HAWAIIANA 6
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So you’ve dreamed about the paradise of Hawaii
for many years and you have finally decided to make a visit. Wonderful!
We look forward to seeing you and we definitely need the money. However,
we hope you will be realistic and know that all is not beer and skittles.
While the odds are that you will not encounter the worst of these threats,
knowing they exist will help you to be prepared.
BE ALERT |
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Mosquitoes! These little pests are
everywhere but their population is proportional to the amount of rainfall in the
area. You are most apt to see them outdoors after dark. A bite will
normally result in nothing more than itching, but there was an outbreak of
dengue fever on the windward side of Maui a few years ago. Spray with
something containing deet if you plan to be outside in rainy areas in the
evening.
Centipedes! I’ve seen these guys
everywhere including in my condo. We have regular pest control inside and
out, but still I’ve had about three encounters. Two were rather small and
although I saw them alive, I couldn’t catch up to them and found them dead when
cleaning later on. The third was somewhat larger than the picture, but was
in its death throes from materials left by pest control when I found it.
I understand that centipedes can cause
significant pain and should be avoided but they have no particular interest in
humans.
Cockroaches! Ubiquitous but benign.
Not healthy to live with but impossible to eliminate. Every item that
comes into your room can be a roach vehicle, whether from your rental car, the
airport, the grocery store, the restaurant or someone else’s room.
Scorpions! I haven’t seen many of these,
but I think I was nailed on the ankle by one when I ventured into the rough on a
golf course (looking for someone else’s ball, of course). It hurt a bit,
but was no big deal.
When I first moved to Hawaii and was looking
for a place to live, one place was shown by the outgoing resident. One
room was detached and lower than the rest of the place. I asked about the
room and the lady said they didn’t use it because it was full of scorpions. |
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BE CAREFUL |
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Sunburn! I just want to scream when I
see tourists rip off all their clothes and hit the beach the minute they get
here without a minute of preparation. Sunburn is perhaps the most common
problem for tourists and all it requires is some sun block and some time
restraint.
Altitude sickness! Mt Haleakalā
is some 10000’ high. There is a nice (though switchback) road that can get
you to the top in an hour or so depending on where you start from. For
most people that is enough time to get used to the altitude change and adapt.
Others experience light-headedness, shortness of breath, or even more serious
symptoms. A shot of oxygen can help, but the ultimate cure is to get back
downhill. The view is worth the trip.
When working at the observatory I was fortunate to have mild symptoms.
I was OK physically, but I know my brain didn’t function quite so well as at sea
level. Oxygen bottles were readily available and even long time employees
made use of them. Increased flatulence is a very common, usually non-fatal
consequence.
Jellyfish stings! Box Jellyfish normally arrive in the near shore
waters 7 to 11 days after the full moon. However, they may be found in the
near shore waters at any time. Picture shows mild stings. They can
be much worse and require medical attention. Beaches are often posted when
the threat is high. When in doubt, stay out.
Injuries! Hawaii offers a wide range of physical activities, with a
wide range of opportunities for injury. Please be careful. |
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BE AWARE
Flash flooding! This threat is a strange
bird. A big rain many miles away from you can cause a flood at your
location quite a while later. Look at it this way – you wouldn’t curl up
and take a nap in the middle of a seldom used road. Similarly, don’t spend
a lot of time in a dry river bed or low-lying area. Especially don’t
disregard posted warnings.
Earthquakes! Hawaii doesn’t have many
big earthquakes, but we do have a lot of lesser ones. The plot shows
activity for the first two weeks of November. There were 47 events, mostly
on the Big Island and mostly around the volcano, but as you can see, one of the
larger ones was just south of Maui. I didn’t happen to feel that one, but
I have felt (and reported) others.
Hurricanes! The season for hurricanes in
Hawaii is July through November. The last major event was September 11,
1992, when Iniki hit the Island of Kauai and left enormous damage.
Pictured is the wreckage of the famous Coco Palm Resort, host to Pono and family
and many other celebrities. We made good use of the brunch when JR and
Stuart were growing up.
Tsunamis! Positioned in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean, every time there is an earthquake anywhere on the Ring of Fire,
Hawaii looks for evidence of a tsunami. In 1949 and again in 1960, Hilo on
the Big Island was devastated by tsunamis that took great tolls in property and
lives. Below, right is the memorial in Hilo.
When visiting Hawaii, it is necessary to
remain aware of world news and listen for warnings of impending events like
these and instructions for how to survive them.
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by Dean Sensui |
BE TOLERANT
High prices! I suspect that these gas prices won’t shock as many people as they would have a year or so ago, but we have been a dollar over the national average for a long time. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I see tourists modifying their grocery lists and complaining as they go around the local grocery stores. And some restaurants make me shudder – I don’t think I could swallow a steak (with no sides) if I knew it was costing me $78. And this is a restaurant with outdoor seating and bird poop on the furniture and an 18% gratuity automatically added.
Even the fast food places that advertise on TV
give Honolulu prices, but put a note on the commercial announcing “higher on the
neighbor islands”. The five dollar foot-long goes for $6 on Maui.
Low speed limits! Pi’ilani Highway that
feeds Kihei, Wailea, and Makena was upgraded from a 2-lane to a 4-lane a few
years ago. They lowered the speed limit from 50 to 45 to celebrate!
Crowds! Especially in the high season,
wherever you go you encounter throngs of people.
Commercialism! Whatever the nature of
the business (with a few exceptions), if a tourist is apt to come in you’ll find
a souvenir shop. Usually it will be around the cash register where you
can’t miss it. Even my local credit union offers discount tickets to luaus
and other events.
Please be tolerant when you visit. If
you live here for a while, you find ways to cope.
AFTERWORD
E komo mai – welcome to Hawaii. If you
plan to visit Maui, I hope you will let me know your schedule so we can get
together. Don’t worry about the threats, but do be aware!