Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Aloha/Mahalo

I have been informed that I should expect some snow Wednesday. I shall instead concentrate on the comforts of the familiar. A fire in the wood stove will do me well.

Two words dominate this tourist destination: a greeting and a gratitude. I even asked: What is the word for 'please'? The former, of course. It is a curious linguistic dynamic.

I had a little unfinished business to attend tonight. First, I must change tense and thank those of you who have bothered to follow along on this adventure. Your hits and comments have been most welcome and I thank you. Second and fair warning, I have more. Third, I will now address a certain subject.

I saw this guy the first night here.

Bells, I tell you, frikkin clarion bells. I imagined that I would walk up and ask him how much he charged for a portrait. Upon naming his price, I would offer him the same amount to allow me to take a series of photos, close-ups, action shots, those sort of things. And tonight, as I told DM, I went out with that expressed purpose. Except he had a client, the massage hawker's girlfriend.






And then I saw something — something for you astute observers — that made me leave him to his story.

As I have been writing this, someone in a facing room has been putting on a show, purposefully back lit. Now it is over.

10 comments:

Forrest Gump said...

You saw the Apple store on the other side of the street and raced over to play with the latest iPad?

bastinptc said...

The first day in "paradise," someone swiped my iPod Touch. Not a store I want to go in to right now.

Crash said...

He hasn't changed his "art" in 40 or 50 years, per the painting on the dolly?

bastinptc said...

No telling, Crash. If you're guessing at what I was alluding to, look closer.

Crash said...

Last guess: The guy in the old painting is him, before life dealt him some very bad hands.

The look the fat guy was giving you would have been enough to send me the other way.

bastinptc said...

"very bad hands"

You're getting warmer.

Crash said...

His right shoulder is always held high, and his right arm is either hanging dead, or the hand is resting on his leg.

If you thought he was a person with a disability, why would that drive you away? You weren't making fun of him. From the get-go you knew he had lived a hard life.

My first time through the photos, I thought you were kind of honoring him.

bastinptc said...

In a way, I am honoring him and admire his perseverance. In a small way, I can relate; but in that I took his picture without permission, I am also a voyeur, which overrides.

I think I learned a lesson.

Crash said...

Having worked in the field, I think he would be happy to know that you found him interesting before you noticed.

Anonymous said...

I hate taking photos with permission.
People suck at acting. They try to perk up and all I get is hi there is a camera looking at me.

The logical conclusion is creepyesque. But if you work fast you can snap like a crocodile.

Now everybody say, "merciless".

aki