Hawai'i Trip '04 - Part I
What a beautiful place!
It was much greener than I expected. Very lush, and the air was filled with the sweet fragrances of flowers and fruit in bloom. It truly is paradise.
After a brief 10 hr flight, I landed in Honolulu (Aloha) International Airport, which rests on the outskirts of town. Driving into Honolulu, I realized how much a city it really is.
Honolulu is a very culturally diverse city, due to its history and tourism.
Waikiki is no exception. With thousands of tourists flocking there everyday, its like an international melting pot. Its no surprise either, that Waikiki is the most expensive land, per square foot, in the world (Tidbit: Waikiki is a human-made peninsula slowly eroding into the ocean and needs to have sand barged in from places like California).
Tourism is the state's major economy. At around $10 billion a year, Hawai'i is an island gold mine.
I can't stand most forms of tourism. They sell the land, its people, culture and heritage extremely below their value. Not to mention it is devastating on all accounts. Although it brings money to the people of O'ahu, I have a feeling the locals don't like it either.
The University of Hawai'i at Manoa has a beautiful campus. If all goes well, I just might spend some time their. ;)
Center for Korean Studies
That's Troy and I. He was my surf instructor and a very cool guy. He did an awesome job instructing, despite the many people in the water. Surfing at Kuhio Beach was like weaving a bicycle through a Los Angeles traffic jam.
That was my first day in the water. No comments about my NC farmer's tan!!!
Notice the bird? That was a total luck shot. Especially since that was one of the only birds I saw while on the island.
All in all, I had a really great trip. I got to do most of what I planned on doing; hike, surf, snorkle, play capoeira, check out the university, meet really cool locals, see most of the island, eat good food, lay on the beach...yes, I also had a very relaxing time. It was very hard to leave the isalnd, and come back to the working "real" world. Believe me!
Part II on the way...
