HONOLULU

THEN AND NOW

Honolulu ("hoe-noe-lou-lou" not "hon-oh-lou-lou"), is the capitol of the State of Hawai'i. The City and County of Honolulu comprise the entire island of O'ahu ("oh-ah-who" not "oh-wah-who"). The island has a population of about 1,000,000 people. This is where the Pearl Harbor Naval Base and Hickham Air Force Base are located and was the site of the start of World War II for America, on December 7th, 1941.

Prior to that war, Honolulu was an exclusive tourist destination for the wealthier members of society. This was before air travel was common and the only way to get to Hawai'i was by ship. Every Friday, the passenger ship would dock at the Aloha Tower. Arriving guests would leave the ship and departing guests would board. Friday was a big day in Honolulu at that time and all this activity spawned the term "Aloha Friday". "Aloha" means "Hello", "Goodbye", and "I love you". People arriving. People departing. Romances terminating. It's a good word.

The Aloha Tower

The Traditional Lei Greeting

Waikiki Beach, Diamondhead in the background

Nightlife was traditional Hawai'ian

And the girls didn't wear coconut shell bras for their shows

There were only two hotels

The surfboards back then were made of Koa wood and were very heavy

Honolulu Today
The city went through a massive building boom in the late '60's
Only in an aerial shot like this can you really see Diamondhead
Now hi-rise condos and hotels block the view from the beach

A view from Diamondhead

What little of Waikiki beach that remains is usually extremely crowded

Waikiki at night

Later.....

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

PAGING PARIS HILTON

WE HAVE FOUND YOUR DOPPLEGANGER

Made a pickup at the Tiki Lounge, in the "Triangle", last night at bar close. A 3-pax. Two ladies and a guy. It was obvious that the people in the backseat were a "couple". The blonde that rode "shotgun" was the "third-wheel". Our destination was the Polo Beach Club, which sits on the beach behind the Kea Lani, in Wailea.

Just as I pull onto south Kihei road, blondie says she wants to go to Ohina street. Ohina is a residential street, just south of where I live. Not a problem, its just a short side jaunt from our route. As we approach the "76" station she shouts "Turn here! Turn here!" So I pull into the station. She needs cigarettes. The guy in the back says, "What are you doing, Kaitlyn?"

"I want some fucking cigarettes."

She gets out and I get my first good look at her. Initial impression was of a tall blonde, mid to late 20's. Wearing a mini-skirt that wasn't much longer than most belts are wide. Short enough that, when she bent over to pick up some dropped coins, you could see that she was wearing thong panties so abbreviated that it basically was just a strand of dental floss in her butt. The guy in the back also sees this and just says, "geez".

Get back on the road and the guy asks where Ohina street is and I explain the location

"Kaitlyn. I hope this guy is a good fuck."

She just gave a mumbled, inebriated response and pulls out her cell phone. I ask for the house number on Ohina and she tells me she doesn't know it but will recognize the house.

I would need my PC to calculate how many times a drunk has told me that, in exactly the same words. We were going on a "Drunkards Walk".

She was using her phone in "speaker mode" and when it was answered I could easily hear the other end of the conversation. It was obvious that this dude had given her his number, along with a single pink rose, during some encounter that night. He had apparently left the "Triangle" earlier and went home. Her call had awoken him. She wanted him to stand in front of his house so she could find it. While he was very polite towards her, it was obvious that he was not opting to satisfy her carnal desires.

I drove slowly down Ohina street waiting for her to tell me to stop. We reached the end of the street and there was no Prince Charming to be seen. Turned around and started back.

By the context of their conversation, I figured out that blondie and the guy in the back seat were brother and sister.

Finally the guy says, "I am making an executive decision here. Take us directly to Polo Beach."

"Yes, sir"

Kaitlyn then tells me to stop the cab, so she can get out. She apparently planned to wander this neighborhood until she found what she wanted. Big brother and the other lady (sister-in-law?) both immediately told her that there was no way they were going to leave her in some strange place, lost, in the middle of the night.

I started making a series of turns through the streets, working my way to Wailea.

"Stop this cab NOW! Or I am going to open the door and jump out."

Pressed the doorlock button and increased the speed just a bit so that she might get a little scared. When the locks clicked, I heard the briother softly say, "Good move."

"This cab driver is an asshole and he is kidnapping me."

The sister-in-law started chewing Kaitlyn out, in a firm but gentle "big sister" voice.

"No he isn't. He has been very polite to you, Kaitlyn, and he is only thinking of your welfare. You can call Mr. 'Long Dick' when we get to the condo and he can pick you up there. Or you can borrow my vibrator, if you didn't bring one, to get you through the night. But you are going home. So shut up and quit being rude to the driver. He has taken enough of your stupid abuse."

7 minutes later, I dropped them at the Polo Beach Club and had to remind Kaitlyn to take her rose that she had left on the front seat.

And that was the only interesting ride the whole night. But I had a lot of rides and another night of very big "bucks" on the meter.

My final run of the shift was at 4:30am from The Grand to OGG. A really nice guy. Former CHP (California Highway Patrol) State Traffic Officer, who had moved on to working for the U.S. Treasury Department as a Secret Service Agent. He had worked in both Executive Protection and later in Counterfitting. Now he is part of a team of private security people who provide presidential style protection for very wealthy VIPs. He has four more months to go on his current assignment and then will retire to his farm in South Carolina. 122 days to go. Good luck, Dan.

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METROBLOG-HAWAI'I

I have accepted an invitation to be an author for MetBlog-Hawai'i. They may be a bit surprised at my style. Drop by sometime. While it won't be an exact copy of Paradise Driver, it will be similar in nature.

Til tomorrow....

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TODAYS PICS

Paradise

Look real close and you'll see the road to Hana

One of those where words can't describe it

Fido takes a ride

Commuting, Hawai'i style

Do to all the cancellations, airlines are offering very deep diacounts for trips to Hawai'i. This is a short term offer. Why not just just drop everything and get over here NOW. Hotel rates are also really cheap. This could be a "once in a lifetime" opportunity. Check Cheap Tickets.Com

Beautiful women live here

Beautiful women visit here

Beautiful women come from everywhere

Later.....

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

I'LL BE BACK

I NEED TO SLEEP

More this evening, my time (UTC-10)

Snagged this from Lugosi's blog

Dramatic

An opening flower

Was it ever really like this

Kona coast - Big Island

Joy

Plumeria

Rainbow

A secret cove

Snail shells

Waterfall

Hibiscus

Waikiki, Honolulu

Some sunsets

Later.....

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

COLORS, COLORS

TALK ABOUT COLORS

Hawai'i makes full use of nature's palette.

From the sky

To the depths

And where the two merge

Sometimes it is muted

And the ocean is not always blue

Nor totally green

Blending shadows

And brightness

Creating a masterpiece

Of colors

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SPECIAL TO LONDON CABBY

Hey Wil
another little one for you to possibly sort out.
When I click on your comment button the window never opens up but starts processing as if something is about to happen. To get it open I have to right click and select "open in a new window". D'you think it's an Internet Explorer thing or maybe even just my computer?
LC

As you know, the only control we have over "comments" is whether they appear in a "pop-up" window or as a full page display. I'll switch over to the full page display and you can tell me if that makes a difference.

If you would do me a favor and try viewing with FIREFOX and tell me if that helps. Trust me. FIREFOX is way better.

---

ONE MORE SHIFT

Tonight marks the end of my workweek. I hope it stays busy. Next week's anticipated downturn in business is really going to screw up my finances, royally. August is when you try to build-up your bank account to help tied you over during the lean months of autumn.

And another night with the phone plugged into my brain. If I didn't have to dispatch, this would be the "perfect" job on Mau'i for my lifestyle. Three times last night people complimented me on my ability to do so many things at one time and still being able to carry on a conversation, albeit disjointed, with them. One couple wanted to know how I was able to remember where everyone was, in the fleet, since I never wrote anything down. I guess I owe it all to a bad drugs, cheap booze and loose women. Or NOT!

LOL

Aloha.



Later.....

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

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

WE'LL TAKE THEM IN REVERSE ORDER

THE UGLY

The latest terrorist fiasco has had an immediate effect on Mau'i. Hotel occupancy has been running near 98% and was booked out that way through Labor Day. For non-US readers, this is celebrated on the first Monday of September and marks the unofficial end of summer. The fallout from two days ago is that reservations are being cancelled and next week the anticipated occupancy rate will be right about 60%, a drop of 38%. That is going to drastically affect the local economy. Airline bookings have drastically dropped nationwide. Part of the reason for the airlines' problems is a variation on the domino effect. An airplane starts its day from one of the major national hubs. These initial flights are being delayed due to all the new BS security checks. Since departure is delayed, then the various arrivals down that plane's work schedule are also delayed. This delay extention eventually propagates to the point that flights are being cancelled so that the plane can eventually return to its original starting hub for the next day's flights. Also, the flight crews have limitations on the hours they can work and there are no crews available to relieve them. FUBAR to the N^th degree. Everyday, the "Land Of The Free" becomes more Draconian.

THE BAD

I worked a very busy shift and I am too dang tired to wait for Blogger to upload pics. If I wake of early enough I'll try to put some up later, but no promises. I am totally bushed.

THE GOOD

Last night was one of the busiest shifts I have had in a long time. While the total number of runs was only 18 (about what I consider average), my average run last night metered $19.25 and 5.2 miles (8.4 km). I actually drove 199 miles (320 km) total during the entire 11-1/2 hour shift. Add to that the fact that I was also the dispatcher last night and at this moment my brain is the consistency of mush (oatmeal cereal).

The "nice passenger" syndrome continued, thankfully, and the only real problem I had during the shift was a driver who was stupid enough to not have a map book and always wanted someone to give him directions to his pickup location. I was too busy to babysit him and told him that. He left in a huff, a green one I think, and felt I was being insulting by telling him he was stupid. I was and he was. No apology for being truthful. Its not like he is a new driver but he is a day driver poaching on our shift and discovering that at night we don't go from one major location to another, we pickup from the obscure to deliver to the oblique. Night drivers know the back streets, hidden alleys and blind driveways. We have to. That is where we make our money. And we each learned this knowledge from trial and error. I will give credit to the drivers who work nights. We, male and female, are crusty, crazy and hardcore. We have to be. It's a matter of survival.

Oh, the reservation load for today's day shift is heavy. A lot of hotels to OGG's. Nobody will probably get lost. But then again....

I am off to bed.

Aloha!



Later.....

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