Post #159776 by motiki on Tue, May 17, 2005 9:34 PM

And now for Mo's tips on how to prepare yourself for " Survivor Hukilau 2005 "

First lets recap my Hukilau 2004 experience:

I was a vendor and had shipped my Tiki Soap to another TC'er who lived in the area. The day before my flight the storm was still unpredicted as to where it would make landfall. My flights were not refundable and I was already out $75.00 to ship my soap and it would cost me another $75.00 plus the inconvience to another TC ohana to send it back. My wife said don't go, so naturally I went anyway.

I set up friday and sales were brisk and to me it was a dream come true. To be at Hukilau and meeting many of the TC ohana who I had only known as letters on a computer screen was really great. I and many other vendors go to Hukilau to share a piece of what they create with others. I doubt that any vendor made more then his cost to be there and that is not why most vendors come. So if you read this stop by and say hello, or Mo I think you need you head examined. Now on with the story.

The night progressed and the show started. The wine started to flow and when the giant Tiki with the glowing eyes came in, I thought I died and was in Tiki Heaven. At this point it was pretty certain that the storm was going to hit near us and that the Bahia Mar and Cabana were going to be forced to evacuate at 5am on Saturday. I really wanted to see the Mai Kai but it looked like that was not going to happen. In light of this pending doom what else could I do except enjoy myself tonight. I slid into a wine induced semi-coma and packed up my soap to ship back home.

I set the alarm for 5am ( big mistake! ) My wife called in a panic and off to the airport I went. I had alredy changed my flight out to saturday at noon. I got to the airport feeling like that giant Tiki fell on me at one point. I wathed the TV monitors as my flight was cancelled and they began to cover the counters with plastic. I found a good spot near the phones to sleep it off and weather the storm when I found out the airport was being evacuated and I was going to be boarding a bus for a shelter.

I was the first one on the bus and a News reporter asked me what my story was. He said stay right here I'll be back with a cameraman. I thought yeah right! But he did come back and I told him my Hukilau and Tiki soap story and I was wearing a Moai pendant that I traded soap for from Mcdougall. I showed the camera the Moai and said my soap was this shaped. I couldn't think fast enough but I should have told him it looks like I'm all washed up in this town! I doubted they would even put it on TV, so off to the shelter I went.

The bus arrived at a school and I had a carry on bag full of Tiki soap and I thought about setting up because some people really needed some Tiki soap, but I felt it would be in bad taste. The shelter had TV's that were on channel 7 tracking the storm. Litttle did I know that on channel 6 they were playing my interview every half an hour.( I called Mcdougall after the interview to let him know that his Moai might be on the news and he told me it was on alot.)

At the shelter I met up wirh TikiLee and his now fiancee. They were kind enough to offer me a blanket and I shared my bubble wrap with them as we had to sleep on a marble hallway floor. I had a blast getting to know them and we talked comedy movies we loved and I did my impression of Carl from Caddyshack and I even had to laugh myself. I read one of Tikilee's short Tiki stories and it was great and he shared some ideas on a story he was working on.

The next day the bus brought us back to the Airport and it was a erie sight, not one plane was visible. Eventually I booked a flight out on a different airline to Philadelphia, Pa and rented a car and drove to Allentown where my truck was. The airline I had my original return home flight on went out of business and I never got a refund. Because I booked my return home flight last minute I was flagged as a high risk passenger and was wanded and my carry on bags dumped out and searched. Prior to getting through security I noticed people lookig at me and I thought it was my imagination. I had breakfast at Chili's at the airport and I noticed people looking at me. As I was being searched a security guard told me, I know you - your the Tiki soap guy, you were on TV every half hour last night. Now I knew why people were lookig, I had the same shirt on and my Moai pendant. I could'nt help but laugh and call my wife as I boarded the plane and tell her what happened.

Would I do it again? Hell yeah! See you at Hukilau 2005.

My tips:

#1-Always have some alcoholic beverages in your carry on bag in case you are stranded.

#2-If stranded always seek out Hukilau ohana.

#3-If you are interviewed by a repoter always ask what channel and set that station on you shelter TV's.

#4-If al else fails do your impression of Carl from Caddyshack.- Goonga Goonga Ganooga!

#5- Don't roll on your side when sleeping on bubblewrap. It sounds like a drive by shooting.