My 21st Birthday :: The Best and worst time of hawaii! Thursday 29th May 2008, 12:00 AM
I’m on my flight from Hawaii to san Francisco, which will be for about 5 hours, I’ve then got a 3 hour stop off at the airport, then another 10 hours from san Francisco to London Heathrow. It’s been such a great time here, and an experience that I would love to do again, not just because of the island but the people there too. Last night in the bar, I was chatting to people, who called me over to chat, and in my last hours before I went to sleep I pretty much goodbye to the whole bar. A bar tender I kept on seeing quite frequently only by coincidence I gave a hug to since he was incredibly sweet, before leaving the bar, a random person ran over wanting a hug too, so even leaving here’s really sweet too.
Aaron and Craig where travelling round the world and stopped off at Sydney for 6 months to work and live, and invited me to join them in Hawaii, which was coincidently my 21st birthday. I arrived with Aaron stark naked fresh out of the shower, lol! Never enter a hotel room without knocking! What a great way to meet your mate first time in a year! Hehe! We tried so hard to plan trips out of the island, but we either missed the opportunity or we didn’t have the money on us at the time, but even so, chilling on the island and just relaxing is what the islands all about, its carries that vibe, and its hard not to abide to!
Most days consisted of going to the beaches in the day, sunbathing, and then heading to a fancy restaurant and bar, the possibly a club in the evening. Meeting mates and partying with them along the way is pretty much compulsory, and a great way to make a group of party goers. Random people will just come up to you and start chatting, and it’s such a shame people in the UK aren’t more like that.
My dad said the island would be pretty expensive, since some of my holidays have unintentionally been islands; Ibiza, Gran Canaria, and now Hawaii. The Dollar actually gets you quite far, drinks are about $5 and the measures are generous too, maybe a third to a half a glass of alcohol then a splash of a mixer. $5 is about £2.50, and the (gay) club we went to was 5 Dollars to get in too. £2.50 to get into a club? Yes please! A whole night out was generally about $50, so £25 for a nights outs pretty much hard to avoid, and although the clubbing nights aren’t as “hardcore” as the UK, the vibe from the peoples much better, and people don’t rely on drugs to keep their night going.
The beaches are clean and lovely and sandy, the waters cool, and the waves are fun too, especially with a body board. There’s a ledge about 80 meters into the sea, to keep water and sand in for kids, but sitting on there in the day or evening a great way to chill, and just chat, reflect, although watch out for the waves since their pretty strong when they hit that wall, hold on! Good times!
Although the beaches are great, the sea is pretty deceiving; you have 30 meters of sand in the sea then head any further and its coral! Not good for the feet!! My feet are fairly cut and one of our buddies we met managed to get a massive gash on his hand, so when they show you a picture of the Hawaiian sea, you know what the sea has to offer! Oh and PS, there’s nothing dangerous in the sea, well, that’s living.
On out first night out here we decided to do something a bit random and go skinny dipping in the sea and sit on the ledge that I mentioned. Was pretty fun and was quite amusing, only to find when we got back to the beach half of out belongings had been stolen! Thank go that nothing valuable was taken, I only lost my best pair of shorts, and my UK door keys with a memory stick on, so nothing irreplaceable. Aaron lost his Shirt and Craig lost his phone. My underwear was stolen, although they didn’t take Aarons, which was quite amusing. I took Aarons jeans, my top and managed to get them both clothes from the hotel, and then back to the beach again. I wouldn’t have known what to do if Id had my passport, cards, stolen?! Not a good way to start a holiday but I’m not going to blame that on the country.
My birthday out there was pretty good, and I did get quite a few comments on my age when the drinking age out there is 21, and the ID is required out there like clothes are. You dare forget your passport ID, your not getting in anywhere. In the UK I’ve forgot my ID quite a few times when out in the UK and managed to get away with it. Seeing a 30 year old (approximately) getting ID his checked for cigarettes, Legal age of 18 in the US, well that was something I wasn’t expecting. I think if you look under 30 you can get ID’d for cigarettes, and for alcohol its 40 years of age! I got quite a few comments and I managed to convince a bar manager to let me in the bar half an hour before I turned 21, although it wasn’t the easiest task.
That’s the good times….
We had a bit of a problem out there when Craig was on manhunt.net, which I used to be on, but seems to be a predominantly US dating site. Craig went to meet a guy called John, a US army soldier in a bar and me and Aaron went along for moral support, and wed probably all go out together anyway. Over the course of the night we all went out and had a laugh anyway. Craig and John went back to the hotel while me and Aaron stayed out for a bit longer also to leave Craig and John to it, me and Aaron stayed on the sofa bed. The next morning I was infatuated with John, and preyed that he was going to spend the day with us. I fell out of the sky onto the firm US soil, my gosh he was the most amazing thing I had ever seen, and when he spoke, I couldn’t put into words what I felt. The trouble is how I could get to chat to him and also not be an idiot to Craig. We where going to go to the water park, but being about $100 either way, without entry tickets, left us to chill on the beach and drink . We went for some food in a burger bar and complimented john on his natural necklace, a stone necklace with a real sharks tooth in the centre. I asked where I could get one, he just said it was a cheap necklace you can get at a shop, and it was a few dollars.
I couldn’t let this guy go back to back to hi barracks without letting know how I felt, and he went across the shops and I decided to join him, and with my heart in my throat I managed to squeeze out how I felt about him and that I couldn’t let him go!? If I couldn’t go on a date with him, or go out with him, could I at least be intimate with him? I couldn’t tell Craig since I wasn’t sure how he would react; he’s also quite a strong character, which I guess intimidates me. He also had a heated debate with a guy from the US. When I thought that there was nothing more he could say, he argued his way out of the debate with facts and figures in the blink of an eye.
I spoke to Aaron about how I felt and John also knew, and said that could we spend some time back at the hotel room. John discussed it with Craig, said that he couldn’t control what John does. We all headed back and Aaron went in the hotel swimming pool, leaving me Craig and John in the room. Me and John chilled on the balcony and managed to get a phenomenal kiss that he enjoyed just as much as I did. Craig asked if me and John wanted to join his downstairs with Aaron, I said we’d be down in about 20 minutes.
That’s when things turned ugly.
Crag walked into the room as john walked out and sat me down on the bed penalising me for not asking him directly to spend time with john. He met him first but that doesn’t give him right over what john wanted to do. What made it worse is that John couldn’t have a say since it wasn’t his place to, coming into someone’s hotel and arguing, yeah that wouldn’t have gone down well, he didn’t come across as a guy to shout and holler. I reasoned with Craig and asked him directly if I could spend time with John, I even told him that I was intimidated by him, reasoning why I found it hard to talk to him. We established that it was wrong what I did, and I said that it wasn’t suitable for me to do anything with John, and got over the matter. At this point I managed to realise that it wasn’t ideal, and told John the same.
Aaron was trying his hardest to get me out of the room so Craig and John could have some time together. I didn’t think John would be available after we left so I wanted to say goodbye to him, and I thought that it was in Craig’s interest to send John on his way after they had fun. After convincing Aaron literally 20 times that I want 20 seconds with John to say bye, I gave him a hug and a kiss, he put his arms around the back of his head, took off his necklace, and put his arms around my neck, put the necklace around me and said “happy 21st birthday, you have $70 around your neck and its real too”. I wanted to cry, it was the most perfect moment of my life by far, and knowing that this wasn’t going to last long made it such a sweet and sour mix of feelings, I couldn’t have been happier at this point.
Me and Aaron went to this beach and after having a heated discussion about what I had done, I told him that I’ve already had this conversation, and Craig couldn’t control what John does and that I was over the matter.
Then the games started…
We went back to the Hotel; John got out of the shower and got changed. Craig and Arron went out the hotel room leaving me and John alone. What was he doing? Why is he leaving me and John in the room, we discussed that I’m cant spend time with John and this and it’s inappropriate! John was on the balcony as I said to Craig:
“where you going?! Why are you leaving me and John alone?!!!”
Craig winked and said “its fine, I was drunk earlier”
”I’m really suspicious now?!” I said and put my arms out for a hug, since he where leaving me and john alone, which was really sweet. He waived away the hug with a smile on his face and left the room with Aaron.
I turned to John on the balcony and said “what’s going on, I realised my actions where inappropriate and said I couldn’t do this”. John said they spoke about the situation whilst me and Aaron where gone and agreed that it was fine. I now have both Craig and John saying its fine to do something that I wanted to do so badly, and being intimate with a guy I had fallen for in less than the drop of a hat. The only part I had telling me not to go along with this is the memory of drunken Craig talking to me.
I even asked John, what are we doing? “Just chilling, that’s it?” He replied “Just have a few beers and chill”. So we sat on the couch and in his deep, smooth voice asked “would it be ok to kiss you now?”. I melted instantly when I kissed his soft tender lips for the second time, alone with him, just me and him, No one else. I held the back of his neck and moved my hands to his face; it was perfect, Sensual and firm, Passionate but not sloppy. It was incerdibly amazing, and something so sweet, since I had been waiting for this moment so long. I didnt want this time to end.
He liked me so much too and it where a shame that he where leaving that night, since we would of loved to spend more time together. I felt so bad especially when he had made me so happy; I wanted to give him something back. It occurred to me that he had given me his necklace, so why not give him mine? I did the same that he did to me, and put the chain round his neck, which looked incredibly hot. We spent our last hour on the balcony taking photos, and chilling some more, then it where time to make a move. I saw him off outside a bar as he went to be picked up. He mentioned that if I’m ever in Hawaii again he would love to have me round at his place and stay for a week or so, on a less feasible scale he’d love to take me on his travels and said he’d have enough money to fly me around, as tempting as that sounds, I don’t think I could have someone pay for me.
Later on that evening I went to the local gay bar and chilled out there for an hour where I met some navy men, and we all went out then headed to the bar where Craig and Aaron where at. I greeted them as I usually do, and when I chatted to them they didn’t seem very interested, so I left them to it, and chilled with the navy crew which mentioned they where all married, and some random people. We eventually went to the club next door, and more into the night I just came out for a bit of fresh air, not feeling right.
Everything caved in…
I went down one alley and sat down for two moments, and before I knew it, I was in tears, the pain was so immense, I felt like I was going to throw up, my stomach, my chest, it hurt so bad I couldn’t help but lean over and hold myself in. I couldn’t take the pain and was devastated. On top of that I already knew Craig had returned to his previous drunken self putting him back in the stage of having a go at me for what I had done, might I add innocently.
I came over to him and cried “why don’t you like me Craig, what have I done wrong?!” Absolutely hysterical, pain, I don’t think I’ve ever cried this hard, I just couldn’t bare it. Not only was I missing John incredibly, i felt i had been left with someone who doesnt even like me anymore. I had already got the hint from craig that he was pissed with me, after constantly disregarding my efforts to chat. Craig replied “you know what you have done” and the conversation went from there, and it was a long one. I cried out “no not again, why are you doing this?!” as he pointed at me, and made me feel the worst I have ever done. He pointed and he stated that I should have done what I did with John. “You said it was ok!” I reasoned with him, and in fact he was testing me, to see if I’d do it or not. I couldn’t cry any more and started to realise what he had done. He tricked me into thinking everything where ok, even though it wasn’t, I started to get angry and in an emotional rage pointed at him and told him everything he had done. It was only it this point the police came over and asked me what was the problem. We even had 3 army soldiers come over, but didn’t talk to us when the police had sorted it out.
“Just get me away from these people” I cried, “please” I couldn’t have explained all of this to the officer, as I said “I just need a hug”, the police said “I don’t give hugs” the nearest person I could find was Aaron, and I clung to him. I went back upstairs and the navy man could see I was distressed and offered me to stay with him in his room, strictly to stay only, nothing else. I said I needed somewhere to stay for 2 nights since I where leaving the next morning. He said that was fine. We ended up splitting the bill for another night since he could then use the room to keep his bags in when he left at 6pm, avoiding checkout at 11am.
In the end I got a good nights rest and stayed one last night in the hotel by myself, after the navy guy left. I went to the bar, where I had a game of pool and two soft drinks, since I weren’t in the mood for drinking, said goodbye to half the bar and the friendly bartender as I mentioned above, than made a move to bed.
So that’s it, I had the best time of my life and the worst pain I have ever felt through emotional distress. Every time I grasp the sharks tooth on my necklace, my heart misses a beat. I just want to see John again, and I would go to pretty great lengths to see him again. If he’s ever in the UK, that’s a bonus, but if I’m in the US with the money, that’s even better. He travels a lot so I may see him, but for the next year and half he’ll be in his new home in Hawaii, which I do plan to visit. Even if I could work out there for 6 months then I probably would. Since some chances you just have to take.
I have officially left my heart in Hawaii, and it will bring me back again. But as soon as I’ve paid off this trip, and saved enough, I’m off again, mark my words. What the US has taught me is that you can’t spend your life just doing the same thing, you should travel more, meet new people and put yourself out for the things you really love and care for. It could turn out for the better, or worse, but who knows, until you have actually tried it. Id ideally like to go back within the next few months, I just hope I can get enough money to fund it.
. We went for some food in a burger bar and complimented john on his natural necklace, a stone necklace with a real sharks tooth in the centre. I asked where I could get one, he just said it was a cheap necklace you can get at a shop, and it was a few dollars.