"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." (Albert Camus)
I was
sitting at this table, right against the glass of a greasy spoon place, called Seaside Bar and Grill, on Kuhio Ave. in
Oahu, Hawaii, one morning, trying to open a small pack of sugar, to add to my
coffee. The sugar sticks inside the packs here, something awful, because of the
humidity, and it’s hard to shake it loose to pour it out in your coffee.
I was watching
how, confused tourists, felt apprehensive about walking in for breakfast,
because the place doesn’t look inviting at all, with its rusty and holy, run
down awning in the front, musty, green, moldy rug under it, and with an Asian
woman who could have been 100 years old as the hostess, sitting on a crooked
wooden chair, with eyes small from the bright sun who blinded her. She sat
there, almost unmoved, waiting for her guests, with a faint smile on her thin
lips, staring at the crowd.
The
food I was eating was pretty good. The coffee – horrible. The prices were
surprisingly low, for Hawaii, you know. I wanted to encourage people to go
ahead and come in, because there was no wait for a table like in other places,
the food was decent and I wanted the hostess (maybe the owner, too), to earn
enough money to allow her to fix the awning and maybe even get better tables in
the joint.
When I
sat down to write this blog, I didn’t have a clue what I as going to write
about. There is so much to say about Hawaii, or at least, Oahu, because that’s
the only island I have seen. My breakfast at Seaside Bar & Grill was the first image that popped into my
head, when I opened this white page to write.
Before
you go to Hawaii, you’ll have a chorus of people you know that have been there
before telling you the same thing, in unison: it’s Paradise. Period. One word. End
of story. The air smells like flowers and
the water is so blue and clean. And there is music in the air, and exotic
flowers and birds at every pace. You’ll never want to come back to the Mainland.
You’ll want to move there. That’s
what you’ll hear everyone say. You’ll search online and you’ll read much of the
same reports.
Not
sure whether I went to the “wrong island” (how could have I?! – aren’t all of
them part of … Hawaii …?!) or what, but Hawaii was much more, or maybe sadly,
even much less to me that just simply Paradise.
This
blog will be about what this unique place on Earth was to me. It’s as subjective
and biased as it will ever get and much less succinct than one word. I hope you
bear with me. I will say “Hawaii” but keep in mind, I am always talking about
Oahu, where I spent a week this February.
What Hawaii isn’t …
A
Paradise. Let’s bust this one myth first, and then, we can move on. When I came
off the plane, the air smelled much like every other air in any airport – of old
carpet. There weren’t any Hawaiian beauties throwing leis of orchids at me.
Other than flying over the very blue, deep waters of the Pacific Ocean, landing
in Hawaii was pretty much just like landing in Miami Beach, maybe, except with
fewer high rises. When we stepped outside, I smelled airplane gas, not flowers.
When we finally got into the parking lot, I did smell, very fainted, plumeria
and hibiscus in the air, or maybe orchids … Finally! But it was not very strong
– if one had not pointed this to me, I would not have noticed. The air is thick
with humidity, so thick that I thought Southern humidity is only a joke
compared to Hawaii in February.
Driving
around the streets of Honolulu is no different than driving around any other
big city of the world. Traffic. Dirt. Homeless folks and Wal-Mart and Target
carts in the park. Tons and tons of graffiti walls. The exit and traffic signs
all look “American” but the names of the streets give away the fact that you’re
in a different country. Really. Kuhio, Kalia, Ala Wai, Kamehameha are some
examples. What is different than most American buildings is the amount of
decaying walls, clad in mildew, you see on every street. The mold, and fungus
growing on everything is overwhelming. Even beautiful, architecturally,
buildings are covered in mold, even in “fancy” and high end neighborhoods.
Roofs with what almost looks like moss growing on them are everywhere – in the
city, and out, in the mountains – which gives
the whole place a run down, decrepit, sort of poor and sad look.
Our
hotel room, in the heart of Waikiki Beach, smelled like musty air, although the
air conditioner never stopped. My sterling silver necklace left blue marks on
my neck, from the very humid and hot air. And this was supposed to be the rainy
season. Our bathroom never dried up. If Paradise is this humid, I am second
guessing my wanting to go there.
What Hawaii is …
Everywhere
you turn, in Hawaii, even on the busiest of streets in Honolulu, you’re drowned
in a sea of green vegetation. The island is lush! This is the first place I
have ever visited where you really do feel like people live amongst the wild
vegetation where they’re intruders. Banana trees, coconut trees, every kind of
palm tree, eucalyptus and bamboo species you can think of, green vines, and
brown, all dressed up in blooms, like Christmas trees, are everywhere. It didn’t
matter that we got lost in the “poorer areas” of Honolulu (I am sure this
expression is relative – nothing here seems to be less than $1mil) – every shack was surrounded by gorgeous
tropical greenery. I think landscape architects are non-existent in Hawaii. It
looks like the island will grow around every abode, every car, every bridge
into the water, everything. This is, truly,
breathtaking.
All the
pictures I have taken show this amazing richness of vegetation, and we never
went to a botanical garden – it’s things we shot while walking around the
island. Actually, I did see a couple of brown street signs for botanical
gardens, and I told myself: “OK! Hawaii, now, you’re just showing off!. Why
would you need a botanical garden in this?!”
What Hawaii isn’t …
Incredibly,
over the top expensive.
The gas
was $2.85 in Utah when we left. It was $3.94 in Honolulu. I was expecting it to
be at least double, but only a dollar more. Yes, there are higher than Utah
prices, but I have been more shocked by prices in Seattle and New York than I
have been by the ones in Honolulu! You can eat street food everywhere and in
small restaurants, unknown to tripadvisor,
which are amazingly good and fresh, and you’d spend about the same amount as
anywhere else in small town America. The best food we had, I think, was at this
Thai Restaurant (Siam Square), and
the price for an entrée was around $10-13, for dinner, which is what we pay in
Provo, UT, as well. Yes, there are extremely expensive places, too (and we did dine
at Morimoto Waikiki, for
comparison), but so are everywhere else in the nation.
Sometimes,
Hawaii gets a reputation of being a tourist trap, a place where you pay for
everything, where they try to squeeze every little penny from you. At one of
the largest flea markets in Hawaii, the Aloha
Stadium Swap Meet, most of the vendors don’t accept credit cards at all. It’s
all cash. I feel more trapped for spending in the Salt Lake Farmers’ Market
where everyone accepts plastic for any amount of purchase, than I did on Oahu! A
place that would be interested in robbing you blind would accommodate any type
of payment, I think.
What Hawaii isn’t …
American.
I know, I know, you proud folks out there think I am crazy, but hear me out
here. It’s not that I deny its belonging to the Union or legality at all. But I
didn’t feel (outside the street sign colors and exit signs) like I was in
America at all. Everyone outside of the tourists like me is either Hawaiian or
… Japanese. Just looking at people in the street, you’ll see at least 4
Japanese persons for every white or Hawaiian individual, and that is probably
an understatement. All the menus in restaurants are in English and Japanese.
The Caucasian trolley drivers speak both English and Japanese and outside of
maybe two waitresses, we didn’t run into any white staff at all for the whole
stay in Oahu. Everyone we talked to had an accent and looked foreign. Everyone.
The
whole island felt very exotic, and not very American at all.
What Hawaii is …
A true
melting pot of cultures, architecture, foods and people. Out of all the things
that will stay with me from these islands, diversity and richness of cultures is
definitely one of them. We have seen Buddhist temples, right along with Hindu
practicing folks (judging by bumper stickers), “Iglesia Ni Cristo” – a Christian church with services in Pilipino,
even a Greek Orthodox church about 5 minutes from our hotel in Waikiki Beach. It’s
a beautiful mélange of all cultures, rites and traditions – all coexisting
together in absolute harmony. I missed that so much, where I live now. It’s a
beautiful reminder, especially nowadays, than harmony can happen peacefully and
gracefully.
We did
not make it to the Polynesian Cultural
Center (PCC), because I have very little patience for “theme parks”. But if
you visit the Bishop Museum, in
Honolulu, which I highly recommend, you will learn about the rich history of
this nation, about where from they come and how they found these lonely
islands, in the middle and near nothing else, how they settled and developed
them pretty much alone, over the centuries, how their monarchs, men and
women alike, were culturally rich, intelligent people and how they welcomed
diplomacy before anything else when developing relationships with the US and
other countries of the world. I think America is this much richer, and
hopefully the Mainland will travel and learn one or two things from these
island folks, along the lines of tolerance, respect and love.
The PCC, as the name shows it, is a park
where Polynesian culture, which is close, geographically, to Hawaii and has
influenced Hawaiian culture, over time, is recreated in the way people dress,
dance, eat and live (in re-enactments).
Dinner
at Gyu-Kaku BBQ Restaurant was one of
those out-of-place experiences. The whole place made us feel like we stepped
through a time or a space trap, into Japan. It started with the name, that I
still have to think about to remember, which is evidently very foreign and told
us nothing of what it offers, really. The staff, was all Japanese, and we and 3
other people in there were the only white-looking folks in an over crowded
joint. The furniture, the pagoda-looking booths, and sake bottles labeled in
Japanese mounted on wall shelves looked very outlandish. We felt lost, but so
good, because we knew we were getting an experience we have never had before,
anywhere else in The States. Every 2 seats came with our own gas grill, where
we would cook everything for our meal ourselves, outside of our rice, which
came already steamed.
The
meats were fresh and the veggies came wrapped in foil, and seasoned, ready to
grill. Everything was fresh and well soaked in various marinades of garlic,
ginger and sesame oil. If the chicken was not done, we had only ourselves to
blame.
As hot
as Hawaii was, many restaurants and stores didn’t have the A/C running. This
place was one of those. With two dozen gas grills on and cooking, it only had
ceiling fans working, and people soaking in sweat. They like their island
breeze in most of the establishments around Honolulu. Very un-American, if you
asked me.
What Hawaii isn’t …
Cheesy.
Beach resorts especially get a reputation of cheese, dirt, and overpriced
t-shirts. Hawaii shouldn’t. Yes, you have gifts and beachwear stores, much like
you would expect, but every one of them is clean, with even (instead of sunken
and dingy) floors that don’t squeak, and neatly organized shelves. I have never
seen so many beach stores where food and drinks are not allowed, as I have seen
in Hawaii.
What Hawaii is …
Artsy
and tasteful. Hawaii has a long history of beautiful wood workings. At every
corner, you will see unique and beautifully carved benches, tables, paddles and
surf boards, gorgeous balcony railings and wall panels. If you ever visit Oahu,
take a ride towards Turtle Bay, onto the North Shore, and stop in Haleiwa, a
small community on Kamehameha Highway. There are several art galleries full
with local art, anything from paintings, photography, to blown glass and embroidery.
Local scenes, people, flora and fauna are frozen in these handmade beauties.
They are not cheap, of course, but just strolling through them will open and
inspire your mind and heart and will give you a glimpse of Hawaii through the
eyes of artists.
What Hawaii isn’t …
Scary,
dangerously wild. This was my fear before I went there, at least – that there
will be some species of snakes and reptiles, along with wild boars and monkeys
that will eat me alive, and I won’t even know how to explain to the ER what bit
me or tried to kill me!
But
much to my surprise, outside an elusive ocean snake that lives solely in the
Pacific, there are no snakes at all on Hawaii! Mosquitoes are about the only
thing that “attacked” us. We hiked in the rain forest, and there was no ant to
be seen, no spiders (although they’re out there, I am sure!), no monkeys. Lots
of beautiful, exotic birds, but nothing much else.
What Hawaii is …
“Wild”
(as in “natural”, not as in “untamed animals”) life is very much part of the
every day life, I would say – as everything is so very close on the Island. We
hiked the rain forest of Manoa Falls,
and it seemed like the trail was in the middle of this very residential and
quiet neighborhood with cats and chickens running around the parking lot.
The
hike was gorgeous – very green and incredibly rich in vegetation. Plants that my
family and I have grown only indoors on the Mainland, are here plenty, and
unbothered to be outside. Blooms we normally wait for years to see on our
indoor plans are here everywhere, and seemingly grow like
weeds.
Outside
birds and a mouse as big as maybe an apple, we saw no creatures. Of course,
except for the mosquitoes which bit us despite the Off! we used all over our exposed skin.
A short
drive of only 20-30 minutes from Waikiki Beach will put you in the heart of the
Ko’olau Mountains, and they are breathtaking. Like no mountain I have ever seen
before, they spring straight up, with almost a perfect 90 degree incline, from
the sea level. Not one square inch of them is bare – they are clad in a thick
coat of lush green. They are majestic and mysterious, as I cannot imagine
anyone able to climb something so steep. The mix of urbanism and wilderness is
what Oahu is, in my mind.
What Hawaii isn’t …
All
beach, fun, escapism, and no substance. I have always heard people talk only
about the paddle boarding, snorkeling and expensive sunset cruises when going
to Hawaii. Even when I got back, the first question out of people’s mouths when
they find I out I went to Hawaii is “oh, cool! What Island? And which beach did
you go snorkel at?”
Hawaii
was all snorkeling and dipping into waterfall pools for me, before I went
there.
Those
places exist, don’t get me wrong, but for people like me who don’t like water
that much and can’t swim, those places are no attraction.
And the only place we saw a waterfall pool had
signs all around it warning people not to dip in the water, and speaking of
falling rocks’ dangers.
What Hawaii is …
For us,
outside the water fun all around which people seem to be enjoying, Hawaii was a
place imbued with history. Not only the very popular and renowned, so important
for the history of the World, Pearl
Harbor, but the local history museums are great escapes into a past that is
rich and extremely well documented. I already mentioned The Bishop Museum, but the Iolani
Castle (which was booked for months in advance!) and the US Army Museum are places I would
recommend as well. I take history where it is, and where it happens, not only
when I go to Europe or Washington, DC … And Hawaii is not poor in historic
sites.
What Hawaii isn’t …
“You
can hear music in the air” is what I used to hear. I imagined Hawaii a place
where at every street corner, you’d find a hula dancer, much like in New
Orleans, you find a zydeco band in every bar.
But
that is, unfortunately, another myth. Outside of a three person band (two guys
playing ukulele, and one woman singing backup, with plumeria in her hair and
curvy hips) that played for exactly one hour on a patio bar, on the shore, one
night, I heard no Hawaiian music whatsoever in one week of being in Oahu. Yes,
there are restaurants who will charge you a fee for the all Hawaiian experience,
complete with roasted pork and hula dancers, but impromptu Hawaiian music “in
the air”, at every corner – not so much. Traffic noise, sure. Music – I couldn’t
hear it.
There
is something very peaceful and very quiet, and very fresh, even, about the
Pacific Ocean around Oahu. Unlike The Atlantic, which is almost angry and
roaring with fury, The Pacific is calm and patient. Maybe not everywhere, but
definitely around this island. We enjoyed many a nights just drinking and
having finger foods on the patio at The
Edge off Waikiki, watching the sun set and the catamarans taking people
into the dimming horizon. The swishy music of the waves is the only music I
will forever associate with Hawaii. That and the song of the many colorful
birds which sing in peculiar and foreign tones in every bush.
What “myths” aren’t myths …
We
heard that everyone in Hawaii greets you with “Aloha” (after all, they call
themselves the ‘Aloha State’) and appreciates you for your business with “Mahalo”.
And that one is true! I felt cheesy saying them back, in the beginning, but
everyone is so friendly and they sound so natural saying these two greetings
that by the time we left, we finally said them right back, promptly.
“Shave
ice” is everywhere. This one is also true. And it’s advertised as typed: “shave”.
It’s in bars, restaurants, on the beach, at the beach stores, in the ABC
Stores, in the streets at a mobile cart – everywhere! So are the mai-tais. They
are not even on menus, but if you ask for one, they will make you one,
everywhere.
Pineapple
comes from Hawaii. This definitely feels true, here! There is, of
course, the Dole Plantation, which advertizes
themselves as the “Pineapple Experience” and they sell, well, everything
pineapple, including, ice-cream. But every restaurant has pineapple glaze on
their meats and dressings, and deserts, and fresh bowls of fruit, with a bed of
pineapple to start. It is, for sure, the sweetest, and freshest pineapple I
have ever tasted. You can buy pineapple candy and pineapple dressed in
chocolate even, in every ABC store.
And
fruit, in general, is more plenty, more exotic, more fresh and more sweet than
anywhere else I have been in the world.
What I will call “Hawaii” for the rest of my
life …
The
calm waters of the Pacific ocean, bathing the sandy beaches of Oahu … The happy
marriage between the wild, exotic, unruly vegetation , the eerie dreamy landscape
wrapped in misty, 100% humidity clouds and modern, urban, decayed, busy big city …
The sweetness of pineapple … The multicolored tapestry of cultures, religions, art
media, races and histories … The plumeria and hibiscus photo ops at every
street corner …Green geckos, perched on every bush … The best pulled pork sandwiches in the world,
nothing but smoke and lean meat, soaked in pineapple glaze …The tiki torches that light up the island every night... The Hawaiian shirts floating around in the breeze, everywhere ...
We kept
chasing, desperately and hopelessly, the iconic Hawaiian rainbow that you see in every commercial and movie,
with people bathing under waterfalls crowned by it. It is so specific of Hawaii,
it’s even on their license plates. We never did find it.
We never did find the Paradise everyone is talking about (shouldn’t Paradise
have at least one snake in it?! Hmmm …) and we never did want to move there. We
felt truly remote. In the more than 6 hour flight solely over the Ocean, I felt
like I was going into an exile and there was apprehension about the journey,
not relief. I joked that if we were to crash, no one would even bother looking
for us, much less be able to find us.
They
told me that the series Lost was
filmed on the North- Western Shore of Oahu, and just like in Lost, we kept wondering where in the
world we are?! Because when you’re there, you make your own rules of where you
are, as everyone else’s input is not so true, or so we found. You feel, with
every pore of your body, a different air, a different temperature, a different
smell than anything anyone else tells you about before you land.
There
is one thing, and one thing for sure, that will always and forever stay with me,
as a purely Hawaiian trait, and that is … the people. They are some of the most
friendly, generous, courteous, loving, patient and helpful people I have ever
seen in my life. I heard no one argue, or being snappy. Every time we asked for
directions, or help, at the hotel, for instance, everyone gave us complete,
very well documented answers, and everyone did so with a smile and kindness.
I felt
oftentimes that the people I came across with, the wait staff, the bus drivers,
the ticket box attendants, are the poorest people in Hawaii. Against houses
that were listed for $2 mil to start everywhere we went, these simple looking
and behaving folks were in stark contrast. In the middle of the expensive
Waikiki Beach, where a pork sandwich sells for $15 alone, the little old lady
at the Seaside Bar and Grill was
making a living, when she should have been home cradling grandchildren,
perhaps. But they were always the most gentle and composed people around, too.
They
are people that know no snow, and no harshness They are as warm as the air in
the rain forest – soft and binding. They are people who know the rage of lava
and monsoons, as well as the whispers of the Pacific ocean hitting the shores.
They move as slow and as graceful as the sea turtles sometimes, and they are as
sharp as the peaks of the Ko’olau Mountains.
Although
in the beginning it felt unnatural and cheesy, in the very end, if there is one
thing that I will miss the most about Hawaii, is hearing the beautiful “Mahalo!”
from these folks. In a world that is often too rushed, and too paranoid to be
humane anymore, the Hawaiian people, with their various heritages, will remain in
my heart as a solid island of smiles, internal beauty, patience and class.
The yellow hibiscus is the Hawaiian state flower. Click on the image to view the complete album from this trip. It's not a slim one, but I believe it's worth it. Enjoy!
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