I can’t quite explain it, but one particular thing that my fishing buddies and I generally share is an admiration for Mr. Hunter S. Thompson. The man embodied the free-wheeling, independent, live and let live lifestyle that some of us attempt to emulate and most of us can only daydream about. This photo of Mr. Thompson with a Blue Marlin comes from Hawaii’s Kona Coast where, after a successful day on the Humdinger, he came into the Marina shouting “I am Lono!!” Apparently, claiming that you are the embodiment of an ancient Hawaiian god is frowned upon in the Islands, and Thompson spent the rest of his “vacation” in hiding. That being said, judging by the inscription on the photo, he didn’t feel in the least bit guilty about referring to himself as “Lono.”
Not the most diplomatic traveler, but then again, that was Hunter.
All admiration for Hunter aside, as traveling sportsmen and women we all have an obligation to be courteous and respectful to the people that host us and their cultures. We owe it to the sports that we love to be positive ambassadors where ever this journey takes us.
Read more about this trip in The Curse of the Lono.
