Australia/Hawaii 2002, part 11: Oahu (day 1)

I called my family and friends on my cell phone from the beach in Hawaii, and everyone was amazed. In 2011 I talked to my friends and family via Skype, text message, and FaceTime, and nobody thinks twice about it. Today's photos are here.

Tuesday, October 1 (again): Oahu
Aloha from the beach

I woke up and it was October 1st again. Hmm, déjà vu… didn’t I wake up yesterday in Sydney and it was October 1st then too? Ah, the joys of crossing the international date line. I experienced the night of 9/30 to the morning of 10/1 twice, in exchange for not having a 9/15 on my way out to Australia. But it’s Hawaii, what’s there to complain about?



I slept in a bit and then wandered down to the concierge desk, where I discussed my plan possibilities with the guy working the desk. I wanted to go to a luau, and I basically had three to choose from: two standalone luaus and one as part of the Polynesian Cultural Center. I also wanted to rent a car for a day and see the island that’s a bit off the main tourist track, and since it was almost lunch time that left the rental car for Wednesday and the luau for tonight. I went with Germaine’s luau, which as explained to me was less of a “theme park” than the other solo one, and I didn’t want to spend the majority of the day at the PCC (even though it’s said to be one of the most-visited attractions on the island). I figured what I’d see at Germaine’s would be good enough. The Ohana West Hotel, part of the huge Ohana chain, is very reasonably priced, with pretty much everything I need in a hotel – a bed, a shower, laundry facilities, and a concierge. Except, for some reason, a way for my laptop to get an outside line for me to check email, send photos, and upload my trip report. The hotel is just two blocks from the beach on Kuhio Avenue, right near the International Marketplace.

So then it was time to wander down Waikiki again, similar to what I did two weeks ago on my way down under. I noticed that all the ABC Stores sold bamboo beach mats for $1.19 each, so I figured I could splurge and buy one even if I only used it once. I got a club sandwich for lunch at a diner-type restaurant near the beach, then made a bunch of phone calls. “Hey guess where I am and what I’m doing!” I called my sister, my parents, my grandmothers (both of whom were amazed at the quality of the connection – as if cell phones weren’t supposed to work from that far away, that clicks and pops and static and delays were to still be expected in the early 21st century), and Heather, whose wedding on Friday helped drive my trip schedule. Turns out that Tropical Storm Lily is in the Gulf of Mexico and might head to Houston on Thursday – which would really mess up the travel plans of everyone who would be leaving Houston for California that day. They already postponed the launch of the space shuttle, which was scheduled for Thursday as well, to batten down the hatches at Mission Control just in case. I thought about some contingency plans to make with Vanessa, who's supposed to pick me up in San Jose on Friday morning. But worrying is for later, this is Hawaii… so armed with my new beach mat and a bottle of suntan lotion, I bought a shave ice (a huge "Hawaiian Ices" treat) and laid back on the beach for an hour or so. The water was a touch chilly – it took a few minutes to ease myself in – but it was nice being able to go swimming without a wetsuit. Just the thought of being on the beach in Hawaii while everyone I know is at work was kinda nice.

I picked up a paper to read at lunch. I found out that Hawaii's Congresswoman Patsy Mink just died, shortly after the deadline for other candidates to file. The Democratic Party urged Hawaiians to vote for her anyway, because if she won then they could do a whole new special election to fill her spot. Of course, the Democrats didn't want her Republican challenger to win, although I think it'd be silly to lose to a dead person. One other thing I found out was that the famous Kodak Hula show finally ended while I was in Australia. Had I known it was coming, I would have tried to see it on my first stopover here.

After a shower and change, time to head out to the luau. The package deal I got included transportation via bus over towards the southeast corner of the island of Oahu to Barber’s Point, where Germaine’s Luau is held. The bus picked us up in front of the hotel, which was nice, and was full of tourists just like me. The driver and bus leader were very funny and friendly, teaching us Hawaiian words and preparing us for the festivities ahead. We got there a little before sunset and had the opportunity to mix and mingle with the cast members, who were of course dressed in native clothes (grass skirts, etc.). And I finally got a lei, they gave out shell necklaces as we departed the bus.

At sunset the ceremonies started. The “Royal Procession” was followed by the ceremonial pig digging – a pig has been roasting in a pit all day, covered in hot rocks and giant palm leaves. A couple of the guys pick up the body, which is lying on what looks like wire mesh, and parade it in front of the crowd. I’m sure they had others, as that one pig was hardly enough to feed several bus loads of people. The luau here consists of an all-you-can-eat dinner and a show, which features a band and about a dozen dancers. The band played while we ate from the choices of fried chicken, barbecue beef (which in Hawaiian is known as “pipi”), fish tempura, and pork from the roast pig, with sides like pineapple cole slaw, glass noodles, and poi. The dancers and the show featured a musical “tour” of Hawaii, Samoa, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Fiji from the vast Polynesian Islands. To break things up they brought up first a bunch of guys (the “kanes”, pronounced “kah-nays”) and taught them to hula, followed by the women (the “wahines”, who, in general, were better at it than the guys). Several times they turned down the lights and had spotlights on the dancers, which made for some interesting time-lapse pictures when they moved real fast. The last act was the fire dancer. In all, I liked Germaine’s. It had just the right amount of tourist attraction without being overly tacky, while providing an entertaining evening that didn’t drag. Plus they gave 2 free drinks (either mai tais or Blue Hawaiians), so you can’t really go wrong there.

Back at the hotel, I had to go down to the lobby and do my laundry. I hadn’t done it since Yulara, eight days ago, and I was wearing my last set of clean clothes. Fortunately the hotel had several washers and dryers, and I managed to get my stuff out before the laundry room closed.