Hilo Hattie and the deal I could pass up

I took a shopping excursion today to the famous Hawaiin store Hilo Hattie. I was going to go to the International Market, but it was raining pretty hard for a while. Side note--as soon as we pulled in to Hilo Hattie, it stopped raining.

On the trolley ride there, I sat next to a lovely woman from Louisana. She was taking a vacation to celebrate her 45th anniversary and brought most, if not all, her family with her. Just about the entire ride (about 20 minutes) she told me about her whole family, including relatives who weren't on the trip.

Hilo Hattie offers a free schuttle trolley around Waikiki to their store. This guy was our driver:

He said his name was Omonopai'hauna Pappaini Jr., but we could call him Mike.

Arriving at the store, we were greeted by extremely friendly employees who gave each of us a necklace--the kind you can get all over this state. They cost about $10 for 1,000. But still, it's fun to get new jewelry.

Once in the store, the jewelry department was having a contest. They give you a key, and if the key opens the golden treasure chest, you get to pick a piece of paper with a prize on it. Much to my amazement, my key opened the treasure chest and my bootie was 50 percent off a pearl. So, I went and got an oyster. The lady behind the counter told me to look for an ugly, hairy one if I wanted a black pearl. Finding an ugly, hairy one, I was then told to "Tap on it three times with this stick, and say 'Alhoa!'"

No, I'm not making this up. And no, I'm not proud that I did it.

But she cracked the sucker open, and beneith all the slime and guts, there was a black pearl. And I have no idea what to do with it.













But I do know what to do with shoes. And shoe shopping is frequently a highlight of my vacations. Now, don't laugh because aesthetically, they're not the most pleasing. But, honestly, they have to be one of the most comfortable pairs of "slippahs" as the Hawaiins call them, that I've ever bought.












Now for the deal I could pass up. I've been looking around for a long-sleeved shirt (because my sunburn is that bad). Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a long-sleeved shirt in a state that rarely sees the 60-degree mark?

Well, I ended up finding one today at one of the shops here at the hotel. I found my size and was holding it up to check it out, when I noticed a few small stains on the shoulder. I showed the lady at the shop and she said, "Oh! Must be the geckos. I'll give it to you for $15."

"Wait, are you telling me that the stain on this shirt has----gecko poop?"

"Yeah, but you can take it up to your room and wipe it off with a wet towel."

"Gecko poop?"

"Yes, it will come right off."

Even I'm not that cheap.