Hawaii Trip (Day 5) Spouting Horn view and vendor shops

Over breakfast we decided to cancel the group tour up Waimea Canyon so we could go at our own pace. Our chariot for the week was the most adorable little yellow Jeep which would be much appreciated on the narrow roads we would be traveling.  Immediately after breakfast we got on our way and headed west out of the resort for the road trip without much of a plan in place and decided to take things as they came.

(The video has its own audio so you can hear the sound of the spouting horn, be patient as it does require waves to bring it to action.)

We decided to stop at the target spots on the way out to destination drive up Waimea Canyon, first stop was to Spouting Horn down past Poipu Beach on Lawai Road.   It was a quick drive to this location and we discovered, much to my delight, that at local vendors had stalls set up with a varied wares.  We toured the stalls and found, of course, that you get the imported goods here but many local artisans were represented as well.  The best part of these vendors that the price and selection were excellent and we made a few finds that we had been searching for since arriving on the islands.  The first and personal favorite was a stall that sold woven baskets from a small tribe in the forest village of Tengana, pop. 300, this technique is a dying art form.  I would have loved to purchase one of each of these baskets as they had an incredible sale but with luggage concerns I only purchased my favorite.  You can see many of the work available at this outdoor vendor booth by visiting ATA Baskets, there is more information regarding the tribal history of these art pieces on this site.

(Love the detailing in this bag, the multi color detail draws the eye)

(The center piece is designed by Marta Howell)

The pieces above we purchased at the vendor market, the center piece is done by Marta Howell, a local jewelry designer, who typically uses mother of pearl and semi-precious stones.   As soon as I saw this piece I knew it was something I needed to have for my collection.  It was explained that Larimar (center stone) isn't something Marta would typically use in her designs which makes this a very unique piece.   Larimar is a very interesting stone that comes the Dominican Republic island from a one sq. kilometer location.  Many people have never seen it but those that do recognize it immediately, it is also called the Atlantis stone.  It is considered a healing stone with metaphysical properties that is believed to "channel the energy of the sea and heaven to bring peace and tranquility,"  the stone is associated with the throat chakra and speech, communications and creativity.  I should always have it on my forehead as it is reported to create the flow of ideas, enhance energy and neutralize negativity.  It sounds like I should wear this on days that I feel might be more challenging to keep my emotions flowing the right direction.

I didn't take a photo of the vendor booths but do have this nice shot by Doug Porter (Via: Summit Pacific) 

This is a video of our drive out and around the island, enjoy...