Fly Peeps in a Yaris

The first morning I woke up to pouring rain. I think it was almost going sideways. Cheryl and I decided to try and walk across the parking lot to get breakfast at the restaurant. Luckily the hotel had umbrellas. Luckier still is that I remembered to bring rubber slippers. At one point I think my umbrella was directly in front of me to block the rain, and I hunched behind it. Believe it or not, that was the most effective... even though I still looked like a drowned rat when I got across the parking lot. (The rain didn't stop for almost the entire trip... drowned rat became a good look for me)

I ordered an omelet with cheese. It was so greasy that I had to blot it on the side of my plate. Kind of gross, but food. I had taken my water bottle with me, and I was trying to keep hydrated with bottled water. I had heard stories about people getting sick, and I wasn’t about to risk it. I saw the Sex and the City movie. I know what happens. (If you didn’t see the movie, that will mean nothing to you.) Sadly, the food wasn't to get much better over the course of the trip. I was to experience foods like "Hawaiian Poke" with carrot shavings in it, shrimp that was served cold but had started out warm, way too many breads, and enough plantain bananas to keep all the monkeys in the world fed for centuries. On the last day we were treated to food from an umu (like an imu) - stuffed chicken, palusami (luau leaves and coconut wrapped in tin foil and cooked in the umu), and some amazing sweet potato stuff. I also had red papaya to my heart's content. That umu eating experience was probably my favorite.

PEC was a great experience, too. The opening ceremony had its highlights and down points. By FAR FAR FAR, the absolute highlight was the performing arts group that was made up of a team of students from two local high schools. Their choral work would put Kamehameha Song Contest to shame, and their dancing was flawless, energetic, and culturally quite stirring. I tried to get some footage on my little camera, but I didn’t have the sound on, so it’s kind of lame. I keep hoping I’ll find it on YouTube or something.

The down side was that Mike Gabbard was the keynote for the opening ceremony. He really bugs me. I didn’t feel particularly moved by anything he had to say. And THEN in one of his stories he talked about a time that he felt like he experienced prejudice and discrimination. Supposedly, it haunts him to this day. I say this not to diminish any feelings that come forth from a discriminatory situation – that’s horrible for anyone, even people I don’t like. But to come from a guy who has said some HORRIBLE things about homosexuals, and shown some of his own flagrant discrimination and judgment against others, I thought it was interesting that he thought his experiences might garner any respect at all. On the contrary, it made my stomach turn and I thought I was gonna hurl. (But let me tell you how I really feel....) And no matter what, he kept showing up at the large group events. I got really tired of seeing his face. Luckily, there were lots of cultural performances and fun experiences to make me forget about him!

Sadly, I didn't end up blogging a lot while I was there, in part from a mediocre internet connection and in part from spending too much time exploring, gallivanting, and enjoying myself. That little Yaris we rented added some serious miles, and us Fly Yaris Peeps made sure to take advantage of every photo opportunity that presented itself along the way. You can see my pictures and all the captions, which will tell you more of my experiences, on my picasa site. Please take a look, tell me what you think! =) (http://picasaweb.google.com/meems808) All in all, it was a great experience, and I'd LOVE to go back!