On the 12th of May I left for Hawaii. After several attempts to make the trip in the last year and a half, each time being canceled, this time it finally happened. The funny thing is that leading up to the trip I had a bit of anxiety, not the visiting of Hawaii itself, but worry that the trip would be canceled once more. So I didn't do any research, which is out of character for me. Briefly looked up a couple tours and the Polynesian Cultural Center, and then quickly closed those webpages, not to return. Usually I have everything figured out, down to what restaurants are available and so forth, so not having that knowledge was causing it's own stress. Silly! I know. But I like knowing what to expect. Going with the flow with no previous knowledge is a huge act of faith.
So I arrive at the airport, departure slated for 11:40 am... and the flight was delayed several times. The first time was due to engine problems that needed repairing, and then all the tests that followed. Around 2 pm Delta gave a $15 food credit to everyone, so my Mom and I ate at the White Horse restaurant, right across from the gate, so I was able to monitor what was happening. Honestly, that food was one of the highlight meals of the whole trip. All while eating the departure time was 3:30 pm, the moment my Mom and I left the restaurant the time jumped to 5:00 pm. I was worried the flight would be canceled over logistics. Maybe I am cursed when it comes to visiting Hawaii. Turns out that with the extra testing the repair crew found a fuel leak.
Honestly, I wasn't upset with the flight delays, I'm just glad we were safe and the flight was smooth. I just hope that those who missed connecting flights were okay.
But after sunset I finally made it to Hawaii!! Dazzled and amazed at the lit up skyline. The beautiful island of O'ahu, the city of Honolulu, right next to Waikiki beach.
The trip was amazing, really. There were good weather days and rainy days. We scheduled a Luau on the beach for that Wednesday, but three days before the event (the cut off for refunds), I looked at the weather and saw that it was predicting rain, so we canceled the beach Luau, and another Luau that Sunday evening at a water park was scheduled, bus pick up in a few hours. Chief's Luau is known for their fire dancing. The Luau was fun and the fire portion was amazing.
Did the hop on hop off trolley, all three routes. A tour around the island. Swam a little in the ocean. And the night my Mom and I would have visited the beach luau it did rain, a lot, so it's good we canceled.
McDonald's has a secret menu item called Saimin, which is Ramen. It's a very required taste type meal, fishy in smell, and I couldn't finish the soup. It was fun trying Ramen at McDonald's. (Just had a flashback to when McDonald's served pizza in the 80's/90's. That was awesome). The Waikiki McDonald's also has a coconut pie fried the old fashioned way that is on the menu and called Haupia Pie. It was nice and creamy.
Oh, kinda silly, I guess they're all over Hawaii, but I fell in Love with the ABC Store, which is literally on every corner, three in our hotel alone, and the joke is the ABC stands for All Blocks Covered. But the store is part convenience store, part souvenir shop. The bottled water was affordable, $1.40 for 1.5 liters. And I had several Ham and Cheese/Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches that week.
The food prices in Waikiki are so crazy they make Disneyland feel like a bargain, and the Cheesecake Factory feel reasonably priced. The Luau's on the island are also really expensive. The ABC store was a convenient relief for a quick, cheap meal. There are a lot of food courts and food options scattered about, fast food and various Asian restaurants, chain restaurants and local specialties, so there's a lot of choices. I did like that ham and cheese sandwich.
these cute little birds kept visiting our room. They would fly up and down, and on our last day one was brave enough to come into our room. I told it we didn't have food, and it flew off, but I'd like to think it was saying goodbye. That's one thing I loved about Waikiki, hearing all the different birds. There's this magnificent tree on the beach, and during the Wednesday rain storm they were all crowded and making the most lovely ruckus.
I have more to say, later, after I've gone through the photos and done some organizing. It was a nice trip. So happy it worked out. Last week went so fast! Too fast. (Time, slow down, please). We flew the red eye back on Thursday, landing Friday morning. It's amazing how a simple four hour time difference can cause jet lag. I couldn't get to sleep last night until 3 am. 0_0 Heh, working on it.
Mahalo,
Sarah
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