Random thoughts on the 14 days we spent in Hawaii

Yes, this is the flag of the 50th and last state to join the the Union,

which is what many US citizens call 'Merica.

Honolulu has ~400,000 locals and, to me, they looked like they all work in, or in support of, the service/tourist industry.

That's it for facts, figures and flags.

Now, for those random thoughts based on not much other than personal observations ......

Tiz makes travelling easy, enjoyable and memorable.

She is tolerant beyond words, supportive at every turn, grateful for every moment and extreme fun to be with. 

I am eternally grateful for her companionship and love.

Hawaii was comfortably warm, 24°C to 31°C whilst we were there in their summer and it is between 19°C to 26°C in their winter, in January. 

It's very easy to live with as there is very little humidity.

As easy as it is to wander around we had the air-con on and blasting away 24/7.

I also managed to get 2nd degree burns in very little time out in the sun. 

"Our" Aussie sun obviously isn't the only one that will fry you in no time quick. 

The ocean water is warm. What a pleasant change from our Arctic chilled ocean waters.

We did most of things we'd planned and did a few things we hadn't planned.
C'est la vie!

The ridge/mountain/volcano, or whatever that really high thing is in the middle of the island, that separates the north from the south, has a very odd effect on the rainfall. 
The north gets 250 inches (that's over 20 feet or nearly 6.5 meters)  every year whereas the south only gets 50 inches.

When I get back to work I will ask our resident meteorologist, Kevin Parkyn, to try and explain that to me.

There is always a little wave to enjoy no matter which beach you are at.

Waikiki is a lot like Surfers Paradise. 

All manner of humanity are drawn there. 

It is simultaneously entertaining and sad.

A really quick way to get rid of anyone pestering you to sell you tours or real estate or "What are you after?" is to ask them for "A big fat blunt?".

I did that hoping get the reaction I did, which was for the guy to say "No! NO, NO, NO, NO! We don't do that here!" and then do a 180° turn and sprint the other way.

In fact we discovered later that local Hawaiians can indeed be prescribed what they refer to as a "blue card"  to allow them to obtain medical marijuana, which comes with a proviso.

The proviso is that if you have ever had a "blue card" you are excluded, in perpetuity (forever), from ever working for the state or federal authorities. Period.

What a great way to make sure that the system has minimal abuse.

There are a lot of homeless people and they tend to get herded away from the main tourist areas, but they don't seem to be harassed by the locals or the law. 

There are a lot of Christian based churches in Hawaii.

Sugar is a major industry on this island but I doubt that it produces enough for the local consumption, given how sickly sweet everything is.

We saw local Kona coffee being sold for $120/kg! Yes, $120/kg, no mistakes. 
I can buy civet coffee (look it up) for far less that, out of Vietnam, and it (the civet variety) is exquisite.

Food is expensive, in both the supermarkets and in restaurants and cafes.

Alcohol is cheap, in supermarkets and takeaways etc. of which there are an abundance. 
Alcohol is not cheap, and actually the exact opposite when there is service attached to it, as in a bar or restaurant.

Service industry employees get paid near what I would call slave wages.

Everyone other than the employer loses with this "You must tip because workers do not get paid much." scam.

I know I've already had a rant on this blog about this but you need to know that if something is advertised for $100 you need to add $41.72 (State Tax) and then you need to tip between, in reality, between 15-20% which makes it $120.43. 

Then you need to do your conversion on our every decreasing Australian dollar which means that the US$120.43 actually cost you AU$172.04 (that a real conversion rate and not an internet rate via XE Currency or similar.)

Gas/fuel/petrol, of the regular unleaded variety, with all the conversion done as of Saturday 8th, costs AU$1.20 per litre. A little cheaper than Melbourne but not much. 

That's an awful lot of money for a cheapish meal and a couple of drinks for three people, when you work out the real (advertised cost + State Tax  +  gratuities (which should be called extortion or blackmail) +  conversion) cost.  

Almost all Hawaiians are friendly and curious of the land down under and make you feel genuinely welcome.

If you ever go there please go and eat at Hy's Steakhouse in Waikiki and Mama's Fish House on Maui. 

It will cost you quite a bit but you will walk, or waddle in my case, away knowing you have eaten some of the best sourced, prepared and served food on Mother Earth.

Portions must have decreased considerably over time as we did not come across any serving, with perhaps one or two exceptions, that would have given any credence to most of the stories we had heard. You must have heard some, like "Oh my God, there was soooo much food. We should have ordered one serving for the four of us!" Yeah ....... nah. I call "Bullsh!t" on that one.  

The sun in Hawaii burns you as fiercely and as quickly as the sun here. It was news to me, as I looked at my near blistering flesh the morning after a short bout of sunbathing. 

Vehicle laws in Hawaii seem to be even more lax than some of the most relaxed state on mainland USA. 

Renting a car is quite cheap, compared to here in Australia.

Please don't rent a convertible Camaro if you go there. 

Riding a motorcycle would be a lot of fun around all the twisty roads. 

There are a lot, and I mean a lot, of patched bikers in Honolulu. 

What do they all do, if even 1% of the stories you hear about outlaw bikers is true? 

Maybe they come over, with their bikes, from the mainland for holidays?

If you go to an equivalent of our DFO, of which there is one in Waikele on Oahu, you can buy cheapish clothes etc. But don't expect to save all that much.

I think it might more likely that canny females would do well. 

A case of "Hi darling, I saved $5000 today." You know the rest of the gag.

I'm glad that we went with Greg, who is now in L.A. and about to jump on a Harley to do Route 66, in reverse. Check out his trans USA transport

 Yes, it's a Harley. Shut up.

Yes, I am more than a little envious,
but we could not justify going with our mate.

Yes, we hope it's the ride of his life

 and that he comes out the other end safe 'n' sound. 

Vaya con Dios, amigo!

From Tiz -

I have been lucky enough to visit Waikiki, Honolulu before. I arrived at the docks of Oahu in April of 2011 with 4 other single women on an 18 day cruise out of Sydney. 
That trip was all about the Polynesian Islands, cocktails and shopping.

Waikiki has not changed at all in the 4½ years since I've been here, except for the amount of people and traffic. 
The tourist numbers have definitely increased; there are people out and about at all hours of the day and night. Great to see! 

As for the traffic, it is no different to peak hour on Hoddle Street or the car park known as the Eastern Freeway exit onto Hoddle Street. Marino did an amazing job of driving especially as they drive on the wrong side of the road here. 
The food was as good as I remember it, though the portion sizes have definitely decreased while the prices have increased. 
The variety of alcoholic beverages, especially Mai Tai cocktails, can vary greatly both in size and cost depending on the venue at which they are bought. I must say the best Mai Tai I enjoyed was with Marino at Hy's Restaurant on our last night in Waikiki. 
The atmosphere, service and food was exceptional. A great way to end our holiday.

Maui, I thought was the more scenic of the two islands. 
Never having been to Maui before I did not know what to expect. I had heard that it was less commercialised than Oahu and less touristy. 
However I can honestly say Maui has some of the most beautiful beaches, sunsets and views I've seen. The people here are extremely friendly and helpful but the best thing about Hawaii is the reliable weather. 
The temperature ranged from 28°C - 32°C  during the day and 24°C - 27°C  at night. 
If it rained it was a slight drizzle for a very short time then it cleared up to glorious sunshine again. There is such a place as the perfect paradise!!

As with all the previous trips which we have blogged, I have been privileged to have shared them with the one I love and that is the reason they have been so memorable and enjoyable. Thank you, Marino, for being the best travel companion ever.

I also would like to thank Greg Spice for sharing this holiday with us. I hope the remainder of your travels will be as enjoyable as these past 2 weeks, Greg.

To everyone that has been following the blog, thank you.  
I hope you enjoyed reading about our experience in Hawaii as much as we enjoyed living it.

Finally, I'd like to say to all the grossly underpaid people 

in the tourism and service industry in Hawaii

~ Good job. Woohoo. *Clap clap* ~