KAUAI: Princeville to Poipu

I might have mentioned that the pounding surf, so far away, as the hotel is on a high cliff, is overpoweringly loud, and, standing here to take these photos at the St Regis in Princeville, I can't hear the doorbell ring:

I might add that to the left of this view is Hanalei Beach where South Pacific was largely filmed in 1958.  The opening scene is Bloody Mary's Bali Hai.  A particularly memorable clip is of Juanita Hall singing Happy Talk to France Nuyen and John Kerr.

This occurs at the Slippery Slide in Kilauea, which was the backyard of our home when I worked for Kilauea Sugar Company.  Here are Pearl and Pepper on our side of the waterfall:

I've always thought that France Nuyen and Pearl were twins, and South Pacific could well be my all-time favorite movie because I could identify with so much of it.  Every scene is memorable.

Next, a champagne (actually, Kir) brunch at the St. Regis:

My table is just to the right with these views:

 You can see Hanalei Beach in the background  The spread was fabulous:

However, the W Hotel at Walker Hill in Seoul is still #1, but costs twice this St Regis brunch.  I ate three courses:

Diane, Ivan and I thought the "If It's Tueday, It Must be Belgium" schedule we had was too hectic, so we decided to relax today and enjoy the St Regis.  So I had a lengthy spa bath in my from with a view of Hanalei Bay:

Next, on to Poipu.

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ST. REGIS ON KAUAI

If you've been following my trip to the Big Island and Kauai with Diane and Ivan, we drove to Hilo, and stopped by Rainbow Falls, which was site #1 for laying Pearl's ashes:

We then flew from Hilo to Lihue via Honolulu, and drove to the north side of Kauai.  We first stopped by the Kilauea Japanese  Cemetery to honor my grandfather Kenjiro.  Except for one major problem.  I could not identify his gravestone.  It could have been one of the following two:

I'll later clear this up because my blog has in the past shown the correct one.  We then toured the Daniel K Inouye Kilauea Lighthouse next door, which has spectacular views:

We then visited the Waniha Powerhouse, a legacy of Kenjiro Takahashi, my grandfather.  This system:

was dedicated in 1906 at 3 MW, and today, 107 years later, with the same input, produces 3 MW.

We checked into the St. Regis, and the three of us enjoyed some wine with the pounding surf of Hanalei Bay in the background, a view from my room:

We went down to Kauai Grill for dinner,which Diane and Ivan seemed to enjoy.  I had my reservations.  I loved the salmon sushi (over crispy/burnt teriyaki coated rice):

which was served with an excellent Kato Marlborough Sauvignon Blance.  Next was a fancy tomato soup with a Hugel 'Gentil' from Alsace and garlic bread:

The third course was a rather bland steamed onaga.  Sesame vinaigrette, shiitake and asparagus sound enticing, but perhaps I was getting filled:

The wine was a Monar Pinot Noir from Poseidon Vineyards.  The main entrée was glazed short ribs, crispy grits and an herb salad.  This was way, way too salty.  The wine was a Prisoner Zinfandel blend. I forgot to take a photo, but this dish was undeserving, anyway.  On the other hand, I saw Ivan adding salt to his dish, so who am I to question Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten (left), who has outstanding eating establishments all over the world.  The dessert was a salted caramel ice cream sundae, okay, but still much too sweet for me.  Served was a Fonseca Port, which was a terrible complement, for the dessert salt could not neutralize the overpowering sweetness of the port.

The wines were all fine, but, about the cuisine, I guess I'm getting spoiled by my Michelin 3 Star, Pellegrino Top 50 and Chaine des Rotisseurs adventures.  The total price for three was less than a few of my international lunches just for myself, so I guess I'm getting picky and fussy.

Tomorrow, on to Poipu.

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THE POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER AND VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

Last night I went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, a themed-park which first opened in 1963, more than fifty years ago.  I was there later that year, and  haven't been back since.  However, my brother and part of his family are in town, so they picked me up on the drive to Laie, which is 35 miles and an hour from Waikiki.

The Center is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, occupying 42 acres near Brigham Young University - Hawaii, which supplies 70% of the 1,300 employees.  There are eight simulated tropical village:

• Hawaii
• Samoa
• Fiji
• Tonga
• Tahiti
• the Marquesas Islands
• Aotearoa (New Zealand)

There is an IMAX theater and a multicultural Polynesian show titled Ha-Breath of Life.

There are two dinner options, prime rib and a luau.  Ann/Stan, Diane/Ivan and I went to the prime rib side and the buffet was pretty good.  Diane particularly loved the Tahitian Marinated Raw Fish:

The show, Ha--Breath of Life, was mildly entertaining for me, but a bit noisy.  The music was all original, save for three songs, one of which certainly sounded like Edith Piaf's If You Love Me.    The audience was large, responsive and loved the performance.

This morning I embark on a three day trip around the Big Island, then on to Kauai.  I'll be accompanying niece Diane and  her husband Ivan.  Later today we'll be staying at the Volcano House.

Plane left Honolulu and approached Diamond Head:

We landed at the Kona Airport, located near the Kaloko-Honokahau National Park on the left side of the Big Island above.  We first stopped by the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii and had a nice chat with Neil Sims, who runs Kona Kampachi, then to the visitors center:

Dia and Ivan at Guy Toyama's hydrogen motorcycle.  We then took the lower route and had lunch at the 97 year old Manago Hotel.   My pork chops, for which they are famous:

Excellent!  Our next stop was in Naalehu where I first met Pearl.  We spent 5 years in this southernmost community of the USA:

Then up the Big Island to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where we checked into the Volcano House, very spiffy now after a $7 million facelift.  Then on to visit Kilauea Volcano.  Here are Dia and Ivan at Halemaumau:

After talking to one of the rangers I now need to adjust my story about 3January1983.  The old version was that we were golfing at the Volcano Golf Club that day, the ground shook, and several hundred yards away we saw a stream of magma fountains.  That was exactly 31 years ago.  After analyzing some maps, the ranger told me that I was at least 10 miles away, but the first fountains went up to 1700 feet, 450 feet higher than the Empire State Building, so it could have appeared that I was closer.  This volcano is still erupting today, which is causing all that haze, seriously affecting the Big Island, but also regularly suffocating Honolulu.

After some rest we enjoyed a Royal Hawaiian sparkling rose with a night view of Halemaumau:

Then dinner at the award-winning Ka Ohelo Dining Room, where the view is magical, with the red hue from Halemaumau.  The meal began with an assortment of raw fish, featuring Neil Sims' Kona Kampachi:

I then had a Caesar salad:

Far too many croutons.  Diane and Ivan had taro chips with avocado:

The chips were exceptionally good.  We had two Volcano Winery bottles, a Pinot Noir which was okay, and a "Red" which tasted great, but smelled terrible.  This was because of the Jaboticabo berries, which formed 15% of the mix, the others being Ruby Red Cabernet, Carrigan and Symphony:

I then had their Kona Kampachi special with potatoes.  Neil (here with a Kampachi), two kampachis in one meal for me:

My room had the following night view of Halemaumau:

A truly wonderful day!

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A NEW YEAR FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY

Solar Energy News today included three upbeat articles worthy of your perusal:

• RenewableEnergyWorld.com's Top 10 Blogs of 2013

• #10  SEIA CEO Rhone Resch
• #9    John Farrell
• #8    Chris Meehan
• #7    Emily Hois
• #6    Thomas Blakeslee
• #5    Ron Paulos
• #4    Romeu Gaspar
• #3    Oliver Strube
• #2    John Farrell (Again?  Deserves a photo.)
• #1    Jennifer Runyon
• Ten Most watched renewable energy videos of 2013
• Ten Clean Energy Stocks for 2014

• You've never heard of any of them, but here is #1:
• 1. Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure (NYSE:HASI). 
  Current Price: $13.85.  Annual Yield: 6.4%.  Low Target: $13.  High Target: $16.  
  I've written extensively about sustainable infrastructure REIT Hannon Armstrong since its IPO in the spring of 2013.  Despite its recent run-up on the news of its $0.22 quarterly dividend, I expect the current yield and expected further dividend increases in 2014 will keep the stock from falling, and will likely drive more appreciation
• Here were companies recommended for 2013:

(Can't read this?  Click on it!)

I've got good news for me.  Remember, I sold all my stocks last week.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 135 to 15,441.  Only a decline of another 4865 and I can re-enter the market.

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The eye of Tropical Cyclone Bejisa never made landfall, staying west of Reunion Island.  However, winds as high as 126 MPH were experienced.  Bejisa is now moving away, still at 105 MPH.

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WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN 2014

The following list has more to do with announced happenings this year, but, now and then, I might proffer a prognostication (some of this comes from The Economist:  The World in 2014):

JANUARY:  The Chinese New Year is January 31, goes on for 15 days, and features the Horse.  Those born this year will be cheerful, clever and stubborn.  Some celebrity Horses are Davy Crockett, Teddy Roosevelt, Isaac Newton, Barbara Streisand, Jackie Chan, Oprah, Kobe and John Travolta.

FEBRUARY:  Three days later on February 2 is SuperBowl #48.  Only 1% of tickets are provided to the general public, but apparently you can still get tickets for $2337.50. You had 1 chance in 30 of winning the lottery for the 1000 tickets at $500 each. The First was memorable, for after a period of acrimony, the American Football League and National Football League in 1967 finally put their grudges aside, with the Green Pay Packers (NFL--Vince Lombardi on right) beating the Kansas City Chiefs (AFL--Hank Stram on left), 35-10.  This could happen again this year.  It could also snow, being held in New Jersey.  However, the favorites for SB 48 are the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks.  I pick the San Francisco 49ers to win it all.

Four days later on February 6 begins the Sochi Winter Olympics, which goes on till the 23rd.  Russia edged out South Korea (which won the first ballot) in 2007 to gain this event.  The initial budget projection was $12 billion, but costs ballooned to $51 billion.  Considering that the Vancouver Winter Games in 2010 cost $8.2 billion, you can only wonder what happened.  Embezzlement and kickbacks to Putin are two mentioned reasons.  From gay rights to terrorism (40,000 law enforcement officials will be present) to the fact that this will be the warmest winter olympics on record, the signs are cloudy, but not snowy enough.  In the USA, NBC will televise, 539 (or maybe 1539, depending on what you count) hours on NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, MSNBC and USA.  Anyway, this all begins at 8PM ET on Thursday, February 6.  Canada and Russia are favored to win the ice hockey gold, but watch out for Finland.  Another miracle on ice for the USA?

MARCH:  This is a big year for Brazil, and Rio in particular, my choice as happiest and most beautiful city in the world.  Carnival this year begins on February 28 and dances through the 5th of March:

NASA declared Comet Ison was vaporized by our Sun on 28November2013, at the age of 4.5 billion years.  In October of 2007, Comet Holmes became a million times brighter, and suddenly viewable to the naked eye, even larger (in length) than our Sun.  Some say this was the largest light explosion in our solar system, ever.  On March 27 Holmes will be at perihelion (closest to the Sun).  Will it survive?  Yes, for this comet will be more than two AUs (distance of Earth from the Sun) away, 300 times further than Comet Ison.  There are more comets reaching perihelion this year than I can count.

APRIL:  I predict there will be two lunar and two solar eclipses in 2014:

2014 Apr 15: Total Lunar Eclipse

2014 Apr 29: Annular Solar Eclipse

2014 Oct 08: Total Lunar Eclipse

2014 Oct 23: Partial Solar Eclipse

Obviously, times have changed and you're not a bunch of savages out there, but Hawaii will see both total lunar eclipses, and miss the two solar eclipses.  If you are under those moving oval shadows, you will be in the path of the solar eclipses.

The Boston Marathon will be held on Patriot's Day, April 21.  There could be as many as 40,000 participants.  You need a qualifying time based on your age:

• 34 and under:  3 hrs 05 min for men and  3 hrs 35 min for women
• 50-54:  3 hrs 30 min for men and 4 hrs for women
• 75-79:  4 hrs 40 mn for men and 5 hrs 10 min for women

I can cross this off my list for 2014.

MAY:  Well, there is Cinco de Mayo on the 5th and Mother's Day on the eleventh. But nothing much else happening around the world.

JUNE:  Who said President Barack Obama was not going to Sochi this year.  He will be at the G8 gathering here on June 5.  This is their 40th summit.

Brazil then hosts the World Cup beginning on June 12, with the final match in Rio at 4 PM on July 13.  Brazil is favored, followed by Argentina, Germany and Spain.  The odds of the USA prevailing range from one chance in 125 to one chance in 200, or, forget it.  

Remember that tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, at 2722 feet, 642 feet higher than #2, the Tokyo Sky Tree?  Well, in June of this year, even though construction has not even started, China has announced that Sky City One will be finished at 2749 feet in Changsha, Hunan.  There will be 202 stories, a hotel for a thousand guests, a hospital, 5 schools, offices and apartments for 17,400 people.  There will be 17 helipads, 8 basketball courts and 104 high speed elevators.  All lights will be LED and the windows will have 4 layers.  Sky City One will be designed to withstand a 9.0 Richter Scale earthquake.  Changsha is 400 miles from the ocean, so I don't think typhoons will get close to threaten wind damage.  All this for a cost of $1.46 billion.  Can they make the June date?  If they begin on January 13, as planned, yes.  This is not all, for five of the ten highest skyscrapers are in construction in China

June 4 is the 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square.  But where in China will the date be commemorated?  Try Hong Kong.

JULY:  July 29 is National Lasagna Day.

AUGUST:  Can you believe it was 1964 when you sang:

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,

which is something to say when you have nothing to say.  Yes Mary Poppins is celebrating her 50th anniversary.  Surely you've seen "Saving Mr. Banks?"  I haven't yet, but probably will.

SEPTEMBER:  Scotland will vote for independence on September 18.  The betting odds are 4:1 against independence.

OCTOBER:  October 1 is World Vegetarian Day.

NOVEMBER:  It was 9November1989 when the Berlin Wall fell, the beginning of the end of the Cold War, which officially occurred in 1991.  So this is the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall.

DECEMBER:  All American combat troops will leave Afghanistan.  However, up to 20,000 military "representatives" will remain to train, etc. The long term?  Who knows.

At the end of the year, or maybe sometime in 2015, China's carbon emissions will be double that of the USA.  The suggested solution (not by me) is fracking.

Not much of a year, so let me make one sweeping but vague prediction:  the stock market will crash this year...or next.  What is a crash? A 5000 point Dow Jones Industrial Average drop would qualify.  What caused the fall in 2008 to the brink of a depression in early 2009?  Lehman Brothers?  Banks?  Nope.  In July of 2008 oil reached an all time high of $147/barrel, which catalyzed the decline.  Both energy crises, in 1973 and 1979, caused similar problems.  Each petroleum predicament was different.  The next one could be anything from Israel bombing Iran to the Fall of the House Saud to something totally unexpected, the more likely prospect.  Watch the price of oil and be ready to enter the market a few months after the next major leap (but make sure to invest at or near the bottom of the Dow):

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Tropical Cyclone Bejisa is at 120 MPH and will strengthen a bit.  However, latest projections show the eye moving slightly westward to now mostly affect the western coast of Reunion:

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