WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

24 LITTLE HOURS

Had a great night! Doubled the meter over the last shift.
The usual assortment of revelers

and tourists

Two of the drivers (Kimo and Crazy Brian) have b'days on May 3rd. Last year Brian had the night off and Kimo took it off this year. Two other drivers are on holiday and that left just Alex (the mad russian) and me. Luckily, Alex had the phone. With just two cabs available, we worked our asses off. Never stopped moving. The late hours continued apace. And then the day shift was short drivers, too. Finally called it a "night" a little after 7:00am.

Stopped by Makapu Beach, in Wailea between the Renaissance and the Wailea Ekahi, and grabbed some more daylight shots.

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TSUNAMI'S AND BEYOND

Here is a short photo tour. You are entering The Grand, headed towards Tsunami's and then beyond, into the interior of The Grand.












Humuhumunukunukuapuaa
The Grand Wailea's signature dinner house

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Best and Strangest run of the night

Responded to a radio call at The Grand early in the evening. A run to The Waterfront restaurant in Maalaea. Pulled up to our pickup location and the rear door immediately was opened and an attractive lady entered my cab.

"Waterfront?" I inquired.

"Capische" she replied, in a bubbly manner.

Her male companion got in and said "Waterfront. Please."

"Okay, the lady says Capische and you say Waterfront. Which will it be?"

"The Waterfront" he responds and the woman immediately starts to quietly weep.

She silently wept the entire 25 minute trip and, when we arrived, she exitted the cab and headed straight into the restaurant, leaving the man behind.

A while later I received the dispatch for the return run for them. They never spoke the entire way back to The Grand. Not to me, nor to each other. Obviously their disenfranchisement with each other extends way back before this trip. Hope thay can resolve their issues and begin to enjoy Mau'i.
==============================================

Later.....

Wil
=8^))
"Let's all be careful out there!"

GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE

WELCOME TO MY WORLD

The most beautiful building on the southside.

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LAST NIGHT

It was shitty.

Only 5 runs by midnight and four more during the early solo hours.

The 9th and final run was a shiftsaver. The owner had forgotten to tell me about a 0430 hrs run to OGG and they called about 0440 hrs inquiring as to the cab. I was less than five minutes away and spirited these two Japanese ladies to Aloha Airlines.

I think they were mom & daughter but their english was limited and my japanese is limited to "good morning", "thank you" and about 10 others that usually get my face slapped.
It was still dark when I picked them up but dawn was breaking as I left OGG.

The West Mau'i Mountains wore a wreath of clouds.

Handled the affairs of the shift change, started home and saw this:

The island of Lana'i.

We've had so much VOG (volcanic smog) lately that it has been impossible to see Lana'i, even though it is only about 15 miles from Kihei.

Drove down to the beach and parked between the Mana Kai Mau'i

(that white "Crown Vic" is mine)

and the Kihei Surfside.


Walked down to the beach

and started taking pics.
Lana'i

Lana'i

West Mau'i Mountains backing Ma'a'laea Bay.

A dive boat departing from the Kihei Boat Ramp, headed to Molokini


Kaho'o'lawe

Makena and Kaho'o'lawe

Keawakapu Beach
That single story building on the left is Sarento's On The Beach.


"Red Hill (Makena), Molokini (foreground), Kaho'o'lawe (background)

Wailea-Makena

The batteries in my camera died and I headed home.

Managed to eke out two more shots. This is my street.



Came inside and called it a "night".
==============================================

Later.....

Wil
=8^))
"Let's all be careful out there!"

HTML HELP

CLICKABLE LINKS, ICONS, ETC.

If you want to generate an e-mail icon just go here.

This site will generate a banner/icon with your e-mail address on it. It has most of the major e-mail providers. After you have made it, just "right click" and "save as..." to your "my pictures" file or whatever subfile you desire.

When you signed up with blogspot, if you indicated an e-mail addy, something like this appeared on your sidebar:
paradisedriver@gmail.com
If anyone wants to send you an e-mail they have to CC&P that addy into their e-mail "'send' address" area. To make it clickable so that their e-mail provider will automatically open with your e-mail addy already in place just go into your template and find where your addy is listed , erase that line and replace it with this code (just change my e-mail addy to your actual e-mail address):
paradisedriver@gmail.com
<a href="mailto:PARADISEDRIVER@GMAIL.COM">PARADISEDRIVER@GMAIL.COM</a>
If you have a banner/icon (such as mine on the right), use this code:

<a href="mailto:PARADISEDRIVER@GMAIL.COM"><img src="http://PHOTOS1.BLOGGER.COM/BLOGGER/7150/278/320/G-MAIL-PARADISE%20DRIVER.0.JPG" /></a>
Want to add an icon to your blogroll listings?
Just go into blogroll and click "edit" on the link you want to add the icon to. The top line is the "title line". Leave one space after the title and then add this code (NOTE#1: keep the pixel size small but you can adjust the pixel size to maintain the proportions of the original image)
PARADISE DRIVER <img src='http://URL.OF.IMAGE' width='20' height='20' border='0' />
If you don't use blogroll and just have HTML links, this is how you add an icon after the site's name:
<a href="http://URL.OF.SITE">SITE NAME <img src="http://URL.OF.IMAGE" border="0" width="20" height="20" /></a>
Hope you find this helpful.
==============================================

Later.....

Wil
=8^))
"Let's all be careful out there!"

VIRGIN RADIO

FROM LONDON




London Cabby has mentioned Virgin Radio a few times in his blog. I guess they use station "names" in the UK rather than "call letters" as we do in the States

I checked and found that they provide a free internet "feed" of their station for the rest of the world.

The thing that caught my attention was the almost complete absence of an "English accent" among the disc-jockeys. They could easily have been from the US. Most had the "American Broadcast Standard" accent. The few with a notable trace of English vowel pronunciation sounded like Roger Moore (the second "James Bond").

I have throughly enjoyed it. Saved to "favorites" and added a link to the blogroll.
==============================================

Later.....

Wil
=8^))
"Let's all be careful out there!"

SIGNS - LINKS - SIRENS

AZEKA PLACE

Many decades ago Bill Azeka opened a grocery store where the paved road ended in Kihei. His store became world famous for his trademarked BBQ ribs.

What was the "end of the road" is now the center of Kihei and his grocery store, now an ACE Hardware outlet, has grown into a major shopping center, Azeka Place. The older section is now called Azeka Makai (towards the ocean). The newer section, on the east side of Kihei road, is Azeka Mauka (towards the mountain).

Here are a few of the stores:


Snorkel Bob's
Snorkel gear and excursions.



Who Cut The Cheese?Gourmet cheese store.


Another Tattoo Parlor


Hula Hogs
Want to rent a Harley?


Hana Fuda
A "local grindz, ono-licious" takeout restaurant.


Peggy Sue's
Think "Arnold's", from the old TV show "Happy Days", and you've got it.

They also sponsor a "cruise" and classic car show the first Saturday of each month.


Panda Express
Somehow the concept of "gourmet" chinese "takeout" seems oxymoronic.


The Last Resort
Many years ago this would have been classified as a "rummage shop" or "second-hand store". Today, the business of previously owned furniture and clothing is upscale and main stream.


Shabu Shabu Toji
Very popular with our visitors from Japan.


Cirelli's MotorCycle Cafe
This has been closed for over a year. No business has succeeded in this location. It was originally an IHOP (International House Of Pancakes), then it was the gay bar Jabba's and finally the Motorcycle Cafe.

The location has plenty of free parking, a good "sight line" to Kihei road and plenty of foot traffic. Maybe someone will discover the "magic touch" to make this a viable location. Any ideas?

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LEI DAY

"May Day" in Hawai'i is called "Lei Day" and is an un-official state holiday.

Statues, cars, businesses, and people are covered in leis. Very colorful and very beautiful.

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SIRENS

On the first business day of each month, the tsunami warning sirens are tested in Hawai'i, just before noon. The test is conducted by the Hawai'i State Departmentment of Defense in conjunction with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Sirens wail and all radio, television and catv systems interrupt their programming for the test, just as they would do in the event of a real emergency.

While earthquake generated tsunamis will generally have a maximum height of 30 feet (10 meters), those caused by massive submerged landslides can create a wave over 1,000 feet high (305 meters).

These landslides happen in Hawai'i approximately every 100,000 years. We even know where (but not WHEN) the next one will occur, on the "Big Island". There is no way to prevent it from happening.

Mau'i will have less than 10 minutes warning. Just enough time to bend over and kiss your ekole good-bye.

Only those people on the upper slopes of Mt. Haleakala (Mau'i) and Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa ("Big Island") will survive. The rest of the state will cease to exist. Millions of bodies floating in the Pacific Ocean. All infrastructure will be obliterated, including airports, harbors, and military bases. The survivors will have no food, no water and limited shelter.

That tsunami will also wipeout all Pacific Rim communities. Los Angeles will see a minimum 500 foot (150 meter) wave as would San Francisco. The wave will be as tall as the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Sydney will have a wave in the 400 foot (122 meters) range as will Tokyo.

Basically, the entire Pacific Basin will cease to be and the death toll will be in the high hundred millions, at least.

London will watch a 50+ foot (15 meter) wave coming up the Thames River.

NYC, the Caribbean and the Straits of Gibraltar will experience a 100 foot (30.5 meter) wave.

When it happens, I bet there will be 1,000's of surfers deliberately taking the wildest, and last, ride of their lifes.

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Sleep well. ;)
==============================================

Later.....

Wil
=8^))
"Let's all be careful out there!"