Saturday, November 05, 2005
Dateline: Honolulu
Day 6
It was a perfect day.
"Hey, which beach you think I should go to see some surf?"
"You could go to Sandy Beach ..."
"Right on. Im there."
"Uh, if you go brah - you could break your neck there."
"Like if I go swimming I could break my neck?"
"No, like if youre standing on the beach, walking by the surf, you could break your neck."
"Really?"
"Yup"
"Sure can. The force of the surf can take you out - even if youre not swimming."
"But break your neck?"
"Yeah. Ive never actually seen anyone break their necks, but yeah. Most Ive seen personally is broken arms and broken legs."
So, I ended up at Makapu'u State Park forewarned.
And nearly broke my neck walking on the shoreline from the force of the surf. F'real.
I tell you what tho, I left there grinning like an idjit, my clothes damp and sand on me, in me etc. But my breathing was deeper, I could see way clearer, my knee wasnt bothering me anymore, my skin felt clean and so on and so on.
I also climbed Diamond Head (in slippers no less), hung out on Waikiki Beach and watched a great show (yeah, cheesy but good cheesy) at a Luau.
It was a perfect day in paradise.
Now, this is a Hawaiian vacation.
--------------
Day 6
It was a perfect day. "Hey, which beach you think I should go to see some surf?"
"You could go to Sandy Beach ..."
"Right on. Im there."
"Uh, if you go brah - you could break your neck there."
"Like if I go swimming I could break my neck?"
"No, like if youre standing on the beach, walking by the surf, you could break your neck."
"Really?"
"Yup"
"Sure can. The force of the surf can take you out - even if youre not swimming."
"But break your neck?"
"Yeah. Ive never actually seen anyone break their necks, but yeah. Most Ive seen personally is broken arms and broken legs."
So, I ended up at Makapu'u State Park forewarned.
And nearly broke my neck walking on the shoreline from the force of the surf. F'real.
I tell you what tho, I left there grinning like an idjit, my clothes damp and sand on me, in me etc. But my breathing was deeper, I could see way clearer, my knee wasnt bothering me anymore, my skin felt clean and so on and so on.
I also climbed Diamond Head (in slippers no less), hung out on Waikiki Beach and watched a great show (yeah, cheesy but good cheesy) at a Luau.
It was a perfect day in paradise.
Now, this is a Hawaiian vacation.
--------------
Malasadas from Leonard's
Now I see what all the fuss is about.
Yes, definitely get Malasadas from Leonard's on Kapahulu Avenue. And the plate lunch from Rainbows Drive in ....
Friday, November 04, 2005
Dateline Honolulu
Day 5
I think Ive got the Hawaiian credo figured out:
"You're no better than me."
Wait, that's the East Coast way of saying it.. its more like "Youre no better than I am, so we can get along if you realize that."
Which is cool, cuz thats my credo too. I like the folk here. Cultural and class differences doesnt seem to come into play as harshly as it does on the mainland. In other words, I dont get the "Ahhh, Big Black Man" crap as much. Which is nice, thank you very much.
Being Jamaican, but living in the US for 25 years, I have different modes of communicating depending on who (whom?) Im communicating with. Normal US mode is my flat midwestern accent with a bit of a southern drawl. My black mode is basically a New York/Chicago fuck you/how ya doin mode. California mode has me saying 'right on' for more times than Im actually comfortable with, but it calms the passive aggressives down, so it works.
My Caribbean mode kicks in when Im relaxed around cool people, then I allow my jamaican/caribbean/british pidgin accent to kick in amongst the midwestern accent.
My Jamaican mode kicks in ONLY when Im talking to other Jamaicans or folk from the British West Indies. I do NOT speak speak patois to get over. In fact, I can only comfortably speak patois when Im relaxed.
Here in Hawaii, I find myself in Caribbean mode when Im around native hawaiians. Its very unconscious, and I find myself using pidgin speech patterns. And I like it.
--------------
"Im just here for a week."
"So, are you going to stay?"
"NO. Im fine where Im at. I like San Francisco."
The old lady at the bus stop gave then me a look like "You doth protest too much young man, youre going to live here."
Ive done my "Living in Paradise" bit in Florida. It's nice to be on vacation in paradise, but it gets old when the mundane kicks in. So no, I have NO intention of living in the middle of the pacific.
However ...
The plan has always been, have a homebase in Frisco and then live a few months in various places while I take pics and write.
So, a month or two at a time I can deal with, if I can work the financials.
------------
It's almost time to leave. But really, the only things on my little list I have not done is
- Gone to the Pearl Harbor memorial.
The prospect of having to go early and stand in line has put me off.
- Go to the North Shore.
Everyone tells me that up there (on the other end of the island) is the shitz, and I only have to jump on the CIrcle Isle bu, but eh. I'll see if I can do that on Sunday.
Prolly kick myself for not going earlier.
A Lua is also on my list, but Ive paid for one tomorrah.
I wouldnt mind staying a bit longer, but nah - a trip is sdatisfying when you have a time limit.
If only I didnt have to go back to work. Sheesh.
Day 5
I think Ive got the Hawaiian credo figured out:
"You're no better than me."
Wait, that's the East Coast way of saying it.. its more like "Youre no better than I am, so we can get along if you realize that."
Which is cool, cuz thats my credo too. I like the folk here. Cultural and class differences doesnt seem to come into play as harshly as it does on the mainland. In other words, I dont get the "Ahhh, Big Black Man" crap as much. Which is nice, thank you very much.
Being Jamaican, but living in the US for 25 years, I have different modes of communicating depending on who (whom?) Im communicating with. Normal US mode is my flat midwestern accent with a bit of a southern drawl. My black mode is basically a New York/Chicago fuck you/how ya doin mode. California mode has me saying 'right on' for more times than Im actually comfortable with, but it calms the passive aggressives down, so it works.
My Caribbean mode kicks in when Im relaxed around cool people, then I allow my jamaican/caribbean/british pidgin accent to kick in amongst the midwestern accent.
My Jamaican mode kicks in ONLY when Im talking to other Jamaicans or folk from the British West Indies. I do NOT speak speak patois to get over. In fact, I can only comfortably speak patois when Im relaxed.
Here in Hawaii, I find myself in Caribbean mode when Im around native hawaiians. Its very unconscious, and I find myself using pidgin speech patterns. And I like it.
--------------
"Im just here for a week."
"So, are you going to stay?"
"NO. Im fine where Im at. I like San Francisco."
The old lady at the bus stop gave then me a look like "You doth protest too much young man, youre going to live here."
Ive done my "Living in Paradise" bit in Florida. It's nice to be on vacation in paradise, but it gets old when the mundane kicks in. So no, I have NO intention of living in the middle of the pacific.
However ...
The plan has always been, have a homebase in Frisco and then live a few months in various places while I take pics and write.
So, a month or two at a time I can deal with, if I can work the financials.
------------
It's almost time to leave. But really, the only things on my little list I have not done is
- Gone to the Pearl Harbor memorial.
The prospect of having to go early and stand in line has put me off.
- Go to the North Shore.
Everyone tells me that up there (on the other end of the island) is the shitz, and I only have to jump on the CIrcle Isle bu, but eh. I'll see if I can do that on Sunday.
Prolly kick myself for not going earlier.
A Lua is also on my list, but Ive paid for one tomorrah.
I wouldnt mind staying a bit longer, but nah - a trip is sdatisfying when you have a time limit.
If only I didnt have to go back to work. Sheesh.
The essentials
Bus pass and starbux card.
I retired the card GG sent to me back in 2000 to get the Hawaii souvenir one.
They keep them behind the counter because so many were being taken without being filled.
A trigger fish the tourists were feeding
A trigger fish the tourists were feeding
There were BIG puffer fish, blue needle fish, angel fish and more swarming the Waikiki breakwater. I was looking for Dori though ...
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Halloween pix, Honolulu
Dark Angel at Supercuts.
She was a gamer, as I poked my head into the shop and asked her to pose while she was cutting the guy's hair. :)
Dori!!
Waikiki Aquarium.
Everytime the kids saw a clown fish, they squealed "Nemo!"
I saw this, I squealed "Dora!"
I was promptly corrected by every kid in the place.
Dateline: Honolulu
Day 1
Flight from SFO on ATA ..
The good: Leather seats, experienced flight attendants, good food..
The bad: Seats SIX abreast on a frikkin 737, with legroom for hamsters, the aisle suitable only for supermodels on the fat free atkins. On a 5 hour flight, thats torture. Im pretty sure if they offered the $150 business class upgrade with seats 2 abreast and more legroom, half the folk on the plane woulda jumped at it.
Good thing the attendants took pity and gave me the emergency jump seats at the emergency exits. Yeah, god forbid people would have to GET out of the frikkin plane with those things blocking the aisle..
Landed, smiled at the blue skies in the open air walkways, walked out, caught a bus, any bus. TheBus.
I went the wrong way. Away from Honolulu. That was good. At the end of the line there was a 7/11. As Mars said - they had Spam musubi for 99 cents (1.09 wit tax).
The spam musubi was DAMNED good. Do they have a higher quality of spam in the islands? I dunno, but it tasted better than the fat congealed crap Ive had on The Mainland.
That was also pretty much the last of the good food. So far. (more on that later.)
And then, the part I dreaded - the search for a hotel.
Lets just say that if you walk around looking for a room at the inn, you'd better be carrying a card loaded for bear.
As the girl at the Pagoda Inn added it up so nimbly:
$130 standard rate, Hotel tax, visitor tax, deposit -- ah yes, $179 for the night. (Add gallic shrug here.)
Good thing I had previously met a drunk at the bus stop who told me of hostels 1 block from the beach that charged 22 bux a night, plus a 20 dollar deposit. For reals, as Sun would say.
Drawbacks? A few. Sharing a suite bunk bed style with 7 other people. Urg. Making sure yer stuff is secure. But dude, the halloween party was ROARING when I got there, with people from all over the US and the world having a DAMNED good time.
But all I wanted to do was get a shower and sleep.
------------
I lost 50 images of my arrival in H-town. Grr. I had to pick the bad machine with the virus at the internet cafe.
I took no laptop, instead lugging an external 2.5" drive as my backup (the ipod camera connector that apple sold me DOES NOT work with the iPod I have. Fuckers.)
I was trying to travel light. I even decided to pack like 3 days of clothes and 4 days worth of underwear. 1 bag.
I overpacked. All I needed was a backpack's worth of clothes. And even then.
But thats ok, I needed to learn that.
Day 1
Flight from SFO on ATA ..The good: Leather seats, experienced flight attendants, good food..
The bad: Seats SIX abreast on a frikkin 737, with legroom for hamsters, the aisle suitable only for supermodels on the fat free atkins. On a 5 hour flight, thats torture. Im pretty sure if they offered the $150 business class upgrade with seats 2 abreast and more legroom, half the folk on the plane woulda jumped at it.
Good thing the attendants took pity and gave me the emergency jump seats at the emergency exits. Yeah, god forbid people would have to GET out of the frikkin plane with those things blocking the aisle..
Landed, smiled at the blue skies in the open air walkways, walked out, caught a bus, any bus. TheBus.
I went the wrong way. Away from Honolulu. That was good. At the end of the line there was a 7/11. As Mars said - they had Spam musubi for 99 cents (1.09 wit tax).
The spam musubi was DAMNED good. Do they have a higher quality of spam in the islands? I dunno, but it tasted better than the fat congealed crap Ive had on The Mainland.
That was also pretty much the last of the good food. So far. (more on that later.)
And then, the part I dreaded - the search for a hotel.
Lets just say that if you walk around looking for a room at the inn, you'd better be carrying a card loaded for bear.
As the girl at the Pagoda Inn added it up so nimbly:
$130 standard rate, Hotel tax, visitor tax, deposit -- ah yes, $179 for the night. (Add gallic shrug here.)
Good thing I had previously met a drunk at the bus stop who told me of hostels 1 block from the beach that charged 22 bux a night, plus a 20 dollar deposit. For reals, as Sun would say.
Drawbacks? A few. Sharing a suite bunk bed style with 7 other people. Urg. Making sure yer stuff is secure. But dude, the halloween party was ROARING when I got there, with people from all over the US and the world having a DAMNED good time.
But all I wanted to do was get a shower and sleep.
------------
I lost 50 images of my arrival in H-town. Grr. I had to pick the bad machine with the virus at the internet cafe.
I took no laptop, instead lugging an external 2.5" drive as my backup (the ipod camera connector that apple sold me DOES NOT work with the iPod I have. Fuckers.)
I was trying to travel light. I even decided to pack like 3 days of clothes and 4 days worth of underwear. 1 bag.
I overpacked. All I needed was a backpack's worth of clothes. And even then.
But thats ok, I needed to learn that.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Gone walkabout.
---------
Advice:
Cant swim, hate hiking, but check. :)
---------
JPennant: "Never take a trip you can afford"
. o ..
o . o o.o
...oo
__ []__
__ |_o_o_o¥__
""""""""""/
. .. . /
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
JPennant: Heh
mars: lol
mars: silly jp
mars: all ready for your trip?
JPennant: nope.
mars: why not?
JPennant: I never am
mars: i'm so jealous
JPennant: uhhh.. Im going to Where You Live, hon :-)
JPennant: No need to be jealous
mars: going on a trip tho
JPennant: Got no sympathy :-)
JPennant: I dunno if you remember how we used to talk when I was hanging at the internet cafe in 2001 or when I was in Florida
JPennant: It was YOU who inspired me to seriously think about Hawaii
JPennant: so, its all your fault.
JPennant: Heh. :-)
mars: =)
mars: heheheheh all my fault
JPennant: yas indeed
---------
Advice:
Eat everything in sight.
Take a surfing lesson.
Go snorkelling or scuba diving.
Learn about Hawaiian history and culture.
Did I mention eat everything in sight?
Go hiking.
Cant swim, hate hiking, but check. :)
---------
JPennant: "Never take a trip you can afford"
. o ..
o . o o.o
...oo
__ []__
__ |_o_o_o¥__
""""""""""/
. .. . /
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
JPennant: Heh
mars: lol
mars: silly jp
mars: all ready for your trip?
JPennant: nope.
mars: why not?
JPennant: I never am
mars: i'm so jealous
JPennant: uhhh.. Im going to Where You Live, hon :-)
JPennant: No need to be jealous
mars: going on a trip tho
JPennant: Got no sympathy :-)
JPennant: I dunno if you remember how we used to talk when I was hanging at the internet cafe in 2001 or when I was in Florida
JPennant: It was YOU who inspired me to seriously think about Hawaii
JPennant: so, its all your fault.
JPennant: Heh. :-)
mars: =)
mars: heheheheh all my fault
JPennant: yas indeed
Sunday, October 30, 2005
This week's horrorscope:
Hahaha.
Ive bought the ticket, and Im looking for my sandals...
Travel and social activities are well starred this week and what happens around the time of the new moon on Wednesday will make you realize just how lucky you are to have certain people as friends. This is not a time to be cautious - this is a time to get out and about and see and be seen. It's not true that Virgos are never adventurous and you will go out of your way to prove it this week. Just don't go too far!
Hahaha.
Ive bought the ticket, and Im looking for my sandals...
Wires above 16th & Bryant
Wires above 16th & Bryant
This intersection seems to be an energy nexus in San Francisco. Hard to explain, unless you stand by this corner.
The plethora of wires above the intersection seems appropos.
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