in a land called Honoli'i...
Howdy from Hilo, Hawaii--home of the wonderful Honoli'i surf shop. I just got here from Waikiki on Thursday night--and I must say, it's a very different Hawaii. Whereas Honolulu/Waikiki Beach were uber-commercialized and PACKED with people, Hilo is not. In fact, it's the complete antithesis of that. Small town USA. Not particularly wealthy; not particularly poor (except for the fact that the average Kamakawiwo'ole must have a $400,000 mortgage!). The only towns I can compare it to are Nome, AK and Hempstead, TX.
The hostel I'm staying at--Hilo Bay Hostel--is really nice. And quiet. Too quiet. I liked the masses of twentysomethings in Honolulu...so the fiftysomethings here and the twentysomethings that keep to themselves are a new adjustment. There is, however, a dollar movie theater right down the street (saw Hitchhiker's guide on Thursday, and Mad Hot Ballroom at another theater yesterday). Also, one of the guys I met at the hostel in Honolulu is staying here, as well.
I'm told renting a car is key here. So I will, in the next coupla days--go to Kona, check out Volcanoes Nat'l Park--and try to use this incredibly relaxing place to relax, some of the time. If I get really bored, however--probably head to Maui and see what's up there.
Things I've (re)learned about myself so far:
- I am completely unable to relax for an extended period of time (without sleeping 20 hours a day).
- I need people around--but not just one person...lots of them.
And on the original theme of this political blog, I'll leave y'all with a scenario, and a question. So let's say you've got a place (Hilo) that is beautiful and peaceful--and where you could imagine plenty of people would want to live (Hilo). How do you introduce commerce (other than tourism) without destroying what makes the city (Hilo) great? Can you legislate the city's magic? Or would you just have to surrender to the inevitability of over-commercialization (or embrace it, like Waikiki)? Ideas?
posted by Sameer | 2:54 PM
4 Comments:
1. beautiful & peaceful = less people there. thus, what you propose is impossible
2. introducing commerce = taking advantage of local resources for some commercial benefit. but who's going to want to live there for a 400k house (commercial property being just as if not more expensive), unless they offer something that nobody can get anywhere else? and who are the customers? residents of an uninhabbitted island? dunno man.
Why do you want to introduce commerce? Sounds like they're doing pretty well, leading the lives they want to lead. What would benefit them, or the others in the country, by adding commerce to their economy?
I agree on the point that introducing commerce just for the sake of doing so--not really serving any purpose. My original thought was more along the lines of making it a comfortable place for mainlanders to live. And work, in industries other than tourism. The thought: if Hawaii is so beautiful, everyone would want to live there--if there was work. And why not?
However, after seeing Maui (Hawaii sterilized just enough to be comfortable for suburban mainlanders), I can't say I like the idea of making it "comfortable." I still, however, wonder why it has no industry other than tourism. Why Hawaiians have to have a standard of living that seems decidedly lower than that of us haoles on the mainland. I guess the real question is, are Hawaiians happy that way? If so, the question is moot.
I guess what I'm saying is, I'm sure there's a place for white-collar jobs in Hawaii (for haoles and Hawaiians). I'd like to work there. I'm sure others would, too. Why don't we? Time to think about that some more.
Economics. People want to live there, so the cost of living is high because sellers can make it so. This discourages companies from relocating (in addition to major logistical obstacles) so little but tourism and specialized tropical agriculture flourishes. I don't think anyone's stuck there who doesn't want to be - they have higher tradeoffs to make to live there than, say, Cesspool (I mean, Houston), but it's not hard to leave the islands if you want.
If it makes ya feel any better, global warming should be turning Nevada into a tropical beach any day now, and I'm sure that will produce more sensible opportunities for a life in that climate.
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