After our crazy hike down into the Waipio Valley, we made our way back toward the city of Hilo.  Along highway 19 we stopped off in a little town called Honakaa.  There we met lots of 'islanders' selling everything from healing stones to homemade fudge.  The Honakaa Marketplace (pictured left) was packed floor to ceiling with trinkets and souvenirs and we spent a good while browsing every nook and cranny. We stopped in to an eco-friendly store ("everything is eco-safe and bio-degradable!") and even saw a place offering piano lessons.

What struck me most when speaking with locals and merchants in Hawaii was that each one had the same attitude about life and a secure sense of their place. "It's not about the money," I heard more than once, "it's about the islands, the history, those that came before, and how we can protect the beauty of our home. It's about using the gifts that we've given responsibly". This is the Tao of Hawaii. After resting a bit, taking in a few more shops and some well deserved ice-cream, we continued our trip back to Hilo.

In Hilo I stopped into a little music shop and met Brandon Nakano. He was behind the counter playing guitar and writing a song with a beautiful Hawaiian lilt.  I mentioned that I had just hiked down into the valley and stopped in for a few guitar picks to bring to my students back home.  He asked about the hike and I told him it was "very spiritual, a life changing experience". 

Brandon smiled with a sense of understanding and echoed the same sentiments of history, beauty, and an overall passion for the islands that other locals had spoken of. He told me about visiting his grandparents home in the hills when he was young, how the property was sold after they had passed, and how he recently took his daughter there so that she could experience the place and learn why it was so important to him. "That's what the new song is about" he said. 

On the way out Brandon said "Let me give you this." It was a CD by his band, the Keawe Trio. I am listening to the music as I write this; it's bringing back great memories of my trip and a hint of that very special Hawaiian "Tao".  Mahalo Brandon.