FORUM — From the October 2017 issue

Haleiwa, Hawaii  By Paul Theroux

When people in Hawaii first learned of North Korea’s latest threat — that it might soon launch a preemptive strike that could obliterate our lovely islands with a nuclear bomb as powerful as those that wiped out Hiroshima and Nagasaki — it was news for a few days. Older people mumbled about Pearl Harbor. Then we islanders went back to the issues that really concern us: the terrible traffic, the chronic homeless problem, the unfunded Honolulu Rail Transit project, the cost of gas, and the surf report — not necessarily in that order. “How often do you go to the States?” tourists sometimes ask, to the great annoyance of people here, which though very distant from the mainland is no stranger to the mainland’s woes.

The ominous news continued to come, though. Because North Korea is a habitual blunderer, the missile might veer off course and miss the islands. If it did we would still be subjected to a catastrophic electromagnetic pulse, which would short-circuit our communications systems, satellites, microwaves, TV sets, and everything else that runs on electricity. This actually happened before, on July 9, 1962, when a 1.4 megaton American bomb was detonated over Johnston Atoll and Hawaii’s electricity fizzled out for a day or so. But even the possibility of that cauchemardesque event did not get much attention.

North Korea is roughly 4,700 miles from Hawaii. (Funnily enough, Washington, D.C., is about the same distance.) But the homeless problem is much closer, mainly on Oahu, where I live — forty encampments on iconic Diamond Head alone, tents and sidewalk shacks lining Nimitz Highway, visible to tourists coming from the airport. A large proportion of the residents are local. “We are not homeless, we are houseless,” one ragged man explained to me. Some are originally from the mainland, but many are Micronesians driven from the radioactive islands and toxic atolls we blighted with bomb tests in the Forties and Fifties, living like refugees in the parks and under the bridges.

And then there’s the Honolulu rail project, which broke ground in 2011. Parts of it exist as the palpable fragment of a good idea, but it will soon run out of money. The state legislature cannot come up with the billions needed to finish it. So there it remains, stark and incomplete, a ghostly, disconnected viaduct suspended over the traffic jams and bungaloid neighborhoods. (Speaking of those bungalows, Hawaii has the highest housing prices of any state in the nation.)

Oahu is the most urbanized of the seven inhabited islands, and the most populous: Of the roughly 1.5 million people in the state, almost 1 million live here. The other islands are distinct, each with its own peculiar conceits and anxieties. Maui is touristy; Kauai a model of civic planning and resistance to developers; Lanai a pineapple plantation transformed into a resort destination, almost owned entirely by the multibillionaire Larry Ellison. Molokai is largely ranchland; the Big Island is roomy and diverse, and, with active volcanoes still spewing lava, it is getting bigger; tiny Niihau is privately owned by the Robinson family and culturally native Hawaiian. All these islands have different priorities, but they are united in their love of hula and high school sports, and their ardent provincialism.

It’s odd that Hawaii is provincial, because it is dense with military bases and home to nearly 50,000 military personnel. You’d think such warriors would be our link with international conflict, with Asia, with Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places, because soldiers have tales to tell. But they keep their heads down. Their spouses are visible at the beach with their small children, parents sitting out the latest tour, praying for it to end.

During last year’s presidential election, some Trump signs appeared, yet Hillary took Hawaii. But so what? We are at such a remove that the presidential election is already decided by the time our votes are counted. The mainland is distant and we are for the most part overlooked, isolated in the precise meaning of the word: islanders. We take the traditional Chinese view, “The sky is high and the emperor is far away.” In spite of the high cost of living, smugness and a sunny disposition predominate, and until we are woken by a North Korean missile strike, most people will go on repeating the local mantra, “Lucky we live Hawaii.”

Cultural Heritage, Indigenous and Sacred Sites in California and Oceania is a project involving a combination of independent study and travel within California and Oceania culminating in creative fiction and photographic works, a curricular development project, faculty-student publications and the fomentation of cross-institutional collaborations and grant applications with other institutions such as the University of California system, California Humanities and the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California. 

This proposal aims to link common problems in the field of Humanities shared by both California and Oceania.  Although seemingly “worlds apart,” both of these geographies are currently struggling to find ways to raise awareness of the value and fragility of cultural heritage, indigenous and sacred sites in order to develop sustainable solutions which protect these sites from the effects of extreme drought, flooding and other severe weather events. In the summer of 2019 Fourth World will travel to the heart of Oceania (Rapa Nui in particular, known to non-indigenous geopolitical organizations as Easter Island, the most remote place on planet earth) to write creative fiction, publish photography and create, evaluate and publish curricular units as well as plan for future grant applications with other regional higher-education institutions, non-profits and museums.  At heart, all of these efforts aim to study and publish creative and curricular materials which promote the appreciation and protection of cultural heritage, indigenous and sacred sites in both California and Oceania.

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The south end of Ukiah is home to the City of 10,000 Buddhas. Welcoming all visitors, this Buddhist monastery, training facility, university, and prayer and meditation center occupies the site of a former state hospital built in the 1930s. The highlight for visitors is the Hall of 10,000 Buddhas, which lives up to that name thanks to the thousands of Buddhas lining its walls. You can also enjoy delicious vegetarian cuisine at the Jyun Kang Restaurant.

Specializing in education and inspiration, the 12-acre Real Goods Solar Living Center offers the best place on Hwy. 101 to break up your road trip. The Center features a free picnic area, three different ponds, a children’s play area that’s fun and educational, tours, and shopping. For those who have a serious interest, take the 45-minute tour and learn how wind and the sun can be converted to clean renewable energy. Check out the organic garden, permaculture landscape and many types of eco-friendly building materials including passive and active solar design in the architecture.

The Skunk Train will take you back in time as you are whisked away on a fantastic journey. This is a historically accurate train line running from Willits, just north of Ukiah, to Fort Bragg that showcases the phenomenal beauty of the area. Everyone will enjoy winding through the countryside over bridges and trestles and through tunnels. Breathtaking views of 1,000-year-old redwoods and crisp clean mountain air are just a few of the wonderful reasons to take a ride on the Skunk Train.

Taking its name from a legendary Himalayan kingdom in Tibet where there was a harmonious society, Shambhala Ranch is one of Mendocino county’s most famous spas. It has its own solar electric system that keeps it completely independent of the grid, and helps maintain the natural atmosphere. Pamper yourself with a relaxing stone massage, raindrop massage, reiki or chakra balancing.

Named after the world famous springs first discovered by Julius Caesar in France, the virtually identical waters of Ukiah’s Vichy Springs surge forth from six miles deep within the earth. Featuring the only warm and naturally carbonated “Vichy” mineral baths in North America, the water is naturally warm and effervescent, filled with minerals and energy, and is renowned for its healing and restorative qualities.

Opened in 1854, California Historical Landmark #980, Vichy Springs was a favorite retreat of writers Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London, and Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Benjamin Harrison and Teddy Roosevelt. Vichy Springs Resort is the oldest continuously operated spa in California.

Orr Hot Springs is a small, tranquil resort settled deep in the rolling hills of the Mendocino Coastal Range. Situated on a beautiful country road between Ukiah and Mendocino, the Springs flourish on 27 acres at the headwaters of the Big River. In the late 1800’s, “Orr’s Hot Sulphur Springs” became a resting spot on the Ukiah-Mendocino stagecoach line, and was a popular resort for city-dwellers who came seeking health and relaxation.

The mineral waters come to the tubs hot from the earth at approximately 106 degrees F. Sulphur, calcium, potassium, boron, and many other naturally occurring minerals are in abundance, making for a truly healthful and rejuvenating bath.

Seabiscuit, the legendary racehorse and subject of a major motion picture, lived and is buried at Ridgewood Ranch in Willits along Highway 101 just north of Ukiah. San Francisco auto salesman, Charles Howard, paid $7,500 for Seabiscuit and hired trainer Tom Smith and jockey Red Pollard to race him. Together they turned a 3-year-old, seemingly broken-down, rebellious horse into a champion and one of the greatest racehorses in history.

Together, they embodied the American spirit and gave hope to millions of Americans during the darkest economic era our nation has ever faced. With one victory after another, Seabiscuit lifted the citizens of our country out of the despair of the Great Depression and became the greatest icon of his time.

Now this is where the Buffalo Roam. Take a tour of this fantastic 1,000-acre working bison ranch on a revamped military truck through rain-forest like terrain