Fantastic hols
Aug. 20th, 2005 05:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trixtahI love Maui, it feels like home. Seriously. I loved the green volcanic hills, the rain, the sun and the people. I've missed the Polynesian vibe so much.
I went and got a tattoo from Samson at Sacred Center Tattoo on South Kihei Rd, behind the KFC. Amazing work. My companion heard about him from a shop assistant and wanted to get some kind of tribal animal (like a lizard) done. I wasn't intending to get another tattoo, but as soon as I saw his work, I had to have one. I pointed to a few examples of plants and patterns, and he tattooed a fantastic design freehand directly (! - no prep drawing or stencil) onto my lower leg - a band about 3cm wide around my mid-calf. It's beautful - perfect - an amazing example of putting yourself entirely into someone's hands and a miracle resulting. I haven't done that before - I get twitchy about going to a hairdresser for the first time - so it's great to have had that trust so wonderfully repaid. I'll post up a pic as soon as I get my hands on a digital camera. Since it's at the lovely scabby stage, I'll probably wait a few days for it to look more how it should. It's very me, the design, amazing. There are a couple of slight wobbles due to my twitching at inopportune moments from a somewhat sun-touched skin, but nothing dire.
Other than that, I had a fantastic week: riding a bike down Haleakala after watching the dawn and seeing the silversword plants; snorkeling with the Pacific Whale Foundation, a non-profit organisation; kayaking and snorkeling another day; driving around Hana and checking out the old hippies and the jungle and the shooting stars from the jacuzzi at night; having a wonderful talk with a guide at the mini Bishop Museum back in Honolulu - tena koe e hoa, ko tino pai to korero. Kia ora koe.
Funny how my most meaningful interactions were with Hawaiians, considering how white bread I am myself. The two granola-ish dykes (whom I should have had something in common with) who owned the studio accomodation where we were staying looked at me as if I'd dropped from outer space; maybe they were having problems deciphering my accent.
As well as the aforementioned sights, we ate a ton of food, quaffed many mai tais and other coconut-cocktail delights. Other than the fact that my companion had the emotional equivalent of a brain fart and deserted me on my last day there (I'm still croggled, and jet-lagged, haven't processed that one yet), it was pretty much a perfect week. Oh, and other than the lack of hot tea (I'm going to have to be like the poms in Europe and take tea bags with me to the US in future, despite how naff that sounds), and the fact that the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki expect you to pay per cup for your inroom hot drinks! The dinner I had there at the Java Room there was exquisite though. If you don't mind spending $US70 on a meal (and glass of wine) for one person.
I got back to Canberra at 10am; I've been sitting around pretty much in a stupor all day - it's cold - going from 35-ish deg to 9 is a bit of an adjustment - but I need to go and get some milk for my tea! Off, then, I venture...
I went and got a tattoo from Samson at Sacred Center Tattoo on South Kihei Rd, behind the KFC. Amazing work. My companion heard about him from a shop assistant and wanted to get some kind of tribal animal (like a lizard) done. I wasn't intending to get another tattoo, but as soon as I saw his work, I had to have one. I pointed to a few examples of plants and patterns, and he tattooed a fantastic design freehand directly (! - no prep drawing or stencil) onto my lower leg - a band about 3cm wide around my mid-calf. It's beautful - perfect - an amazing example of putting yourself entirely into someone's hands and a miracle resulting. I haven't done that before - I get twitchy about going to a hairdresser for the first time - so it's great to have had that trust so wonderfully repaid. I'll post up a pic as soon as I get my hands on a digital camera. Since it's at the lovely scabby stage, I'll probably wait a few days for it to look more how it should. It's very me, the design, amazing. There are a couple of slight wobbles due to my twitching at inopportune moments from a somewhat sun-touched skin, but nothing dire.
Other than that, I had a fantastic week: riding a bike down Haleakala after watching the dawn and seeing the silversword plants; snorkeling with the Pacific Whale Foundation, a non-profit organisation; kayaking and snorkeling another day; driving around Hana and checking out the old hippies and the jungle and the shooting stars from the jacuzzi at night; having a wonderful talk with a guide at the mini Bishop Museum back in Honolulu - tena koe e hoa, ko tino pai to korero. Kia ora koe.
Funny how my most meaningful interactions were with Hawaiians, considering how white bread I am myself. The two granola-ish dykes (whom I should have had something in common with) who owned the studio accomodation where we were staying looked at me as if I'd dropped from outer space; maybe they were having problems deciphering my accent.
As well as the aforementioned sights, we ate a ton of food, quaffed many mai tais and other coconut-cocktail delights. Other than the fact that my companion had the emotional equivalent of a brain fart and deserted me on my last day there (I'm still croggled, and jet-lagged, haven't processed that one yet), it was pretty much a perfect week. Oh, and other than the lack of hot tea (I'm going to have to be like the poms in Europe and take tea bags with me to the US in future, despite how naff that sounds), and the fact that the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki expect you to pay per cup for your inroom hot drinks! The dinner I had there at the Java Room there was exquisite though. If you don't mind spending $US70 on a meal (and glass of wine) for one person.
I got back to Canberra at 10am; I've been sitting around pretty much in a stupor all day - it's cold - going from 35-ish deg to 9 is a bit of an adjustment - but I need to go and get some milk for my tea! Off, then, I venture...
(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-22 02:03 am (UTC)Bringing your own tea is a good idea; it takes the pressure off everybody.
I'm looking forward to tattoo pix. Glad you made it back safely!