A blog by Jorge Garcia.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Moloka'i Museum

Moloka'i Museum and Cultural Center is a small place. I think they had six visitors the day we went. So we paid the admission fee to discover the current exhibit is pictures of Hawaii's rare plants and animals. That's right pictures. Pictures of bugs and leaves. This is the happyface spider. I'm the one on the right. In case you don't believe me:
One thing that was pretty cool about the property was they had a restored sugar mill you could tour by yourself. But first you had to watch the video they made about the restoration. 

Then they turned us loose. The best part was the masher. 
It used to be powered by mule, probably looked kinda like this:
And in front they had a birthing stone. 
Where the ali'i gave birth to their babies. Included with the birthing stone is another stone in the shape of a club. It was either used to protect the birthing mother and child or maybe, just maybe, it could help the woman in labor by knocking the baby out croquet-style. 
By the way this toilet is much nicer on the inside. 
Not anymore. (Sorry that was stupid) But what's the tank of gas doing there?
Whenever I'm at any museum I have to stop by the gift shop. And there we found the highlight of our trip. Little molasses cookies baked  by the nice old lady at the front door. They cost fifty cents for a little bag of two and they were worth the price of admission to the museum. Hands down the best thing we ate the whole trip. 

31 comments:

Topanga said...

Birthing stone? Where are the stirrups? ;-)

Bethany James Leigh Shady said...

while you were in there, the cookie lady told me that they were going to set the bathroom ablaze after you'd been in there because there would be no way of saving it after that. that's why the gas tank was there. apparently word is out aout you.

i didn't tell you while we were there because i didn't want you to be embarassed in front of her.

i saw her light the match right after we drove off.

oh pook said...

Is that a happy spider T-shirt!?
It looks like you 2 had fun!!!!

TheUnity (Siv) said...

Wow, what a unusual named spider! =P

As for the whole, must go to the Gift Shop thing, trust me dude...that urge passes through me every time I visit a museum too. Useless or not, I always go pocket full from a gift shop! :)

Maybe next time you can tell us what you bought from the gift shop.

Laters! :D

Hoku said...

I don't know what's funnier anymore...your posts or bethany's comments! LMAO

Hey if you get to Maui, look for the mochi filled with chunky peanut butter and chocolate! OMG, my coworker's family just brought some back along with the required box of Krispy Kremes. We practically came to blows over over the mochi!!! We are not sure where they picked them up, but they are to die for!!!!

(for those readers not from Hawaii, the only place to buy KK donuts in the state is the Maui airport! therefore all the other islanders coming home buy them)

James Hernandez said...

Jorge,

I suggest you introduce the happyface spider to the Florida jumping spider. Happy - Jumping, Jumping -Happy. What a perfect combination they would make.

P.S. Molasses cookies (insert Homer drooling here) aagghhh.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jorge

I would like to ask ? When I put the pc's curser on your great photos it appears that I can enlarge them by clicking on them but nothing happens? Should the photos get larger or not?

Love your blog, your writings and pics always give me a giggle or a right good laugh out loud. Please keep them coming when you can.
Arlie
Los Angeles, CA

Chase Squires said...

Hey man, I'm a sucker for the gift shops, too. One of the weird things I do, is find the cheapest "I was there" kind of momento, and buy a ton of them, then I give them to folks at all the offices I work with .... Like, there are peeps all over the place with fake arrowheads from the swest, core samples from Crazy Horse monument, sea shells from the Keys and little pencils that say "churchill downs" from when I went to the Kentucky Derby.

It's goofy, but it's fun. Love the blog. Come visit us in Denver.

SpiderWomanKnits said...

Looks like fun :-)

I've had two children and two great birthing experiences but I can't see how a birthing stone would make it any easier. Maybe a birthing thatched reed thing or a birthing feather pile. Anything but stone! The club was probably to knock the birthing mother out!

Jodi said...

Birthing stones and that fertility rock from an earlier post..LOL!

Mmmmm..molasses cookies.

Hmm...that gas tank outside the bathroom is kinda disturbing. LOL

Sue Wacvet said...

Yum. I love molasses cookies!

Cindy said...

I think the club was for the birthing mother to knock out the father for getting her into the situation in the first place.

maven said...

Your little travelogues are so funny and educational...The Happy Face Spider! You're right...we wouldn't have believed you without the
picture! The birthing stone...ouch, that looks so uncomfortable. Maybe the club is used to knock the mother out.

Anonymous said...

Hey Chase
My choice in a gift shop are fridge magnets. They are cheap, easy to pack and bring home, get put on the fridge for me and others to see instead of being tossed in a dark drawer and forgotten.
:-)
Pen2

APE. said...

There are birthing stones in Wahiawa as well, called the Kukaniloko birthing stones.

They are very mytical, supposedly by touching them a woman can get pregnant..they are really cool to see, especially since they're only a 30 minute drive from police beach :)

elainemarieg said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
elainemarieg said...

spiderwomanknits, I agree! "birthing feather pile" would be better!

Jackie Sullivan said...

That first photo just might be the greatest facial expression ever.

groovymom said...

WOW - good thing that happy spider isn't actual size..... I would need a SHOVEL to remove one from the house (then again - you would pretty much have to like OPEN THE DOOR to let one in....unless the eggs got inside your house - getting the heebie jeebies!)

Loved the sugar mill picture - pretty cool!

Birthing stone - jinkies - I'm so glad I was alive during the epidural / rubber gloves / clean hospitals etc. part of "birthing history"!

THANKS FOR SHARING!!

chefmom said...

Oh Man, Bethany's comment is classic! They'd do the same thing if my husband were to visit! Love the t-shirt of the happy spider, but not really the spider itself, that is CREEPY! And there is no way in hell that I would have given birth on that thing. Although, since I give birth to rather larger children, I may have acccepted the mallot!!

chefmom said...

Also, I have the greatest recipe for chewy molasses cookies. They are heavenly, and very easy to make. Let me know if you want the recipe.

eduardesky said...

not anymore!!!!
juaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
excelent!!!

Miss Scarlett said...

Ew - that spider is creepy. But if that is his cartoon version on your shirt that's pretty cute.

Wow - bummer about a museum of photo's - I guess they're easier to maintain!

Molokai has a lot of reproductive points of interest to visit.

redelf said...

I love the first photo...but a happy face spider??? WEEE!! I do not want it smiling at me when I squish it!!!!

The mill looks cool, I wish I had had a birthing stone.

Cookies!!!!!!!!! Old ladies making cookies is the best!!!

Tiffany Noélli said...

Hi Jorgeeeeeee! Esse Museum é bem rústico... Mas o legal em viagem é isso, conhecer as atrações da viagem! Até cookies tinha, rsrsrs Beijão dude! =)

San Diego Girl said...

I love reading your blog! So fun!! :-)

Heyyy I know that shirt logo!!! I saw it at a booth at Comic Con in San Diego! That lil guy is a pea not a spider!! So cute! I bought a "Pea sitting down" in a cute princess chair! HAHA I guess this means we are practically related. :)

Keep blogging!! much love from San Diego!

Kara said...

The Happy Face Spider! The first time I saw a picture of it I thought it was fake! It looks like a cartoon spider smiling. Isn't nature great!

Kevin said...

"Not anymore." Hahaha! That's great man!

boarexpert said...

Oh my, I want a pet happyface spider! Does it seriously have a happy face on it's back?! How on Earth did it evolve that way? Does having a happy face make predators smile/laugh rather than eat it? Or is it a more sinister reason - is it pretending to be friendly when it's really quite scary (somewhat like a clown)? Hmm... Ponderous. I like that the toilet warranted such photography too ;D. I always like to know where the toliets are wherever I am, so it is nice to see you photographed it. Maybe the gas is a warning - to scare people who are spending too long in there. Especially if there's only one and desperate people waiting outside. Though I guess blowing the loo up wouldn't be any more use to them really, would it. Or maybe that's a worrying insight into the first thing that comes into my mind! : |

Sabrina said...

That spider totally freaks me out. I think it's the one UHaul has pictured on the side of their moving trucks advertising Hawai'i. And that birthing stone. . .why does it remind me of beer slides from college?

Carolate said...

Who could be afraid from spiders like this...

The pic is lovely and I want a shirt like yours.

Good luck and a lot of kisses.