Hawaii

Aloha from the Aloha State. Just a quick post here.

I left Martinique at 5PM on Wednesday and arrived here at 4PM Hawaiian time on Thursday. In case you don't want to do the math, it was a 30-hour trip. From one tropical paradise to another.

Except in this case, I think Hawaii is a superior tropical paradise.

There aren't really any mosquitoes here. My perpetually bloody, scabby legs from the daily biting and scratching in Martinique are beginning to heal, slowly, and I'm looking more and more like a normal person when I walk around in shorts or a skirt.

It's hot here but it's not desperately hot, the way it is in Martinique. And it's not humid. When you walk outside here, you can actually breathe. It's a relief, a very welcome change.

And of course, it's AMERICA. Familiar American stores and restaurants and efficiency and the English language surround me wherever I go. I'm savoring it while it lasts.

Also, a miscellaneous tip: If you ever have to spend the night in the Philadelphia airport, go to Terminal C. The seats don't have arms, and there's a 24-hour Au Bon Pain and CNBC News Store for those late-night munchies. And if you ask at the information desk, they'll give you a free pillow, space blanket, water bottle, and potato chips!