I.
I’m back in Seattle, thinking about Honolulu, where lounge chairs on balconies litter the sky, rows stacked above each other in towers rivaling the height of surrounding mountains. What is it about this place, a place for weddings and honeymoons; romances new and seasoned? What is it about this place that merits years of savings to be the vacation of a lifetime? This state always had a zing to it, one that evokes envy and lust at the sound of its stressed double vowel. It seemed like such distant reality, thousands of miles away in the ocean, paradise seen only through flashy photos obsessively documenting memories lest they be forgotten and unshared. Families, couples, friends, lone travelers–they all filled these rooms with differing stories and reasons for visiting: paradisal dreams converged; stacked.
II.
This place is undoubtedly a dream; a paradisal escape for newcomers and frequent flyers. Dense urban tourism dominantes these streets; authenticity applicable more to high-end designer merchandise than the local culture in this expensive beach resort area. Tourists, yes; trapped, no. The warm air and ethereal light dancing on the surface of the Pacific are charming enough; different enough for them to feel away, whether or not immersion in island life was their intent. When the sun sets and colors the sky with hues of purple and pink, the walkways slow down and a sea of cell phones and selfie sticks rise to capture the warm colors of the ocean waves. In that brief window of time, it all becomes clear–this is Hawaii, this is paradise, no matter how people find it.
III.
And this concludes my Hawaii series. I’m eager to go back, perhaps to a different part, and perhaps with a different itinerary. It’s fascinating to see the plurality in how people vacation; whether going to the hotel pool instead of the beach. Going to a bar instead of watching a movie in the hotel room. Going for a hike instead of shopping at the mall. Eating cheap comfort food instead of an haute culinary experience. Such is Oahu, nearly 600 square miles of possibilities; of resort dreams and nature excursions, of consumerism and local culture and international tourists and fantasized dream vacations. It’s all here, found in its looming towers and rolling mountains and lush valleys and salted ocean; extant in our memories.
