Hawaii - Day #4

On Day #4 we again woke up to the Roosters, and then drove up to the North Shore and found a few interesting shops...talked to an owner...didn't have a lot of luck. It's amazing the excuses business owners will give you about why they don't think a product will sell...but for goodness sakes...we had a comparable business...and the watches sold DESPITE all of those reasons! Believe me--we came up with all of those reasons originally, too...but they sold like crazy! Oh well...what do you do?

We enjoyed some Shave Ice at the North Shore


We watched some surfers on some very large waves


We visited the BYU Hawaii campus.


And then we went to the temple. It is closed and not due to reopen until next year. But we got some photos...


Next was the Polynesian Cultural Center. It cost a boat-load to get in, but I guess it was worth it. After all, where else are you going to see a place like this?


Their grounds are divided into different Polynesian "Villages," and you can go to the different villages throughout the day for a cultural experience particular to that island, etc. We got there a bit late, so we only did a few things...like got a lesson on how to crack open a coconut, hula dance, and climb a palm tree.

The Somoa guy was HYSTERICAL:


Then, we enjoyed the big evening show, which was like seeing just the best parts of "The Living Legends" BYU performing group (the Polynesian dances are always the best, in my opinion!). Maybe I'll post a video later...I'm running Jared's patience thin (sitting outside of Barnes & Noble's WiFi spot, in the car, to blog)!

Hawaii - Day #3

We finally drove out of Honolulu, and we were relieved. Yuck...who really enjoys living in cities?

The drive up and around the Southeastern tip of Oahu, and then up the Eastern cost was beautiful.

We stopped at a beautiful beach along the way, and were astonished how soft and squishy the sand was. Why do your feet sink in the WET sand here, unlike the Pacific Northwest coast? Hmm...a mystery...

As we were wading in the water, a huge wave came up on us without warning. Oops!

We spent the night at a nice campground just north of the Polynesian Cultural Center (and BYU Hawaii and the LDS Temple). We discovered once we got here that camping in Oahu isn't highly recommended, and can be rather unsafe. However, this particular campground comes highly recommended by all, so we were relieved to finally get here!

One surprise, however, is that this campground is overrun with MORE cats. At one turn of the road, there were over a DOZEN cats staring at our headlights in the path. Weird. They are EVERYWHERE!

Also surprising was in the morning when we heard roosters singing "Cock-a-doodle-doo" nonstop. I tried to count seconds between their roosts (?), and it was less than 5 seconds from one to the next. I stuck my head out of the tent, and could see almost 10 roosters roaming around.

ROOSTERS and CATS?!!

P.S. Saw the star of the TV sitcom "Glee" in Waikiki the other day. Jared and I both looked at each other and said, "Did you see that guy just walk by? That HAD to be him...or else his twin?!" We enjoy Glee...although it is quite inappropriate for the age group it is intended for...

Hawaii - Day #2

Well, this photo is actually from the flight into Honolulu...

International Market at Waikiki with a cool tree...

Waikiki Beach that we didn't enjoy...

It's 9pm, and we just checked into a hotel for the night. Earlier today, we visited 8 Shopping Centers, and we've completed the Waikiki Shopping street which seemed endless. My feet are thanking me for that.

We have our first watch order in Hawaii submitted (wohoo--success!), and several potential stores, we hope (still need to reach the owner/buyer)...

We can't wait to finish Honolulu. We do NOT like cities! Yuck!

We're hoping to camp for the next few nights. We shall see...

On a different note, it rained on and off today. Cloudy skies made us happy, and the cool rain kept us from passing out on the sidewalks. I think we're probably the only tourists in Hawaii that are excited to see it overcast and rainy!

P.S.

1am (why am I still awake?): My voice is gone. I carried a nasty cold (from Maiya) with me on the plane, and it is getting progressively worse. I hope I still have a voice tomorrow...otherwise tomorrow might be a forced vacation!

Hawaii - Day #1

Flew into Honolulu on a fantastic plane. Each seat had an individual TV console with New Release movies, TV, and even music options. Plugged in my uncomfortable iPod ear pods, and watched 2 1/2 movies (does anyone find those pods comfortable? They kill my ears). Jared watched movies he's been wanting to see (but I don't want to)...Transformers and Terminator. I watched 4 Christmases, 1/2 of 300 Days of Summer, and really loved "My Sister's Keeper." I tried to hide the fact that I was crying over that movie on the plane...

Upon landing, my stomach lost it without any warning. I was frantically wondering where the barf bag was, but was convinced that if I began to look for it, I would DEFINITELY lose it. Tried to focus on the movie instead. Survived...just barely.

Landed, picked up luggage, and took a shuttle bus to "Budget" to pick up our car. Jared waited in line, and I paced and paced, trying to get rid of the motion sickness. When Jared finally got to the front of the line, I handed him the confirmation page, which he handed to the agent. She handed it back...it was for ALAMO.

On to a shuttle bus for Alamo...got a great car for an unbeatable price, and searched out food. Jared ate, and I worriedly ate a bit.

Next, went searching for camping up on the mountain top (the closest National Park). Arrived at said-camping park, but discovered that camping isn't allowed (we didn't have a permit, anyways...which you have to do in advance at a designated office)...but we saw about 20 stray cats running through the small park. And a wild hog. New park name is the "Ditch-your-cat park."

Went looking for a place to sleep, but before we made it down the mountain, I made Jared pull over at a gas station so I could puke my brains out. Luckily he pulled to the side of the station, instead of the parking lot. Puked in private after 3 hours of misery. Felt much better.

Continued on hunt to downtown Waikiki. Completely overwhelmed with endless shops, and more endless shops, and more endless shops. Did I bring enough business cards?

Found a cheap hotel, but pulled in and discovered they have a $15.70 parking fee (gratuity not included). WHAT?! Pulled out. Found a hostel with only $5 parking fee. Checked in, and crashed by 7:30 while Jared researched Hawaii on the computer for several hours.

Woke up at 5am, rearing to go. Decided to let Jared keep sleeping. Woke up again at 7am...showered in a cool shower (a relief from the heat and humidity)...and ready for a great day!

Traveling...

We have been "on the road" for a month, already. The girls have been good sports, for the most part. This is the best part of the day, however:

Maiya broke into my makeup bag...

This is how we travel in to hotels...it is so much easier to control the temperature in a room when we use our reliable and predicatable heater, instead of the hotel's system....

Swimming at our hotel in West Yellowstone....

Fortunes...

Well, we're off to Hawaii for 2 weeks (without the kids--thanks to my sister and Mom in Utah!) for a working vacation, so it seems our fortunes are already coming true!