How is it possible that nature births this color?
In Hawaii, there is a story about Pele and Hi`iaka. Pele is the volcano goddess, and Hi`iaka is her younger sister. Pā'ū-o-Hi'iaka means 'Hi`iaka's skirt' (in Hawaiian), which was composed of these exquisite morning glories.
As the mo`olelo (story) goes, Pele was at the beach with her friends and had taken her younger sister, Hi`iaka, along. Pele wanted to surf and fish with her friends, and stayed away from the shoreline for a very long time. The morning glory vine saw Hi`iaka was in danger of becoming sunburned, so it wrapped Hi`iaka up with its flowers and leaves so she wouldn't get sunburned on the hot beach. When Pele returned, she saw the vine where Hi`iaka had previously been placed. She thanked the plant & so named it Pā'ū-o-Hi'iaka.
During my cycling odyssey as I meandered along with the Rio Mondego, I kept seeing Pā'ū-o-Hi'iaka, and it just really made me smile. I just don't understand how something so exquisite and delicate can be birthed. It's rare to see something so naturally occurring as this blue-violet hue- even in nature. It shocks me to my very core as I gaze at them. It is enough to produce tears.
There is such a strong connection between the Hawaiian Islands and Portugal, and now I'm weaving my own connection into the mix. I'm somewhere in the middle, straddling both, trying to find my way inside.
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