Maui Pics


I am finding that staying in a hostel, Banana Bungalow Muai, is a very rewarding experience despite the, let's call it lackadaisical upkeep. For $24.50 a night you get a bed in a dorm room and access to communal showers and bathrooms. For what a hostel lacks in amenities it makes up for in company. The people who stay at hostels (at least my experience at this one and from what others tell me) are more open to new experiences and meeting new people.

Not only that but they are from all over the world. I've met people from Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Quebec, Argentina, France, Canada and Los Angeles. I'm staying in a "dorm room" that has four beds as two bunks and am in the room with 2 other guys; Frank Kline of Germany and Andreas (I could barely say his last name much spell it) from Sweden. I told Andreas that my Mother's maiden name was Andreas and he said, in a pretty thick Swedish accent "Ya, maybe you mother has some Swedish background." I said that no we are 100% German. He said, "Well if her maiden name is Andreas maybe she has just a little bit of Swedish, the good bit."

Frank and I have gotten along very well. He and I are just a couple of years apart in age. He works as a toxic cleanup manager for British petroleum in Germany. His German I.D. makes him look like he works for the German Secret Service so we tease him about that and he just gives us dirty looks. He's a good fellow.

People in the hostel are always asking "What's your plan for today (or tomorrow)?" And I tell them what my plan was when I started "I don't know. All I know is that I have to be in Honolulu to catch a plane to Fiji on April 18th."

The beaches and sand and weather are amazing. I burned the holy hell out of my back on Thursday. Not only is it a burn, but I had one of the Netherlands girls put sun screen on my back but she put it on in stripes so I've got these striped burned skin streaks down my back. I've been wearing shirts ever since.

But overall I'm not having any problem meeting new people and making friends. I'm really enjoying myself.