ALOHA!!!!
We did it, we actually went to Hawaii!!!! The vacation of a lifetime, with my sweet daughter Misty, her husband Jonathan, their children - Craig, 15 and Megan, 11- and Jonathan's mother, Sharon. This was to celebrate them both turning 40 years old the week we were there, Sharon's retirement, and my retirement (albeit 2 years ago!) and my 63rd birthday coming up. Misty and Jonathan provided the tickets, and provided all the lodging for this 12 day extravaganza. Sharon and I helped out with meals, and a few activities. Mostly though, we bought souvenirs.....wow, did we buy souvenirs!!
We left Charlotte on Friday, July 5, 2013 to fly to Newark and change planes. Jonathan had all the boarding passes printed out already, and we all sailed right through security and check-in. A funny moment: Megan carried her American Girl Hawaiian doll with her, and when it went through the x-ray in her carry-on, it looked like a ghastly skeleton in there. The guard did a double-take, but laughed it on through. We saw the Statue of Liberty from the air just as we approached Newark. There was a slight delay boarding the next plane, they said to repair the a/c and a pilot harness. Whatever----- sure made this white-knuckle flier even more nervous! The plane to Hawaii was large, probably completely full, and the trip uneventful except for the Asian toddler who cried the ENTIRE 10.5 hours. His poor mom, and the grandma with the infant, were exhausted by the time we landed in Honolulu. They had walked the aisles and bounced that crying child the whole time. I felt so sorry for them, and that child must have been miserable!
We arrived in Honolulu at 6:30 p.m. Pacific time. Jonathan had arranged a taxi van, and fresh flower leis for all of us. They were lovely, but the smell of the tuberoses nearly made me sick. At our hotel, The Embassy Suites, we were greeted with fresh fruit juice. After we checked in and deposited our belongings in the rooms, we found our way to the Manager's Reception by the pool. This is a nightly event, for two hours with unlimited free drinks, cocktails included, and light snacks. There was a live band two of the nights we were there, but they were like most bands - far too loud for us to be comfortable, so we found seats at the far end of the lanai and just marveled at the beauty around us and the view of Waikiki Beach before us. We were so exhausted that no one could bear the thought of trying to find a restaurant, so we made the short stroll across the street to one of the many, many ABC stores on the islands. They carry alcohol, yes, but pretty much anything else you might need, and this one had a great deli as well. We bought sandwiches and salads, carried them back and had supper in our suite, and crashed at 9:00 p.m., which our bodies were telling us was 3:00 a.m. in our 'home' time!
Saturday, July 6
We slept well, but woke up around 3:00 a.m. and dozed off and on until 5:00. It wasn't too hard getting adjusted to the 6 hour time difference, just made calling back home a matter of deep thought..... 'now what time is it really back in SC?'. Every morning we were there in Honolulu, we enjoyed the huge, bountiful breakfast buffet that was included with the room charge. Typical breakfast fare, tons of fresh fruit, and even salad and Asian foods and soups, there were so many Asian tourists there.
That morning, Misty, Jonathan and Craig went on to the beach and the guys tried to ride boogie boards, but not very successfully by their report. Megan, Sharon and I went shopping (our favorite activity, woo hoo!!) and got to see a Christian parade! It was apparently a big deal there in Honolulu, and there were huge numbers of people involved in it. I was very proud of Hawaii for this event taking place. Wonder if it would ever happen back here on the mainland?
That afternoon we took a boat tour of Pearl Harbor and went to the USS Arizona Memorial. This is a very beautiful, somber place. The tour guide did an outstanding job, and had personal stories about people who were serving on the ships at the time of the attack. The Captain of the USS Utah (which is still partially visible above the water) had twin daughters, one of whom had died and he was to take her ashes out to bury at sea the next day. She, and her father, still remain in the Utah, and her twin comes every Thanksgiving to place a lei there in their memory. The Utah and the Arizona are considered as sacred burial grounds, and no one is allowed to enter them, or remove anything from them or around them. Many of the other ships that were sunk have been raised and broken up for salvage, but there are large concrete piers at the site of each ship, with their names painted on them, to memorialize all those lost there in the harbor. The tour guide's daughter, who looked about Megan's age, was aboard that trip, and the two young Navy men piloting the boat moved over and let her actually pilot it back through the harbor and right up to the pier! She did an awesome job even on her tiptoes! I told her dad as we left the boat that I enjoyed watching a future Commander in action at such a young age.....he grinned so big I thought he might get a cramp!!!
The manager's reception was a big hit again, and then dinner was at a pub Jonathan and his mom wanted to try, called the Yard House. They had those beers served in those hideous yard tall glasses. The place was very loud, a typical bar, and the waitress even managed to get a foul-mouthed rowdy group to move out of our area, since we had the kids with us. Food was good, so I guess it made up for the atmosphere.
Sunday, July 7
Big breakfast again, yummy! Then it was off to the beach for the whole morning. We rented chaises and umbrellas, and had a great time. The water was clear, without the typical SC beach gunk floating around in it, and blue like I've never seen before. The beach ran far out onto a ledge that was barely waist deep most places, and that was the single most enjoyable beach experience I have ever had, in all my 62 years.
For lunch, we split up and the girls went to PF Chang's. We happened to hit their early happy hour, and we just shared several appetizers and wine. It was a good thing :-)
Later, we met the bus that would take us out to Paradise Cove for the luau I had booked. The guide was very entertaining, and when we arrived we registered for our Deluxe Luau Package that was my gift to the kids for their 40th birthdays. We were given leis, again, and tickets for drinks. We had our 'official luau pictures' made. They ushered us, and the rest of the 1,100 people enjoying the experience that evening, into an area with craft tables to make island jewelry, get temporary tattoos, sand in a jar things, and watch demonstrations. The pig was cooked in the pit, wrapped in banana leaves, and there was a whole ceremony with hula dancers and warriors to accompany it being lifted out of the pit. Dinner seating was very nice, since we had the Deluxe package. We had tables right at the stage, for the awesome show that was put on. There were waitresses that served us our dinners on covered plates, the salad course, then the main meal which did include sample of that nasty poi, and later the dessert course. The other 800 or so went through buffet lines, and sat much further away. They also took drink orders and served us the entire evening. The food was mediocre at best, the show was awesome and well worth the price of the event. It had warriors, and hulas of varying types, as well as singing and a fire baton twirling "King" warrior.....now that was a nice example of eye candy, ladies!!!
Monday, July 8
We managed to 'sleep in' until 6:30 a.m. that day! Another huge breakfast and then a split for adventures. Misty, Jonathan and Craig went on a city bus to hike up to the top of Diamond Head. Megan, Sharon and I were going to take a city bus to the lighthouse on Diamond Head and then the aquarium. A taxi driver pulled up before we all split and told us the aquarium bus stop was a few blocks over, so we walked over to that one. After a very long time waiting, with other buses passing by but never the one marked for the aquarium, the same taxi driver pulled over and said he'd recognized us and it had been a very long time waiting. He offered to take us, for free, since he felt sorry for us two old grandmas trying to entertain our granddaughter, and we were obviously fading fast in the heat and humidity! He was a wonderful tour guide, and stopped at a scenic overlook and took pictures of us with that awesome view in the background. We made it to the lighthouse, but it wasn't much to see, and looked closed, so he took us on to the aquarium. That was a wonderful, small and interesting place. We thoroughly enjoyed it, and discovered it was a very manageable walk back to the hotel, so we struck out once again. I did, however, tip the driver very generously, and he gave me a big hug and thanked me graciously. When we arrived back at the hotel, we met up with the rest of the family, changed into our swimsuits and went down to the pool, where we ordered lunch and relaxed. We had reservations for dinner that night at the famous "Dukes".
"Dukes" --- hmmm, didn't meet up to the hype I'd heard about it. Duke was a famous surfer, and the restaurant is sort of a museum to him, and many people eating there every night. My food, again, was just 'eh', nothing special. The salad bar was tremendous, with many types of prepared salads, but most had gluten of some sort so I was at a loss with the majority of the menu. I ordered a 7 spice seared Ahi, and it was good but far too rare for my taste. Once again, the place was extremely noisy and crowded, not the kind of place I enjoy.
Tuesday, July 9
To the airport to leave Oahu for the big island, Hawaii. The flight was only 45 minutes, and the rental car was ready for us. Jonathan drove the 2.5 hours of winding mountain roads to the Ohana House in Volcano, Hawaii. It was raining gently when we arrived, and we soon found out what 'rain forest' truly meant. It was an awesome house, though, and I actually had my own room, so did Sharon, and the kids shared the huge loft. I slept better there than I did anywhere on the trip. We had stopped at a Walmart in Hilo for groceries, and found prices extremely high. We were shocked to learn we had to pay 5 cents for each plastic Walmart bag we got!
Wednesday, July 10 - HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY, MISTY!
Misty, Jonathan and the kids went off to snorkel and kayak somewhere about 2 hours away. Sharon and I stayed behind and started laundry. We planned to walk the mile or so into the little village of Volcano for lunch, but once out in the light rain decided it wasn't worth it and we managed to scrounge up leftovers from the previous nights tacos and salads. We also enjoyed, probably a tad too much, the wine we had bought the night before. Leaving two grandmothers alone for a day, with plenty of wine in the house, can make for two silly women when the family returned! She and I also had a great excitement......we discovered that at that house you cannot run the washer, and dryer, a room heater and the two dehumidifiers at the same time.....blackout, tripped breaker. Sharon found a breaker box outside and managed to pry it open, it was rusted shut, and got the breaker back on. We were back in business, and later discovered a secondary breaker box in the house, under a fabric wall hanging. Oh well......
That evening we celebrated Misty's 40th birthday with dinner at the most amazing place - the restaurant at the Volcano House Inn, called "The Rim". It is in plain site of the rim of the crater that is still actively steaming there. During the day, the steam continuously rises from the crater, which is pretty impressive like it is. But at night, oh wonder of wonders, the steam and crater take on an eerie red glow from the scorching hot lava far down below. It is other-worldly, no better description. Maybe a preview of hell..... They all had fabulous meals. Once again, mine was just 'eh'....I had to stick with a chicken dish to stay gluten-free, and it was not cooked as done as I like my chicken. Also, it was stuffed with spinach and goat cheese. Not far into the meal, that mess got scrapped off. Sort of a disappointment in that, but the view made up for it! This meal was Sharon's gift to the kids, as well as Jonathan's celebration dinner later that week.
Thursday, July 11
This was a driving day. In the a.m. we drove around the village of Volcano, went to Volcano National Park where we walked on lava fields and through a lava tube, and walked to the actual end of the road.....a lava flow had covered it completely across sometime in the past. There were fabulous ocean views, and terribly strong winds. It was back home to make late lunch, and pack up gloves, hats, blankets and snack suppers for our trip back up the mountain of Mauna Kea to do some stargazing. Two hours of winding roads in the fog and mist finally saw us top out and be above the clouds, at 9,200 ft above sea level! There is an observatory at the very top, at 13,000 ft, but they won't allow children under 16 or people with lung or heart conditions to go beyond the Visitor Center we were planning to stay at for the program. There were huge telescopes fixed on different things. One let us see the very small craters all along the edges of the moon. Another was on Venus, very bright. There was also one fixed on Saturn, and we could see the actual rings of it! As a special treat, we also could see, with our naked eyes, the constellation of The Southern Cross!!! That is the only place in the northern hemisphere it is visible, and only for about 2 weeks a year. We just happened to be there during the right time! The stars were amazing....you could see the milky way so close it was tempting to reach out to try to touch it. The sky was so full of stars that it seemed there was more light than dark in the sky! We also saw lots of meteors, and y'all know that is a big thing for me, I look for them all the time! About half way through the program, Megan started to feel sick so we gathered up our blankets (it was almost freezing up that high, and very windy) and trekked back to the van. After some "googling" I found that Megan's symptoms were classic of altitude sickness! My lungs didn't appreciate having to walk uphill from the van to the center, either, and felt like they were scorched by the time we got inside. I was happy to leave, as well as Megan. Oh! - we also had a bag of chips in the car with us and they exploded on the way up, from the altitude!! Quite an unexpected thing. It was back home to the house in the rain forest. It was raining there - still, or again - who could tell, it rarely ever stopped completely. I was about 'over it' with the rain forest...cold, damp, dreary.
Friday, July 12
The morning was a drive into Hilo to shop, eat and sightsee. At least we were out of that God-forsaken rain forest for a while!! We walked through the Atsuka Orchid Farm - WOW!! What exquisitely beautiful flowers!
We toured the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory. There was no production occurring at this time, but the gift shop, and samples, were good.
Next was the Botanical Garden. It was a pretty difficult, steep climb in places, but oh my goodness, what beauty! Tropical plants, lush greenery, and all on the edge of the ocean with breathtaking views.
We stopped at Akaka Falls, and the rest climbed down lots of steep stairs to view the falls from below, which I am sure was worth it to them. I, however, was about done in, with the steep grade in the garden before that, so I sat at the top and rested, and got a nice photo of the top of the falls from right there.
We lunched at a local place in Hilo, and then had some of that famous 'shave ice'. Looks like a snow cone but the texture is totally different, and the syrup is not as sweet as snow cones, either. Really good! Worth the brain freeze, too!
We drove around Hilo some more, walked a lot and shopped. Dinner was at a place Jonathan had found online, that had good recommendations. I had a drink called a Crazy Mimosa - mango and guava liquor and prosecco - yummmmmm! Then it was back to the dreaded rain forest. The next day we were set to be out of there, for the Waikoloa Hilton Resort....YAY!!!
Saturday, July 13 - HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY, JONATHAN!
Breakfast at the house, tidied it up and checked out by 10:00 a.m., hallelujah! We had a long drive ahead of us to go to the resort, well over 2 hours. We stopped for lunch at a place they had spotted on their drive up to go snorkeling. It was vegan and had gluten free!! I was so happy not to have to worry about what was in stuff. The tuna melt on a g-free bagel was divine but expensive - that sandwich, a g-free chocolate chip cookie and bottle of water cost me $16!!
Then it was on to Jonathan's chosen birthday treat, a tour of a coffee farm. We stopped at Hula Daddy Coffee and had samples, and a tour. Our guide was very informative, answered questions readily, and showed us a lot of things. One fact I'd never heard, that one coffee plant only makes enough beans in a whole year to make one pound of coffee. Guess that is what makes it so expensive. The beans ripen at different times, and there will be beans in every possible stage of ripeness all on the plant at the same time. This particular farm is the only Kona coffee that is handpicked, to ensure only the ripe berries get picked. When the machines pick, they strip all the berries off at once, and many are in very green stages and cause the coffee to be bitter. We sampled a variety of 'brews' and bought souvenirs here.
On to the Waikoloa Resort. An interesting place, huge and very intimidating with trolleys and boats and a monorail to transport you between areas of the resort. Our rooms faced the ocean, across a golf course. We had the most spectacular sunset that night! We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant right across from the room, and they made the guacamole right at our table! Delicious! I got to share a room with Craig this time, and being a teenager, he pretty much slept the whole time. I hardly knew he was in the room. I find it interesting that the Robertson family from the TV show Duck Dynasty had vacationed at that very resort this year!
Sunday, July 14
Coffee was on the balcony. That was the only thing provided, no breakfast. We could ride the monorail to one of the bigger restaurants and pay for the $20 buffet, which had mostly things that are not gluten free. No thanks. So, my two mornings at this ritzy, expensive resort found me having a cup of peach yogurt with a rice krispy treat bar, that cost me $6.30. The room was nice, large and quiet. There were several pools, a lagoon with dolphins that you could pay $150 for 30 minutes and swim with them....no thanks again! The boys left to play golf, and Misty got the car from the valet parking and drove us to the shopping areas at the entrance to the resort. We bought souvenirs, and both of us had to get an extra rolling duffle to be able to get them all home~checked one bag for the family going over there, but 3 of them coming back!! The girls had lunch out at the Lava Lava restaurant, and it was one of the best meals I had there: ribs that were so tasty and tender, fries, and a cole slaw with horseradish that was fantastic!! The afternoon was spent at one of the pools, as it was a little overcast and not really hot, so we enjoyed several hours there getting in the water, and having drinks served to us at poolside.
That evening was dinner out alone for Misty and Jonathan, so Sharon and I took the kids and got carryout pizzas and sodas, back to the room to pig-out. I risked the gluten in the pizza crust, and it was a huge mistake. By 4:00 a.m. I was horribly sick, for a couple of hours, and have decided regular pizza is a no-no for me from now on. Just not worth the price physically.... plus, it nearly made me sick to pay $45 for two 12 inch pizzas, and then later almost $30 for two Klondike bars and two pints of Ben and Jerry's for the kids. YIKES! We watched America's Funniest Videos and laughed ourselves silly. We all got along really well on this trip, and it was so nice. In bed by 10:00, to get ready to leave the Big Island the next afternoon.
Monday, July 15
Sick, sick, sick from that pizza crust. Miserable night. Medicine finally began to help some. We dressed in our Hawaiian clothes we had bought and walked down to the beach for some family photos. Some of us went to the pool, others relaxed and packed up to leave that afternoon to go back to Oahu, so we could fly home from Honolulu on the 16th.
The flight between islands was smooth as silk. We could see the other islands this time as we passed over them. They were on the wrong side of the plane coming into there. We couldn't get back in to the Embassy Suites.....booo. We were at the Hilton, which had no breakfast again. The room was okay, but the wall between it and the bathroom had two long windows in it, and the light shone through even with the blinds closed. Made for a long night, trying to sleep with the light behind me and not in front of me. The street was very noisy, even though we were on the 9th floor, which I hated. I am no good with high places, at all. I don't even like the second story on a house!
Once back in Honolulu, we walked to the Tiki Bar and Restaurant for dinner. GREAT food, I had prime rib. The negative was the very large family behind us, who let all 8 kids sit together alone at one table while the drinking adults were at another one. I never saw such ill behaved kids, up and down all over the place, yelling and laughing really loudly. They finally left but not until a table full of young, drunk Asians sat on the other side of us. It was sad to have such a great meal clouded by this poor behavior. Dead tired, back in bed by 10:00, ready to leave tomorrow to come HOME!!!
Tuesday, July 16
They say all good things must come to an end, and so it was with our vacation of a lifetime. We checked out at noon, left our bags in storage at the hotel and shopped and ate until our cab to the airport arrived at 4:00. Got through the check-in process, boarded and off by 7:30 p.m. Pacific time. We had three rows of two seats on a 777, and boy howdy, is that a big plane! Still cramped and uncomfortable, but big! There were 5 infants on board this time, but they were all very good, and made almost no noise. The engine was close to my window so that was noisy, and they had a big screen TV playing movies all night long, so the flicker of the screen was a nuisance, but I was on my way home and it didn't matter!! Eight and a half hours later we landed at Chicago for a short layover and plane change to a teensy little hopper, and after a total of 13 hours from leaving Honolulu we were back at Misty's and so happy to be finished with plane rides! We all fought sleep and stayed up until 9:00 but just couldn't push it further, and 12 hrs later I crawled out of bed to make the drive back to Barnwell.
It still doesn't seem real, that we actually were in Hawaii. It is beautiful, exotic, full of wondrous sights that I never dreamed of seeing: steaming volcano craters, clouds below where I stood, sea turtles, black sand beaches, flowers of beauty that is impossible to describe, a rain forest, a sky so full of stars there was very little blackness, moonscapes made of black lava, and just a paradise all around us. I am so grateful to Misty and Jonathan for being so loving and generous, to make this trip possible for me and including me in their special 40th birthday celebration. I am so blessed!
To those of you who have trekked along with me here, as they say in the islands, "Mahalo" (thank you) and Aloha!
