(This happened mid-Dec 2013 on my way to New Zealand)
I probably had the most entertaining and random 48 hours in Hawaii, I could have ever imagine.
It all started that a male middle-aged stranger (connected through a cycling hospitality website), Mike, greeted me with a typically Hawaiian flower lei at the airport at 9:30pm. As a woman travelling alone it’s not always a good idea to go with a male stranger.
However, I felt good in this case. He is gay and lives with his partner in an apartment.
On the way to their apartment we planned the next day, it would be a tour around the island, Oahu, followed by a dinner that spontaneously popped up for Mike.
The next day, the sightseeing tour was amazing, the beaches are incredible. No question why Jurassic Park, Lost and other big movies were filmed here. Mike asked me if I wanted to go to the beach swimming. Hell yea! I asked him if we could stop somewhere so I can change into a bikini. He said ‘no need, we are going to a nude beach.’
Ehhh! What?
Okay, that caught me somewhat off guard and I tried to pretend it wasn’t a big deal.
After an eternity of awkward silence I asked if I could show up with my bikini anyway.
Sure, he said…whew, at least that.
So I went with a gay guy to a nude beach. Who would have thought that!
Once we were there, a few others were laying rather exposed and relaxed in the sun. Mike started spreading one huge blanket across the sand.
Where is the other blanket?
The blanket that was meant for ME?????
Very nice of him to offer to share, but no way am I sharing a blanket with a naked guy, gay or not (at least not on this day ;).
I saw a hand towel in his bag – a very ,very small one. I grabbed it and spread the mini piece in safe distance next to the huge blanket and settled there.
The first minutes I was VERY focused on the sea. I didn’t care too much to blink left or right. After a while though I was okay with my surrounding and I actually was able to have a proper conversation with Mike lying on his blanket in…ummm…nothing.
After the beach I decided to be more careful in what I agree on.
We continued our sightseeing tour, saw how coffee is made and pineapple is grown until we went to the dinner party.
I ended up eating in an expensive seafood restaurant with Mike and six of his friends. So me and 7 gay guys… it was absolutely awesome. When one guy realized that I was freezing in the restaurant he disappeared and came back with a T-Shirt which he just bought nearby in a store. Never had that happened to me!
The next day was interesting in a very different way. The plan was to ride bikes with another new aquaintance, Hanna and two of her friends. During introductions, her friend asked me questions I am not usually asked about.
What is my sign? What time is my birthday? Where was I born?
During our rather more relaxed ride Hanna suddenly stopped and asked me if I believe in spiritualism. Well, not really. “That’s ok”, she said “but I wanted to tell you”, she continued, “that Paul (the friend who asked me those interesting questions) started seeing people. I am absolutely fascinated with it.”
Okay….well, I guess I haven’t really thought about that yet.
At the end of the ride, I learned that I have 142 sunshine years in me. So I have that going for me…I guess??
After Hanna and I went to the swimming pool and it was time to get ready to get changed, I was about to test my newly attained comfort in nudity and was ready to change in the public area.
No one around! So who cares?!?
Well, Hanna was in disagreement when she was yelling “No,No,No”!!!
I looked at her astonished.
“Security cameras everywhere!”
Oops.
Okay, not expecting that it could any better, the security people at the airport gave me one last laugh. When they scanned my carry-on they found my chamois lotion. When the security guard asked me about its purpose I gave him a rather detailed explanation. He let me keep it if I told his boss how awesome he is. That was a no brainer!
Aloha!
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