Trip to Hawaii

Image via Wikipedia

 Hawaii is beautiful. The mountains and trees are amazing, and I just wish I could have seen more of the islands. I guess that gives us more reason to go back one day. My husband and I went to Oahu and stayed in Waikiki, which in my opinion is very over priced and too built up. It takes away from the island feel for me. They've got every upscale store you can think of- stores i would never go in. Give me a thrift store any day! So from one extreme to the other, there are many homeless on the island as well. While running one morning we saw some sleeping on the beach, and while walking and riding The Bus, I saw many "homes" made of grocery carts and sheets. I even saw a man get his lunch from a trash can. It really makes you appreciate what you have when you see what others don't.

 Overall, we had a great time. I can't wait to go back to see and do more. A few people thought I was a local, and someone thought I was Polynesian. There are a lot of Filipinos there. I wouldn't mind living on an island, but my husband wouldn't like it. He would rather just visit.

 When I got back, a friend asked me if the water was clear. I had to think for a second and I told her the water is not as clear as the US Virgin Islands. So I was doing a little research and I think I may have figured out why that is. Hawaii is in the middle of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. According to Wikipedia, "The garbage patch occupies a large and relatively stationary region of the North Pacific Ocean bound by the North Pacific Gyre (a remote area commonly referred to as the horse latitudes). The gyre's rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific Ocean, including coastal waters off North America and Japan. As material is captured in the currents, wind-driven surface currents gradually move floating debris toward the center, trapping it in the region." C'mon people, reduce, reuse, recycle!! This plasic in the water is photodegrading and will ultimately affect the food chain, which includes you and me! It is also killing off Albatross birds that eat the floating plastic or feed it to their young.

 So it's been a fulfilling and educational trip.  Now I'm back on on the Mainland, back to reality, and back to work. Oh, by the way, you can definitely take crochet hooks in your carry-on in an airplane.

Now back to your regularly scheduled craft blog...