MY LIFE: PART 3G Pearl's Ashes--Mount Kilimanjaro

 But first, a few news developments:

• Chance for peace in Iran?
• About that Hamas disarm matter, Israel bombed the Gaza Strip yesterday.
• Before you get too optimistic about that possible ceasefire development in Ukraine, here is a Wikipedia article about past efforts.

• 
  Yes, there is another Heat Dome over Western North American:
• Las Vegas reached 115 F yesterdsay,
• Phoenix, Arizona will hit 116 F and El Centro, California 118 F today.
• Even Montana is expecting 104 F today.
• Parts of Mexico will get up to 120 F, and Canada will be 22 F to 43 F ABOVE NORMAL.
• Hot, but not as bad as the Heat Dome last month. 

Now, on to Pearl's Ashes ceremonies #10 and #11, in Africa.

• Some background info:

When Pearl grew up in Hilo, Mauna Kea could be seen from her home.  The volcano was especially awesome during the winter months when covered with snow.  If there was anywhere Pearl wanted to visit, but I did not, it was Africa, with Mount Kilimanjaro being her link to Mauna Kea.  Plus, there was the movie King Solomon's Mines, which was one of her favorites.  Thus, my initial thoughts to spread her ashes came from this specific feeling of guilt.

• 
  Africa was but one of several stops in my global tour:

The trip to Kilimanjaro was one of my great grand odysseys, an around the world journey of two months.  In September of 2010 I flew from Honolulu to Japan, then on to South Korea, China, Switzerland, Kenya, Tanzania, Qatar, Norway, Netherlands, Italy, then DC, Austin and Las Vegas, before returning to Honolulu.

• 
  My first stop was Japan, where I gave two talks on the Blue Revolution.
• In Tokyo to the Marine Technology Society.
• At Akita University, where I had a special encounter.  First dinner with five other professors.  Then:

On my way back to my room I noticed there was a bar area called 50's Cafe. I walked into a bizarre scene. First of all, the music, very loud, was only American of the 50's. I'm sure I was the only person who grew up in those times as I don:t think anyone else in the room was as old as 50. 

There were about a dozen seated around a large table where one gentleman dominated the conversation, speaking at high intensity to overcome the music. An equal number was seated at three nearby tables very observant of the main one. Although there were six staff members in white shirts or tuxedos, these lower dozen leaped when his person needed a drink, serving as the interface between this high dozen and the serve staff. When anyone walked out to use the restroom or make a call, he politely bowed to that  main table first.  Outside were a couple of armed (?) protectors.

Had I known what I subsequently saw  I would not have gone in.  In any case, I was there and the only alien not associated with the above scenario. While Akita I don't think is known for organized crime, my fantasy mind running wild, I could only guess that these were Yakuza. (I later confirmed this to be so, in some astonishment, for they are not allowed to frequent normal public establishments.  But this was an out of the way onsen.) I was tempted to check their fingers, but room was too dark.

• 
  I'll yet get to Kilimanjaro, but Akita was the beginning of a side journey for me.  I earlier had begun a roots search for my father's father, Kenjiro (I was named after him), whose family came from this area.  Here is a gravestone I visited.  

• 
  More so, I decided to follow the path Kenjiro's parents took around 1872 when Japan feared the incursion of Russia into Hokkaido, so they were sent, first to Otaru, where Kenjiro was born, then on to Sapporo, when the population was about a thousand, and on to Utashinai.  It was from there that Kenjiro sometime in the 1890's, went to the USA to learn something.  On his way back to Japan, he stopped off on Kauai, got married, bore my father, built the first hydroelectric power plant on the island at Wainiha, and died in an accident at work at the age of 33.
• 
  Second stop.

My China stop was Shanghai, an extraordinary city, which was then hosting a World Expo.  You've been in 100 Yen ($1) stores in Japan.  China  has 30 Cents shops. 

• My day at this Expo.

• 
  Finally, I'm in Africa, and confirmed why I just don't like it here.  The graft, disease, poverty and ...  The plane from Zurich landed in Nairobi, where the hotel warned me, don't walk out of the hotel even during the daytime.  I joined a Tauck Tour and we are flown over Mount Kilimanjaro to Tanzania.  Unfortunately, I was on the wrong side of the plane, so the photo to the left was provided by someone who I met in the tour, Arturo Gonzalez.
• 
  PA#10 was at the Nogorongoro Serena.  The  hotel reminded me of the Volcano House on the Big Island, where Pearl and I stayed several times.  Both Nogorongoro and Halemaumau (PA#6) are craters.  To the left is the view from my room where I placed PA#10.

• Highlights of this portion of the tour were visits to a Maasai (formerly Masai) Village, Oldupai(formerly Olduvai) Gorge (here with Curator Samba Ikayo) and those animals (like giraffes).

• 
  When I got to the airport in Kenya, I still had not dropped off Pearl's ashes near Mount Kilimanjaro.  So anti-climatic, but:

Desperate to do something close to Kilimanjaro, I finally selected a nice spot at the airport, but took this photo to identify the location.  Yes, that's a beer sign, and that tree is not a Jacaranda, but I'm taking this photo from where the gel cap was thrown.

Next dropping off her ashes at Machu Picchu.  This became a fearful adventure.

-