# Maui Fallout [burning cane fields]



## Kauai Kid (Mar 19, 2013)

Burning sugar cane debris is all over south Maui.  It's black, paper thin, all over roads, cars, sidewalks, walkways, roofs, pools, hot tubs, and gets tracked into homes, condos and stores.

I'm surprised there isn't a law against this kind of pollution.

Sterling


----------



## singlemalt_18 (Mar 19, 2013)

It has been done that way for generations; it is as Hawaiian as the Hula and Luau.  It is all natural and bio-degradable.


----------



## Beaglemom3 (Mar 19, 2013)

I used to live right across from the cane fields in Waipahu. Wait until the cane spiders pay a visit !


Not for the squeamish:   http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hawaii?Animals.cane



My housemates had to kill one ( it came crawling across the wall during one of our many parties) with liquid freon (it was the '70s- they were USN)


....... and let's not forget the centipedes. Awful, awful things.



-


----------



## puppymommo (Mar 19, 2013)

I used to live  2 blocks from a cane field on the old Ewa plantation.  I would have to be careful not to have clothes on the line (I didn't have a dryer) when they burned the cane.  You certainly didn't want the ashes on your wet clothes!  The first time they burned it after I moved in I thought it was a storm.  Those fires make a lot of noise.

I lived there 6 years and never saw a cane spider.  (I'm not complaining.) I did  acquire 2 cane cats over the years.


----------



## dougp26364 (Mar 19, 2013)

If my wife ever see's one of those in a timeshare unit it will be all over but the crying for Hawaiian vacations. I can guarentee she won't sleep for the remainder of the trip until she's safely in her seat on the plane home.


----------



## Beaglemom3 (Mar 19, 2013)

puppymommo said:


> I used to live  2 blocks from a cane field on the old Ewa plantation.  I would have to be careful not to have clothes on the line (I didn't have a dryer) when they burned the cane.  You certainly didn't want the ashes on your wet clothes!  The first time they burned it after I moved in I thought it was a storm.  Those fires make a lot of noise.
> 
> I lived there 6 years and never saw a cane spider.  (I'm not complaining.) I did  acquire 2 cane cats over the years.





  Funny ! My Ex is an Ewa boy, Ft. Weaver Rd ! Went to Campbell. His Grandparents worked on the plantation went they first came over from Japan.Small world. I was good friends with the late Hugh O'Reilly, a noble man.

  I had a couple cane cats, too.  Took them in when they came running across the Kam Hwy as the fields were burning.


----------



## Ron98GT (Mar 19, 2013)

dougp26364 said:


> If my wife ever see's one of those in a timeshare unit it will be all over but the crying for Hawaiian vacations. I can guarentee she won't sleep for the remainder of the trip until she's safely in her seat on the plane home.


Back when we used to stay in B&B's in Hawaii in instead of TS's, we had Gecko's hanging off the walls & ceiling.  Kind of hard to go to bed/sleep when you had a gecko on the ceiling above your bed.


----------



## klpca (Mar 19, 2013)

I finally saw a cane spider on our last visit. It was night and we had just come inside. I went in to the bathroom, closed the door, turned around and there it was, right in the little room with me!  I'm not easily frightened but that was one scary looking spider. Mr. Klpca took care of it for me.


----------



## Beaglemom3 (Mar 19, 2013)

Ron98GT said:


> Back when we used to stay in B&B's in Hawaii in stead of TS's, we had Gecko's hanging off the walls & ceiling.  Kind of hard to go to bed/sleep when you had a gecko on the ceiling above your bed.




 I had one for years in my house in the "jungle" (Liliuokalani in Waikiki). Fed him, got him little rubber Geckettes and named him "Jose" - Jose Geckko.

He met an untimely death when I opened my kitchen cabinet door over the electric stove (the burner was on) and he jumped onto me and then onto the lit coil. There's nothing quite like the smell of fricasse of Geckko. I felt sooo bad.  I am always uncomfortable & sad watching the Geiko commercials.


----------



## artringwald (Mar 19, 2013)

*cane spider*

We had just arrived in Kona and were pulling up to the resort when our 17 year son said with much authority "STOP THE CAR NOW!" He had seen a cane spider in the back with the suitcases. We stopped, everyone got out of the car quickly, and as I unloaded the suitcases, the spider must have attached himself to one, because everyone saw him scurry of into the bushes. It's a good thing they all were witnesses because I know DW never would have gotten into that car again unless she was sure the spider was gone.


----------



## Born2Travel (Mar 19, 2013)

dougp26364 said:


> If my wife ever see's one of those in a timeshare unit it will be all over but the crying for Hawaiian vacations. I can guarentee she won't sleep for the remainder of the trip until she's safely in her seat on the plane home.



Remind her there are no snakes - for me, the tradeoff is easy; I'll take the spider anytime.


----------



## dougp26364 (Mar 19, 2013)

Born2Travel said:


> Remind her there are no snakes - for me, the tradeoff is easy; I'll take the spider anytime.



My wife attracts snakes. If there's one within a mile, it will find her. If she see's it, she stands in place for a few seconds, flapping her arms and running in place like a derranged chicken before she takes off in one direction.........any direction. It's my job to quickly figure out which way she's going to run so as not to get run over by her in the process. She's even been known to run OVER the offending snake in an attempt to get away. 

One afternoon we were fishing and a snake came swimming by the both of us. He stopped directly in front of my wife and turned his head to look directlyt at her. He ducked under the water when I raised my fishing pole to hit him. Good thing I acted quickly because it would have been the second time in history that someone would have been witnessed walking......or at least running.......on water.


----------



## Passepartout (Mar 19, 2013)

Born2Travel said:


> Remind her there are no snakes



It's one of the things that makes Ireland attractive. 

Jim


----------



## rifleman69 (Mar 19, 2013)

Geckos are fine, help keep down the bugs.


----------



## artringwald (Mar 19, 2013)

rifleman69 said:


> Geckos are fine, help keep down the bugs.



Absolutely. We like to keep the kitchen light on at night to attract bugs outside for the geckos to eat.


----------



## MuranoJo (Mar 19, 2013)

I don't believe there are cane fields in the Princeville area of Kauai (?), but there was a cane spider on our timeshare's vaulted ceiling.  We couldn't reach it if we wanted to, so we just left it alone, which is probably what we should have done anyway.  Didn't sleep well that night.


----------



## daventrina (Mar 19, 2013)

Kauai Kid said:


> I'm surprised there isn't a law against this kind of pollution.
> Sterling


That would be the end of C&H and Hawaiian sugar


----------



## Kauai Kid (Mar 20, 2013)

daventrina said:


> That would be the end of C&H and Hawaiian sugar



Pretty sure it is going to end soon on the islands since it can't compete with other sources of cane sugar.

Sterling


----------



## Scubaguy (Mar 21, 2013)

Kauai Kid said:


> Burning sugar cane debris is all over south Maui.  It's black, paper thin, all over roads, cars, sidewalks, walkways, roofs, pools, hot tubs, and gets tracked into homes, condos and stores.
> 
> I'm surprised there isn't a law against this kind of pollution.
> 
> Sterling



There's a lovely resort in Orlando. No cane smoke. Perhaps that is more your speed.


----------



## Scubaguy (Mar 21, 2013)

Kauai Kid said:


> Pretty sure it is going to end soon on the islands since it can't compete with other sources of cane sugar.
> 
> Sterling



Sure Sterling. Then we can build more timeshares where the sugar plantations are. Win-win! Pave over paradise. Build parking lots. Just like Texas. Cept Texas isn't paradise.


----------



## Beaglemom3 (Mar 21, 2013)

Kauai Kid said:


> Pretty sure it is going to end soon on the islands since it can't compete with other sources of cane sugar.
> 
> Sterling





 Just like the pineapple fields.......... going, going, gone......


 We used to sneak across at nighttime and liberate a Dole pineapple or two. Yes, I know that there was a $500 fine (not to mention that it was just plain wrong), but then again, their trucks used to wake us up at O-Dark-Thirty. This is how we justified the procurement of the fruit. Folly of youth. Those fields are gone now. 

 Also, I can remember that pungent odor from the C & H (Californian & Hawaii )
 refinery in Waiphau when they were processing cane.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Mar 21, 2013)

muranojo said:


> I don't believe there are cane fields in the Princeville area of Kauai (?), but there was a cane spider on our timeshare's vaulted ceiling.  We couldn't reach it if we wanted to, so we just left it alone, which is probably what we should have done anyway.  Didn't sleep well that night.


I'm not sure if there ever were cane plantations in Princeville, but Kilauea is an old mill town.  We stayed one time in a facility that was formerly the plantation manager's house.


----------



## Kauai Kid (Mar 22, 2013)

Scubaguy said:


> There's a lovely resort in Orlando. No cane smoke. Perhaps that is more your speed.



In 30 years of visiting the islands this last week was the first time I've ever seen the results of burning the cane.

There us great diving and scuba in the Texas part of the Gulf of Mexico--try it some time.

Sterling


----------



## Kauai Kid (Mar 22, 2013)

Scubaguy said:


> Sure Sterling. Then we can build more timeshares where the sugar plantations are. Win-win! Pave over paradise. Build parking lots. Just like Texas. Cept Texas isn't paradise.



Do some research and you would find that other places in the world can produce cane sugar more cheaply than Hawaii.  

Corporations will buy sugar from the cheapest source.

Sterling


----------



## artringwald (Mar 22, 2013)

Kauai Kid said:


> Do some research and you would find that other places in the world can produce cane sugar more cheaply than Hawaii.
> 
> Corporations will buy sugar from the cheapest source.
> 
> Sterling



Or sugar beets.


----------



## daventrina (Mar 22, 2013)

artringwald said:


> Or sugar beets.


YUCK! They are so bad ... they are one of few thing that liquor isn't made from 

Try a taste test ... Hawaiian cane vs beet ...


----------

