Blueshoewhotwo in Hono-lulu

Ok, I have to admit my traveling has become a bit obsessive. This one however had been planned a long time ago by someone else. It was back when I had a contract with one of those Korean hagwons. I was supposed to still be in Korea around xmas, well actually had I not broken my contract I would still be kicking about in that place. My parents decided it would be nice to me over the xmas break of which I had at least 4 days off (from the 28th to the 31st and who knows how few days after that) so my parents thought they´d fly me to Hawaii since it was about half-way for both of us. There really is nothing else in the mid-Pacific.

I´d been home for a little over 2 weeks and then decided I´d go visit a friend in my connecting city since nothing is ever direct from out-of-the-way-from-everything Edmonton. I spent a few nice days there meeting my friends family and some of his college friends from Taipei and Kathmandu. Strange that I´ve technically been to both those cities. I guess Taipei airport doesn´t quite make the cut for having been there but anyway. I went snowboarding even for a day and kicked some ass at Scabble. How the word ´fax´ could earn me so many points I´ll never know.

My parents flew out from Edmonton and I met them at the airport. We went to board the plane and they announced they were looking for volunteers to take a different route to Honolulu. So instead of going direct, I volunteered and spent some time at the airport in Seattle and earned myself a free flight voucher. I arrived 2 hours after the rest of my family but what is there to do in Hawaii after dark anyway.

I didn´t really do all that much in Hawaii. I sat on the beach. I sat by the pool. My albino self gradually became flesh-toned. I read a half-decent book and another now that I think about it. My parents, 2 sisters, and grandmother were there for about 2 weeks. Actually, one of my sisters left on December 30th since the thought of spending New Year´s without her boyfriend was too traumatic. I was as pleased with xmas as I could´ve been.

I guess I can mention something about Pearl Harbour. Even though it´s technically Harbor I still feel like throwing in the all important ´U.´ So anyways, we had to take a limo there. They are the same fare as regular cabs in Honolulu. I was a bit embarrassed to be the first one out of the limo to Pearl Harbour. Then we waited in line for a few hours and another few hours waiting for our group to be called. Finally, we saw a short film and got on a little boat to go see the USS Arizona. I was as moved by this as I usually am by such things. There were a bunch of patriotic Americans of course but being Canadian I can´t say it was all that important to me or stirred up many feelings. There were quite a few Japanese tourists there since the Japanese love Hawaii. At one point, a couple of Japanese guys were talking away in Japanese and began to laugh about something. Some guy decides to get over offended and yells at them telling them that Pearl Harbour is not funny. This coming from a guy who had to be told repeatedly that video photography was not allowed at the site. It was just strange to see what racist feelings Pearl Harbour provoked. There were quite a few white folk chatting happily while there but according to this guy the Japanese needed to be extra solemn while there. I wonder what he would think about being in Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

So there was that and more beach and a hokey luau ceremony. I´d been to Hawaii before and I think that time was better. There was a point in the show where there´s this barebacked woman facing the rear of the stage shaking her hips and all. The moment she turned around the reveal all these leis covering her chest was the moment I heard the most disappointed communal groan.

Let´s see. There was New Year´s. I never really enjoy new years all that much. It just kind of reminds me of all the things I didn´t accomplish the previous year. My parents were pretty lame about it and went to bed around 10´30. My grandma decided to go back to the hotel room as well. My one sister was back in Edmonton and the other with her little Hawaiian fling who was from West Virginia and sold timeshares. I watched some fireworks on the beach. Pretty impressive ones I´ll admit but I think there´s a time limit to how much you can enjoy them.

Then I spent another few days about the sun and sand doing very little. It´s nice to relax but I´d already had, oh I don´t know, 3 months of no work, all play. Then we took a limo to the airport and flew overnight to Minneapolis and spent a good five hours waiting for our next flight and that was how I spent the days from December 20 to January 5th.