(no subject)
For the holidays we went to Hawaii. Holly and the kids had never been, so we decided to go and stay with our friends Eileen and Brent. I also discovered my friend Brien and Angie were there too, though they were about to move to SF.
Our flight there was uneventful though picking up the rental car was a nightmare. We were at the end of the terminals and two full shuttle buses went by before we could barely make it onto a third. And then the scene at the agency was a madhouse even though we had a car already reserved.
Fortunately the beauty of Oahu made up for that. Our friends live on the windward side of the island so we immediately left the crush of Honolulu for the mountainous and scenic Pali Highway to get to Kailua. We immediately went to the beach after dropping our stuff off at Eileen's house. It was a little cloudy and the sun was setting over the mountains but it was clear Lanikai lived up to its reputation as one of the world's best beaches. The sand is actually crushed and powdered coral/sea creatures making it incredibly fine. The waves are extremely gentle and the water is at most five feet deep even sixty feet into the mild surf. Our host spotted a centipede crawling across the beach and warned us that the bite was incredibly painful, like dozens of bee stings at once. I hadn't known that. Journey of course immediately jumped at the centipede to inspect it more closely and we frantically yanked her away while Brent tossed the centipede into the bushes with some sticks. Yikes, that would have been a horrible start to the vacation. We went home and Brent fixed us a delicious pasta dinner.
Though fireworks are forbidden on Hawaii, the neighbors apparently had access to All The Fireworks and enthusiastically detonated them all night long, seeing as it was New Year's Eve. It was overwhelming, more fireworks than I've even seen at Chinese New Year festivals. We ushered in 2016 with a glass of Ardbeg and a well deserved night's sleep. Poor Holly was in miserable lower back pain though.
The next day, Friday, she went to get a massage and then we tried to go to the beach again, but it was still drizzly and cloudy. We did our best anyway and eventually the sun came out for about an hour straight. I think that night we went to CPK for dinner as a big group. On Saturday we had a late brunch at a place in Kailua then Holly saw a chiropractor which really helped a lot. We went to the beach again where it was still drizzly. Brent took me out on his Hobiecat. It's amazing to sail in Hawaii.
That night we went to a jazz club and saw/danced to a gypsy jazz band, then did some ridiculously fun karaoke at a bowling alley bar where we and a neighboring group egged each other on. We didn't go to bed until 2:30 am.
Sunday Brent and Eileen took us around the island, with our first stop being the Dole plantation to have some pineapple whip (yogurt with pineapple). Avalon reallllly wanted to ride the train but we denied her, and she had a spectacular meltdown (which of course she forgot entirely within a few hours). Then we headed to the North Shore where we walked on some volcanic rock beaches in search of sea turtles and tiny tide pool crabs and Journey fell and cut her legs so I piggybacked her back to the car. We drove a little more and saw the famed surf break Pipeline. There was actually a small competition there and a crowd of people on the beach watching. We didn't see too many epic rides but the waves were killer. We drove back along the windward side of the island mesmerized by the natural beauty there.
Monday we spent almost all day at the beach because it was gloriously sunny and warm. Journey was moaning that she was bored of the beach by now but at the beach there was a family with little girls about our girls' ages and they played as a quartet for HOURS. Avalon rolled around in the water as much as she possibly could. I sat in a deck chair and acquired a really dumb looking tan due to unevenly spread lotion. I think we made fish tacos that night.
Tuesday we went to the Bishop Museum which is a fascinating display of Hawaiian culture and history. There was an exhibit on Duke Kahanamoku who was the equivalent to Hawaii that Frankie was to Lindy Hop. And there was a temporary exhibit on https://www.worldofwearableart.com/ which featured unbelievable clothing. Journey got separated from us briefly when Holly went off to find a missing item and I had to take Avalon to the bathroom. Fortunately security managed to find her. We were going to babysit for Brent and Eileen that night but Eileen wasn't feeling well so we just had a night in.
Wednesday we went to the aquarium in Waikiki which was really small but enjoyable. For lunch we waited in a long line to get into Marukame Udon but it was worth it; cheap and incredibly tasty noodles and tempura. I was starting to feel not so good so we went home and just relaxed.
That night I had a terrible fever and cough. Brent and Brien caught five fish while spearfishing off the Mokes so they came home and cooked them up, though I could barely eat anything much less taste it. The flight home was horrible for me; my ears wouldn't pop. The kids played with Leilani every moment possible though Leilani, who is super polite, seemed to get a little tired of them after a while. (I don't blame her one bit!)
A memorable trip filled with unbelievable natural scenery and absurd amounts of time at the beach.
Our flight there was uneventful though picking up the rental car was a nightmare. We were at the end of the terminals and two full shuttle buses went by before we could barely make it onto a third. And then the scene at the agency was a madhouse even though we had a car already reserved.
Fortunately the beauty of Oahu made up for that. Our friends live on the windward side of the island so we immediately left the crush of Honolulu for the mountainous and scenic Pali Highway to get to Kailua. We immediately went to the beach after dropping our stuff off at Eileen's house. It was a little cloudy and the sun was setting over the mountains but it was clear Lanikai lived up to its reputation as one of the world's best beaches. The sand is actually crushed and powdered coral/sea creatures making it incredibly fine. The waves are extremely gentle and the water is at most five feet deep even sixty feet into the mild surf. Our host spotted a centipede crawling across the beach and warned us that the bite was incredibly painful, like dozens of bee stings at once. I hadn't known that. Journey of course immediately jumped at the centipede to inspect it more closely and we frantically yanked her away while Brent tossed the centipede into the bushes with some sticks. Yikes, that would have been a horrible start to the vacation. We went home and Brent fixed us a delicious pasta dinner.
Though fireworks are forbidden on Hawaii, the neighbors apparently had access to All The Fireworks and enthusiastically detonated them all night long, seeing as it was New Year's Eve. It was overwhelming, more fireworks than I've even seen at Chinese New Year festivals. We ushered in 2016 with a glass of Ardbeg and a well deserved night's sleep. Poor Holly was in miserable lower back pain though.
The next day, Friday, she went to get a massage and then we tried to go to the beach again, but it was still drizzly and cloudy. We did our best anyway and eventually the sun came out for about an hour straight. I think that night we went to CPK for dinner as a big group. On Saturday we had a late brunch at a place in Kailua then Holly saw a chiropractor which really helped a lot. We went to the beach again where it was still drizzly. Brent took me out on his Hobiecat. It's amazing to sail in Hawaii.
That night we went to a jazz club and saw/danced to a gypsy jazz band, then did some ridiculously fun karaoke at a bowling alley bar where we and a neighboring group egged each other on. We didn't go to bed until 2:30 am.
Sunday Brent and Eileen took us around the island, with our first stop being the Dole plantation to have some pineapple whip (yogurt with pineapple). Avalon reallllly wanted to ride the train but we denied her, and she had a spectacular meltdown (which of course she forgot entirely within a few hours). Then we headed to the North Shore where we walked on some volcanic rock beaches in search of sea turtles and tiny tide pool crabs and Journey fell and cut her legs so I piggybacked her back to the car. We drove a little more and saw the famed surf break Pipeline. There was actually a small competition there and a crowd of people on the beach watching. We didn't see too many epic rides but the waves were killer. We drove back along the windward side of the island mesmerized by the natural beauty there.
Monday we spent almost all day at the beach because it was gloriously sunny and warm. Journey was moaning that she was bored of the beach by now but at the beach there was a family with little girls about our girls' ages and they played as a quartet for HOURS. Avalon rolled around in the water as much as she possibly could. I sat in a deck chair and acquired a really dumb looking tan due to unevenly spread lotion. I think we made fish tacos that night.
Tuesday we went to the Bishop Museum which is a fascinating display of Hawaiian culture and history. There was an exhibit on Duke Kahanamoku who was the equivalent to Hawaii that Frankie was to Lindy Hop. And there was a temporary exhibit on https://www.worldofwearableart.com/ which featured unbelievable clothing. Journey got separated from us briefly when Holly went off to find a missing item and I had to take Avalon to the bathroom. Fortunately security managed to find her. We were going to babysit for Brent and Eileen that night but Eileen wasn't feeling well so we just had a night in.
Wednesday we went to the aquarium in Waikiki which was really small but enjoyable. For lunch we waited in a long line to get into Marukame Udon but it was worth it; cheap and incredibly tasty noodles and tempura. I was starting to feel not so good so we went home and just relaxed.
That night I had a terrible fever and cough. Brent and Brien caught five fish while spearfishing off the Mokes so they came home and cooked them up, though I could barely eat anything much less taste it. The flight home was horrible for me; my ears wouldn't pop. The kids played with Leilani every moment possible though Leilani, who is super polite, seemed to get a little tired of them after a while. (I don't blame her one bit!)
A memorable trip filled with unbelievable natural scenery and absurd amounts of time at the beach.