Reflections of My Travel

Three weeks, ten flights, and four islands later… I don’t really even know whether to count today as Friday. It doesn’t seem like Thursday ever really ended since we’ve pretty much been up since 0600 Thursday morning (Hawaiian time, of course). It was a long flight but much less exciting than the flight out. I suppose since I did sleep for about two hours after the movie on the first leg, that must have been when it became Friday. We arrived at the ATL airport right around 14:30 and then waited at the baggage claim for an hour and a half while they tried to find all of the luggage from Hawaii. Don’t ask me how that gets lost when we never changed planes but the people who just joined the flight in San Fran got their luggage just fine. We took the MARTA back to our car and then stopped to get some necessities on the way home. It was close to 20:00 when we finally made it to our house. LONG DAY. As for the trip, I think I can speak for both of us when I say it was a great time. We enjoyed everything we did, especially the snorkeling. All of the islands were beautiful and fairly unique. It was a wonderful trip. Even having to work wasn’t so bad since it allowed us to stay longer and see more. I do not think it is a place that I would want to stay much longer than we did. We are used to driving and seeing and I felt a little confined on islands that could be driven in their entirety in a day. We never really got bored but I could see it happening if we had stayed longer. I still stick by Alaska as my favorite place so far. Amusingly enough, the two biggest reasons I loved Alaska were the two most noticable things Hawaii lacked: vastness and wildlife. Most importantly though, we have now been to ALL FIFTY STATES!!!

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This morning we scrambled around to get packed so that we could check out of the hotel on time. We then made our way to Diamond Head, mistakenly thinking that it was something to see. By the time we had driven up into it and got to the parking booth, we had determined that it was nothing more than a big parking lot in the middle of the crater and just not worthwhile so we asked to turn around and they allowed us to do so. We then headed to Pearl Island where we spent the majority of the day touring the solemn area. When we got out to the Arizona, it felt a lot like our visit to Dachau. It was very sobering to be able to see the rusted hulk of the ship below us and know that there were so many men entombed there. I just wanted to cry thinking of them. And seeing the oil still bubbling up, big black bubbles continually coming up and spreading into colorful slicks at the surface. It was like the ship struggling to tell its mournful story. I had worn the lei that Randal won last night at the luau and i tossed it into the water with a prayer. After we saw all that we wanted to see at Pearl Harbor, we drove north again and stopped at the Audobon park for a few minutes and then drove back south. Since our flight leaves at 23:20 tonight, there was a lot of time to kill. We stopped at a movie theater and watched Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit. I greatly appreciate Wallace and Gromit – best claymation around. It also showed with the Madagascar Penguins Christmas Caper before it, which was quite a cute little short. Randal couldn’t stop laughing over it. After the movie, we found a WalMart and did our souvenir shopping for family. Having no where else to go and nothing else to do, we went to the airport and are waiting for our flight which leaves in another hour and a half.

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This afternoon, we pretty much lounged until it was time to go down to catch the bus for Germaine’s Luau. I was a little afraid because all of the reviews that I had found for it online were either love or hate with no middle ground. It turned out to be quite an enjoyable evening. The bus ride was mildly entertaining, nothing special but nothing boring or upsetting either. The location was right on the beach (though they kept you roped off from the water; understandable for liability purposes with the bar being right there on the beach). It was a pretty night with Mars shining very brightly over the palm trees and water. We picked a table right up front, sitting on the ground. We then walked around a bit and then made our way to the pit to see the pork raised from the ground. I would say that this was the only real disappointment of the evening. I was expecting to see them unearth and unwrap a great big pig with an apple in its mouth. Instead, they brought up a huge pile of pulled pork with a bleached pig skull sitting atop the pile. It was a bit of a letdown. We then made our way back to the table and took our seats on the sandy bamboo mats while the stage show commenced. I enjoyed the costumes and the dances and the music, although it was clearly more of a “production” than the one we watched on Waikiki last night which seemed more genuine. They had three men get up on stage for a hula contest. I was very proud that my hubby was one of the men selected. He got all decked out in a grass skirt and coconuts and hula’d his heart out. And I’ll have you know that my very sexy and talented husband kicked those other two men’s butts! He won first place! I was so proud. He received a t-shirt, a poster, and an orchid lei which he presented to me with a little honihoni (kisses) when he got off stage. It is a beautiful lei, such a shame that it can’t be taken home. I think I’ll try to take one of the orchids off and press it into a book to smuggle back with me. Soon after his triumph, our section got called up to the buffet. I was amused at all of the cats skulking around the pig pit as we walked by. The meats were very good. They had the Kaluah Pig and some sort of beef as well. Both quite yummy. I did try the poi – you have to try the poi – and immediately removed it from my plate. Sometimes it’s just amazing how culturally different taste is. To them, poi is a staple; to everyone we spoke with who tried it – ick. But then, they also eat more Spam per capita than the rest of the states. All in all, I enjoyed the Luau. It’s something you have to do. When we got back on the bus, Randal was a celebrity. I’m so proud of my terrifically talented and brave husband!