The Magic Bus (almost)

Jeeps are cool. That's it! I have an '89 Wrangler. It is plain, short doors, no windows or anything fancy and a whole lotta fun cruizin' around the Island. A few weeks ago I saw a very unique Jeep toolin' through Pahoa and I thought it was just about the coolest Jeep I had ever seen...kinda like a mini bus...long, way longer than any Jeep I had ever seen and bright yellow.  I didn't have a chance to get a picture, so I assumed that was the end of that story.


A few weeks later I went to Home Depot to pick up a few things, and as we pulled into the parking lot, there it was on the side of the road. I got to meet and talk with the owner/builder, Harry Perry Sr. and he taught me a whole lot of things I neva know.  His Jeep is a 1942 military model from the Philippines. At the end of WWII, hundreds of surplus jeeps were sold or just given to the Filipinos, many of which were stripped down, rebuilt and customized into what is called a Jeepney....like a Jeep Taxi. Today the Jeepney is a widely used form of public and private transportation in the Philippines, and many can carry up to 18-30 people. Harry got his version of the Jeepney about 8 years ago on Maui, and today, after 5 years of restoration work at his home in Pahoa, he is driving his work of art. You may have seen his Jeepney in parades on the Big Island or Harry and his wife just toolin' down the road enjoying their brightly painted bit of history. 

One more thing, just so you know..as I had to ask, Harry's Jeepney is NOT FOR SALE! 

Here's another unique vehicle I spotted at the Malama Market in Pahoa. It's the Google Street View photo rig. Not much to say about it besides....CREEPY!