Life in the Tropics

[Giant Communist Robot]

This morning, about 5:30 a.m., my wife called me upstairs. She had cornered two large cockroaches behind the toilet and wanted me to exterminate them. I found about 10 more in a cabinet under the sink. Killed them all. Even though they were very big--2 to 3 inches in lenght--they moved so slowly I had plenty of time to smash them.

We have many species of cockroaches here in Hawaii. Some are so large they are scary. Just part of the fauna. I sometimes find gekkos on the walls. I have seen frogs and mongooses crossing my patio. Minah birds and zebra doves.
And more than a few mosquitos. I live in a small valley in the foothills of the Koolau mountains. It has the Waimalu stream running through it before emptying into Pearl Harbor.

There is a bike path along the shore of Pearl Harbor. I ride my bike there. Mongooses like to cross the path right in front of me, maybe just to see if they can cross without getting hit. Homeless people populate the bushes. Sometimes they stand and stare at me when I ride by. There is alot of trash along the path. I saw there was $300,000 dollars in the Honolulu budget for this bike path. I wonder where that money goes?

[lioness]

oh, you brave husband!
i saw big buggers like that in Mexico and they were quite disturbing to even look at. in NYC i saw one that had to be at least a good 5" or so just crawling around.

what is the average temperature out there for this time of year? is there a large homeless population?

[GeoLes]

I visted Hawaii with my wife a few years ago. We spent 1 week on the big island and 1 week on the small island of Kawaii. We loved both, especially the beach hopping and snorkling on Hawaii. We found only one dirty beach on all of Hawaii at the Southen end of the big island. Most beaches are small, secluded retreats tucked away in a small oasis at the end of some road through a dried lava field with 2 or 3 people to share them with. Wow, this post brings back some fond memories.

Even the homeless people living in the fields, gleaning the fruits from the groves. We stayed in the mountiain on the big island (the island of Hawaii) at a bed & breakfast. We ate fresh mango and farm fresh eggs (freshly stolen from the chickens). (Excuse my revelry, but I have always been a city boy and always thought that produce grew in the supermarket.) I remember spending time with the tennis bums, inhabitants who had no job, but managed to have enough money to buy a new tennis racket and spend the whole day on the courts. It all seemed like paradise to me. Even the poor were rich.

On Kawaii, we rented a 4-wheel drive car and a small cabin at the Seventh Day Adventist Church Camp. We purchased boric acid from Walmart and made a "satanic circle" of boric acid around the bed because my wife was afraid of the bugs that would crawl on her in the night as she slept. Did I mention that the shower was outside in a little shed attached to the cabin? I did not tell her of the geckos that were all over the place, or she would never give me a moment of peace.

I loved it and will never forget it.

<small>[ 04-01-2005, 04:40 PM: Message edited by: GeoLes ]</small>

[piqaboo]

Sounds like a wunnerful trip!

I spent ~ a week on Oahu once.
It was a lot of fun, even during a tropical storm.

[Giant Communist Robot]

The Honolulu newspaper

Splashed across the front page, complete with color photo:

ANOTHER WIN FOR SONNY CHINGS'S HALAU

Refering to a victory in the Hula competition at Hilo. People take hula seriously here. This event is broadcast live, a couple of hours a night during prime time, for its duration. I dunno, a couple of days. The individual winner was Maile Emily Kau'ilaniona'opuaehi'poiokeanuenueokeola Francisco. I didn't make that name up. She gets the title "Miss Aloha Hula."

Not much else in the world was newsworthy, I guess.

The sports page is always about Michelle Wie, the teenage golfer. Once I saw she finished 43th in a tournament and that made the first page of the sports section. If she finishes in the top ten, it goes to the front page.

Small-town enthusiasm for everything Hawaiian.

[Shapley]

I was in Hawaii a few times during the eighties, courtesy of the "Big Grey Boat" and Uncle Sam. Always on Oahu, I never visited any of the other islands. I rode "The Bus", which is the name of the bus line, around the island to the North Shore and back. I saw lots of scenery that way, The buses ran every half hour, so you could get off at a place of interest and look around till you got tire, and then catch the next bus. Unfortunately, one in six or eight of the buses made a detour into the heart of the island, where the pineapple fields were. I got off there and looked around, then went back to the bus stop (which was about the only building around, the front porch of a general store that was closed). I waited and waited, then looked at the schedule. No bus for another hour and a half, and I had already been there quite a while. I saw enough pineapple fields to suit me for a lifetime.

It is my understanding that mosquitoes, like many of the other pests on the island, are not native. Their larvae were brought over in the 19th century in the ballast of ships, which was dumped in the harbor when the ships were loaded. They seemed to like the place, because they are abundant now.

Geckos are good cockroach eaters, but are no match for mosquitoes. Many cruising sailors keep geckos on board to keep the pests under control.

V/R

Shapley

[RC]

Gee Shap, we would probably have crossed paths had I not been spending my time on Maui and Molokai. It's a small world. Maybe you remember having seen me getting on or off an airplane?

nameless, I am thoroughly enjoying your posts. Please do continue if not just for me.

[dai bread]

I like geckos. They eat all manner of pests, but do sometimes misjudge their leap and fall in your soup!

Cockroaches are another matter. I'm surprised they move slowly in Hawaii. Here, if you're a bit slow off the mark, they're gone.

[Giant Communist Robot]

There are two gasoline refineries in Hawaii. I don't know how many cars, but looking at the H-1 freeway at rush hour I would say about 400,000. All traveling on mostly 200 miles of road. I read that there are more cars than licensed drivers.

So, considering the oil comes down from Alaska to California, then is shipped to Hawaii--$2.34 a gallon isn't too bad. My mother bought me a Costco card, now I buy gas there--$2.16 a gallon. Do those figures seem high? Molokai is about $3.60 a gallon. Doesn't matter too much. Nowhere to drive on Molokai. Try comparing it to printer ink, which at $29.97 for 1.42 oz. works out to about $2,701.52 a gallon.

Even on Oahu where can you go? I bought my Corolla in Oct 2003, and I have 15,000 miles on it now. Eighteen months and 15,000 miles. My next door neighbor has the same car--same year, same model, same color--how eerie is that? She has only 8,000 miles.

We even bought from the same dealer, Servco. I think Servco owns all the Toyota dealerships in Hawaii. Servco is a subsidiary of Jardine Matheson. They owned all the Pizza Huts and Taco Bells here too. Jardine Matheson is a Hong Kong trading company, one of the oldest, dating back to the 1840's. They made their money selling Opium to the Chinese. Now they have reinvested their drug money into legitimate businesses. Hmmmm. I don't think I can eat their tacos anymore.

[Giant Communist Robot]

Nevermind my math........its late.

I went to the library--you know, they all know me by name there--I had been looking for a book but the library didn't have it. I asked the librarian how many volumes in the state library, and she said "five million."

Five million?

There are only 1.1 million people in the whole state. I think the Library of Congress has about 20 million, Harvard has 10 million--I think Los Angeles has 2 million.

I asked how could that be, and then she said:

"Well, that's 5 million items, including books, magazines, newspapers, and all the microfilmed things."

Self agrandizing inflation!

I read the Bishop Museum has over 1,000,000 artifacts. Amazing. It clearly is the premier Polynesian museum in the world. Later I saw that figure included 800,000 soil samples. What's the big interest there? All that and they only have 35 surfboards.

[barfle]

Back in the days when I travelled a lot on business, I went to Honolulu three or four times a year. I figured every time I went to Chicago, I earned a trip to Honolulu. Since most of my trips took two weeks and involved staying in five different cities, and you have to spend the weekend somewhere...

I never thought the skeeters were much of an issue. Not after the ones in Michigan. In fact, I don't remember mosquitos in Hawaii, except the time I took the hike through the mountains (and rainforest).

I do seem to recall seeing a few insects I first thought were rodents, but all in all, I figured I could put up with the warm weather, sunshine, string bikinis, and laid-back attitude (hang loose) except that I couldn't afford it. People who live in Hawaii have to want to live in Hawaii. I don't particularly want to live in Virginia, but I can afford a nice house and I'm close to lots of culture.

The gas prices there are high, but I've seen higher on the mainland. I remember in 1999 or 2000, we went to Death Valley NP on vacation. The park is larger than Connecticut, and there are two gas stations, whose prices ran about a buck a gallon higher than what stations outside the park charged. At the time, that was about $2.70 per gallon.

[Shapley]

RC,

Was that you in the blue dress with your hair tied back?

V/R
Shapley

[DavidEB310]

This thread prompted me to search for Jimmy Buffett tickets. I missed the sale date for the Tweeter Center in MA, and now all are sold out (even the lawn seats). There are a few Web sites that provide ticket sales from one ticket holder to the next but not without getting a 200% or more profit per seat (How about $106.00 for a $36.00 ticket plus handling and shipping charges and convenience fees). Ugh.

Oh well...I guess I'll visit in the images you all have provided, since I've never been to Hawaii (however, I have frequented Carribean islands).

That is, unless, I can count on the 3 Friday nights that I visited Hawaii in the 1970's courtesy of The Brady Bunch.

NOT THE DREADED TIKI IDOL!!!....aaahh, Vincent Price and his Oliver Statue caught me...........

[sadie]

David,
I've been to Buffet twice at Tweeter and really it's not that great a show. There were a lot of folks sick-bombed out of their minds and in your face- We tried to leave the parking lot and these 2 women blocked our car's egress-having sex with eachother in the middle of the lane-getting off on forcing us to be voyeurs...I guess a lot of guys might find that aspect interesting?
His whole theme is consume a lot of alcohol-while he is a self admitted alcholic and abstains now. The first concert was okay-but if you and your wife really like his music-just throw on a Cd-hang up a parrot and invite a few friends over!

[OperaTenor]

Here, all you need now is the CD:

<img src="http://www.operatenor.100megs24.com/beemer.jpg" alt=" - " />

[OperaTenor]

[hijack]

I have to rebuild His Nibs' perch from time to time as he chews it to pieces. The above photo was from about a month ago. Below is the latest rebuild job on his perch:

<img src="http://www.operatenor.100megs24.com/beemer2.jpg" alt=" - " />


[/hijack]

[DavidEB310]

Thanks Sadie,

I, in fact, have heard mixed reviews about his shows locally. Yours is not the first negative experience I have heard (minus that aspect that a lot of guys might find interesting...)

My step-daughter has seen similar in Providence nightclubs and once encountered, I guess, two girls sharing a very passionate kiss outside of Wal-Mart.

I guess I'm never in the wrong/right place at the wrong/right time (depending on one's views).

[sadie]

Well your step daughter sounds pretty worldly!

And for the record- My objection is to forced voyeurism-not the sex of the individuals involved....

[camper]

Oh my! Bugs! eeeks
We have rattle snakes (Have seen one in five years)
Lots of lizards
Noseeums two months per year

But cockroaches that size?
Scares the beegeezus outta me!

[piqaboo]

cockroaches give me nightmares. I lived in Miami for two years. Interesting indeed.

My roommate lacquered one large palmetto bug to the floor with hairspray, and left it there for months because "it looks so natural there".