Prostitutes And Prawns

This may well be my final blog from Hawaii Trip #2. I may have a chance during my layover in Oakland on the way home, but who wants to know what I'm doing there? The thrill is gone, alas.

I'm excited to be getting home, although I've enjoyed my time here. Today was a rather long one. I started out about five this morning walking over to Starbucks. Along the way I witnessed the following:

- Two policemen breaking up two prostitutes that were fighting over something (was on the other side of the street, and didn't slow down to eavesdrop)
- Another prostitute on my side of the street meeting up with her pimp, who handed her off to a nearby customer, can't say as I've ever seen that in such close proximity, or anywhere except maybe on Cops
- Yet another prostitute appearing from the shadows of a nearby parking garage, warning this other one to duck into an alleyway with her new friend, because police were around the corner

I apparently have been living in my own little naive world the last two trips that I've been here, I've either turned a blind eye to these festivities or have just simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time (or perhaps the other way around, depending on how you look at it).

At any rate, the rest of my day wasn't nearly as interesting, visiting one customer in the morning, checking email at the hotel during my lunch, visiting another customer in the afternoon, sitting in traffic, and visiting yet another customer this evening until about seven). There is a LOT of traffic around here, it took me at 5pm 40 minutes to drive 6 miles.

After fifteen minutes to catch my breath, I had to go back down to the lobby to meet up with the other ten or eleven EPL folks that are here working these conversions, for a dinner at the revolving rooftop restaurant that's down the street from here. This meal (consisting of scallops, prawns and crab ravioli) was courtesy of our CEO, who flew out to visit with the new customers (he by the way couldn't remember who I was when he saw me, we'll write that off to jet lag!).

On the way back to the hotel I decided to stop off at one of the fifty ABC Stores in the block to get some M&Ms, and despite making no eye contact whatsoever, was approached by a prostitute that (gasp and egads) touched my arm on my way by her, trying to get my attention.

Nothing like having your day bookended by prostitutes.

And that's all I have to say about that.