It’s that time of the week again! Throwback Thursday – when I finally get around to sharing photos from not-terribly-recent trips. This week, it’s Hawaii, which I visited over Christmas and New Year’s in 2016/2017. This was almost two years after I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), and it seems the PD was really starting to show (more on that later).
I started by flying from the mainland to Honolulu (on the island of Oahu), where I stayed one night at a hotel near the airport in order to wake up EARLY the next morning for the first flight to Kahului (on the island of Maui). When I arrived at the one-night-stand hotel (that’s a correct use of that term, right?), I had a little daylight left, so I took a stroll around the neighborhood and got me a few photos…
The next morning, I was up early and on my way back to the airport for the short flight from Oahu and Maui. I was amused by a couple of locals complaining how “cold” it was that morning; I believe the temperature at that time was in the low 70’s. I had two roller bags with me: one to check, and one carry-on. Having to pull a bag with each hand was a bit awkward, so I was aware that I was walking a bit clumsily, but I did not expect what happened next…
Cedric’s PD Is Blatantly Obvious, Exhibit A:
Having seen me struggling with my two bags, the woman working at the baggage check counter asked me if I’d like a wheelchair to get me to my gate. This momentarily confused me, as no one had ever assumed me to be disabled, and I didn’t think I had been struggling THAT much. At any rate (except for that lizard’s low rates on car insurance), I knew that I would have no trouble now that I was only hauling the carry-on, so I refused the wheelchair. She still gave me Pre-Board status, but I wasn’t going to refuse that.
After landing on Maui and picking up my rental car, I started driving the Hana Highway, a decidedly NON-highway-like road running 64 miles along the north coast of the island. I stopped at several scenic spots along the way. Here is some of the coolness I witnessed…
In the next photo (below), you can see some cars atop the hill in the distance. This is a parking area where several local folk have set up shop selling anything and everything they could make at home: banana bread, jewelry, clothing made from hemp fiber, and more.
Cedric’s PD Is Blatantly Obvious, Xzibit B:
One of these local entrepreneurs approached me and asked how long I’d had Parkinson’s, explaining that he couldn’t help but notice that I walked like him. As with the baggage check incident early that morning, I was flabbergasted that someone had noticed something physically wrong with me OTHER than tremors. And baldness. But it was true – I slouched when I walked, shuffled a little, and my arms didn’t swing at all. Incidentally, this was the first time I had met another Parkie. I have long since forgotten his name, but I remember him telling me that he had moved to Hawaii after being diagnosed with PD, and he felt that swimming in the ocean every day was helping him fight the disease. He was selling jewelry that he made from sea glass (chunks of glass that have been worn smooth by the sea and the sand). I have no use for jewelry, but I bought some mango bread from one of his friends – delicious stuff!
My next stop was the Garden of Eden Botanical Gardens, home of two waterfalls, two miles of nature trails, and many a scenic overlook. See for yourself…
After the Garden of Eden, I continued a little farther along the Hana Highway, but darkness was looming, so I got just a few more pics before heading to my lodging.
To be continued next week…
Voyages with Parkinson's 