It was a long flight - over 9 hours - made longer when our plane waited at the gate at O'Hare for folks who were connecting from a delayed flight. Then once on the ground in Hawaii, we had a long wait at the rental car agency and then hit bad traffic when a tunnel was closed and we had to u-turn to go around the long way.
But once we finally arrived at our destination, we were all happy. We are renting a cottage for our week on Oahu, trying this instead of staying at a hotel. Our cottage is away from the crowds of Waikiki, in a quiet residential neighborhood on the windward (east) side of the island. The best part is that it is only a very short walk to the beach, which Kai wanted to see right away.
Here we are on the path to the beach:
And here we are on Kailua beach:
It wasn't sunny, but the beauty still was evident and our cares drifted away.
We got in late so there was no time for a swim, but Kai got to wade in for a few minutes.
We wrapped up our long day with dinner. We first went to a seafood restaurant, but with the wait time of an hour and 45 minutes, we went to Japanese barbecue restaurant instead. The food was just okay, but we were starving and tired and just wanted to gobble down food and get to bed.
Looking forward to really settling in tomorrow.
Those pictures bring back memories. I don't remember if you have been there before. If not, are going to have a lot of fun there. Although Oahu is much more crowded now than when I lived there, the sunsets won't have changed. Mt. Tantalus has a great panoramic view of everything from Diamondhead to Pearl Harbor. I think the inter island super ferry is operational. The aroma of Plumeria should be filling the air now. Paradise Park on Oahu, and Kona on the Big Island are good places for it. I know you must have a great itinerary already planned. Although I don't normally drink, you must try a Blue Hawaiian at a Waikiki beach bar. Also, you must snorkel at Hanauma Bay. Paradise Cove is also a great place for an all day and evening entertainment extravaganza. I am looking forwards to more of your articles...with a little bit of envy. :)
ReplyDeleteShiroi, I have not been to Hawaii since I was 13 (Kai's age now). We have plans to see several of the places you mention -- in fact, we will be off to Hanauma Bay shortly -- and will see if we can fit in some of the others as well. Though you are right that we have a lot of things planned already.
DeleteWell, that sounds like fun! Have a wonderful time!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Betsy! So far so good.
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