Check out my recent interview with Blerta Meta about 'The Happiness Of Many Lives' in the link below
We toured The Big Island in Hawai'i under our own steam, staying at various BnBs and retreats. Every day found us discovering new areas of interest and the whole trip seemed wrapped in an invisible bubble of being a 'special time'. Memories of this trip include exploring the jungle paths around Hilo, bird watching in Ka'u Forest Reserve, coming across a coastal heiau (altar) with fresh offerings, and the unforgettable experience of hiking across the warm and steaming rocks of a crater of an active volcano in the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.
However, it wasn't until towards the end of the trip that magic really started to happen. We were stating at a yoga-and-meditation BnB in a rural setting with outside showers and a mellow vibe. It was a short drive from here to Pu'uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park. Before visiting the park, we stopped to see the views and consider the history of Kealakekua Bay. It was here, back in 1779, that Captain James Cook was killed by a native islander with an iron dagger that had been traded from his ship. The spot is marked by a white obelisk.
From here, we visited the park which had been a place of refuge (pu'uhonua) for Hawaiians who had broken an ancient law (kapu), and where they could seek absolution from a Hawaiian priest. The place felt peaceful, comforting and steady, guarded by the protective god-like statues. Strangely, we had the place to ourselves. Thoughts and images began to swirl in my mind. As the sun set, we sat down by the shore and watched a sea turtle pull itself slowly up onto the beach, the two of us the only witnesses to this ancient and natural version of ritual.
The images of the refuge, the protector gods and the coastal altars started to merge in my mind. A story began to tell itself. Mixed in to this was the story of Cook, killed with a dagger from his ship. Kalani's story was the last of the stories to be written for the novel, but the roots of his challenges and tragedy were laid during this special trip. It was an unforgettable time, as it should have been.
We lived and worked in China for a year. Our home was in a local area in the center of Shanghai, an amazing large metropolis of over 27,000,000 people. It was a blistering start to our international careers, a no-holds barred immersion into modern city living in China. At times, amazingly breathtaking, at others maddeningly frustrating, it wasn't, and could never have been, dull. The crash of the old traditions into modern day capitalism could almost be felt. It was overwhelming in both good and bad ways, and that sense of good and bad could change on a dime.
The travel opportunities were incredible, and whenever we could, we explored, observed and attempted to understand. Seasoned travelers used to hopping around the world, we surprised ourselves by not leaving China for over a year, so intent were we to see the seemingly never-ending list of sites and places, apprehensively greedy for our next experience of amazement or distress.
Beijing, Nanjing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Guilin, Xiamen ...
The Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Warriors, the Yangtzee River, Huangshan, the Giant Buddha of Leshan ...
But. as always, the most remarkable experiences were the quietly sublime ones.
Watching the golden sunshine bounce across the rice fields along the dragon's backbone of the Ping'An mountains.
Listening to the gentle flutter of 1000's of red ribbons sending student prayers to Confucius for good fortune in examinations.
Experiencing the bizarre yet touching Nine Dragons Bathing the Baby Buddha ceremony at Mount Lingshan, Wuxi.
Feeling heart and breath stop as baby pandas stumbled around their protective enclosure at the Giant Panda Breeding Center, unaware of the hopes of so many for their very survival.
In the novel, China plays significant part with the story of Wang Xiao Xiao. Standing at the Western gates in Xian, the very start of the Silk Road, set the scene clearly in my mind for the ending of his story before the rest of it unfurled. The old city walls throbbed with history and legend, of the spirits of those who had passed through, of their joys and tragedies stretching through the centuries. Despite the ghosts of history around every corner in China, it was clear to me that there was a story here that I wanted to tell, between the walls of this ancient capital.