I was first scheduled to fly to Hawaii for Christmas 1999 with Kate. Instead, I spent two weeks in the hospital after amputating my fingers in a saw mill. Boo hiss.
Ever since then, as far as I can tell, there’s been a bit of a hex on Hawaii in our circles which for quite a while scared me into not wanting to get on any plane that goes there.
But here I am, a decade older and ready to go! In celebration of getting past this mental barrier, and without further adieu... StuLand’s ‘Legend or Luau’ quiz and first-ever prize giveaway for this blog!
The following is a collection of Hawaii-related calamities which may have occurred in the last ten years, adding to my fear of travelling to that place in the sun to which I now dare venture, or perhaps I just made ‘em up... you decide!
Here are the rules:
1) Leave a response, either on the blog or through to my email, and respond in this fashion...
1. Legend (false)
2. Luau (true)
...and so on. So, just type the question number, along with ‘legend’ or ‘luau’, and that’s it!
2) The person with the most right answers will be sent a tasty treat in the mail, purchased in Hawaii! (no, not Maui-Wowee... we are neither travelling to Maui, nor turning ourselves into drug mules). Actual type of treat TBA! Something macadamia-ey perhaps?
3) Multiple correct entries will result in all the correct entries going into a hat for a random draw to win the loot.
4) Sorry, IMMEDIATE family members not eligible... you know too much...:)
5) Deadline for entry is...oh, I don't know. two weeks today. Nov. 10, 2009. At noon. any entries after that time won't be considered.
I’ll announce the winner on a blog post afterwards, and I’ll ask you to send me your mailing address!
Okay, here we go. First one is easy!
Legend or Luau:
1. Stuart did not travel to Hawaii as a 20 year-old because he cut off his fingers days before departure, and landed in the hospital...
2. A family friend planned to travel to Hawaii. Days before departure, one of the family members got a severe infection and they too landed in the hospital, unable to travel...
3. Another family friend DID eventually get to Hawaii, but they missed their initial flight booking. They were arrested in front of their kids at the airport upon suspicion of being wanted on an outstanding warrant...
4. One of the officiates that Kate and I were considering to have us married back in 2005 was originally okay with the dates of our ceremony, but his partner sprung a surprise trip to Hawaii on him as a gift during the same dates. So, he went to Hawaii... and got gravely ill while there...
5. I had a friend who was travelling to Hawaii for a winter vacation a couple years ago (same town we are going to now, incidentally!). They had saved for a while to travel; no vacations for a few years before this trip. Travel went fine, no snags... until they got to the hotel they were booked into...which had been completely demolished for redevelopment, a fact of which they were never informed by the travel agent...
6. A family member booked a trip to Hawaii a few years ago. They slipped a disc in their back a short time later, and required surgery to correct it...
7. The same family member did get to Hawaii, despite. Whilst camping in a touring van, they were rudely awakened one night to the glare of a police spotlight, police cars, and an officer on a loudspeaker. They had been singled out as drug runners / dealers...
8. In April of this year, a former classmate of mine was en route to Sydney, Australia. They, along with eight other passengers and two flight attendants on the Air Canada flight were injured when sudden turbulence struck...and the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in...Hawaii...
9. Hawaiian locals are not immune. In 2003, a 12 year old was surfing a kilometre off shore when she had her arm bitten off by a shark. She still surfs. Her arm was never found...
10. One member of our party for this long awaited trip has already fallen victim to the Hawaiian Hex. While not contagious and still able to travel, one of us travelling has contracted, of all strange things, lime disease...
11. A friend’s trip to Maui came to a disturbing conclusion when, on their last night there and out on the town, they got into a fist fight with David Hasslehoff after the actor started heckling him at one of the local night clubs. Okay, this one is a joke... It would be of course true, though, as you may not be able to Hassle the Hoff, but the Hoff can Hassle you...
Thus concludes my little quiz! Remember, Nov. 10th, 12 noon is the dealine! Good luck!
