At HNL Airport there is a row of lei stands just outside the terminal for all your arriving visitor needs. But as soon as you pull your car into the small parking lot, you're suddenly faced with a bittersweet challenge: Which lei maker will you choose?
There is a total of 12 lei stands to choose from. There's Harriet, Dorothy, Sophia, Maile, Bessie, Irene, Arthur, Martha, Rachel, Gladys, Dora, and Pua Melia.
As soon as your car turns the corner and they see you heading their way, they smile bright and wave you in, hoping that they are going to be the one that you pick.
It's at that moment that I feel awkward, not knowing which one to go to. I almost feel uncomfortable even making eye contact with any of them for fear of seeing the disappointment in their faces when I choose someone else. Do I go with the first one right there, which happens to be Harriet? But I don't want to make Dorothy, who's standing right next to Harriet, jealous!
Usually I go with "Dorothy" (my grandma's name) or "Dora" (Jorge's mom's name). "Pua Melia" sounds the most Hawaiian, and you have to wonder how "Arthur" ended up in there with all those ladies surrounding him. (Although in the picture above "Arthur" looks pretty feminine).
I wish I knew who got the least business so I could always go to them. Man, I said "always" as though we're still going to be living here. Boooooooo to moving to LA!
24 comments:
Well, depending on how many you need you could get 1 from each of them! That way, you won't leave anyone out.
Maybe you can buy one from each throughout the next week. That way everyone is happy.
Awww, that sounds like a delimma I would have! I like mrs. mao's suggestion, tho, if you're buying at least 12! : )
You looked super cute on Dinner Impossible!
I always imagined Hawaii like the second The Brady Bunch movie where they get off a plane and someone just leis them. But this is good to know if I ever get to Hawaii! Dorothy is my grandmother's name, too.
You should stay! Or at least come back often. I mean, c'mon, the Mokulua's are the most awesome off shore islands to see/swim/kayak/photograph, right? And just Island life in general, especially here on the windward side, don't leave! But if you must, if you'd like some sweet pics of the moks taken from the pillboxes let me know, my husband's a photographer. Ever been to the pillboxes for a full moon? totally worth the night hike Thanks for all your great insights. :o) Melissa-in-Kailua
Hello, I am going to hawaii in September, I currently live in Guernsey, an Island just off the French coast, (but its part of the UK, its complicated)... was hoping for some advice on where to go in Ohau. Hope to rent out a cottage of something. I am also going to LA and San Fran, maybe SAn Deigo.
Hello Beth, how are you and the "big guy" doing?
I would go with Gladys. Gladys seems to me like she would be a take-no-guff kinda lady.
I would think that one would want to get leid by the best looking woman there, or Arthur if you're a straight woman or gay man.
My heart lets out a big *sigh* for you and Jorge. I was only in Hawaii for 2 weeks and I didn't want to ever leave. I can only imagine how you must feel after years of being there. However, I know your future back in LA will be filled with adventure and many great things! I'm sure you have probably made many great friends on the island, you can always go back and visit! Then they will be the ones having to make the hard decision of which lei stand to choose! ;)
i would say go with the last one, they HAVE to get the least amount of business. and @invisAble-drummer: check out http://www.hawaiiansunrisebeachcottage.com that's where we stayed and you can't find a more beautiful view or a great deal. it's 1/2 way between everything so it's nice and quiet!
hey beth, my wife and i want to head out there to live in a few years. nothing fancy, just a simple place and some good friends. you guys wanna split rent? ;-)
Do the leis smell nice?
What flowers do they use . . orchids?
If you move back, plant a plumeria tree in your backyard, then you don't have the anxiety of having to choose. A homemade lei is the best! Throw in a gardenia or two and you're the bomb!
I am experiencing similar scruples whenever I stop at a market stand or enter a nice little artisan shop. I don't want to disappoint or offend people! But since my purse cannot keep up with my humanitarian ambitions, I often end up just sneaking past such shops, casting longing glances at their display windows ...
I would go to Dorothy's as well because of Grandma. Or Arthur because I like supporting transgendered people.
I wouldn't want to leave Hawaii either!
The best part of having lived there is you're never going to be a stranger when you return. It will always be home.
Enjoy the return to the mainland and the journey ahead!
Oh, the trials and tribulations of living in Hawaii.
I like the thought of people getting a welcoming gift like that. It's simple but it just says "Welcome to paradise" so perfectly. Is there any other place in the world where new arrivals are graced with something so traditional and beautiful?
Bethany, my family had a flower business in Hawaii for a couple of decades and it all started off as a lei stand at the airport. You should definitely plant some plumeria trees and hibiscus in your yard in LA. It'll remind you of the aina every day.
I know how you feel. I always walk by all of them, heading for the restroom, then choose one at random on the way back.Love flying home with the lovely scent-memories...
Aloha Bethany! I don't know if you remember, but I sended to Jorge with my letter, one lei (and I wrote there - "so - we call our currency"). You still have my moldavian lei?
i know what you mean about the lei shops at the airport! when i lived there i checked out all of them before i decided which lei would fit my sister. but i felt bad for the shops i didn't buy from.
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