DEPARTMENT:

As 2008 bursts forth and begins its journey thru the new year, thoughts turn to this magical place called Hawaii—the land most of us love and feel so fortunate to be part of…Wandering around the state, here are some quick snap-shots of this place we call home—and where thousands from around the world visit…Waikiki chess players lost in concentration—ignoring Kalakaua’s milling throngs, or the crashing waves ferrying young surfers to the shore…The frolicking dolphins at Sea Life Park…Kamehameha statue shimmering with sunbeams while tourists snap their cameras, and say cheese in a variety of languages…Velvety sounds at dawn whispering the song of morning…Downtown’s towering edifices putting their finger prints on low hanging clouds…Baby waves playing with Waikiki’s sea walls…

The senior brigade on their early ayem walk-a-thons along Magic Island paths, while their young roller bladers silently glide to and fro... The childlike playful animals at the Zoo always a treat…Refreshing trade winds at dawn. A world of its own…Year-round balmy temperatures the envy of visitors and taken for granted by most isle citizens…Shopping center windows always bright and sparkly—ingeniously contrived to capture attention any time of the year…Deluxe imagination: The artistry hung along the zoo fence…The murmurous hum of conversations flavored with pidgin da kine…Transoceanic floating palaces pausing briefly at our downtown docks while their passengers briefly unload their pocket change on island goods…

Waikiki: Making grownups sometimes feel like kids again…Island sights: Our growing traffic jams…
Tourists j-walking, obviously not knowing our traffic laws—just like many locals…The airport security hustling cars away el pronto if arriving passengers aren’t ready for pickup. Absolutely no lingering these days…Hawaii—where conversations are flavored with pidgin da kine…These changing times: Honolulu is a big city now, with an accelerated tempo, and headache traffic as we all know. The once quiet village is long gone—along with much of the old time Aloha…Sunset Beach—that watery turmoil which churns and boils like a washing machine for the spirit…The special fragrance and colorful flower artistry on display at lei stands…How much we who live here take Hawaii for granted—but seem to reawaken when showing a visiting friend who appreciates and marvels and the gem-green land and lush mountains…

And, no matter how often one travels to far off places, the thrill of returning kamaaina as they zoom past Diamond Head—finally coming home to Hawaii…Monumental—the moonlike crater of Haleakala…And, who can’t appreciate the historic richness of Iolani Palace—and when was the last time you visited...?

Yes, my Hawaii has many faces, and one that I particularly enjoy is that of Chinatown. Streets narrow and deep like creases on the work-worn faces of the elderly…The atmosphere as strong as the smell of the fish hanging in the open markets…Or, herbs dangling like dragon tails from storefronts…Chinatown’s spirit—still brassy and buoyant as l0,000 exploding firecrackers…Hawaii often has been acknowledged as the islands of romance, in songs, films, TV and books. But one island—Niihau—is the last repository of unsullied Hawaiiana—out of context, out of tune and out of this-oh-so-modern world…

There’s Kalaupapa—the cross of Father Damien, the Martyr…Once a garbage heap for the body and incinerator for the soul…This once-crowded community of former banished patients is almost empty now. Only a handful are left who are visited weekly by Dr. Kalani Brady, Honolulu medic, who is responsible for their care…When the last patient passes, Kalaupapa will become a national park…

My Hawaii—stopping for coffee in the wee hours of the ayem—observing the citizenry—taxi drivers, Kalakaua hookers, musician, waitresses, etc., huddling over their kau kau after another grinding nite of work—sipping their caffeine while devouring their early editions…Must, admit, tho—I seldom do that anymore since my friskier days are long gone…

Weekend sights: When families huddle around a hibachi at so many of our parks probing with chopsticks that miraculously never seem to catch fire…A father romping at the ocean’s edge, carefully moving his timid child closer to the toothpaste foam of the playful Pacific…Proud young girls, self-contained in skimpy beach fashions. Oblivious to the appreciative young male stares…Elderly tourists enjoying the sunshine, despite creakin’ with age from a life of toil…Honolulu beyond the reef. White-winged racing boats bouncing on the sea like exploding popcorn…The exploding shoreline buildings and apartment complexes—looking like great turrets…The secret whispering of the sea, interrupted suddenly by the warning horn of a tourist-filled catamaran…Just a few snapshots of my Hawaii (and yours)…

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