Before I say anything, I have to clear my name on the "neighbor" picture. That was actually taken at the Polynesian Cultural Center with people I didn't even know. We walked in the gate, they put the leis on us, they posed, someone snapped a picture, they walked off and did it with the next person. No choice in the matter, and it all happened within probably about thirty seconds. Everyone gets it done to them. Notice in my post I never said that the people in the picture were my neighbors. :)
Here is a picture of our neighbors and me:
The yacht club:
Sailing!
Sailing again! 
The tall ship
A place for cannibalistic activities
"Scenic Picture"
Overlooking Honolulu and the tall ship (Falls of Clyde)
The tall shipA place for cannibalistic activities
Overlooking Honolulu again
Wild chickens (they're everywhere there!)
Some beach
Another picture of the tall ship
A stingray
A model of the USS Constitution
An outdoor emergency warning system - on a fake palm tree
USS Missouri
Hawaii struck me as a very laid back place. People don't really have much to do (at least from what I saw), so as soon as they finish work, they all head down to the beach where they surf/sail/canoe/snorkel until the sun goes down. At that point, they all tromp up to the grocery store (still with beach attire) where they buy dinner. They then head home where they go to bed and do the same thing the next day. Surfing and being Hawaiian is their religion. I sometimes think that they take their surfing more seriously than Coloradans take skiing or riding (if that's possible). Caucasians are by far the minority. I felt like I was albino there. Everyone that we came across was very nice. Even the security guards in the airport were cracking jokes. I was starting to get a little skeptical of all the "aloha-ing" and "mahalo-ing" thinking that they were putting it all on for the tourists. Though this is probably part of the reason, they really do truly say that in everyday life. It seems to me that many of the native Hawaiians are poor. The "real Hawaii" behind the tourist Hawaii isn't really all that kept up. Unlike here, there are hardly any new cars. If there is a new car, it's probably a tourist who rented it. There are hardly any bikers there. I think I probably saw five professional bikers (spandex and all) in the time I was there. All the roads are 35 mph unless it's a highway. If that's the case, the speed limit gets bumped up to a whole...55 mph. Wow! Something that struck me while I was there was the fact that the poor people who live there really don't get to travel anywhere. They could drive across the island (probably takes 1.5 hours) and stay there, or they could pay $600 for an airplane ticket. They're pretty stuck there. Would I go back? I haven't decided yet. I loved it there, but if I went back, I think I would like to take up surfing and do a whole lot more sailing. If any of you ever get a chance to try sailing, go for it! It's well worth it.
6 comments:
Looks like you had a fun time! Thanks for posting the pics!
Very cool, Shnabba!
Yeah, it looks like you had a fun time, except for in that first picture. :-P
BTW - I love the "scenic picture." I used to have one similar hanging on my wall... :-D
Woo hoo! That's great that you got to go sailing! Maybe you'll be able to do some here in CO and avoid the travelling-thousands-of-miles part?
Those are nice Hawaii pictures. I hope to see the state one day.
Russ
It's a great place...full of tourists. lol Here's my advice-if you really want to see Hawaii, stay as far away as the Polynesian Cultural Center and other such destinations.
Lol-Beth. I think I should've started sailing in Colorado. That way I wouldn't have all the great expectations of sailing on the ocean. I can't imagine that sailing on a lake is anything like on the ocean. Hardly any waves, can't really go anywhere, etc... I have a lot more scenic pictures if you want some. :P
Have any pictures of you eating one of the wild chickens?
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