Hawaii Day 5 - Swap Meet, Helicopter Tour, Jameson's sunset beach dinner
This morning, we all trundled over to the stadium to the "swap meet." I guess I was expecting something a little less formal, like a huge rummage sale. This was more like a mile-long loop of festival sales tents. There were vendors with food, taffy, t-shirts, wood carvings, pottery, jewelry, etc. Some things still had the "Made in China" stickers on them, while other things were obviously local. I got a big gift for my household, a t-shirt, and some taffy. I got a photo album too, that I can hope will eventually have actual photos of this trip.
We went on a Blue Skies Oahu helicopter tour of the eastern half of the island, given by Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. It was AMAZING. I got to sit up front on the right side, so I had a view down to my feet. The best part was flying so close over the ridges and valleys of the rainforest areas. We flew over the house and I took tons of photos of it for our hosts. I saw a double-rainbow, too. I'm not very confident that many of my pictures will turn out well due to interior glare on the windows. And I don't care. It was an amazing flight and a fabulous experience.
On Oahu, Waikiki Beach is just the beginning. In one amazing tour, you'll experience the phenomenal scenery of this Island's hidden rainforests, lush valleys, and stunning historic sights. You'll glide over the vivid turquoise coral reefs of Waikiki, look down into the extinct volcano of Diamond Head, view crescent-shaped Hanauma Bay, white-sand Waimanalo beach, Chinaman's Hat and the beautiful coral formations in Kaneohe Bay. You'll soar over the cliffs of the Nuuanu Valley rainforest, then fly along the breathtaking coastline to legendary Sacred Falls and the panoramic Dole Pineapple Plantation. Your Blue Skies of Oahu adventure will also include sweeping views of Pearl Harbor, the Arizona Memorial and the Battleship Missouri.
We got home, changed, and went out to dinner at Jameson's by the Sea up on the "north shore" (but actually facing west). We sat on the western edge of the patio as close to the beach as we could get (across the road). We had our drinks in hand to watch as the sun set over the sea. If there hadn't been a beat-up Toyota parked directly in front of us, it would have been a glorious sunset. As it was, we saw a very pretty sunset with very nice - and plentiful! - food. I had the ulua fish with lemon sauce, topped with capers and chopped macadamia nuts. The sides were rice and broccoli/carrots. The carrots were cooked to perfection, and I ate them preferentially. We finished up with a chocolate mousse, which was either burnt or coffee flavored, but oh well. I was full by then anyway.
We went on a Blue Skies Oahu helicopter tour of the eastern half of the island, given by Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. It was AMAZING. I got to sit up front on the right side, so I had a view down to my feet. The best part was flying so close over the ridges and valleys of the rainforest areas. We flew over the house and I took tons of photos of it for our hosts. I saw a double-rainbow, too. I'm not very confident that many of my pictures will turn out well due to interior glare on the windows. And I don't care. It was an amazing flight and a fabulous experience.
On Oahu, Waikiki Beach is just the beginning. In one amazing tour, you'll experience the phenomenal scenery of this Island's hidden rainforests, lush valleys, and stunning historic sights. You'll glide over the vivid turquoise coral reefs of Waikiki, look down into the extinct volcano of Diamond Head, view crescent-shaped Hanauma Bay, white-sand Waimanalo beach, Chinaman's Hat and the beautiful coral formations in Kaneohe Bay. You'll soar over the cliffs of the Nuuanu Valley rainforest, then fly along the breathtaking coastline to legendary Sacred Falls and the panoramic Dole Pineapple Plantation. Your Blue Skies of Oahu adventure will also include sweeping views of Pearl Harbor, the Arizona Memorial and the Battleship Missouri.
We got home, changed, and went out to dinner at Jameson's by the Sea up on the "north shore" (but actually facing west). We sat on the western edge of the patio as close to the beach as we could get (across the road). We had our drinks in hand to watch as the sun set over the sea. If there hadn't been a beat-up Toyota parked directly in front of us, it would have been a glorious sunset. As it was, we saw a very pretty sunset with very nice - and plentiful! - food. I had the ulua fish with lemon sauce, topped with capers and chopped macadamia nuts. The sides were rice and broccoli/carrots. The carrots were cooked to perfection, and I ate them preferentially. We finished up with a chocolate mousse, which was either burnt or coffee flavored, but oh well. I was full by then anyway.