Saturday, August 22, 2015

Why Tiki Oasis is a lot more than just a 4 Day experience!



I’m sure you are saying to yourself –What the hell is he talking about.   Let me quote Steve Martin's The Jerk " I know we've only know each other for four weeks and three days, but to me is seems like nine weeks and five days"



If you get there on Thursday night (which we have never done) and stay through Sunday night Tiki Oasis is  actually 4 days, but Tiki Oasis goes beyond the event itself.




Let me explain.   
Before Tiki Oasis even starts there is the Pre Tiki Oasis buzz.  The anticipation kicks into full gear as you watch people posting online in preparation.    Looking at pictures and videos from previous years.   You start to plan what drinks, clothes, mugs and room decorations you are going to bring.



The excitement builds as Room Crawl posters appear online
driving you into a Tiki Frenzy at the thought of the bands you want to see after the main stage shuts down for the night.  
The second I saw this poster for The Hula Girls and The Jimmy Psycho Experiment --my plans for the start of each night were set




Tiki Oasis is like 2 weeks of total Tiki overload.   
Those days at work the week of the event are like torture. 
 You sit at your desk wondering why you don’t have a Mai Tai in your hand.   You can’t wait to pack your Tiki mugs and gear.




For many people the journey to Tiki Oasis is a part of the experience.  Depending on where you are traveling from it may involve a stop in Vegas, or a Tiki Bar or maybe just your favorite traditional restaurant (our tradition is Norte Mexican Restaurant in Carlsbad by the beach).



Then there are the actual days at Tiki Oasis itself –What is a blast! -

It Looks like the Aliens have landed




Costume Contests

The Bands on the main Stage


The Bands in the room Crawls

Shopping




Then the sadness when you have to leave to head back home to the really world.  





But Tiki Oasis however doesn’t end there.   
 After Tiki Oasis –you still have Tiki  Oasis on the brain for days afterwards as the flood of Tiki Oasis pictures and videos hit the Internet.   You soak it in.   You want to forget about work to see what has been posted online.  You start watching You Tube videos to relive the show.     Like this clip of the Outta Sites which we only saw from our balcony which was behind the stage.



I'll probably spend a good amount of time today... Catching things on videos today...Still can't let this years Tiki Oasis end yet.


You start getting excited about planning for next year.  
 I call this the Tiki Oasis Hangover and for me it lasts at least a week until –my mind slowly drifts to other non-Tiki things.  
 The thought that Tiki Oasis is now a year away is too difficult to deal with.   You start planning a trip to Trader Sam’s or Don the Beachcombers to get a little taste of Tiki.  
  You start dreaming of visiting that new Tiki Bar in Vegas that you have a Golden ticket for( we will be heading there in Dec.).



So Tiki Oasis is more than just the weekend itself…….It is kind of a state of mind that lasts both before and well beyond the event itself.  Tiki Oasis doesn't really end until the last picture is posted.

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Wednesday, August 19, 2015

The Pineappleman’s 8th Tiki Oasis Adventure Part 1 Rum Tasting (What the Real Darb did)


The Pineappleman here....Beaming down to Tiki Oasis 2015


I’ve already posted about my Clone Darb’s journey at Tiki Oasis.  He had quite an Adventure  getting his photo with Tiki Legends  like Big Toe and Tiki Diablo.  Taking pictures with the Penguin and Tiki Head guy.



He got to hang out with a great group of people at the room crawls and the car show.   All of his additional photos can be found on my Pineappleman facebook page below.
The reason I created Darb was to experience more of Tiki Oasis then ever…..I would say mission accomplished.  Here are some of my pictures  -which I’ll break up over a couple of blogs.
This batch is all from my cracked I-phone so the quality isn't the best on some pictures.  (I’ll get to the camera pictures after I can get them downloaded onto the computer.)



Our traditional Friday arrival always kicks off with the Sip and Shop Rum Tastings.



Shopping and Drinking 



"Just like in the Magazine"  Navin R. Johnson


 Lethal they don't call it Deadhead for no reason.




Painkiller indeed


Don't forget to tip the Bartenders  --The Rum  is Free.
Here is Grey Ghost Rum.


          Rum Tasting and Shopping are a dangerous combo


Up next Part 2 ... Shopping,  Bands, Room Crawls and more fun




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Tuesday, August 18, 2015

“Dude Where’s my Darb” or “Darb’s Tiki Oasis Hangover” Part 1??




Brad here AKA (The Pineappleman) AKA (The Real Darb)
#DarbsTikiOasisAdventure


I made a Clone in order to see more things at Tiki Oasis this year. 
Like I’ve mentioned before –no matter how much fun you have at Tiki Oasis you end up feeling like you missed out on something. I thought if I had a Clone ---  maybe I wouldn’t miss out on as much this year.  I figured with 2 of me I could go to more parties and have more fun.


 

My Clone’s name is Darb and he went on a wild and crazy adventure all over Tiki Oasis. Here he is hanging out with us at our room party before he went off on this own






After catching the bands on the main stage we went our separate ways leaving Darb in the Elevator.



The Tiki community is amazing---If this was anywhere else I may not have tried this experiment of cloning myself.   

It was a risk to send him out in the world all by himself at his first Tiki Oasis---(him being a newbie and all) .  But I knew that the chill and fun nature of the Tiki Oasis Ohana would probably have fun with it. Every year my friends that we come down with do Hallway bowling and that is always a big hit - so I thought this clone plan might work --especially with the Sci-Fi theme.   Here is Darb hanging out with a Vulcan....(don't tell him Darb is more of a Star Wars fan)

I’m still trying to piece together Darb’s journey.  It is kind of like a puzzle, as pictures of Darb slowly show up online.  It’s like the movie “Dude Where’s my Car” or the “Hangover” where you have to work backwards to figure out where he went and what he did.


Here is what I know so far about his adventure.  I'm hoping to learn more in the coming days if more pics of his adventures show up!! I’ll fill in the blanks in his story at that time in a Part 2-- if not we may never know what happened to him.  

Early Friday night some pictures started appearing online.   Darb was hanging out on the Go-Go stage and meeting new people.


 




We think the first night Darb may have made a Tiki Oasis rookie mistake and had a little too much to drink. At some point he ended up in a dress.  We weren't sure if we would ever see Darb again.



Apparently he wasn't done partying though as you can see from this photo of Darb partying in the elevator. 


We crossed paths with Darb several times....In the hallway outside of our friend's room.  He had met some more Tiki peeps and was on the way to a room party. We posed together for a quick picture.  #TheRealDarb #ThePineappleman


 Darb was off again for more fun. Apparently my Clone is a big party animal. 

 


It looks like they have been hanging out with Darb enough to perfect his pose.  LOL I love it.  I'm glad he had such a great time






Darb having a beer with a new friend. 




At one point he was kidnapped and held at gun point.....We were concerned


At some point Darb either fell or was thrown off a 5th story balcony. One of our friends found him face down on the ground at the bottom below all the room parties.  We told him he should rest --but he wasn't done partying.  He apparently has good taste in music because we bumped into him at another room party with an 80's band.  
How many people do you know that can take a 5 story fall and be out and about partying again 15 minutes later.  At least someone gave him a protective space helmet.
(With my eye closed in the picture --I look like the one that feel off the balcony)


Darb was still in party mode. You can see him here dancing the night away.  ( We were in this room at the time).



After Saturday night I thought we may never hear from or see Darb again.   But as luck would have it he was out and about posing with cars at the car show.  (I still haven't seen any of those pictures online yet). My wife and I popped into the photo booth trailer and apparently Darb had already been there. I was tempted to go and get Darb --but my wife said "Let him go--he is having fun and his adventure hasn't ended"





We heard a rumor while talking to the people at the photo booth that one of the car vendors had found him out in the hallway.  I thought maybe he had slept in the hall ---a sign of a really wild night at Tiki Oasis. The next day however we found out that Darb had actually ended both of his nights in this party room.  The room he was in won best People's Choice room party.   Coincidence??  I think not.



I want to personally thank everyone that joined in on the fun.

If you have a picture of Darb or with him –Please post it here or at #DarbsTikiOasisAdventure

…….I’d love to see what else he did at Tiki Oasis this year. 

UP next I'll post about my adventures.  
 Is it possible that my Clone went to more parties and had more fun than me????



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