IN THE ARENA WITH MIKE: Howsit Bah !?

...still getting used to the local lingo around here...this is my 2nd blog entry from Maui, not much has changed. Its more like groundhog day around here. Wake up to the same weather, same birds, same waves...spend the day underwater, on top of water and underwater again looking for food. The only thing that has really changed is my tan and my facebook friends list ;) I have met some really cool people over here and am still trying to get a grip on how people go about their lives. Its an interesting perspective and one that I appreciate but I also know that its not for me. Its fun for now, but eventually I think that people will grow out of the Hawaii phase and move on with their lives. Its a story that I have heard over here, and its all to common.

Most of the people that I have met over here seemed to have what most people would consider "normal" lives back in the mainland, and for this reason or that, they decided to leave everything behind and join the island life. The reactions are all the same, "I will eventually go back, but for now I am here and loving it".

I have been staying on the north side of Maui for 2 weeks now and everyday I find myself driving to the south part of the island looking for better water and bigger fish...I guess its what the locals call "the search" although they are looking for waves, Im looking for lack there-of. Brad and I are about to relocate to the west side of the island, near Lahina. I visited Lahina this week and fell in love with it. Asides from being on the other side of the island and the weather being different (sunsets and no rain) the attitudes of the locals are completely different.

Its a sore subject around here and I wont go into too much detail, but certain parts of the island aren't too friendly to outsiders and sometimes can be EXTREMELY racist, or reverse racism if you can call it that. I have seen a few shirts and stickers around here that say "don't come to Maui, we are full" and one that said "kill howlie!" (howlie is slang for white guy not from here) Its confusing for me to see people act such a way when its the exact people who they hate who put clothes on their back and food on the table with the tourism they bring in.

Anyways, Lahina is virtually all tourists and its hard to find that attitude there because....everyone is on vacation! Whos in a bad mood on vacation!

Brad and I have upgraded our spear fishing equipment to state of the art spear guns and have snagged a few nice sized fish already, unfortunatly we ate them before I remebered to take pictures of them... I do have a few pics of the last few fish however. 3 more weeks left on the island and its time to get back to work and for once, I feel like Im ready to get home...

until next time, M++
Fire Dancers at sunset: