Post #450261 by RoseRed on Tue, Apr 28, 2009 10:53 AM

Thanx guys! Mai Tai- you are SUPER Awesome!!!!
Mahalo, Mahalo, MAHALO!!!
:)

On 2009-04-26 20:06, Mai Tai wrote:
Welcome to Tiki Central, RoseRed! You'll have a blast at Tiki Oasis! I could have sworn that there were some tips for first timers for Tiki Oasis, but I couldn't find any. So here are a few tips off the top of my head:

1.) Bring plenty of water to stay hydrated. There's a lot of imbibing going on, and between that, hanging out in the sun at the pool and vending areas, dancing at a Devilette go-go dance class, running around from here to there to catch the latest excitement, and just plain partying in general, you can get dehydrated real quick-like. I always keep an extra bottle or two of water on me. Suscreen, and aspirin (or what ever form of hangover cure you prefer) are good ideas too.

2.) Bring plenty of cash. There is an awesome amount of vending at Oasis, and if this is your first one, you might be overwhelmed with all of the fabulous merchandise that all the vendors will have available for sale. It's no exaggeration to say that you will find a tremendous amount of carvings, paintings, various other artworks, clothings, ceramics, and the list goes on... Just when you think you're all done shopping, Crazy Al or Notch or Gecko or Thor or someone else will unveil their latest tiki-oasis-only-special, and, well, it's so awesome, how can you not pass it up? :D I seriously recommend planning out how much spending cash you're going to bring, and then increasing that amount by at least 50%.

3.) Try to rest whenever you can. Once things get into full swing on Friday evening, some people are known to party all night long, especially in the room suites. Try to get some sleep and don't get totally wrecked on your first night, because you will still have a couple more days to get through. (Hey, even veterans to Oasis have violated this rule - after last year's 1934 Zombies served in Caroline and Stacey and Myke's room, followed by the rum tasting event in the NorCal room where we "tasted" over 40 rums back to back, ALL of us Norcal hosts were passed out long before the main stage show event.)

4.) Bring a big ol' bottle of antacids. Ever spend several days easily slurping up 5 or 6 or more drinks per day with a base of lime, lemon, pineapple, or grapefruit juice? The acidity can do a number on your stomach after a while! Last year I brought a jumbo costco sized bottle of antacids, which I graciously shared with everyone, and we went through half of the bottle before Oasis ended!

5.) Pace yourself. Try to catch as many seminars as you can, but don't worry about catching all of them. They are all great, but it's impossible to do everything at Oasis. Whether it's cocktail symposiums by Jeff Berry or Martin Cate, or urban archeology by Bosko or Sven, or a go-go dance class by Baby Doe and The Devillettes, or a pin-up makeup class, you will have to decide what fits your interests the best, and what fits into your time schedule.

6.) Try to hit at least part of the parties on the room crawl. Shell In The Pacific organizes the room crawl, and it's been a tradition that dates back to the Palm Spring days of Oasis at the Caliente Tropics. Make sure to bring a bottle of something for your room hosts as well, and/or cash to tip as well, because they are hosting and paying for their nice party out of their own pockets. If you're a decent mixologist, you should consider participating as one of the hosts on the room crawl. If you go this route, I'd recommend making a simple yet decent drink, or a punch, from the Grog Log or similar book.

7.) Be a volunteer! It's a fast way to meet everyone involved, whether they are throwing the event, are vendors, or are fellow participants at Oasis. I volunteered at my first Tiki Oasis in 2005, and have continued to do so every year since then. And Otto, Baby Doe, and Hukilau Brown are all super fun people to volunteer for!

8.) Lastly, don't be shy. It can be a little overwhelming and intimidating going to an event where a lot of people already know each other, and a lot of them splinter off into their own circles of friends. But everyone at Oasis has been in those exact same shoes, and overall they are a very open and friendly bunch. If you walk up to someone at one of the room parties, I'm sure they would gladly introduce themselves, and talk story. Oh, a nametag always seems to help as well, since more and more people seem to be going to Oasis every year.

9.) Oh, one more thing. Don't give Bamboo Ben anything to drink. It's like feeding the mogwai after midnight. But if you do give him something to drink, make sure it's a Bud Lite. With a roofee in it.

Hope these tips help, and see you at Tiki Oasis!