Sena Christian

Four days in O’ahu. My observations thus far.

1. Hawaiians don’t recycle, so it seems (no recycle bins anywhere. What the heck, I’m trying to be a good person here!).
2. The gross habit of cigarette smoking is alive and well among Europeans travelers/non-Californians.
3. There’s something for everyone. “Lost” hummer adventure anyone? Oahu ghost tour?
4. “The fish pooped in front of me.” — what my sister observed while snorkeling. She also chased away a sea turtle. I told her that’s considered “disturbing the wildlife,” which is prohibited, gosh darn her.

   

5. Oahu has a great public transportation system. I observed this during my last extended stay here five years ago when I took the bus daily and loved it. And they claimed dibs on the URL “The Bus.” Crafty.
6. Applying a self-tanner before your arrival is a must. No one can acquire a sufficient tan in a week, and who cares about having good color back on the mainland? You need it here while sporting a bikini.
7. It’s not weird or inappropriate to say the word “bra” several times during the course of normal conversation.
8. Restaurant servers and store clerks are really good about checking ID if you buy alcohol.
9. It’s crazy hard to find a bookstore in Waikiki, and the only one we did find was the soon-to-close Borders, which had an impressively large selection of graphic novels/Japanese anima.
10. There isn’t just one way to “hang loose.”
11. At night, the north side and south side of Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki develop a socio-economic disparity. Tourists on the north, homeless on the south.
12. I’m especially shy and polite here. I don’t want to be perceived as yet another rude or snobby tourist. My sister’s response: “You leave that for Julia.” Julia is her name.
13. My sister’s valuable observation she made while looking at my legs: “Do you have cankles?” For the record, I do not.