aui day 3

the vid above is from last night when i was watching the sunset- it was pretty amazing to watch this guy for an hour and not even getting in the water- he would ride the wave in, paddle back out and then back in- he used the paddle as a rudder like a surfing kayak- not sure if the board has a skeg or not- that would kind of defeat the purpose of the paddle/rudder


today i took it pretty easy- i met up with kassi- the drive was nice- saw some heady surfers and wind surfers- her house is what i imagined- her and jayson live on 35 acres, the owners grow bananas, guava and some other things i forgot- we went to paia- a small town which is more mainland people then anything- it reminded me of a small ski town but on the coast- willy nelson has a bar there called charlie's- named for his dog and has impromptu shows there pretty often- woody harrelson has a place there too- i think i would be pretty floored if i crossed him- he is a pretty big eco activist and a good actor- seems like someone i would like to have a fe drinks with- had some heady beer and food- went to replace a few things the crooks took and that is pretty much it- going to see a reggae band tonight where she works- which is pretty big here- it replaces all the rap stations in the SE- not a huge fan of it but i want to check it out- engulf myself in some of the hawaiian culture- although- @ least it won't be "mon" every 30 seconds

maui day 2

Day 2- maui

So I wake up- my stove will not go to high- but I was able to make tea and oatmeal for breakfast- I took my time b/c I was kind of in disarray on what to do- I had planned to go to kassi’s and camp again but I was not going to sleep on the ground again- it just sucked- thermarest’s are made for a reason I have found…the hard way. After talking with my parents and the cops I decided camping was not the best idea here b/c living out of a car is too much risk in have the car broken into. I spend the morning setting up places to stay on the other islands then I hit up the whale watching boat- I go down to the tourist trap, walk around and booka tour- I go to the slip to wait- I bring a book and sit on a bench and read- I finished nature and pretty much all of walking my Thoreau. Those 2 essays are some of the most amazing things I have ever read- they really put life in perspective on how to live- or should I say how I think it would be to live. As I am sitting there I strike up conversation with an older gentleman- he tells me he is 82 and on a cruise with his wife and friends. I had my legs crossed and his foot hit mine. I moved my foot and went about reading. Next thing I know he slides my way- he is on the bench next to me. He makes the remark “you know what they say about people with big feet, I answser, “they are clowns” - he laughs and said no- so thought went back to reading and paid no mind. So I feel his hand touch my elbow- a caress with his thumb and index finger- he asks- is that ok- I give him a big “get the fuck away from me look” I sit there in awe- I am laughing to myself and also in disbelief I just got hit on my an 82 year old man- did they have gay people back then in the 30’s? I thought this was a new thing- sorta like jenka and gogo boots. So he stands up and he goes to shake my hand- I am not going to be mean so I shake- and he does this thing where he tickles my palm- and gives me a look- I could not help to burst out and laugh- I got up and walked to a place where I could be alone and read till departure- there was a very interesting japanease couple- he was drawing and she was doing one of those nit by number things- hiss drawings were amazing- good enough to buy- I wached him draw instead of reading- I board the boat and we see a few whales- it was cool but they were a 100 yards away- needless to say I saw some whales- I make my way back up hwy 30 back towards the hotel(same one I stayed @ the 1st night b/c I was not camping) and stopped to watch the sunset- there were surfers and lanai in the foreground so I figured this was a good spot- I finished up walking and started jitterbug perfume. Watching the surfers be so fluid with the power of the ocean behind them was great- there was one guy that had a paddle and never had to swim - he stood the whole time- turn out that guy was a smoking hot girl- she washed her board and yada yada yada she sits next to me to watch the sunset- with my wonderful game with women I said nothing- there was some of that “I see you lookin @ me lookin @ you lookin @ me” but I dunno if marvin coulda even helped me- she was alone- not local- I remembered records- but I forgot all the lyrics- so I make it back to the area of the hotel in search of food- I pull into a strip mall and see sushi- I go in and there are 3 Americans- I sit @ the sushi bar and they all said this was the best place in maui- they were all property owners and knew the island- I talked to the one lady for about 45 minutes- she was a traveler- she was 70 and had been to 150 countries - we talked about traveling and I was asking her mostly where I need to go- she is an adventure traveler and knew the goods- the sushi- amazing- hands down best spicy tuna I have had- I ordered some other stuff I never heard of which was also good- she had some very insightful things to say- we talked about life too and solo travel- it was more a lesson to me about things then anything- she was truly a good soul and I will never forget her- she was also a fan of kirk creek so I knew she was a good person she had some food on her mouth but I never had the heart to tell her- so I let it go- I grabbed some beer and chips- now here I sit- on a soft bed, with a shower and some heady Hawaii micro brew- I hope the worst is behind and it only gets better from here-

maui day 1

Day 1- maui

So I wake up @ the but crack of dawn, make some tea and I am on my way- I head up highway to mile marker 38 to see the blow hole and a natural arch- the rain is coming down in buckets- there are rocks all over the road with signs that say “watch for falling rocks” - in all my years of seeing those signs I have never seen a fallen rock of any substantial size. I get the the place and the rain picks up- I put on my raincoat and I head out- I got out for about 30 min and decided to go back to the car to get my camera- this place was of true amazement. I 1st walked up and there were these rocks all stacked on top of each other- I would have to guess around 1000 or so- then there was this rock formation, very crop circilish- I go hiking on the coast in the pouring rain for approximately 3 hrs- I saw the blow hole, the arch and a ton more- I would go to one point and sit- think and then move on- I purchased some leki hiking poles and they saved my life probably 30 times- the ash is very slippery- it was like clay with pam on top. I make my way to what I thought was an old lighthouse- turns out it was just a marker with a beacon on top- I was not going to let the wind and rain keep me in the hotel. It was then I decided I was glad I made the trip myself- b/c it was not the best conditions and I think most would have been miserable.
I make my way back the car and I open the door and notice glass on the console. I thought the bottle of stuarts broke. Then I notice my mountain smith is gone. that’s right- I got my car broken into- they took my mountain smith which had some cash in it- prob a 1/3 of my spending money(sorta dumb on my part but I thought cash would be easier and get it as I need it) and one of my packs- they got mostly clothes(I am down to 3 pair of shorts and 2 pair of pants but I have the rest, I think) and the cash- along with my card reader, tens unit(muscle stimulator for my back) and my bose head cans- I felt so violated more then anything- karma is a bitch is all I can say about that- I did what I could not to think negative about it and I was not mad in any way what so ever. I was not going to let some meth head local ruin my time here- I think a few years ago I would have been outraged and pissed- I was actually laughing- shern sent me a pic of his new stash and how he wanted to trade tucker for some the the steel reserve- which helped lighten the mood- I had no cell service so I drove back till I had some- the rocks in the road were now boulders- the size of a basketball or so- during the drive I had a realization about the whole thing- so after about an hr with messing around with that I get a new car and I head to dragons teeth- I was there for a few hrs- reading emerson’s nature essay- it was so ironic how a lot of that referenced an instance of how to deal with what I just went through. On my walk back to the car(you had to walk along a golf course to get to the spot, I hear fore and a wizz of a golf ball by me- does Hawaii not want me here?


I had had already set up my tent and what not to camp for the night- when I got to camp I found that they also got my flashlights, thermarest and crazy creek. That sucked b/c I could not see, I had to sleep on the ground and sit on freaking rocks while I cooked and what not- so I did what any other normal americal would do. I got some food, a 6 pack of kona pale ale and a hawaiian cigar- as I was cooking the local taby cats came around- I gave a whole chicken breast to a kitten- maybe a year or so old and he was with me all night-

Keep america beautiful, grow a beard, take a bath and burn a billboard

6 hour flight to HI from the 770- I am @ in a bulkhead seat- lots of legroom- 767-400- nice I must say- my second time on one- my 1st was in 00 to dallas- it seemed more cramped- I am by the galley but the coffee has not began to brew yet- I passed out thanks to some muscle relaxers only to be awoken by a the awful smell of microwaved food being served for lunch- I passed on the meal needless to say- I raged some biscuits for the nap- 2/17/07 and woke up during rainbow song- maybe I will find my gold @ the end of he rainbow?! It is a cool 60 degrees on the plane and I have nothing to keep warm- the blankets are taken so I guess I have to stop being a puss- my toes are numb and the turbulence is pretty bad- across from me there is a very eclectic hippie- reminds me of judy silk- I would bet that she lives in Hawaii and has left the hustle and bustle life for the simple stuff- lives on necessity and not greed- could this be the right approach to life?- to be truly happy?- less is more approach- I often wonder this- the buddhist seem to think so- but does this work in western society? I think it would be pretty near impossible to live the minimalist life for me- although I do not need things to be happy- I do like to have possessions- are they just distractions for me? Distractions to what may be the real goal in life- or do they aid in achieving that goal of being happy? Is there such thing as “positive poverty” In the western society? yet you are still able to live a normal life, have kids and raise a family- I don‘t want a gold digga but I know no one wants a broke nigga? Without a job how would I travel or really enjoy the things I have grown to love?

drink cart is coming- they now offer glasses of water, not bottles- and no biscoffs b/c they had a meal service- what has happened to the airline I once loved so much? As for biscoffs and get a whole sleeve b/c no one ever ate them- I feel that they have betrayed me with my one true love that delta provided- I now have a large black ass in my face as a turn to the right- wow, is all I have to say about that. I did get some peanuts though- the bag smaller then ever and my stomach made its 1st growl of the day- bag still just as hard to open…but after seeing an ass that sir mix a lot would drool over it has ruined my appetite-

The airport in maui was very circa 1985 Hilton head style. Come to find out I flew into the small airport- 100 cab ride later to the main airport for my car I head to the hotel- I grab a bite to eat and a stuarts cream soda- I was in heaven for that alone.

sittin' round waitin for an airplane

so the trip has started to my zex sea in aceetobee, not in the aegean circle...so how can i go to an airport without thinking about the seinfeld airport bit- my 3 bags packed to the gills with mostly camping stuff and then some clothes. i approach the ticket counter and i get a look as if i had lobsters coming from my ears. i get the "all this is for you?" from the over worked under paid ticket counter attendant. i am flying the airline formally known as domination aka delta- thanks to leo mullen and a chapter 11 they are now crawling back to the top slowly but not surly. as going through the crackpot security in savannah they looked @ my bag like it was from tralfamadore- stuffed like a turkey with electronics and whatever else i could cram in there. i got the triple take on the id- thinking i was a good ole southern terrorist from south carolina- i as i await to be pulled for the full cavity search, i somehow breeze through the security without a hitch. no beeps for me. i walk down the seemingly boundless terminal, the golfcart with no one on it, passes me, empty and i was offered no assistance in my trek- i take a seat and i zone out from the 3 hours sleep i had the previous night- in my mind i was envisaging what was going to happen on the trip- being alone for a few weeks, me in a ford focus, and how i forgot my beard trimmer. will i go wook? naaaaaaa- the time has finally come for me to go to the land many call the most beautiful place on earth- i will determine that myself. the goldcart passes me 3-4 more times, again still empty each time- as she makes the hairpin turn she races down the terminal like dale earnhardt in daytona. they make the 1st boarding call and people arise in a frenzy to be the 1st one on. i wait till the last minute- as i board the airplane as i miss the sounds of enya- circa late 90's delta boarding music- to hear a cry of a baby and rednecks plotting their big kill in kansas. i have the entire row to myself and for a tall guy this is good- yet i see an exceptionally finer choice 2 rows ahead- i am eying it up like it was arleen out my window- the poor man's 1st class- that's right- the emergency exit row- i may not be served sundays with super models but i can cross my legs and stretch out- as long as i am not next to the galley or the bathroom, then i am fine- nothing like the smell of a nice fresh pumped lav to get the day going. there is approximately 10 minutes till departure and i await to see if anyone comes on. i make the dash to the row ahead and hope for the best- there are a few stragglers that send butterflies in my stomach, am i in their seat? will i have to give up the lap of luxury and return to my 31 inches of legroom? as the last body files into the plane i look around @ all the suckers with far less leg room and count my blessings. the last person to enter the plane makes a turn to the right and looks @ me(part of the hunting group)- so i thought- he gets confused and heads to 1st class- he then pokes back through the curtain to wave to his friends and gives them a big "fuck you" smile and goes about his way. why do they have the curtsain anyway? what is beyond that thing? is there really a need? on final approach into atlanta i open my window to the sunrise- i yank out my camera and i break all the FAA rules of flight and i take a few pics- what is the worst that will happen? the the navigation go down and they can't find the airport? they may actually have to take the plane off autopilot and fly it? we land with a very hard thump on the right wheel then the left- they give full flaps and reverse thrust and i say to myself "shitty landing, must have been the first officer" i grab my stuff and try to beat the rush to get off only to be headed off my the parental units of the ear- piercing, crying baby from earlier. as i await to deplane, again, no music. i find myself in the "e" terminal in atlanta, e for international- i arrive and the local brothern are opening the kiosks, stores and other places of business. do they know what things cost on the outside? i grab a muffin, latte and a bottle of water for $10.30 and i find my way to my gate. i sit here with newlyweds, an emo artist that i really want to see what she is laying down on that sketch book- the unpleasant sound of the trashcan compacting every 5 minutes or so interrupts the bass dropped bombs of the biscuits as i bob my head. they launch into morph düsseldorf as i await my wind @ 10 to fly