Notes From Hawaii Part 6 - The Dream is True...

I'm writing this from an airport in Maui, Hawaii, but it doesn't seem real.

None of this seemed real.

The airport I'm in seems so familiar, as if I've been here before. The inside is nearly completely wooden and there's a lone food stand selling pretzels that they take out of a fridge, spray with water, than put in the microwave for a minute. It reminds me of all the time I've spent on the road as both a kid on a bunch of Greyhound buses and my trips as a young adult up and down the east coast. The furthest west I had ever been before this trip was Harrisburg, PA, so 5100 miles away from home is something else.

Almost unreal.

Me and my friends Claire had plans yesterday to rent a car for $40 and head to the North Shore. Well, turns out that, after paying the insurance, it would be just under $80 and, insult to injury, we needed to pay in cash due to a small problem, and would need $100 on top of that just to cover the deposit. We wound up taking a bus to a small beach I can't even remember the name of on the Eastern Coast. The North Short of Oahu, Hawaii would simply have to remain an unexplored mystery.

We caught another bus to Downtown Honolulu and went to a small art/framing store called "Island Art and Gallery". In it was a small collection of pieces by someone who did impressionistic paintings of Volcano's that were simply incredible! They were done by the person who drove the 5 Bus to a small rain-forest on the island that she met. It was simply stunning and beautiful. We walked around Chinatown to the part where I was lost on Sunday (no pun intended) and pointed to the arcade I spent some time at.

Getting back to the room, she went to the pool while I decided to simply take the time and relax one last time in a chair instead. Oh, and I went on a quick trip to Ala Monda Park right outside Waikiki on the longboard!

That night, we went to a small place where we got a Lobster Tail and Steak, fries, and a soda for about $16 each. Ah, island life! Toss in drinking as much Vodka as we could before bed, and a trip to ANOTHER arcade for me, and I was out like a light by... oh, 1:30am! HA!

So, the last day in Hawaii... what to do with about 6 hours?

I decided to creep out the room without waking the roommate and head back to Ala Monda Park. Smart move on my part! I had to walk a bit, but whenever I could (and the Hawaii Five-O wasn't around) I got on the deck and tried to surf the sidewalk. It wasn't much, but the park was simply incredible! Skateboarding was not only legal, but almost encouraged! The rule was simple; respect everyone.

After about an hour, I headed back to the hotel. There, we went to Denny's for breakfast once more (we went the day before, and decided that for $4, an order of pancakes, bacon, and eggs was worth it!), and made sure we were all set for the long, long trip back.

The first flight was great; I got a window seat, free passion fruit juice, and a ride that only took 30 minutes. Hawaiian Airlines had a cheaper checked-bag fee than American Airlines; only $10 per bag instead of $25. We saved $30.

And now I'm sitting in an airport I know I've been in before.

Hiking a massive crater, surfing a wave, walking nearly 200 yards into the Ocean without fear of drowning, skateboarding without getting into trouble... it seemed like a dream, entirely unreal. All the adventures, travels, and people... the lush tropical paradise, the fresh air, the water so clear, the tastes, the smells, the fun, the joy, the pleasures...

I was a man who dreamed only in black and white, a man who simply wished to get away from it all... this trip, in many ways did save me from myself, from all the pain and anger and hatred that was consuming me. I came out of this more relaxed, more understanding, more inspired, and wanting to be a better person for the sake of just that.

The dream is true.

To Hawaii, and everyone out there, I simply say this:

MAHALO, HONOLULU! HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN SOON!!!!!

Notes from Hawaii Part 5 - Surfin' USA

What. A. Day!

The entire time I've been down here, I don't think I've finished a single meal here. Well, actually, I've finished two. The first was a meal at Arby's I got at the mall yesterday, and today was at Doraki Sushi, the greatest Sushi place I've ever been to!

The day started with a trip to IHOP, where we got a meal that was so big I didn't eat for a good 9 hours later! After that, we booked a car for tomorrow and headed to Diamond Head Park for a hike. The walk was nothing short of long and fun! It was about 3 miles for us to walk from the bus stop to the gate to the top of the mountain. We did the entire thing in about an hour.

After that, despite the fact both of our legs were killing us, I decided to go surfing.

Yep, surfing!

The hotel offered swimming lessons in a group for $60, so I decided to do something I wanted to remember forever, and this was it. Well, I also wanted to do skydiving, but that takes an entire day, waivers, etc... the lesson was only an hour and both me and the only other person both had to stop then because we were exhausted by the end. Swallowing nearly 2 gallons of fresh salt water will do that. But it was amazing! I wound up riding one wave back to the coast, nearly 125 yards in general! I almost fell off twice before I made it!

I also finally bought a longboard skateboard!

The skateboarding laws in Hawaii are not what you would imagine. Waikiki is 100% off limits to skateboarders, and some portions seem to be questionable. The main place I've heard of are skate parks, with one right outside Chinatown. I wound up having to walk nearly half a mile to skate for 3 minutes. I got to talk to some local skaters who started "Skatebeard".

I caught someone who does fire dancing and it was sweet watching it! He did all these awesome tricks and stuff.

After that, it was dinner at Doraku Sushi! We had a great time, and it was incredibly cheap considering what we had! It turns out one platter, the "Emperor Roll", actually had caviar in it! Which led to this sentence; "I can't believe I accidentally had caviar in the corner of my lip." $10. Who knew?

The rest is what it was. I ran to the mall to get something fixed; the anti-theft tag on a pair of boardshorts I got yesterday had to get removed. After I got off the bus, I actually got lost and found some neat little places here and there.

All is right with the world, and Hawaii is still a wonderful place.

Tomorrow we take on the North Shore and think about how great it all was. :)

Notes from Hawaii Part 4 - So Much To Do, But so Little Time...

If you go on a trip for a week, it is guaranteed by the law of averages that one of those days will not go as you planned. Yesterday was that day.

I got up at 6AM local time, as always, and wrote my blog post about the wonderful day I had before. The plan for yesterday was simple; Get some shopping done, check out some historical and natural sites, go to a park, and hang by the pool.

What happened was I spent nearly 7 hours shopping and/or trying to get around... but it wasn't as bad as I make it sound.

I started by trying to get some sketching in, but it just wasn't going to happen. I wound up walking east on some street that I never remember the name of, but I just call it "the Strip". I passed a surfing competition that was just getting started, and the further east you went, the nicer it got.

After that, I hopped on a bus to Ala Mona Mall, which is this massive mall with more stores than you can imagine, and it's 100% open-air. It's easy to get lost in there and all the stores... but that didn't happen. At least, not when I first went there. Instead, the mall was closed. The plan then was to head across the street to the massive Ala Mona Park, but I saw a bus coming and decided to head on over to The Royal Palace.

Its pretty interesting; Hawaii used to have kings and queens. In the late 1800's, Queen Liliʻuokalani was overthrown and replaced by a Provisional Government, which the US Government wasn't happy with and even declared the act illegal. The palace still stands, and it was wonderful to look at.

I wanted to head to Chinatown to get photos of street art for a friend of mine, but once I got there I couldn't find it. After 30 minutes of searching, which was incredibly fun, I wound up at a small skate shop called APB right at the edge of Chinatown. The guy behind the counter was awesome and we talked about skateboards for a bit and how the laws in both places where we live suck ass. That's when I realized the street art I was looking for was entirely on boards, and that they wouldn't be back up until everything closed.

So, playing it by ear... I got lost again. I was actually lost for 30 minutes before I even got to Chinatown, looking for Aloha Tower, and in turn something else to do. I wound up going back to the mall and grabbing a bite to eat at Arby's since the mall was open by now.

Now, the coolest product I've found... EVER. BOARDSHORTS. Remember when everyone basically wore them everywhere in the early 1990's? I still think they're cool, even if the intent is to just wear them during swimming or whatever. Why not wear them more, right? I got 2 pairs, and I can't wait to bring them back home!

It took an hour to get back to the Swap Meet and Aloha Stadium, but I was able to grab some Aloha Shirts and a Tiki from the awesome guys I mentioned who actually hand-carve them here. Really nice, awesome guys!

I went back to Chinatown, and was able to get my shots in. Sadly, that's when I realized that both the memory card on in my camera was full, and that it was nearly 4PM. Sunset was in 3 hours, and I still had to go to my room and rest.

I got back, and after getting lunch with Claire, my friend who came with me down here, I was working on a plan to get around to some spots that wound up being impossible to do in the time I had left. Claire told me about all the awesome stuff she did; hiking in a rain forest, taking tons of photos, and having a good time doing it all. I was a little jealous... until she showed me how she got a little hurt. I wished I had done more, but it worked out in the end. :)

I went downtown to see the nightlife here... not much to be found, actually, unless you're in Waikiki. I found a place called Nick's Arcade, a tiny hole-in-the-wall place where odd games I've never seen before and a copy of Monopoly Pinball, that I can only assume was rigged. How else can you explain the ball going STRAIGHT DOWN 80% OF THE TIME?! Eh... it was still really fun, especially since it was such a hidden place!

Today's plan? Rent a car and go to Diamond Head! Diamond Head is actually a massive mountain formed by a deep impact... just like the band! OOH! RIM SHOT! It's actually a huge crater and it should be a good hike. If we don't do that today, we're going to the North Shore where all the really cool stuff is.

On the main upside, I wound up taking a ton of photos so far, and I'm getting a lot of ideas and rest. If I don't get it today, I plan on getting a surfing lesson before I go! And a message is possible.

Oh, and I wound up selling two pairs of shoes from my store on Zazzle! NEAT!

Aloha!

Notes from Hawaii Part 3 - The Cutlure Myths and Realities

When you and I think of Hawaii, or at least those of us who have never been there, we imagine nothing but native wearing Hawaiian shirts, beautiful girls in Hula Dresses, being decorated with a lei and drinking tropical drinks by the pool side. Sadly, I've yet to see one woman in a Hula Dress, but the rest is pretty true. Well, if you're a your a tourist, at least.

It's interesting; A lot of the local ads for an upcoming election shows the candidates wearing just what you think they would wear down here in general. An Aloha (Hawaiian) Shirt and a Lei around their neck. I've been walking around Waikiki in what I would normally wear; a band shirt and shorts. I've actually have been mistaken for a local quite a few times. I went to the Disney store and just outright asked about the shirts, and as you may have guessed, no, the locals really don't wear them.

I actually found the place where John Lithgow (of Rat Race and The Critic fame) buys most of his Aloha shirts. Awesome place... but the shirts there are $40+. Most of the places around here have them for $20, and I found a place at the Swap Meet that had them for only $10! It's basically an hour each way out there, but they also have board shorts.

Board shorts. Hands-down, they are the COOLEST piece of clothing out here! They even have a pair with the album cover of the Sex Pistols "God Save the Queen" out here! SWEET.

One thing you and I would worry about is everything costing an arm and a leg out here. Well, its not that bad. The prices are just about what you would find in Center City Philadelphia, and the sales tax is only 4.75%, but it does apply to EVERYTHING, including clothes and food.

Waikiki is basically like Old City, but the shopping is a billion times better and you get a lot more variety with everything.

The main thing I wanted to learn out here was the history and nature of Tiki mythology, and it's been hit and miss. Tiki, on a whole, is a very informal mythology, open to a lot of interpretation. I met a man who carved them yesterday, along with his brother, and he told me they were taught how to carve them and their history from the age of 5! The main thing that's bugging me about 99.8% of all the Tiki's I've found here aren't made here. Most of them are actually made in China and the Phillipenes. A bit of a bummer, but I do plan on getting one real one if at all possible.

I'm having a great time out here, and I want to head to the Polynesian Cultural Center and learn more about the cultural history here in general. In a way, it's the lost chapter of American history that we're never taught.

But I still want to see the chicks in Hula Skirts...

Notes from Hawaii Part 2 - The Beauty of Paradise in America

Today I did something very few people will ever get to do: Visit the USS Arizona Memorial, also known to most people as the ship that was hit during the Pearl Harbor attacks on December 7th, 1941.

It was very moving.

Standing is a white building built over where the ship once stood, a memorial for those who died while protecting their country. The feeling was almost over-whelming at times, this massive building with open walls, beckoning you to reach out to it and understand its importance, its meaning, and the many, many, many soldiers who died to keep America free.

Getting to the memorial was a bit of a mess. Me and my friend wound up, thanks to Goggle Maps, walking on a bridge that was part of a naval base. We wound up having to turn back and walk an extra half-mile.

We went to a swap meet at Aloha Stadium here on Oahu in Ewa. If you ever get to come to this wonderful island, I HIGHLY recommend do all your gift shopping here. Personally, I wished I bought more, and I think I'll head back there tomorrow to do just that.

My favorite highlight was seeing something that I wanted to witness my entire time here: Someone carving an actual Tiki statue. It was incredible! There he was, wood carving tools in hand, creating a new statue of one of the Tiki Gods. His name is Soane Vehikite and he is AMAZING! They're working on a new site, and when it goes up, I will spread the word to the mainland!

We went to a sushi place called Kuru Kuru Sushi located right past Pearl Harbor. It was one of those places with an automated food trays so that the food passes around the entire restaurant. I wound up having a few shrimp things, and something the combined rice and salmon.

The ocean is still amazing and wonderful down here, inspiring beauty and aw at nothing more than a glance. You can literally walk the length of a football field into the ocean without having to swim! The only problem? Rocks. Lots of them. There are some great places without them, and other places where you don't know when they will just go away.

A few odd tidbits: There is a Ferrari Store. It does exist. A Ferrari Bike costs $4000. There's an "Animation Gallery" as well that sells limited-edition Disney Cels, paintings, and statues.

I also had the privilege of finally trying out a long-board skateboard today! Nice thick rubber wheels, a really smooth deck... I think I need to get one one of these days! Don't know how I would get the deck home from here, honestly...

The Arts and Culture in this state is astounding! I feel inspire to create at every turn!

That's about it. Photos exist, they are coming, but for now they reside entirely on my computer.