Aloha Trip Report

Here's the report from the 2nd half of our trip to Hawaii. The photo album is now ready, with the exception of the underwater pictures from the snorkling, and you can see it here. View it as a slideshow if you like, then make sure to check out the "View Map" button to see the location of each photo.

Day 4: Got up early again and did some reading on our balcony (actually spent more time just listening to the wind in the palm trees, hearing the waves on the shore, and enjoying the 80 degrees at 7AM). After breakfast we went on a drive with Grant, the Vice President of Sales for Hilton Garden Inn who presented Chris with her award, and his wife Stephanie. They were headed out to explore a valley and invited us to join them. After a 40-minute drive, we arrived at the trail head. Chris was somewhat daunted by the view and our destination far below, but she bravely started the trek down. I should point out that she had pneumonia just 3 weeks before and there were air quality advisories due to the volcanic fog (aka "vog") blanketing the island. After a 20-minute hike down we enjoyed some spectacular scenery on a black sand beach. The hike up was even more difficult, but the whole experience was well worth it. After lunch at a local restaurant we headed back. That night was the Award Luau, where Chris and about 50 others received various awards for excellence in sales at Hilton hotels. Once again, the luau was lavish, the entertainment was exotic, and the after party looked like a blast (although we didn't stay because we were still on East Coast time, were wiped out, and had to pack). A very full day.

Day 5: Got up early and received VIP treatment on our check out and transportation to the airport. Never touched a bag, had greeters waiting for us at the airport, and got the quickest boarding passes I've ever seen. After our 40-minute flight to Honolulu, we got our rental car (red Jeep soft-top), and headed to the Hilton Hawaiian Village, right on Waikiki Beach. Our hotel room was on the 31st of 35 floors. What a view! Since we only had 1.5 days on Oahu, we wanted to cram in as much as we could, so we got in the car and headed to Hanuama Bay for some world-famous snorkeling. The scenery there was spectacular, but I liked snorkeling from the catamaran better. On the way back we explored some hillside neighborhoods on extremely steep, winding roads. That night we had dinner at Benihana at the resort, some drinks and people-watching on the beach, capped off by some fireworks. We loved Waikiki.

Day 6: Whirlwind day. Pearl Harbor first thing in the AM. Very emotional and memorable. Huge flea market at Aloha Stadium for some souvenir shopping. Drove past the Dole Pinapple plantation. Lunch at Rosie's Cantina in Haliewa. Had some of the famous Matsumota "shave ice" (with ice cream on the bottom, without the beans). Drove the famous North Shore - the surf was not up, but the scenery was spectacular. Arrived at the Polynesian Cultural Center, Hawaii's most visited attraction, around 3PM. Thanks to a tour guide, we managed to get in 4 native shows/demonstrations, dinner, an IMAX movie, a stage show, and the World Fireknife Championships. The hour-long night-time drive home with the top down over mountains and through a tunnel was surreal.

Day 7: The not-so-fun part of going to Hawaii begins: the trip back. Chris got up early (6AM) for some last-minute sun. I slept until 7:30. Packed, checked-out (no VIP treatment this time since we were on our own dime here), and headed to the airport, which was like Laguardia with Palm Trees. Took our 1:30PM flight back to the Big Island to catch our 4:45PM flight to O'Hare.

Day 8: Arrived at O'Hare at 5:40AM Monday. Chris got about 6 hours of sleep, me about 2. 4-hour layover and then our flight back to Portland, where we landed in 25-MPH winds. As we flew over Portland we remarked that of all the sights we had seen, that Portland is a beautiful city in it's own right. Got home in time to get the kids off the bus, relieve Grandpa (without whom the trip would not have been possible), unpack, and I had to go to a hockey Board meeting that night feeling quite like a zombie. A good night's sleep then back to work.

So, that sums up our trip of a lifetime. It was pretty much everything you'd expect a trip to Hawaii to be.

The famous Matsumoto shave ice

Whole Pineapple drink #1

Aloha Midway Report

OK, we've stopped counting the umbrella drinks. It suffices to say that there have been a few, with some new flavors. Our favorite so far is called a Lava Flow, which is half pina colada and half strawbberry daquiri. Yummy!

Day 1: After 15 hours of air travel, we hit the spa for a couples massage, some jacuzzi and sauna, and felt refreshed enough to walk around the resort and get a late night snack at about 8PM (2AM our time). We managed to stay up until 10PM.

Day 2: Woke up bright and early at 4:30AM, walked around the resort, which seems deserted. Got breakfast at an open air restaurant with birds landing on the tables (house sparrows, nothing exotic). Went back to our room for a 2-hour nap (jet lag's a bummer). Then headed off for our dolphin encounter, right here at our resort. Got to swim with a dolphin, touch it, feed it, and give it commands to do tricks. Very cool. Followed that with lunch and drinks at a poolside bar, more lounging around, and that evening had a welcome reception for the Hilton Circle of Excellence. Very lavish event. Most of the people at this event are sales people for the top performing Hilton-owned hotels (including the Waldorf Astoria). Chris is an exception because Hilton doesn't actually own any Hilton Garden Inns; they're all franchised. Since she was the most outstanding Director of Sales for all HGI's, she ranks right up there among Hilton's best.

Day 3: Woke up early again. Did some reading in a cabana by the ocean. Lathered up in sunscreen and went on a 4-hour snorkel/sail cruise. We went to a reef and snorkeled for about an hour and a half and it was incredible. Got pictures from a disposable underwater camera - anxious to see how they came out. Chris even enjoyed snorkelling over coral and cliffs with dark mysterious holes. Saw sea turtles and many tropical fish. After that we lounged at the pool the rest of the day, back to the spa for more steam and sauna, then another poolside reception, capped off by an excellent dinner at a chinese restaurant.

Can't wait to see what the rest of the trip has in store for us.

Aloha!

Umpteenth umbrella drink.

Umbrella drink #4.

Umbrella drink #3.

Umbrella drink #2

Umbrella drink #1.

Happy Mother's Day

We had a very nice Mother's Day today. Went to the ocean and walked around on the beach, then went to brunch at our favorite restaurant, Saltwater Grille.

Tomorrow morning we go to the airport on our way to Hawaii!