Day 9:
Dole Plantation/North Shore/Marc’s Birthday
Friday morning bright and early we got up and began packing for the exit out of our beachside cottage. Check out was 10:30 am so we finished packing up the food (we had been living out of our bags all week, so that was the easy part). Had a quick breakfast of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and loaded up the van. We checked the cottage one last time and headed to the golf course to turn in our keys. We were a ½ hour early so we headed to the local 7-eleven so Marc could get coffee and then headed back to drop off the keys before heading to Glens to drop off food that needed to stay refrigerated. Shelly and the children had already headed out for the day so we followed Glen to the base to check into our room for the night. The room was perfect considering the fact that it only cost 28.00 for the night. It had a separate living and kitchen area with a bedroom for two. If we were to ever get a chance to visit Hawaii again I would be happy to stay there. Unfortunately they only had the one night available. We hit the gas station to fill up before hitting the highway bound for the North Shore. I do not think there was one person who did not suggest no trip to the island was complete without a ride around the north shore. We also wanted to visit the Dole Plantation. Within minutes it seemed we had passed the plantation and had to turn around and go back. Not sure how we missed it because as soon as we opened the van door you could smell the strong scent of pineapples! We did a quick check around the gift shop and then headed out near the maze to pick up tickets for the train and garden tour ( I had decided early on the skip the maze ( glad I did because they weather had gotten very hot that day. The train ride was a 20-minute trip through a sample of a working pineapple field and also various other plantings including flowers, sugar cane and even coffee bean. We then headed out to the garden tour which was very impressive. The train ride would have been more fun with a group of small children, but I was very impressed with the gardens. Marc and I strolled around taking lots of pictures of the various foliage and trees. We did a quick run through the shop for dole whips and postcards and then hit the highway
North Shore bound. There had been reports of 5 foot waves and twenty foot surges so of course it was a must see event for a one in a lifetime trip. The view (as always) was awesome, but it was amazing to see the Pacific Ocean slapping against the rocks and watching the surfers ride the wave. Several people were out with cameras and along the sides of the road trying to get a glimpse of the reported waves. It took us a couple of hours but we finally made around the North Shore and even down half of the windward side past the Mormon Temple and the famous
Polynesian Culture Center. We hit the H3 highway through the tunnel and hit H1. Glen and Shelly had invited a couple of people over to celebrate Marc’s birthday. We had a dinner of spinach salad, ravioli, steak, vegetables platter, and a ice cream cake. We wished Marc a Happy Birthday and headed back to Hickham Air Force base for the evening. Pro Bowl started that weekend so we were unable to get a room for more then one night. We stayed up as long as we could and then hit the bed around 11 pm (late for us).
Day 10 : Downtown Honolulu/Waikiki Beach and the Windward Side
We checked out of the lodge around 10 am and headed to downtown Honolulu. I was determined to find the buildings I had seen in the travel brochures before I left Hawaii on tomorrow. Including those elusive statues I had been searching for all week. We headed down Nimitz highway for the
Aloha Tower and the Marketplace. This time I was on lookout for the tower and before I knew it we were following the signs to the tower (how had I missed those the first two times?). We entered the parking lot directly across from the marketplace shops and headed towards the waterfront. Once again we were not disappointed by the view. This time we were on the port side where the ships come in. Directly next door as a matter of fact was a
NCL ship. Boy, that ship is huge. Hopefully in two years we will be on a ship like it on our way to Alaska (after this trip I know anything is possible). We passed a Don Ho lounge on our way out back and one of the
Wyland Galleries. I made a mental note to visit the gallery before leaving. We took a few pics of the boats and the NCL ship and headed towards the Tower to catch the elevator up to the top. Now this is what you call a view. There are four sides to the tower and you can see the city for miles. We checked out all four areas snapping pictures left and right. Afterwards we headed to the gallery where we spent an hour looking around and talking to the sale people including a young man named Devin from the Word of Life Ministry church where Glen and Shelly are members. We then went to the top of the mall area to watch the Whale watching
cruise take off. Originally we had planned to catch a ride but we missed the cruise by an hour and the next one would not be available until the morning we departed. We would be at church anyway, so I am determined to go whale watching when I get back home at one of our local beach areas. We hit the pavement in search of the
Ioloni Palace, the
Kamehameha Statue, Mission
Houses Museum and the
Kawaiahuo Church. It took a while but eventually we found them all with the exception of the
Duke Kahanamoku Statue. We did get lost on our way back to the parking lot, and as we continued on the rain started to come down. Perfectly fitting since this was technically our last day (it rained the day we arrived). If I did not know better I would have thought that the island was crying because we were leaving (smile). We did stop at a Jack in the Box to get lunch (I had not eaten all day and I was starting to get a headache, plus I had not packed a hat and today despite the rain seemed very hot indeed). Hot, tired and a still a little wet we finally made it back to the car. We decided to check out the swap meet one last time (it would not be open on Sunday due to the
NFL Pro Bowl). We ended up buying an additional piece of luggage and a small carry on bag for me to use as a purse in place of my big bag. One note : I got to hear the Backstreet boys singing while we walked around the swap meet. They were there for the Pro Bowl.
I really wanted to see the Duke statue before I left so we headed downtown for the second time that day in search of the infamous statue. I began to tag it “Where in the World is the Duke”?
* Note: Never found that statue, but found lots of pics when I got home. Here is a live link to the
statue ( with music ). So now I can check it out everyday. We parked across from an
Army War Museum that unfortunately had just closed, briefly walked along the beach near all of the big name hotels. You could tell there was a big event on the island that weekend because the streets and hotels were packed and more people seemed to be poring in. At this point I was starting to get homesick and I really missed my babies (they may be grown, but they are still my babies). I called home and even Quisha, Trice and Jen said it was time for me to come home. I think if Marc could have stayed with a good job he would have. As much as he loved the scenery, the homeless and the isolation of the island was one thing that bothered him about this otherwise perfect pacific paradise. We had basically seen the whole island with the exception of the lower part of the leeward side just pass
Diamond Head. We worked our way out pass the crowded streets of Waikiki and headed for the coastline. It was worth the little bit we got to see before dark, and once again the words “no bad view” seemed to echo in our mine. On the following day we would meet someone who told the story of a man who had said if it was conceivable to know what Eden looked like Hawaii had to be an example of what it was like. I would have to agree, the whole island is beautiful and as my friend Kelli had stated earlier in the week after I sent her pictures “it’s amazing to see God’s creation so awesome and glorious”. We returned to Glen and Shelly’s that evening tired but satisfied that we had spent our ten days here in paradise seeing all sides of the island. Marc and Glen spent some time together chatting while Shelly prepared for tomorrow (we had actually gotten there to late to see the children that night. Shelly and Glen joked how we must have waited for them all to go to bed, but in fact time had just gotten away from us and we had every intention to get there as soon as possible) and I repacked our bags in anticipation of our return to the mainland on Monday. There oldest son was gracious enough to give us his room for the evening. Marc did not seemed to be hungry, but I knew even here in paradise it was important for me to take care of myself. I had packed my medicine and tried to take my hbp pills at the same time each day ( actually around the same time I would when I was home just to stay on schedule ) so I forced myself to eat a salad. Around 11 pm I was ready to hit the sack, just as Marc turned on the internet. I briefly checked my email and then settled in for an early morning.
* Note: There are very few things we did not get to see ( except that doggone statue, the
Hale'iwa War Memorial, the
Hawaii Maritime Center, and of course the waterfalls ( actually Marc wanted to see them). Here is a list of places that might be interesting to see if you are ever in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Places to See
This is the port out of Norfolk. Too bad I will be cruising out of New York! HAHA Just like when I went to Disney for the first time I have been researching like crazy our upcoming trip to Canada on the Carnival Glory. I already have a notebook full of info, but for my own documentation I thought I would post some of the links.
