You keep what you kill

Maui. Yeah. After the big disappointment of Big Island, I didn't really have high hopes for Maui. But it actually turned out to be a little bit better than the Big Island. A lot of the same problems apply though: Most of the nice beaches are ruined, the US has raped the land and built their resorts and gold courses. Shocking. Did I say that I despise golf? It's for boring farts only. Lowest level of humanity. I mean, was I was in the Navy, I never met anybody who played golf. That's just not what men do. I'm proud to serve my country whenever and wherever needed, all I ask in return is for the president to issue a law that requires golf players to wear pink skirts, sport bras, and clown masks at all time when on the lawn. Anyway. We spend one night in Lahaina, just for full immersion and to be able to fully appreciate all the great aspects of US culture. Piece of advice: Ignore the western part altogether. Nothing to see, nothing to do. We stayed at the Best Western P...

Endlich ist es vollbracht. Die Saison ist vorbei und die Ära Schaaf ist vorbei. Wer hätte gedacht, dass ich letzteres mal begrüßen würde? Nun, ich hatte es schon ein paar Mal gefordert. Es ist eigentlich ganz einfach. Thomas Schaaf ist ein großer Trainer. Er ist ein Stück Werder. Und wird das auch immer bleiben. Seit 1972 im Verein, als Spieler immer solide, große Erfolge unter Rehagel. Dann Jugendtrainer, Amateurtrainer, Not-Chefcoach, vor dem Abstieg gerettet, die Drecksbayern im Pokalfinale geschlagen, zusammen mit Allofs neue Mannschaft gebaut, geile Spieler geholt und integriert, Meister und Pokal und sechs Mal Champions League in Folge, nochmal Pokal, UEFA-Cup Finale. Geile Zeit. Aber schon zu noch Erfolgszeiten gab es Kritikpunkte - bestimmte Verhaltensmuster konnten nie abgestellt werden und als dann das beinahe schon unglaubliche Glück bei Transfers ausblieb, über Jahre hinweg die Verletzungsseuche Werder begleitete (wohl nicht ganz unverschuldet, seit Schnittker da...

Ach ja - Hr. Kohl ist wieder so generös mit den 4-Buchstaben-Wörtern. So richtig furchtbar war es meistens nicht - irgendein Schätzchen hat sich meist gefunden. Treefrogs sind klitzeklein und übel laut - aber eigentlich angenehmes Hintergrundgeräusch. Berlin kann das schlimmer! Vom 4WD hängt nicht der Erfolg des Urlaubs ab, aber es ist einfach geil, einen zu haben. Neben der Strasse fahren, nur weil man es kann! Manchmal sind es halt die einfachen Dinge im Leben, die den Tag schön machen. Alternative ist der Mustang Convertible - passt der Koffer schlecht rein und für Automessis wie mich ist zu wenig Kramplatz! Bananabread, Papaya, Mango, Bananen, Ananas und ab und an ein dicker Burger; dabei die ganze Zeit schön warm - da kann man schon ganz gut klarkommen... Superschöne Sachen zum anziehen - abseits von Hawaiihemd und Hibiskusbikini - gibt es in Hilo bei Hilo-Surf und AlohaGrown. In diesem Sinne Aloha

Well, well, well. Looking back with a couple of days distance I must say that Hawai'i was underwhelming. It was nice, no doubt about that, bur I certainly won't be going there again and I think there are better places with less hassle and rules and regulations in the world. But anyway, let's try to wrap it up in a post. Flying into Hilo is niiiiice. On a clear day. You get beautiful views of valleys, forests, waterfalls, kinda like a very short scenic flight (provided you have a window seat on the right side of the plane). Domestic flights in HI are relatively easy going: our baggage arrived always very quickly and the car rental companies are just across the exit door from baggage claim. I had pre-booked our cars through NKT Travel and everything worked perfect - we got a good price, good, reliable car, no worries at all, so I can definitely recommend them. You don't really need a 4WD (unless you have a very specific use case planned). We rented a "mid-size...

kauaipoipupoHinterher ist man immer schlauer. If I had known what I know now I would have limited our stay on Big Island to four days and spent more time on Kauai. This is much more "hawaiish", much more to my liking. Gazillions of hiking trails and they are not closed because of "American Angst" or privatization. Nice! I just coined a new term here, "American Angst" and I'm gonna define that in a couple of days when I have  a decent keyboard again. So far, Kauai is the highlight of the trip. Koke'e State Park is great, as is the Waimea Canyon. And if you get up really early you can catch even a few minutes without clouds and rain. :-) Last day is coming up, more canyon hikes tomorrow morning, then a quick drive to the North shore, and then off back home in the evening. Can't wait to get back to work. Now wait a minute, that's entirely untrue. The good thing is, I'll be back Tuesday night, work on Wednesday, and then Thursday and ...

When I fought in Vietnam in the seventies, I really believed in freedom, democracy, and most importantly, our Nation. These days, looking at what our Great Nation has become makes me sad and angry. Lawyers, lawyers, lawyers everywhere, rules and regulations, taking away my freedom. Makes me really angry. Hulk angry. Hulk Smash! Harhar. Well. We finally managed to find a piece of the big island where you were actually allowed to leave your car and hike. Unbelievable, let's hope the lawyers don't find out. Waipi'o Valley, very, very beautiful! Hiking on Maui is a little bit better, Haleakela kicks ass. Looking forward to Kauai tomorrow. Still nearly no beaches though, best beach so far is Baldwin State Park in Paia. No resorts here. :-)