Random Experiences Overseas

Random experiences overseas

Thursday 5^th December, 2013

Recently my sister and I visited my niece Rebekah, her husband Odyn and their two girls in Seattle. Odyn works as the music and worship pastor of Evergreen Church.

We were lucky to get flights that went via Hawaii, where we stopped over both ways, and apart from that went straight to Seattle.

I found the plane trips rather long, cold and cramped, so our flight through the night (“Oh, you’ll be able to sleep all the way!” friends had told me. But every time I began to doze, I woke with my hands cramping with the cold.) – well, it wasn’t the ‘rest’ I’d hoped for.  Not to worry – we arrived safely, about half an hour before schedule, and made our way through customs and all the other hoops.

It was on this journey I learned the sheer ingenuity and deviousness of current usage of the word ‘random’.

I do know what ‘random’ means. And I also know that some atheists are fascinated with the concept of ‘randomness’, seeing often apparent randomness in life but not wanting to attribute it to God and His sovereignty. (The ‘Why him?’ response when, for example, one is miraculously safe and another killed in a disaster.)

But on this journey the word took on a whole new level of convenience.

You see, I have three metal devices in my ankle, subsequent to a bad break, and despite my declaring this verbally and in bold type, at every single check point I was told, “Would you mind stepping aside here. You have been chosen for a random check.” Which involved varying degrees of searching of my clothing and body. I guess ‘random’ is politically correct – if dubious in its accuracy. I’d have preferred it if they had felt free to say it related to my ankle.

Or do I look suspicious?

Entering island countries like Hawaii from the air, you see stunning views of green-clothed mountains rising steeply out of the brilliant blue sea. And Hawaii is beautiful. The view from our hotel window revealed the sheer, wonderful blueness of the sea. And a lot of other high rises!

I suppose, though, I was just a little disappointed in it. We stayed in the Waikiki Beach area for convenience – it is an easy bus journey from the airport. We weren’t there long enough to go on sight-seeing journeys to the main volcanic areas or the outlying pretty little islands. And we did enjoy having the so-blue sea on one side of us and the cloud-wisped mountains on the other. The sea is truly blue. The kind of blue a child might paint it, pale blue and clear, graduating out to a very bright blue. We didn’t manage to find any modern changing sheds, to our surprise. And the shops were, well, adequate. Almost. There was a general feeling that the place was due for a face lift. We did manage to find a lovely little tree top restaurant where we had a delicious evening meal – chicken cooked in chopped macadamia nuts, and a huge salad including quarters of sharp-sweet mandarin.

That lovely sea was as good to swim in as it was to gaze at, so, as a stopover, Hawaii was ideal. We walked and swam all the crinkles out of our muscles after the long flight.

On the whole, though, I think our own Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast beaches are much better. The sand is softer (not gritty with coral) and the amenities are usually very good. The shops are great. But for ocean colours and sheer, green mountains, Hawaii is stunning.

The best was to come. Seattle is beautiful. Bek and family are loving it. More on that next time.