Issue Number : i Date : December 26,1995 Period Covered : 11/22/95 - 11/23/95 Current Location: Hong Kong Future Stops : China, Japan
Journal
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I have been on the road for about 10 months, but I would never
be able to catch up if I started from the beginning. So I am
going to start my journal off with a story about how I spent
Thanksgiving in Hawaii. I will probably go back in time
every once in awhile to share some of my other experiences. I
apologize in advance for any lack of continuity.
I spent most of November in Hawaii. My last few days were
spent in Kauai with Rob, an old roommate of mine from
California. Rob and I chose to meet in Kauai because of the
wide variety of fishing that is available there. We went deep
sea, surf, lake and reservoir fishing around the southern coast
of the island. Most of the reservoirs on Kauai are privately
owned by the sugar plantations and you need permission to fish
these waters. We got around this by hiring a local bass
fisherman, JJ, as a guide. Bass fishing is not well known among
tourists so its mostly locals. We hired JJ the previous week
and we had a decent day. The fish weren’t cooperative but we
had such a good time fishing with him that we booked him again
for Wednesday. After fishing with JJ for 1 day, it seemed like
we were old fishing buddies. We teased and ragged on each
others fishing prowess. When the action slowed down, we talked
about life, women, cars and fishing – typical male bonding
stuff. Hawaii is one of the few states that have peacock bass,
a sporting fish from South America. Some say they are the
toughest fighting freshwater fish. That Wednesday we boated
about 15 bass, mostly peacocks between 2 and 5 pounds. I would
definitely recommend a day of bass fishing if you’re ever in
Kauai.
We spent most of Thanksgiving day cruising around the island. A
big storm was passing through the Pacific and was causing huge
waves on the western and northern shores. The TV warned people
to stay away, so we naturally were drawn to go see it. The
best viewing spot was from the Napali coast. 8 to 10 foot
waves were pounding the jagged cliffs of Napali sending sea
spray high into the air. On the way back, Rob wanted to drive
and jumped in the driver’s seat when I was talking to some
surfers. Rob is a great driver but can be a bit reckless
sometimes. He wasn’t covered under the car insurance but we
had a 3 cylinder Geo Metro so how bad can it be? Rob drove like
a madman through the winding roads of Waimea Canyon, considered
the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. We were doing about 80 in a 25 mph
2 lane road. Luckily, because of the holiday, traffic was
minimal and we returned to our hotel in one piece.
We had dinner reservations for a Thanksgiving buffet at one of
island’s 5 star hotels. Our reservations were at 7 but we did
not get seated until 8. We weren’t allowed to wait in the bar
but had to stand in line outside the restaurant with people who
didn’t have reservations. I argued with the hostesses and
manager to no avail. We couldn’t leave and go to another
restaurant because every restaurant was full that night, so we
were stuck there. I was fuming because the delay was screwing
up our plans to see a movie after dinner. Rob went to get us
some drinks but the bartender would not allow him to take the
drinks out of the bar. I could not believe the treatment we
were getting at this hotel. Two nights ago, the same bar would
not serve us because Rob was wearing a tank top. We’re in
Hawaii for chrissakes! Anyway, we finally get seated but there
is a huge buffet line. So we had to wait some more. I was
really pissed now. I was thinking, throughout dinner, about the
nasty letter that I was going to write to the public relations
dept of this hotel. Rob notices that if we just got up and
left no one would suspect anything. It would seem like we were
just making another trip to the buffet table. I thought it
over and agreed with his observation. So we did a Dine and
Dash on Thanksgiving. Rob left first and went to wait for me
in the car. Good thing we didn’t go for for the valet
parking.:-} I stuck around to finish my last pieces of turkey
and prime rib before I casually strolled out of the dining
room. My family has been in the restaurant business all my
life, so I don’t condone what we did but I also don’t regret
it. It just felt right at the time. I think this was the
first time that I ever tried to D&D and probably my last.
Random Thoughts
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Thanks for all your Christmas wishes.
I have shortened the line length to 64 characters by request.
The Dolphins made it to the playoffs. Thanks to the Raiders.
I can’t wait to get back to the States and drive with the new
speed limits.
Kauai is very beautiful and lush but it is still recovering
from Hurricane Inikki. I couldn’t believe how many chickens we
saw running wild. People often mistook me for a local.
Typing on my little keyboard sucks.I type with my thumbs a lot.
** Gary will you sponsor me if I take another typing class? **
** Cheryl – I’ll go to Alaska if you promise to take me salmon
fishing and teach me to shit on a piece of ice. Please send me
Lisa’s address too **
** Ayaaz – TVM for telling me about Mike. He upgraded my room
and even bought me lunch. I gave him your work number. **
** MAO – Please send me your list of emoticons if u still have
it. **
** Megan – Have a blast in Vail and Hawaii. See you in February. **
** Tracy – How did u like Indonesia? I read an article about
your father in the WSJ. How is he doing and what are his
plans? **
** Cathy – How’s the house? Did u ever get my postcard? I
sent it with your maiden name so that might be a problem. I
spoke to YM when he was in Tokyo.**
** Masako – Don’t wear the shirts!! **
Quote of the Day
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every cop is a criminal
and all the sinners saints
so if you meet me
show some courtesy
have some sympathy and restraint
Jagger/Richards
Disclaimer
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The views expressed in this postcard are solely my own. They
may not be politically correct and may even be exaggerated.
Names may be changed to protect the innocent or guilty parties.
I do not have a spell checker so typographical errors will be
common. Reproduction or rebroadcast without the expressed
written consent of Major League Baseball is strictly
prohibited.