Mr Pineapple

No visit to Maui is complete without a visit to Mr Pineapple. In fact, i don't think it's possible to visit Maui without experiencing Mr Pineapple since he's located right at the exit to the airport.

I had to laugh, because Mr Pineapple was probably the first thing that caught my eye on a visit to Maui, and i always try to grab a picture whenever we are passing by in the car. To me it's like Dinosaur Land or Trees of Mystery, some kind of mystical cultural landmark totally unique to Maui. My wife on the other hand, had no idea what i was talking about when i mentioned i put together a series of awesome Studio Artist images based on processing Mr Pineapple video shots. I guess i should be more focused on taking in the view of Haleakala, or Iao Valley, which Mark Twain described as the Yosemite of the Pacific. Or perhaps the scenic wonders of Puunene as documented in the past few blog posts.

Of course i do stare at all that stuff, and it is stunning, and always changing. Maui is full of magical scenic vistas around every bend. But the little stuff, the dirty secrets, the grime and forgotten spaces are just as real to being in a place as the 'scenic tourist vistas', and my eye often wanders to the forgotten spaces rather than the more conventional stereotypical scenery. And in some sense the forgotten lands and industrial parks are just as beautiful as the more conventional tourist vistas, maybe more so in some ways.

I lived for years in South of Market in San Francisco (an extremely intense industrial urban area), which would be consider a hole of filth by many people, but it's easy to take a stroll through the neighborhood filled with grime and filth there and find all kinds of beauty both hidden and right out in the open. The secret graffiti messages, the feel of the Pacific ocean wafting in from the coast, the ever changing fog patterns, the amazing textural patterns, the utter craziness everywhere you look if you take the time to really look. Hawaii is no different. It's a very complex place, filled with both beauty and intense ugliness and vast craziness if you choose to pay attention.

Part of the point of my ongoing series of 'island tour' blog posts is to delve into the real Hawaii, at least the hidden part of it they don't put in the tourist brochures. Although Mr Pineapple is prominently featured on the tourist cable channel. So remember, no trip to Hana is complete without a stop at Mr Pineapple. After all, the Hana trip tape kiosk is right next store. Although to be honest, i'm unclear if anyone is actually in the kiosk or not. It has that abandoned for years look i seem to find so appealing.