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20.12.2000
Paradise

Honolulu, Havaiji. It was a very cold monday. I was walking in lightly snowing Helsinki. My phone was ringing freguently and I was late from the dinner. I happened to pass a travel agency that was just about to close for the day. Something stroke me and next morning I found myself in an airplane heading to Havaiji. What an escape. No plans, no ideas, no hotel or information about the destination. And nobody knew. I could hardly believe myself. And what a holiday it turned out to be. First I was little lost in the middle of all the skyscrapers in New York but I decided to stay a night at Manhattan anyway. They say it is the city that never sleeps; neither did I.

I ended up in Honolulu ok. There in Waikiki it was all about aloha. I just ended up places, meet loads of fantastic people, had fun. It was heaven. One might say it is just a commercialised Mecca for tourists to pilgrim. Maybe. But what was I then - a tourist. I surely did not look alike a local, specially with my funny little accent. It was so relaxed because everyone was there to have fun. And fun it was. For me the best part was not the weather or the views or the cultur. My biggest aloha was meeting people, having fun and playing volleyball.

It was not a sporty holliday even though I was there at the time of big event, HOnolulu Marathon. First I had this master idea to participate and run first kilometers so hard that I would be leading this race of 25000 runners, with my Finland shirt on. It would have been something to put the breaks on at the leading place at this live televisiolised event. However those racists had turned the heat on and there was no way that white boy in that weather could have survived. Plus I had my starting number behind 15000 Japanese. I can always appeal that the time difference should mean that I could have started couple of hours before Kenyans and 12 hours before locals. Race started at 5 am, just about the same time I was back hotel from the night club.

I surely did some sport anyway. Beach volley ball was my blessing. The beach, the people, the bikinis and the game. Everything was perfectly there. Well, maybe not my serving and setting. Days usually started on the volley ball court and ended somewhere with the people I meet there.

Travelling alone is excellent. I did what I wanted. It was easy to meet people, to change plans. I was a pure lonely rider heading towards the sunset.

I am almost at home now, but my mind is still in Havaiji. I had wonderful experiences, new contacts, ideas and fun. I realised that my body cant dance Hula. I found out that I need ID to go in to a bar. I learned were Ohio is. I am not coming home as a same person I was. I have turned to my other colour - red. Long live the skin cancer!

I want to Mahalo in alphabetical order these people for making my holliday perfect and excuse the ones I cant remember for different reasons.

Loyd -matkatoimiston Susanna
Franceska from Perugia and Mexico
Beautiful Irene who helped me to eat the Big Apple
Catherine and friend from hula dancing
Trish and oops I forget the name again
Greg and his girlfriend
Fantastic April
the couple from Canada
Continental Airlines
Ken, the king of volley ball
Georgio
Scott, the biggest talent in soccer
John, the gentleman
couple from Utah
Jennifer, my fake girlfriend from Georgia
Phoebe, you are the sweetest thing
Sandra, queen of volley ball
Tony, sorry about my bad setting
Nick, bra job
Susie, Texas is a great place
Hula people from Washington, specially Sheila (hehee)
tourist bus people
marathonist and language terapeut
wonderful Summer in Scrubless
people at Moose McSomething
Elissa and friend, words cant tell enough
Joy and other exotic people from Los Angeles
All the girls in bikinis at the beach
Jimmy and James, who almost could play volley ball
Leo, volley ball partner
Wonderful Michelle and Geena from Wisconsin
Heather, the one and only from Maui
John, teacher in university
people at Germaines
Magnolia soundtrack from airplane
all the Japanese marathonists
others I might accidentally forget.

Mahalo,

Aki


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