Molokai Impressions

I've been trying to wrap my mind around Moloka'i for the past week, but in many ways, this simple island is the most complex. Simple: 7,000 to 8,000 people. Two towns. No stoplights. One fast-food chain eatery (Subway). No fancy highrise hotels. Only one golf course. Complex: The island is the guardian and resuscitator of Hawaiian language (history, music, dance, spirituality). The complexity remains in my mind. Consider these impressions to be merely a place-holder.

• Much of the land has a gentle prettiness rather than rugged beauty -- the most notable exception being the sheer cliffs of the north coast. At up to 3,900 feet, they are the world's highest.
• The main town, Kaunakakai, resembles a middle American farm town of the nostalgic past. The pace is leisurely. The friendly merchants, who know all their patrons, provide all the necessities but no frou-frou luxuries.
• The mule ride to Kaluapapa, the notorious former leper colony, takes visitors to a poignant past. Until the discovery of drugs to arrest the disease, relocation to the colony was considered a death sentence. Father Damien and Mother Marianne Cope -- respectively a Belgian priest and a German-born nun -- worked with patients suffering from Hansen's Disease. He is the patron saint of Hawaii; she is on track for canonization as well.
• Papohaku Beach, also called Three Mile Beach, is the island's longest -- and among the emptiest, most pristine stretches of sand in all of Hawai'i.
• The broad category of kupuna music is thriving on Moloka'i. This seductive melange of instrumental and vocal sounds, preserved and often played by honored elders and those who learn from them, crystallizes the magic and mystique of the Hawaiian Islands. The blending of such sounds as the ukulele and slack string guitar with melodious voices is as warm and caressing as a tropical breeze. The accompanying traditional dance form of hula is gentle, sensuous and natural, far from the grass-skirted, hip-swiveling show-time performances.
• Hiking deep into the Halawa Valley on the far eastern end of the island was one of the most moving experiences of my travel life. There, a determined visionary named Lawrence Aki is restoring his family's traditional taro fields and introducing visitors to the history and spirituality of the Hawai'ian peoples via his cultural guided hikes on private land to a beautiful waterfall.
• Ancient fish ponds -- some right along coastal road on the island's south side -- demonstrate how inventive native Hawaiians were about assuring an abundant supply of food from the sea.
• The contrast between the luxurious and beautifully appointed Lodge at Molokai Ranch and the barebones, beachside comfort of the tentalows (tent + bungalow = tentalow) at Kaupoa Beach gives visitors a choice of place to stay. There are a few other low-key hotels, B&B's, a few condo complexes, one timeshare project and ample camping opportunities. A low-rise Sheraton is closed but might eventually reopen as a condo-hotel or something. There is only one golf course. So far, Moloka'i has no highrises, no megaresorts, no conference hotels -- and I for one hope that it will remain that low-key and tranquil for residents and visitors alike.