Days 11, 12, and back home

We had quite a storm on Friday night and Saturday morning. It rained pretty hard and blew deck furniture around last night, and, once we went out Saturday, we saw palm trees down and heard of power outages. Needless to say, the kayak rental company cancelled another full day of rentals (even though Saturday afternoon was very calm), and they are closed on Sundays, so our planned kayak rental is no longer possible. They cheerfully refunded our money. Another time, we'll have to rent a kayak and paddle to the 3 islands off Kailua: Popoia, Moku Nui, and Moku Iki.

So, Saturday morning, as the rest of the storm passed through, we lazed around watching Boiler Room on the 55-inch screen. Mid-day, we headed back to the Polynesian Cultural Center to visit the areas we missed on Day 2. That was worthwhile, as we missed 2 of the 6 "lands", and got a chance to paddle a simulated dugout canoe.

From there, we drove the rest of the way to Kuilima Cove and had a quick snorkel around as the sun went behind Turtle Bay Resort. It was dinnertime on Valentine's Day, we didn't have reservations anywhere, and it was a long drive back to our condo, so we just stopped at a grocery store, picked up deli food, and then sat on the beach at Hukilau Park (in the dark) to eat it.

We took a couple of wrong turns on the way back (Jeff blames the car's GPS), but we were in no hurry.

Sunday morning, we got up early, packed up, and headed to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. Parking and entry were free, but we both sprung for the $7.50 audio tour to get more out of it. The tour was very good. We finished just after noon, and drove into Waikiki.

We had a bit of a lunch packed, so we stopped on Magic Island and ate it, while we watched the crowds. It was easily 5-10 times busier as it was a week prior ... probably because of the President's Day holiday coming up the next day (Monday).

From there, we drove to the Honolulu Zoo. We didn't go in, but, instead, wandered around Sans Souci Park where there was a festival (International ?), a band was playing (the Royal Hawaiian Band?), and vendors were selling their wares. Jeff finally got his "shave ice" from one of those vendors. Kate and Jeff walked the Waikiki Beach until it was time to return the car. We returned it well before 5PM, then walked back into the heart of Waikiki. We had difficulty finding a suitable place for dinner, so we just had a bite at the food fair behind the Pink Hotel.

From there, we walked up to Kalakaua and got a #19 bus that took us right to the airport. The second half of the 50-minute bus ride was filled with stories from an eccentric guy who took the US Government to court over the annexing of Hawaii. Needless to say, he is now having a difficult time traveling out-of-country.

We arrived at the airport very early for our flight, so we had a drink each (US$32+$3tip=US$35?!) before checking in. The flight was smooth ... Kate slept through it, but Jeff's sleep was disturbed by the two beverage services at 2AM and 4AM. The connection in YVR nearly didn't happen because 1. our flight was a bit late, 2. WestJet requires you to go out and back in through security, so we had to wade through a 30-minute lineup at security, then 3. had to wait while our duty-free bags were unsealed, scanned, and re-sealed.

We just made our flight ... Gord was there to pick us up at the airport ... and we wrapped up with breakfast at Smitty's in Sidney. Once home, Jeff crashed for a 5-hour nap. He was a bit sleep-deprived with the red-eye flight, the time change, and the storm that kept him up on the Friday night. Back to work tomorrow (Tuesday)!

Days 8, 9, 10

We packed and were out of our place in the Ilikai by 11AM. Kate waited in the lobby while Jeff went and picked up the car.

Nice car! We like our rented convertible Smart Car. It is small, efficient, peppy, and comes with GPS and soft top.

Our only beefs about our Smart Car:
It shifts like an old man, taking nearly 2 seconds per shift, whether you use it in automatic, or manual (paddle shifters)
You feel every bump ... Some of them being very harsh
It has a lot of wind noise, especially over 60mph.
Wind does push it around quite a bit.

Otherwise, it is good. We have literally been to all 4 corners of Oahu on one tank of gas.

From Waikiki, we drove the Round Top Loop, and had some spectacular views of Waikiki, Honolulu Airport, and Pearl Harbor. We drove to Waialua (north shore) and stopped for coffee/yoghurt (Kate) and lemonade/muffin (Jeff). Our next stop was Turtle Bay Resort where we checked out the beach. We plan to be back, so when the rain started, we continued on our way.

We drove through to Kailua, where we stopped for groceries. We found our vacation rental easy enough.

The rental is great! It is a large (nearly 800 sq ft), no-expenses-spared, top floor of a house and the end of a cul-de-sac. The rental floor is ENTIRELY marble. The bed is "Comfortaire" (adjustable softness). There is a full (except for stove/oven) kitchen, bathroom, walk-in closet, and 55-inch TV. The view out the back is mostly trees, but you can see Mount Olomana. The view out the front is mostly subdivision, but you can see Ka'Elepulu Pond, the Ocean, and Popoia Island. We have our own deck. There is one other unit. The pool, pagoda, weight room, are shared. It's only 5 or 10 minutes' drive to the town or the beach.

We cooked brown rice, ahi, and broccoli for dinner.

Thursday, we drove a mile or two, and started our hike up Mount Olomana (1000 ft). There are three peaks: we hiked up the first two. On our way back over the first peak, we stopped and ate our packed lunch. We saw fewer than 2 dozen YOUNG people on the entire hike. When we got back down, we went to the beach (Kailua Beach Park). We swam, then Kate read while Jeff wandered around the park. We were offered 2 kayaks for $20 (4:30-6:00PM), but we had already planned to kayak the next morning.

We drove into Kailua town, looking for the authentic Hawaiian restaurant we had read about. What we found was a Thursday-night market that had many local foods: burgers, Thai, sushi, baking, lemonade, desserts, chocolates, etc. So we bought our dinner (Tempura for Kate, burger for Jeff, and shared lemonade and chocolate-covered frozen apple-banana). We walked around a bit more, and went back to the rental.

We booked a kayak rental online for 8AM Friday morning.

Friday morning, we drove into Kailua to get our rental. When we arrived, they told us they canceled rentals for the whole day due to an approaching storm. So, instead, we drove all the way from our rental (South-East) to Ka'ena (North-West). The traffic was very slow through the edge of Waikiki, but otherwise the drive was very enjoyable. Along the way, we meandered our Smart Car around "Ko Olina", where Marriot and Disney have resorts.

We parked on the edge of Ka'ena Park, and walked the 5 KM to the point and back. It was threatening to rain for most of the walk, but it only rained twice ... And only a minute or two each time ... Just long enough for us to get on our rain jackets and pack covers. The rugged shoreline was very cool. Lots of big waves, right next to towering mountains, with just enough space between for people to walk. One guy figured he could drive his highly-customized Jeep Wrangler Rubicon in there, but I'm sure he was sadly mistaken.

At the point, we saw many nesting Laysan Albatross, three Monk Seals, and some incredible wind and waves. That's where we stopped to eat our packed lunch.

As we drove back down the West (Windward) Coast, we talked about stopping at Pearl Harbor. We missed the turnoff, and got stuck in a huge traffic snarl. It was late Friday afternoon before a (local) 3-day weekend, but even then, the folks on the radio were saying this was a bigger traffic snafu than usual. After an hour in traffic, we gave up and drove back to Kailua. We picked up pork chops for dinner and a Mr. Goodbar for dessert. They went well with the Barringer Brothers Pino Grigio, brown rice, and broccoli we already had. Before we ate dinner, Jeff (briefly) hit the weight room, the pool, and the shower.

Kate curled up with a movie ("Born Into Brothels"), while Jeff blogged.

Tomorrow morning, we're hoping we can kayak to Popoia and back, although it is still very windy outside. Then maybe we'll head up to Laie to re-visit the Polynesian Cultural Center and do some snorkeling by Turtle Bay Resort. It will be Valentine's Day, so we plan to dine out for dinner. Tomorrow is our last full day, as we fly out late Sunday night.

Day 7

A bit of a slower day today. Slept in and went for breakfast at Cinnamon's on the main floor of the Ilikai. There, we bumped into Catharine and Chris, who are headed home today. They showed us their room at the Ilikai Marina, where we said our goodbyes. From there, Kate and Jeff walked (nearly) a full loop of Ala Moana park, then went back to Ala Moana mall. There, we picked up some souvenirs, and had lunch in the Food Fair.

We walked back to the hotel for reading and 3PM drinks. The afternoon sun is just starting to hit our deck, so we may just head down to the beach.

We meant to go to Pearl Harbor today, but the option didn't grab us. We felt like taking a slow day. Peggy and Wade took the 2 hour bus ride (each way) to the North Shore to watch surfing today. We're planning to go to a restaurant called Shorebirds tonight ... a place Catharine and Chris went to twice in the past 3 days.

A note about the weather. It has been fabulous. The only rain we got was a bit on our way to the PCC on Thursday. It has been forecast here for the past few days, but we haven't seen any at all. It was windy for Thu/Fri ... that's why our scuba was postponed. Otherwise, temps in the mid-to-upper 20s and scattered clouds.

Jeff got a bit of a burn Monday at Hanauma Bay ... mostly the back of his neck and back of his legs while snorkeling. It has faded today, and no problems sleeping. :-)

Tomorrow we pick up our rental car and meander our way to our condo in Kailua.

Days 5 and 6

As planned, we were served Eggs Benedict by Peggy and Wade in the morning. After that, we walked up to the Ala Moana mall and split up to wander around the shops. We met up at the food fair at 12:15 and had lunch together. From there, we had just enough time to walk back to the room, change for scuba, and whiz down to the meeting spot. Peggy went to the hotel and hung around that area, Wade walked straight to the meeting spot, while Kate and Jeff walked to the room, changed, and were lucky to grab a bus to the marina.

It took about half an hour to gear up and run through some underwater sign language. There were 3 staff and 6 divers: Tom (captain), Erik (main contact and dive leader), Dom (backup dive leader), Travis and Stacey (first timers), Jason (talkative Coast Guard guy), Wade, Kate, and Jeff. We pulled out of the marina and buzzed down to Turtle Canyon ... Straight offshore from the hotel. That dive was in 25-35 feet of water and lasted around 20 minutes. We saw 4 turtles and a variety of fish. Kate had some ear issues, but otherwise it went very smoothly. We shifted to a spot closer to the marina for the second dive, which was in 40-50 feet of water and also lasted around 20 minutes. It was called Horseshoe and we saw 4 small sharks, a bunch more fish, and handled an urchin.

By the end of the scuba excursion, we felt so good about the staff and the dives that we discussed coming back for a "wreck" dive before we headed home (in a week).

We wandered back to the room, and Wade went most of the way listening to a very talkative member of our dive group, Jason.

We went our separate ways for dinner ... Kate and Jeff went to Cheeseburger Waikiki and had special drinks (Double Trouble and Blue Hawaii) and special meals (Ahi Salad and Hawaiian Chicken Burger).

Monday morning, we got up early, met in the lobby at 7:30, and got the 8AM bus to Hanauma Bay. After a quick orientation movie and walk down the hill, we picked a spot at the far end of the beach that had some shade. Kate and Jeff went out snorkeling, then Wade and Jeff, then Kate and Jeff again. There were quite a few fish, but very little else.

On the way back to Waikiki, Kate and Jeff hopped off and picked up something for dinner: sushi. We gathered for dinner at Kate and Jeff's and finished off with Macadamia Nut Ice Cream. Lots of chatting until around 10PM.

Days 3 and 4

Didn't go far Friday because there was still a chance for scuba diving in the afternoon.

We wandered down to the far end of Waikiki Beach and stopped near the Honolulu Zoo. Lied on the beach for a bit. Jeff and Kate took turns snorkeling for a bit. Grabbed some free wifi from the Starbucks there ... heard that scuba was off for Fri/Sat.

Wandered back to the hotel and sat by the pool for a bit. Dinner was home-made tacos ... made by Wade.

We figured, since there was no chance of scuba, that we would visit the Farmer's Market and Diamond Head on Saturday. We started by walking up to 7Eleven to buy our bus passes. They were out, but a nearby AND had them. We grabbed the next bus going to the Zoo, and got off to wait for the next one going to Diamond Head. It came 8 minutes later, but it was too full to take us. The next one after that wasn't due for 35 minutes, and we knew we could walk it in that time, so we did.

We stopped at the Farmer's Market before heading up the hill, because the Market closed at 11AM. Prices were just as crazy there as everywhere else: $7 for a slice of pizza and $5 for most drinks. From there, we headed into the crater, via the tunnel. We paid our $1 and walked up to the summit. It was an easy walk, and not too hot, considering it was mid-day. The view was great.

After walking down, the first bus we saw was a #8. We depended upon my bad memory that #8 went through Waikiki ... It didn't. We ended up walking 2.3km back to the hotel, through some seedy parts of town. Kate and I each grabbed an ice-cream to repay ourselves for a big walking day.

Kate and Peggy went down to the beach, while Wade and I each hung out in our respective rooms. Jeff zonked out for an hour or two. At 5PM, we ALL met in the lobby: Peggy, Wade, Catharine, Chris, Dane, Kate, and I. We had 3 potential restaurants for dinner, but we couldn't decide upon one. We ended up walking quite a ways to Dukes, then waiting until the band quit at 6PM to get a table.

After that, it was quite a bit smoother. We had great drinks, a great dinner, and a great walk back along Waikiki. We said goodbye to Catharine, Chris, and Dane in the lobby (they are back at their original resort). Peggy and Wade socialized on our Lanai for most of an hour before heading home.

Jeff flicked channels while Kate zonked out.

Tomorrow is planned as:
- 9AM breakfast (eggs benedict) at Peggy and Wade's
- 10AM at Ala Moana shopping mall
- Noon lunch somewhere
- 2-5PM scuba

Days 1 and 2

Third time writing this. Maybe it's time for a new tablet. :-(

The first two days of our trip were a bit of a blur.

Up and out the door by 7AM. Drop Tiggin at "daycare" at 7:15AM. Met brother Gord at Mom and Dad's at 8:15AM.

It was so nice to get shuttled to the airport so efficiently ... thanks, Gord!

Through self check-in and security, and to the gate before 9AM.

Met Catharine, Chris, and Dane there at the gate. Kate works with Catharine, and we knew they just happened to be on the same flight and "practically" the same hotel as us. Chris is her husband who does IT work at Pacific Christian, and Dane is there (about) 16-year-old son.

The flight lifted off 10 minutes late (9:55AM) and lost another 10 minutes due to a headwind. Not bad for a 6 hour flight.

When we arrived, there was no sign of our shuttle OR Peggy and Wade. After 10-15 minutes, I called the shuttle ... and they showed up 2 minutes later. We looked around for Peggy and Wade for a few minutes, but gave up and moved on.

* Normally, I would have made every effort to connect with travel mates, but
- initially, they thought they would arrive 30 minutes ahead of us, and they were going to get the bus without us
- a day or so before the flight, we noticed we were due to arrive within 10 minutes of each other, so we decided to try to share the shuttle
- we had Peggy's number, but no SIM card that we were willing and ready to use

Now, I had bought a SIM card on our way to Peru, specifically for traveling, but hadn't used it yet. Later that night, I went to activate it, but found that I had to unlock my phone first, which can take 1 to 3 days. I took the first step on Wednesday night, and finished it on Thursday night.

*** Our "travel" phone number, for talk and text, is 209-774-7621 ***

We moved into our room at the Ilikai. Nice place! You can feel the history. I get glimpses (around the hotel) that remind me of the original Hawaii 5-0, and others (of the harbor we look out at) that remind me of Gilligan's Island (part of the opening credits).

We were just heading down 1 floor to Peggy and Wade's room when we met them in the hall! They were glad we didn't wait for them as they were just as confused at the airport, so they just hopped on the bus.

The bus system on Oahu is fantastic, BTW. (We haven't used it ourselves yet, but we plan to in the next day or two.) It goes everywhere on the Island, and for just $2.50!

We had a brief walk around Hilton's Lagoon, and stopped for dinner at Tropics (http://www.hiltonhawaiianvillage.com/dining/tropics-bar-and-grill) ... a restaurant on the ground floor of the Hilton. Peggy and Wade each had a beer and shared a burger. Kate and I each had a special drink (Banana Daquiri and Diamond Ice) and shared an appy sampler (ahi poke ... Hawaiian sushi) and a pizza (chicken mushroom). On our way back, we picked up rum, Pina Colada mix, and ice, and socialized at their place.

Day 2 ... was entirely taken up with the Polynesian Cultural Center. I picked up some groceries across the street at the ABC, and we had breakfast. The PCC bus picked us up out front of our hotel at 8:05AM. By 8:45, we had picked up a full busload and we headed up the Island. Our driver, Ehele (he asked us to call him Henry), was a hoot. He didn't stop talking from the time he picked us up, until the time he dropped us off at the PCC at nearly 1:30PM. Our only disappointment about the trip up was that the stops were very brief. Our visit to the "Dole Plantation" was less than 20 minutes, so we barely got a glimpse.

There were no disappointments about the PCC. Lots of food and shopping options on your way in and your way out. Lots to see inside: 6 "countries", a 14-minute IMAX show, a Canoe Show, a fantastic luau, and an even more fantastic evening show. We only got a chance to see 4 of the 6 countries, but our ticket entitles us to return over the next week or two to see the remaining areas. I would recommend this tour to ANYONE.

Thankfully, Henry didn't talk on the way back, except for that first and last few minutes.

We did (nearly) the whole thing with Catharine/Chris/Dane. When we met them at the bus in the morning, they told us how they complained about the smoky smell in their room, and so got moved to the 5th floor of our building. It sounds like a nice upgrade for them!

When we got back, we had heard from Oahu Diving that our dive may get postponed due to weather. They hadn't gone out for 3 days, and tomorrow wasn't looking good either. I wrote back to say we were good with postponing. It would actually be nice to have more than a half-day breather.