Confessions of a Mainlander

For those that know me, you know that I truly love travelling…ANYWHERE.  Jamie and I have travelled to some pretty awesome places; even places that others don’t see as awesome.  This year took us to another island in Hawai’i and I need to confess a few things from a mainlander’s perspective.

Getting to Hawai’i can be a bear.  Think about it Hawai’i is a pretty isolated group of islands.  And oh yeah, they are islands.  If you live anywhere (except along the west coast), travelling to Hawai’i can become cumbersome.

My suggestion… If you want to go to Hawai’i, just be prepared.  If you like to read, take a book (one that will keep your interest).  Music your thing, make sure you have at least 6 hours of it.  Do you color?  It may help.  Benadryl put you to sleep, have at it.  Just think through your flight(s).  While we had everything that could keep us amused in our possession, there was no denying that eight hours on a plane, in the main cabin, is a very long time.

Hawai’i is truly beautiful.  The islands that we have visited boast lush greeneries, beautiful flowers, and the bluest waters.  To me, it’s one of those places that I wish everyone could experience.  Natural beauty at its finest.

Laidback is the way to go.  I had dreams of travelling the road to Hana, taking a sunset cruise, seeing the sunrise at Haleakala, and spending some time reading on the beach.  In the end, we spent most of the time sitting on the patios (sorry Jamie, lanais) reading, talking, lounging… Relaxing as we looked out over the island.  I didn’t feel any knots in my shoulders or back all week. 

I feel like the locals may be a little resistant to so much tourism in their town. Hawai’i is a huge tourist sanctuary, meaning its existence hinges vitally on tourism.  People come from all over the world to visit and experience its beauty.  Yet, one of the common themes this time was … the people didn’t want tourist coming through their town or changing the culture.  With a culture that so greatly depends on tourism, it just seems like on a whole people would be more accepting by now.  But hey, that’s just me.  People might say that I am too nice to the source of my funding.

I really don’t believe that non-human creatures and I can coexist in one place.  I have been to a few places now where other creatures frequent inside dwelling spots.  While I don’t consider myself prissy, girlie, or well-to-do, I can assure you that I am not the type of person that can live comfortably with creatures like funny –looking centipede-type bugs, lizards, spiders, ants, monkeys, etc.  I just can’t.  Stop telling me that this how people live in the country or you have to get used to it or they won’t bother you if you don’t bother them. Please just remove them from anywhere that I have to stay.  Please and thank you!

Hawai’i is a group of islands.  As people asked where I was going for vacation, I found myself saying Maui and some people would say, ‘Oh Hawai’i’ as if my statement was incorrect.  So note, Hawai’i consists of eight main islands (I believe).  I am typically hesitant to say Hawai’i because I don’t feel like I am going to or have visited all of Hawai’i.  I guess it is similar to when I talk about visiting California; I typically talk about the cities that I have visited not the state as a whole (because I haven’t visited the entire state).  It’s a funny thing really because Hawai’i isn’t a normal state; it doesn’t fall within the Americas and as mentioned is simply a group of islands.  It is literally easier (and cheaper) for me to get to Mexico or the Caribbean islands than the Hawaiian Islands.

Anyway, these confessions are wholly my own and do not reflect the opinions of the Morris family or the many Hawai’i visitors.