Keep the country country

Before i digress completely, which I almost certainly will, I must inform you my dear readers that the Humuhumu-blog will be in english from this day forth. This communicative repositioning is meant as a curtesy to potential american readers, and also I really need to practice my english. Another americanized product sees the light of day. Hurrah!

The title of this posting refers to the local movement in Hawaii to keep the tourist industry from taking over the one relatively unspoiled part of Oahu, namely The North Shore. The North Shore as some of you will know is legendary for its epic surf, and laid back lifestyle. The North Shore has less tourism than the rest of Oahu and the locals therefore mainly invest themselves in art and crafts of some sort. This gives the entire area a vibe similar to that found in Christiania. When cruising through the city of Haleiwa the first thing I noticed was the sheer lack of rush. Everyone walked around rather than drove, and all the houses were painted in funky colors and usually in some state of delapidation. The roads are narrow and winding, and the city somehow seems dusty in a really cool way. There's at least two surfboards in front of every house, and the majority of shops seems to be selling surf gear of some sort. As this is America the usual fastfood chains have needless to say found their way to The North Shore. Due to local legislation however no neon signs are allowed, which means that even McDonalds flashes a wooden variation of their trademark sign. It would certainly be cooler if the fastfood chains werent allowed in the first place, but all the wooden signs does give the place a certain charm. The nature on The North Shore is a story onto itself. Mountain ranges merge seamlessly with palmy beaches, and the nature has the rugged feel that indicates a lack of cultivation. The sea also has quite a unique feel to it, as the massive waves of Haleiwa and Pipeline thunders onto the shore. We chose a very gentle surfspot for my first venture into North Shore waters, and despite the fact that I was pestered with heavy hangovers I still managed to get a decent ride. When I say decent I mean that I stood up once or twice and rode a wave for more than 3 seconds. I have a looong way to go. I can honestly say that The North Shore is by far the coolest place I have visited in Hawaii, and if any of you ever get to visit I highly reccomend living in the one hotel that exists on the North Shore. Its called Turtle Bay Resort, and some of you might know it from the movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". Which I for some reason thought was kinda funny. Untill next time: Keep the country country!