The Rant

I'll get to the good stuff in just a minute.
1. Honolulu traffic is maddening. Almost every street is one-way, and they close down a main street in Waikiki just about every night for some huge party. Make sure you've got a decent hotel with a jet engine for an air conditioner, or you'll hear every car with a bass cannon all night long. I swear the word "civilization" is a meaningless term; the more "civilized" a nation becomes, the less civil its citizens are to one another. Did you know there are now over 1 million people living on Oahu!? It's like Japan with English...I take that back; I have never been anywhere as crowded as Tokyo.
2. Renata got very sick on our honeymoon, and I got sick twice. The first one we both got; it's a virus that everybody gets when they stay on the Marshall islands for a while. You're tired, weak, aching, nauseated, and diarrheal for about a day. That was day two of our honeymoon.
On the way back to Oahu, I made the mistake of eating CURRY CHICKEN(!!!??) served to me by Continental Airlines (your only choice for flights to the Marshalls), thereby resulting in 4 days of the same symptoms; this time from food poisoning, and this time, much worse. I was running to and in the bathroom every twenty minutes. Because my health insurance is only valid in Japan, we are paying full price for a visit to the hospital in Honolulu as well as hotel, taxi rides, and ticket rescheduling. We haven't gotten the hospital bill yet, but, from the bills we have already payed, I'm guessing we're down a grand total of $1000 for the trouble.
3. The Marshallese apparently find it entertaining to bring a cooler of dead fish with them when they travel to the Hawaiian islands...EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Continental will be reimbursing me for replacement of damaged luggage irreparably stained with fish juice; I'm glad I brought a hard-shell guitar case.

Now, with that out of the way...

The Rave

Wow,
I've never seen anywhere so beautiful before; and we spent a week there! There it is; the Marshall Islands (yes, I took that myself; it's not stolen from a website or doctored in any way). My sister-in-law, Paula, and her husband Paul live there and put us up in their apartment. They showed us the most beautiful spots on the island of Majuro, and we travelled to a private island called Eneko (unbelieveable snorkeling; I will never be impressed by an aquarium again) as well as another island in the neighboring atoll of Arno. At low tide, you can literally walk from one island to the next without getting your feet wet. At high tide, all that stuff you just walked over (coral) comes alive with color and marine life. God knows how to do beautiful; I've got to give Him credit! It stays hot there year round, as it is darn near the equator; even the water is warm!

The locals are about 90% Christian, so church was a blast. They asked me to play a couple songs, and it was very encouraging to be with people that get the meaning of the music (aka not Japanese) and agree with the message. The Marhsallese are also a modestly dressed people (no two piece bathing suits for the ladies, and no bare shoulders or upper chest in public), so there was no eye strain on my part; what a welcome treat after staying in Honolulu!

Even with only a few restaurants on the island, I was quite satisfied with the food. The Marshall Islands Resort has, hands down, the best quality and variety. Their burger is fantastic, and the pizza every Tuesday night is the hot spot in town for a reason. There was also a church-run barbecue not 3 minutes walk from Paul & Paula's place that had some of the best chicken and steak I've eaten, and it was only $3.50 a person! Also, the local seafood and Chinese restaurants are great.

If you go to the Marshalls (you absolutely must), then go to Robert Reimers Hotel and ask to rent Eneko island for the day; you can stay the night there too, if you wish. This was the climax of our honeymoon. For $46, you get transportation there and back, 10 fresh coconuts picked and cleaned when you get there, a bedroom and bathroom for resting and changing, a screened-porch-like kitchen area to prepare whatever you bring, and best of all, your run of the island! It was gorgeous!!! I was initially afraid to go snorkeling; I didn't want to get hurt on the coral. After the tide was high enough, however, I ventured deeper into the lagoon. There before me stood amazing barrels of coral and schools of fish darting around. I could have stayed there all day if my arms didn't get so tired. Renata loved the swimming and the coconuts too; I've never had coconut juice that fresh and that good before.

What a privelege to share such an unforgettable experience with my wife. I hope we have many more just as phenomenal.