Other thoughts on and pics from Hawaii: February 23, 2016

Other things I've learned

Adding to this.

7) The word "Hawaiian" has a really specific meaning. I had read, before I left, that the only people who use that word are the indigenous people of Hawaii. Other people who are from Hawaii generally say they "live in Hawaii" or are "from Hawaii."

In accordance with all that, one tour guide I met said that he has "lived in Hawaii" his whole life, and that his family has "lived in Hawaii" for four generations. Interesting, (in my opinion, anyway).

8) Apparently I like beaches. Beaches are awesome. Surfing is awesome.

9) I had also read before I left, that there is no night life outside of Honolulu, and that things start early in the day and end early at night because of surfing culture: the best time to go for the waves is in the morning. Now, I don't know if that's true--just reporting what I read, but sure enough, in Haleiwa, a surf town on the North Shore of Oahu, a burger place had breakfast at 7 AM but started serving burgers at 10 AM! Another place had all-day lunch and all-day breakfast.

Plus, the local NBC affiliate, and presumably the other stations as well, had a surf forecast every morning, predicting the size of the waves around the island.

10) Vog is a thing. Like big cities get smog, Hawaii gets vog. Vog occurs when gases and ash from the active volcanoes on the Big Island combine with the air, etc. I'm told that it was really bad one recent summer when the trade winds weren't active and the vog just hung in the air. It bothers people and some find it hard to breathe...like smog.

Pics

I may or may not add more photos as I go along.... I'm down to my last few days of leave from work, so not sure what I'll be doing...

Click to enlarge.

Halona Blowhole, Oahu, Hawaii. February 4, 2016 at 9:50 AM HAST.

More after the jump...

The painful Vancouver layover: February 18, 2016; ugh

Apparently it feels pretty bad to sit in a restaurant, waiting for breakfast and my flight to Toronto, and hearing Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream".... just to cap it off. Ugh. Poor me!!!

I think if a parent has a crying baby on a 6-hour flight, maybe that parent should have another strategy to try and quiet the baby other than gently saying "Sh! Sh!" I had the crying baby literally in the row behind me for the flight. I know the parents probably felt bad for having the flight's noisy baby, and I assume they were trying their best, but I wasn't aware of any other things they were trying other than the "Sh! Sh!" method. Maybe your baby is hungry? Maybe you should see if walking a bit in the aisle works? Maybe your baby doesn't want to leave Honolulu?

I did sleep for the most part, though, so the overnight flight to Vancouver felt relatively short. More on my Hawaii trip later.

This is my last sunset (for now) in Waikiki. People sat and watched it and when the sun dipped below the horizon, people applauded! I might have been one of those people!!

Sunset in Waikiki. February 17, 2016 at 6:27 PM HAST. I
cheated a bit on this by lowering the exposure value, but nothing
done post. Click to enlarge, of course.

Oh, and before I left, I decided to test whether I could get served without a shirt. So I went to a 7-11 type store for some pineapple soft serve ice cream wearing just sandals and board shorts. It was not a problem. Hawaii is my type of place!

Proof that one can get served pineapple
soft serve ice cream without a shirt and
 wearing sandals. (Do they count as shoes?).
I also hit some retail stores to see if anyone
would say anything. I didn't go high end,
like Prada,  but I did more mid-level places like
Quiksilver (surf store) and Volcom (skater store).
No problem.

More later, including stuff I couldn't include due to not having an internet connection while on the ship.

Honolulu: February 16, 2016; last hours in town

I'm down to my last 24 hours or so in Hawaii. For now, anyway.

People are super nice in Hawaii. I went to the North Shore today. Honolulu's transit, called "The Bus," goes all around Oahu. Going to the North Shore took 2 hours, but only cost $2.50 (or in my case, since it worked out that a monthly pass for $60 for the 8 days I'm in Honolulu was cheapest).

Haleiwa, Oahu, Hawaii, on the King Kamehameha Highway.
Oahu's version of the country, I'm told.

It rained on and off when I was at the North Shore, but back in Honolulu for the afternoon and it rained the whole evening and night.

No lie, I acclimated to this weather pretty quickly. The whole day on the North Shore, I was wishing I had more than a tank top and shorts. It was maybe mid-20s celsius.

Tonight, it was raining and windy. 21 degrees celsius, and I had to come back to the hotel to get pants and a hoodie. Going home will shock my body, I'm sure.  The thing is, the day I left Toronto, February 1, was in the mid-teens, so no word of a lie, in my head, it should be summer because I had spring, if even for a day, and had had winter in mid-January.

So for awhile, I kept thinking it was July and the news saying it was February was confusing. Winter will be weird when I get back.

Let's review.

What I've learned:

1) Hawaii is laid back. Formal attire is an aloha shirt and nice pair of pants--not dress pants or jeans. I was looking at an aloha shirt in a store, and no kidding, the salesperson asked me if I was looking at them for a special occasion. And don't bring jeans. Too hot.

Moloka'i: February 15, 2016; exploring

Wow, Moloka'i is really different from the other islands. Well, all the islands are distinct, but Moloka'i is really unspoiled. The whole island feels really rural. It's beautiful. And the few people I met were pretty friendly.

The not so great: I had planned to fly to Moloka'i at 6:30 AM, but yesterday, my flight was cancelled. I phoned Hawaiian Airlines, and they could only get me a flight at 12:22 PM. Fine. It meant I had only about 6 hours in Moloka'i but better than nothing.

(And by the way, after hearing about the delay, I actually figured, "Hey, I can squeeze in some surfing before I leave." And I did. But I was running late because of it... bad idea. Also a lot harder on my own).

The plane was a small prop plane that seated, I think about 50 people at most. We left late because we were, and I'm quoting, "Waiting for the last passenger." We waited for her!

My flight back was cancelled as well and I got moved to a direct flight from Moloka'i to Honolulu, without a stop in Lanai. Sadly, I can't say I went to 5 of the 6 islands, just 4 now....

Anyway, Hawaiian Airlines is pretty awesome. The flight from Honolulu to Moloka'i was about 30 minutes, and actual time in the air--I timed it, was 16 minutes and 20 seconds. We spent about 12 minutes either taxiing or sitting on the runway at Honolulu.

The other awesome thing is that despite the brevity of the flight, it's treated like a longer flight. So the captain spoke on the PA system, and welcomed us to Moloka'i and told us what the weather was! And on the flight there, there was too much turbulence, so we couldn't have drink service, but were welcome to take a juice or water on the way out. On the way back, we had drink service 8 minutes into the flight! That's awesome!

Photos after the jump.

Waikiki / Honolulu: February 14, 2016; am I local yet?

Hey y'all... I hate posting clear shots of my face on this blog, (other than the intro photo), so I hope my face isn't too clear on this. I'm just proud that I did this this morning. (Click to enlarge).

Teza Lwin surfing in Waikiki on Valentine's Day morning!
A little gift to myself! Photographed using a GoPro.

More after the jump.

A review of sorts of Hawaii: February 13, 2016; back in Honolulu

Back in Honolulu after a week visiting three other islands on the cruise. So glad to be back in Honolulu, though after walking around Waikiki tonight, it occurs to me that I'm over Waikiki.

It amazed me that Hawaii, outside of Honolulu, is very rural. The highways on Maui, for instance, and around Hilo on the island of Hawaii (aka the Big Island) have very few streetlights, to allow darkness for the observatories.

Pics from Kauai, click to enlarge:

Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii. Supposedly called the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific,"
the earth is red from iron oxide in the earth but unlike the Grand Canyon, it's really lush
with vegetation. There's a waterfall in one portion of it, the picture of which I didn't include here. 

The Na Pali coast of Kauai on the north side of the island. View from the ocean.
This is supposedly the other side of the above Canyon.

More after the jump.

Honolulu, Hawaii: February 13, 2016; back "home"

Hey y'all. Glad to be off the ship. Off to tour Pearl Harbor. Honestly, I would rather go to the Farmers market I went to last week but I think my folks would disown me if I didn't visit and at this point in my life, well it would be kind of pathetic to be disowned...  

I hear it's cold at home so I'll be in for an ass kicking weather-wise. High of 27 in Honolulu today. I woke up early to catch the sunrise and I was cold because there was a breeze off the ocean.

More later, now that I will have an internet connection.

It might just be a parking lot with palm trees but I am really happy to be back. Cellphone pic.

Kauai: February 11, 2016

Kauai really is beautiful.

Just FYI, locals really do that hand thing with the pinky and thumb to greet each other, thank each other while driving, etc. Hopefully you know the hand thing.

First view of Kauai from the ship this morning. Cellphone pic.

Kona, Hawaii: February 10, 2016

Just FYI: I have had to stop watching news from the mainland and looking at weather forecasts because my brain can't handle the cognitive dissonance between the weather here and the calendar date.

Sorry for the finger in the frame. Kona. Hawaii
 Pic from cellphone.

I found a cupcake place in Kona!!!

Pineapple coconut banana cake, cream cheese icing with coconut and macadamia nuts. Pic from cellphone. Kona, Hawaii.

Hilo, the Big Island (aka the island of Hawaii): February 9, 2016; looking around, a tip re Molokai?

Toured the eastern part of the Big Island. I asked the tour guide, who has lived in Hawaii for 15 years, about Molokai. (More properly Moloka'i but whatever). He also has never been. He added "You almost have to be invited).

Later on the hike, he added, " When you are driving, make sure you do the speed limit. The cops out there know all the locals and won't easily ticket them, but they have no problem giving a ticket to a tourist."

Anyway, hiked through a volcanic crater.  There was steam coming from the earth!!

Also, a beautiful waterfalls.

Pics:

Volcanoes National Park. Did not hike this crater. No one is allowed. Pic from cellphone.

Akaka State Park. Cellphone pic.

Maui: February 8, 2016; Road to Hana, catching a glimpse of Molokai

Ke'anae, on the road to Hana, Maui. Photos, let alone my ability on the cellphone camera do not do this justice. The black rock is formed from the lava. It is beautiful, and the ocean is rough.

I'm going to be in Molokai in one week. I asked a tour guide today (a transplant from Buffalo NY) and two Native Hawaiians on the ship about the place. None have ever visited Molokai. So the island, supposedly the most Hawaiian of the Hawaiian islands, is taking on another layer of mystery.

On a stop on the road to Hana, we could see Molokai in the distance, which is apparently really rare, especially during what should be the rainy season. If I had not already booked my flight, I might have chickened out....

Maui, part 2: February 7, 2016; Super Bowl

Because when you've spent all the money to get to Maui,
it's important to watch the Big Game (TM). I stopped into the ship for lunch.... Someone asked me who
I am rooting for. Um... The team with the Manning guy???
Oh, and Lady Gaga got real middle of the road real quickly, huh??

Honolulu, Hawaii: February 5, 2016; the lure of the beach, big news in Waikiki

So, the big plan was to go to Chinatown for the evening because my visit happened to coincide with First Friday, which is a monthly event in Chinatown, that includes gallery walks, etc. But, the lure the beach and sitting around doing nothing was too great. I ended up visiting Chinatown in the afternoon instead.

Anyway, to start the day, I hiked up Diamond Head. That's the big peak that's often visible in skyline shots of Honolulu. I headed over there for 7:30 AM, and there were already many people there hiking to the peak as well.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Diamond Head viewed from Waikiki Beach. February 5, 2016
at 5:17 PM.

More....

Hawaii: February 4, 2016

More exploring of Oahu today. I did a circle tour of the island and ended the day / night at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It's been a long day, so just some photos.

Click to enlarge.

Another sunrise over Waikiki. February 4, 2016 at 7:10 AM.
This will hopefully be the last of one of these I take.

More pictures after the jump.

Honolulu / Waikiki: February 3, 2016

Okay, to get a couple things out of the way right off:

1) I know you're wondering, so I'll answer this question first. Can you get "Hawaiian pizza" in Hawaii? The answer is yes. I saw a pizza place that offers pizza with ham and pineapple that is called Hawaiian. I wonder how Hawaiians feel about it but am afraid to ask.

2) It really is beautiful here.

Click to enlarge, as always.

Sunrise from Waikiki Beach, right outside my hotel. February 3, 2016
at 6:29 HAST (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time).

More after the jump.

One more post before I go: February 2, 2016

Thanks to the amazing technological world we now live in, and the good people at Apple, I can type this on my computer as I sit in the Toronto Pearson Airport lounge. I shouldn't be on the computer too long, since, also thanks to the good people at Apple, I've stored a season's worth of "Community" and two movies to watch on my flights.

It only occurred to me in the last few days that I have about 12 hours in the air ahead of me, plus a three-hour layover in Vancouver. As I checked my bag, I thought, "See you in 17 hours." There's always that twinge before leaving, right, where you wonder if your baggage will end up at the same place and at the same time as you do?

I will be landing in Honolulu at 10:30 PM local time, which will be 3:30 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Okay, putting aside any whining tones, I think it's time to concentrate on how amazing that is, how far I'll be from home in just a few hours and how that was virtually impossible a relatively short time ago in human history.

Less incredible, I bonded with the guy cleaning one of the washrooms here at the airport. He asked where I'm from but I knew that he meant, "Hey, do we have a language in common? Some sort of common culture?" I asked where he's from, and he said Peru. I get mistaken for some sort of Latino a lot. It usually happens more in New York City, but over the last few days in Toronto, it has happened three times.

Outside the Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens about four days ago, some dude started speaking Spanish to me. I told him I don't speak Spanish, and he asked me how I like this country. I said it's pretty good. Turns out he's travelling from somewhere in South America (I didn't ask from where) and that he thought I was from, in his words, "Central America." Hm. Anyway, he started saying that he's never seen so many homeless people and that in Spanish speaking countries, people help each other. Really? Whatever. I didn't want to argue, especially because he followed me into the Loblaws to continue the conversation. I wanted to tell him, "Dude, in this country, we end conversations when the other person is a stranger and is obviously trying to get away."

Walking around the city Sunday night, I was on Yonge St, and some guy yelled out, "Hey Amigo!" There were other people around, but I knew he was talking to me. I turned and said, "What's up?" He asked me, in what I assume is a Spanish speaking accent, "Do you know where the football is?" I assumed soccer, but either way, I couldn't help him out. I said, "No. Sorry." Then he said, "Do you know where the stripper club is?" I said, "Yeah, dude, right there." I pointed at The Zanzibar (TM), which was half a block north of where we were standing.

Anyway, I get that for some people, I'm "ethnically unplaceable" but the point is, I wonder how I'll be perceived in Hawaii. I guess I'll let you know.

I'll post more when I feel like I can!

Me at Pearson. No I don't want you seeing my face, but I look
as awesome as always, though my hair is out of control.
February 2, 2016 at 11:12 AM,using Apple's Photo Booth,
which came pre-installed on my Mac.

Of Trump, Gremlins 2 and Grandpa Simpson (Random items): February 1, 2016

I'm off to Hawaii tomorrow. I can't believe it's here--I've been planning this trip for more than 11 months....

Grease Live!

Aired on Fox last night. That worked out better than anyone expected! (And diversity, too!)

Trump!

Let's all get used to the phrase "American President Donald Trump!" Honestly, I still can't believe he's gotten this far and really, I still can't imagine a world in which he's the Republican nominee, let alone president. Still....

Iowa's caucuses are today. I'll be watching. I still think it'll come down to Hillary (on the Dem's side) and Rubio (for the Republicans). Perhaps I'm just in denial. I'll be watching coverage today! A nice gift before I leave for Hawaii! Sure.....

Speaking of Donald Trump....

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

How have I not seen this before? I just watched this 25-year old movie. I am open to arguments that it is both a work of genius or a deeply cynical piece of crap. I enjoyed it. I like that after the set up and moving all the characters into place, it just abandons narrative completely for something over the top crazy.

If you haven't seen the first one, (which I was a bit too young for--it was a bit intense for young Teza), it is essentially, a monster movie. If I remember correctly, a kid gets this cute pet as a gift that comes with three rules: no bright light, don't get it wet, don't feed it after midnight. So, it hates bright light (kills it), it reproduces if it gets wet (other gremlins pop out of its back) and if any of the gremlins eat after midnight, they transform from cute furry things to scaly frightening, malevolent monsters.

So, in the first movie, all the rules get violated, the town gets destroyed, more or less, by the gremlins, the gremlins get defeated, and only the cute good original gremlin survives for the sequel, along with the main character (the boy), his girlfriend and some other townspeople.  Now, you're caught up.

Spoilers for Gremlins 2 after the jump. It's 25 years old, for Pete's sake!!