Sorry for the delay...lack of internet most of the week really put a hamper on our blogging...
Here are our updates so far! Enjoy!
Here are our updates so far! Enjoy!
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February 12, 2010
And we're off…finally en route to Hawaii Hawaii
Took a comfortable 5.5 hr Jet Blue flight to LAX. Gotta love plenty of leg room and the TVs were perfect for watching the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver…although I honestly can't remember half of it because I was in and out of sleep.
Arrived at LAX around 10:30-11pm, and caught a shuttle to Travelodge at the airport for about 5 hrs. of sleep before our morning flight. Hotel was a bit shady, esp. out back where our room was, but the room was clean enough and convenient for our short stopover.
February 13, 2010
Up early this morning to catch a 7:50am American Airlines flight to Honolulu California
Arrived in Honolulu around noon, and pulled up to Waikiki Beach
The Marriott Waikiki was worth the check-in wait. Located towards the end of Waikiki, it was the perfect spot…slightly less busy, lots of quick food options and shops, a Catholic Church next door…and of course Waikiki Beach across the street. (The only down side…expensive garage parking because street parking was hard to come by at night.) Think we might have received an upgrade because we could still see the ocean from our "city view" room. Wish we were staying here longer because it was a beautiful place!
As we quickly learned, Oahu is a popular destination for families (esp. from the West Coast) and Japanese tourists. In fact, the many signs, menus, and travel brochures even come in Japanese!
Decided to hike Diamond Head this afternoon. It was just the short hike we needed after sitting on the airplane. Felt like we were on a Stair Master climbing the approximately 99 stairs on the final assent to the top, but the view was certainly worth it! Out on the ocean we could just barely make out some whales. Looking back towards the center of the island we saw our first rainbow. The view of the crater and Waikiki were also nice. Saw some very interesting birds on the way down, too, including a few Brazilian cardinals (black with red head). Our friend Terri from Tavalo would have loved these birds!
We made it back to Waikiki just in time to catch the beautiful sunset. Found a free hula show right on the beach at sunset. Got to see some men, women, and children perform older and modern hula dances. Very neat! For dinner, we took Jess' suggestion and walked down to Duke's. We were so hungry that even I was psyched when we heard they had a salad bar. Macaroni salad and purple taro rolls were delicious. In fact everything we ordered was great including the teri chicken, swordfish, and especially the macadamia ice cream pie! Happy ending to our first day!
February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day!
Beat the sun up today to attend the 6:30am Mass next door at St. Augustine Mass. Honolulu
Our next stop was Pearl Harbor . Not exactly a romantic Valentine's date spot, but a moving take. The Visitor's Center was under construction so we couldn't see everything on the audio tour. However, the video before heading out to the USS Arizona set the scene pretty well, and gave a good background of what it was like here on Dec. 7, 1941. Out at the USS Arizona memorial it was even more real as we watched the oil slick hovering over the sunken ship beneath us…A very sad sight. Couldn't help but think that it must be that much more moving for someone who is old enough to remember that day. Must be similar to seeing Ground Zero having been old enough to remember 9/11. On another note, today we decided to purchase a National Parks Passport book so we can start collecting stamps. Pearl Harbor was our first!
Decided to grab a quick lunch after Pearl Harbor . After seeing Zippy's on every corner, we were intrigued enough to try it. Bad choice…it was really just a Hawaiian fast food chain. Drove out to Dole Plantation next where we climbed aboard the Pineapple Express with every 0-5 year old on the island! Who knew that pineapples are grown in black plastic bags of mulch/red dirt, and that Dole was from Boston
From Dole we continued driving towards the North Shore Hale'iwa
Continued driving to check out the North Shore Waimea Bay Sunset Beach
Today is the start of the Lunar New Year so we thought we might catch some festivities in Honolulu 's Chinatown …not so much. It was a little shady there and the only people out were several homeless people. Sadly, there seems to be a lot of homeless people around Honolulu on streets, in parks and on Waikiki Beach
Disappointed by the lack of activity in the downtown area, we chose to ring in the Lunar New Year at P.F. Chang's instead…clearly very authentic!
February 15, 2009
Another early morning. Our last day in Oahu and still so much we wanted to see. Tried catching the sunrise but didn't quite make it to the beach in time. Stopped at an overlook for an incredible view on the way at Pali Lookout. Mark Twain called this view one of the most beautiful in the world, and we'd have to agree…especially with the incredible rainbow we saw there!
This morning we decided to explore Lanikai Beach in East Oahu . Located in a residential neighborhood, the beach was very quaint, calm, and a great spot for breakfast! Would have stayed longer in this area, but we didn't have the time.
The drive from Lanikai to Hanauma Bay Gulf of Mexico . Joe went in and snorkeled around the reef trying out our new waterproof camera bag. Captured some neat fish including a few gray and black striped fish, one with a bright blue back, and a blue and orange, a snake like and a speckled fish. Think we saw a mongoose in the parking lot as well!
We were supposed to check out at 11am, but somehow we finagled 3 extra hours and didn't get charged for it. I think they thought we were on our Honeymoon. The afternoon was an adrenaline rush as we grabbed a few souvenirs, some Waikiki sand, and for me…another Chicken Pesto sandwich on our way to the airport. Hated to leave Oahu . Everyone always says the other islands are better, but there was just something about this island that felt very Hawaiian. Not sure if it was the ukele music, people walking around with leis, the diverse landscape with craters, beaches, big waves, and green mountains…but it was somehow everything I pictured Hawaii
Decided on a 4:50pm flight to Kauai so it would still be daylight and we could get a good view of the islands. The sun has been setting around 6:30 so there was still plenty of daylight. Joe had a blast taking pics of the islands during the 30 min. flight. He even saw a whale jump just before landing in Kauai . I, on the other hand, hated every minute of the flight. The plane was plenty big, but I just couldn't relax. I think I thought I was on a prop even though we clearly were not.
After the flight, we picked up Joe's guilty pleasure…a red, soft-top Jeep Wrangler and drove the 50 min. drive from Lihue to Princeville on the North Shore
February 16, 2010
Woke up at the The Cliffs this morning and finally got a good look at where we are staying now that it is daylight. The Cliffs, in fact the whole Princeville area, is a resort town with low rise condos/timeshares built overlooking the water and at least one golf course. It seems to be very much a planned resort town that almost reminds me of Marco. As for the crowd…definitely a mix of senior citizens and lots of couples.
Looked like a beautiful day when we got up. The weather has been in the 70s during the day most of our trip, with some breezy and lower temps in the morning and late afternoon. Wanted to check out Queen's Bath
Met up with the Poles fam for breakfast down the street from our condo. Jess mentioned pancakes with macadamia nut sauce and they seemed to be popular here, so we gave them a try. They were decent, but I don't know that I would order them all the time. Breakfast as a whole was not much to write home about. The overpriced, bland food just doesn't compare to Emma's.
After lots of sightseeing, we were really hoping for a relaxing at the North Shore beaches so we headed to Hanalei Bay Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda . This was far from it. Maybe we hit it on a bad day, but it was incredibly windy, the bay was not flat calm, and dark clouds and brief showers rolled in within an hour of our arrival. We scrambled to pack up our things and ended up eating our beach lunch at the Cliffs Pool instead.
The sun never really came back out today so we embarked on a trip down Highway 56 hunting for waterfalls. It rained a bit on our way, but that turned out to be a good thing because rainbows kept popping up all over the place. Wailua Falls Michigan
It was just about sunset by the time we left to find Opaeka'a Falls. We didn't really get a great view when we found it because it was too dark. Returned to Princeville instead to grill up some burgers for dinner.
February 17, 2010
Might have been our earliest morning yet! Today Dave, Marisa, Joe and I booked a Na' Pali Coast
The weather was cloudy and breezy the rest of the day. Met Cathy, John, and Luke at Kauai Coffee Company for a self guided tour. Rows of coffee plants were everywhere we looked. The company has a free tasting station with many flavors and roasts. As you can imagine, Mr. John and Joe were in seventh heaven! I tried a few sips, but didn't really like any of it…except for some chocolate covered coffee beans!
It was nearly 4pm by the time we finished at the coffee plantation, and it was still cloudy. Since we were in the area, we stopped to see the Spouting Horn (water coming through lava rocks that looks like a whale spouting water) and Poipu Beach
February 18, 2010
Woke up early again this morning to get an early start on our much anticipated Na'Pali Coast hike. Dave, Joe and I drove to the trailhead of the Kalalau Trail at Ke'e Beach, and we were on our way by 8:15am. It was a beautiful morning…not too hot, not too cold. The first 2 miles of the 11 mile trail lead through the tropical forest and snaked in and out, up and down the cliffs. We got some beautiful views of the Na'Pali coastline, the blue Pacific water, and the powerful waves crashing on the shore below. This part of the trail is decently wide, and well maintained because so many people hike this section. The climb was not too steep, but definitely a bit wet and muddy in places. (In fact, it sprinkled for about 5-10 min. at one point.) Our sneakers will probably forever have red dirt engrained in them! After about 2 miles and 1 hr. and 15 minutes of hiking, we crossed a stream and reached Hanakapi'ai Beach. We could have made it faster, but we stopped for many pictures, and to take in the view. The waves were pounding in on the shore, and the beach that has sand on it in the winter, was just a field of boulders instead. This is definitely not a place for people to swim, but it was a great place for a snack break and bathroom break at a funny outhouse.
From here, we decided to hike another 2 miles into the Hanakapi'ai Valley. The trail here was not as well kept, much narrower in places and had us climbing over rocks and fallen limb at times. Fortunately there were also black nuts or pits of some fruit that had fallen on the trail that provided good traction. The first half mile was neat as we walked past tall bamboo trees. We were trying to categorize what type of ecosystem we were in, and decided that maybe this would be considered a tropical forest of sorts. For the next 1.5 miles we followed the river and crossed it several times on slippery rocks above the strong currents…a little nerve racking at times. The last mile of the hike was probably the hardest in that we were crouching down on our hands climbing up and down wet, slippery rocks. It was not challenging in a vertical sense, but more so in that you had to think about where you were stepping so you didn't slip and fall. The hike was worth it, though when the 300 ft. Hanakapi'ai Falls came into view. After about 1 hour and 20 minutes, we were able to climb right to the base of the waterfall where we stopped for plenty of pictures and lunch. Some people did swim here, but they looked like they were freezing, so we didn't try.
We estimated that the return hike would be about 3 hours with stops for pictures, and another short break at Hanakapi'ai Beach. We were right on. The return trip was uneventful except for a dead pig or dog sighting just before the beach. There were definitely a lot more people on the trails this afternoon. We met a few people who were going to and coming from overnight hikes to the end of the Kalalau Trail. Maybe someday we'll return for this longer excursion because it really was a beautiful hike.
After our 8 mile hike, we ended the day at Ke'e Beach where we had parked the car this morning. The beach was too rough for swimming, but it was a great place to walk along the water with the Na'Pali coastline in view. Scouted out some other beaches on the way back to Princeville, and returned to the condo for leftovers. Joe and I decided to check out the hot tub tonight to soothe our mildly sore legs and feet. Excellent choice! Much different than Sunday River
February 19, 2010
Slept in a little later today, packed some macadamia nuts (my newly discovered tasty treat), and headed for Ke’e Beach with John & Cathy. On the drive there I was struck by just how green the landscape is here. The valleys and mountains are stunningly vibrant and the fields of taro look so pretty below the towering green peaks above. Unfortunately we got to Ke’e too late and couldn’t find any parking. Decided to try finding Tunnels instead, which we did find, but it was very windy and a bit rough. We ended up on the far side of Hanalei Bay Stopped for some shopping in Hanalei on the way back to Princeville, but didn’t find what we were looking for at the more upscale shops here. instead where we took a nap for a bit.
Tonight was our luau night so we had to give ourselves enough time to make the 1.5 hour drive to Kilohana Plantation. Joe and I stopped on the way to trade our Jeep Wrangler for a more secure car for our last day since we’ll need to store our luggage in the car. Pulled up at the luau in our Jeep Liberty and were greeted with leis at the door followed by an open bar. The luau featured a live band and dancers during the buffet dinner. Watched as the pig roast was pulled from a recreated ancient roasting pit under some tarps. Somehow I was not horrified. The band sang a Hawaiian blessing before dinner. Pulled pork was served in the buffet, but it must have last night’s pig because the meat was out before they processed tonight’s pig on the stage and through the dining area. Other items on the menu included salad, macaroni & potato salad, a curry ratatouille, chicken and more purple taro rolls. Tried the pork with a poi, a purple paste made from taro that is grown everywhere here. Wasn’t a huge fan. I do love the taro rolls, though…so much that I stuffed as many as I could into my purse! (Yes, I’m an old lady!) Dessert was upside-down pineapple cake, rice pudding and some other cakes. The theater portion of our luau lasted for about an hour after dessert. The cast presented an interpretation of the story of the early Hawaiians arriving in the islands from Tahiti. The show featured some traditional dances and a neat fire dancer who tossed and spun flames. Everyone enjoyed the night and the show. The only downside was that we felt rushed through dinner.
Stopped at Kmart on the way home to grab some souvenirs. I almost never shop there at home so it was probably the last place I would have thought of to go, but we were able to find good prices on some new postcards and magnets to add to our collection. When we returned to Princeville, we took on the daunting task of packing our suitcases to go home. Decided to send some sand samples home via USPS as they would be too heavy for our suitcases. Wish we didn’t have to leave tomorrow, but I guess all good things must come to an end.
February 20, 2010
Our last day in Hawaii…Had to get up early to fit in one more trip to the North Shore beaches. I wanted one more glimpse of the Na’Pali coast from Ke’e Beach so we drove the half hour or so there and had breakfast on the beach….taro roll of course! It was especially cloudy here and the entire beach was in the shade so we didn’t last long here. It’s still a beautiful beach, but I left wondering if it ever gets any direct sunlight.
Working our way back to the condo, we decided to try finding the elusive Lumaha’i Beach where scenes from South Pacific were supposedly filmed. The beach is hard to find, and we could see it on our drive up and down the road to the North Shore beaches but couldn’t figure out how to get there. We pulled off the road somewhere between mile marker 4 and 5 and saw a path that looked promising. A sign said “No Beach Access” and warned of a steep path down, but it didn’t look half as bad as some of the trail we hiked earlier on the Na’Pali so we went down anyway. Wish we had found this path sooner because sure enough it led to Lumaha’i. Besides some fishermen, we were the only ones there on this pretty beach. Unfortunately we could only stay long enough to get a few pictures proving that we found the place!
Following a quick breakfast with the Poles fam, we checked out of The Cliffs, dropped off our package and postcards, and headed south. Stopped at Duane’s Ono Charburger for lunch on the way. Got a great burger, onion rings, and a chocolate shake! John, Cathy, Marisa, Dave & Luke are off to Maui so they had to go to the airport after lunch. Hard to believe that the family vacation we had talked so much about for months was coming to end for us. Not sure where the time went…it just flew by!
Joe and I decided to stop in Kapa’a for some souvenirs at the town market. Then we made the 1.5 hour drive to Waimea Canyon, the so called Grand Canyon of the Pacific. The drive up to the canyon was very scenic with the canyon coming into view on the right and the coast leading to the Na’Pali on the left with the island of Nihue in the distance. From where we were, we could see the route our catamaran took earlier in the week. However, it looked a bit clearer and calmer today. The dirt got deeper red as we got higher and closer to the canyon. Stopped at several lookouts where we got a good look at Waimea Canyon. It was a pretty site…not as big or as beautiful as the Grand Canyon, but still impressive. Joe noted that there was not a big rushing river live the Colorado below. Wished we had time to hike, but we were already short on time. Drove into Koke’e State Park to the Kalalau Lookout. From here, we could see the Kalalau Valley and what we believe is the end of the Kalalau Trail that we hiked part of on Wednesday. We essentially drove nearly all the way around the island today, which the exception of the last 11 miles along the Na’Pali coast to Ke’e Beach. The sight was beautiful from here! We got so carried away exploring the canyon and park that we forgot that it would take us 1.5 hours to get back to Lihue! It was a bit of a rush as we raced against time to get back.
Booked dinner at Duke’s at the Marriott in Kauai since we enjoyed it so much in Waikiki. Unfortunately, our experience was not quite the same. The salad bar was disappointing (i.e. no macaroni salad or taro rolls), and our entry seemed mass-produced. The only thing that tasted the same was the delicious huli pie. Not sure if rushing through our meal contributed to our disappointment, but either way, guess we should have left Duke’s as a one time experience.
We were in hurry to get to the airport for our flight, but stopped long enough to talk to a pilot coming out of the Marriott at the same time as us. Thinking he might be our pilot, I started up a conversation with home only to find out he was with another airline. Good thing, too, because his final comment to us was more than a bit disturbing. When he asked us where we were going and we said LAX on American, he chuckled and said, “You’re going out behind us. Should be an interesting flight tonight…there’s a lot of turbulence out there.” When I said, “You shouldn’t have told us that” his response was, “I imagine you’ll going to find out sooner or later.” As if I needed that kind of encouragement…you can bet I was balling in the parking lot as we left the hotel for the airport! Despite downing some Ativan, I was still very much on edge as we boarded the packed plane.
The pilot we met couldn’t have been more right. After a relatively smooth takeoff and first half hour, the plane entered turbulent air and continued for the next four hours straight. I tried to shake it by striking up a conversation with a lady from Stockholm, Sweden who looked equally panic-sticken. She was very nice and we talked for a while about family and life in Sweden compared to the U.S., but we couldn’t ignore the fact that the plane kept shaking. The flight attendants made very few rounds and when asked if the flight was usually like this they assured us that nearly every recent flight they’d been on returning from Hawaii was “always bumpy” like this. Even Joe can attest to the fact that it was miserable and very unsettling. Not sure if being in and out of sleep and in the dark contributed to the increase in fear, but it certainly felt like a bad nightmare. Many prayers were said between the two of us, and I for one kept waiting for the big drop to happen like the infamous Delta flight we took home from Milan in April. Fortunately it never happened, and the last 30 minutes to LAX improved quite a bit.
Arrived at LAX around 5:15am on Sunday, and had a 2 hr. layover. Met a wacky high school principal from RI in the terminal who reminded me that vacation was nearly over and it was back to reality. The flight to Boston was just okay…cramped, a bit uncomfortable and turbulence for about 1.5 hours this . Although we were sad to leave Hawaii, we couldn’t have been happier to land safely in Boston. Hoping we can return to Hawaii some day for a more relaxing trip now that we have a good overview of the two islands and lots of places we want to revisit!
