bunny worked with Jodi. The Volcano is presently not flowing into the ocean but is moving in tunnels just beneath the surface of the earth. The tunnels have broken in several places so that the molten lava is visible on the hillside after dark. We drove down the Chain of Craters road just at sunset and saw beautiful color in the sky as the sun sank into the ocean and a full moon rose on the other side of the road. We could see the lava on the hillside from the foot of the road and spent an hour enjoying it and making prayer leis from ti leaves, a plant sacred to the Hawaiians and used in many of their ceremonies.
Wednesday we all took Jodi to the airport and then continued on to the Hilton hotel on the northwest side of the Big Island where we watched trained dolphins interact with two groups of youngsters in the lagoon and road a Disneyland style boat around the grounds of the hotel. It was a very pleasant afternoon. We took in a movie “Family Man” on our way back home. It was very well done and provocative, pointing out what is really of value in this life.]

I'm still working on getting out my thank yous and postcards to various people - it seems like an endless job, but I make a little headway each day on top of the usual morning routine of a walk using my new walking sticks, a yoga session that Jane leads, and reading the day's assignment in A Course in Miracles. Then on to preparing our papaya, flaxmeal, kefir (a soymilk yogurt) smoothies. Very good!
Then there are various chores for the day - today we picked papayas and red hot tiny peppers, yesterday I squeezed lemons so the juice can be frozen in icecube trays for use later. We've also cracked a lot of macadamia nuts to be roasted and eaten as is or made into macnut butter. We're really feasting these days. Tonight we're going out to eat - on me this time. Love, Mom, Kay, Grandma

January 19, 2001
More Travels
We manage to keep very busy!
On Monday Jan 18 we drove over to the Hilo area on the east coast where we planned to stay with friends of Jane and Bunny until Thursday afternoon .
Our time was really full. While in the Hilo area, we saw where the lava covered the road, drove through the rain forest, had lunch in a beautiful state park, and then watched families enjoy the warm ponds where the water is fairly shallow but with some deeper areas and the temperature of the water is like that of warm bathwater. The next day we went into the farmer's market and a craft market, a Buddhist temple and columbarium, lunch in a park that was beautifully landscaped Japanese style, went to see Rainbow Falls, home for dinner, and then watched a film on Molokai and Father Damien's leper colony which we will be visiting the 31st. It is a good film and will help us appreciate what we will be seeing. Thurs. morning we went to the Warm Ponds and spent a couple of hours enjoying the water. I'm not terribly comfortable when the water is deeper than I can stand in, but Jane's friend lent us a couple of what they call noodles to support you when you are in deep water. If I could do it frequently, I might get so I could be comfortable. We got home about 8:30 and watched a film that Pam (the girl who stays here) had picked up. Today {Friday} we had many errands to run in Kona and also to meet the plane of Rick Letwinka, a friend of Jane and Bunny from Regina who spent a month with them last year and is back to spend an indefinite amount of time this year. He is a partner at a vegan restaurant in Regina - a wonderful cook and bread baker who will be sharing some of his talents with us.
He didn't help with tonight's meal but it was a wonderful meal - broiled portabella mushrooms and sautéed onions on a bun, steamed bok choy with avocado sauce, papaya salsa with ginger and garlic and lime juice, water with lime juice, and for dessert atemoya - a tropical fruit that was at it's perfect stage of ripeness, a wonderful new flavor!. I must stop so I can get to bed. Love, Mom, Grandma

February 6, 2001
Our Three Island Trip
I hadn't checked my email until today, Feb. 5. Sorry to be so behind the times! Our trip was wonderful. We stayed at a place very close to where Bunny was attending a workshop. It was located right on the ocean, and we ate breakfast on a lanai that was high enough that we had a marvelous view of the water and of the rugged mountainside just across. We drove up the coast past a spot where there was an advanced surfing competition in progress. The surf was high and very active, and their skill at maneuvering was spectacular, but I didn't understand the scoring system. The highlight of our stay was our afternoon and evening spent at the Polynesian Cultural Center. There was far more than we could see in our allotted time, but we visited most of the villages where the program was interesting and colorful and enjoyed the canoe pageant in which each island group had a very colorfully dressed group of able dancers on a stage set across two canoes and performed traditional dances to traditional music - beautifully executed ! Then we had to get in line for the luau. After we were seated, we were invited to watch the opening of the imu where the pig had been roasted and its removal to be shredded and served at the luau smorgasbord. The food was delicious and far more dishes than it was possible to sample. After the meal we went to the auditorium for the evening program - an extravaganza of costuming, singing, and dancing, very professionally presented!
The next morning we got going early so we could attend an 8 o'clock Unity Church service and were all glad we had done so. The minister was very dynamic, and his message was a powerful one that included adherents of all religions. Later in the day we flew to Kauai, rented a car, and drove to our hotel - another comfortable room in a beautiful setting overlooking the ocean. In the afternoon we saw the sights on the rainy side of the island, then drove back and had our very best meal of the whole trip! The next morning we drove up Kauai's big canyon to Koke'e Park where Laurel and Johanna had both volunteered for three weeks and met the woman they had worked for. After lunch together we drove up to the lookout and marveled at the incredible scenery. The next morning we drove to Poipu to see the Spouting Horn Blowhole which was interesting but not spectacular because the surf was not strong just then. That afternoon we flew to Molokai, rented a car, and drove to another hotel that was comfortable and located so that when we had dinner on the deck, we could see the setting sun out over the ocean. We were entertained by a couple of live musicians playing Hawaiian music. After breakfast the next morning we caught a shuttle flight to take us to Kalaupapa to see the site of Father Damien's leper colony . We were taken on a tour in a very old school bus driven by the local sheriff who had much history on the tip of his tongue. He had lost his mother, a brother, and an uncle to leprosy , and they are buried in one of the many graveyards where he had flowers on their graves. He himself had had leprosy but had been cured by medication that had come along too late to save many of the patients. He had tales to tell of all the bad decisions made by the church, the medical community, the local politicians, and the state, national, and international bigwigs. Unfortunately such decisions are still being made in answer to current problems.
Later we returned our rental car, and they delivered us to the airport from which we flew to Honolulu and then on another flight went back to Kona and on home to end our weeklong adventure. The day before the trip I hurt my back when coming out of the plow - a yoga posture, so I was very dependent on my Hiking-Trekking sticks, and I needed help getting up - out of bed, a chair, the car, etc. There were things I couldn't do at all, but I managed to walk all over the grounds at the Cultural Center and to look out points along the way on the other islands and to enjoy the trip. We all have many happy memories!! I'm recuperating and plan to leave on Thursday night as scheduled and get home about 2:30 on Friday. Be seeing some of you soon. Love, Kay