Due to security checks, we had to be at the airport at 6.30 for a 9am flight. Go figure.
We wolfed down a quick breakfast at the hotel, jumped on the shuttle bus, and headed for the airport.
We are all concerned about the weight of our luggage, and the potential price of excess luggage. Turns out John was the biggest offender with his suitcase weighing 30kg. But Hawaiin Airlines are great airline to fly with, and took care of us very well.
Getting through security took quite some time, and ended up with some bonus events for Angela and John. Angela had commented that the last thing she wanted was to unpack her carry on stuff, as it was crammed in pretty tight. Yep, Angela was selected to completely unpack her carry on luggage in front of security officers. John scored well because he was selected for a detailed pat down. Memories of the rubber glove examination came to mind :-0 But the security guard, who seemed twice as tall as John, whose arms seemed as big as John’s legs, was efficient and good natured. This did not seem to be a time for making wisecracks as John thought this guard could crash John with one blow.
The security guard was so good at his job, he even found things that John did not know he had, like some lollies for the flight.
Then it was time to find coffee. We couldn’t find any, so reported to Starbucks.
Rel thought it funny that John was more interested in charging his toys for the flight than sitting next to her.
Ange had organised that all 4 of the amigos would sit together on the flight, so time passed quickly for this 5 hour flight.
Rel and Jen started looking for movies on the iPad. Tuns out Jhn had downloaded a movie ‘BottleShock’. This caught their attention as we had seen promotions for it when in Calistoga, Napa Valley. Turns out the movie wa filmed on location around Calistoga. So the girls were keen to check it out. It was a classic quirky, independent film, made all the better by seeing locations that had just been visited.
So time passed really quickly for Jen and Rel.
After the movie they started listening to John tell a story. The inevitable occurred.
Of course, by including this photo, neither Jen or Rel will probably ever speak to John again…
We landed on the airport, and were greeted by our cruise holiday representative, who gave us beautiful Lai’s and took care of us.
There was a small hick-up when we couldn’t find them initially, but all was overcome when we did meet them, because they took such good care of us.
Ange and Jen caught their own shuttle to their hotel, and we arranged to meet up with them for dinner.
The trip to our hotel was fun, as we were the only ones on board. Shuttle buses are amazing ways to discover people’s stories. John was chatting away with the driver and discovered he had been in the Army until recently. He in fact drove tanks during the recent conflicts overseas. John had a vague recollection that the US had Abrams tanks. So John asked our ‘shuttle pilot’ if he drove an Abrams tank. That unlocked some sort of key, because we then received an amazing treasure trove of stories of driving those tanks in combat. Amazing.
It was time to check in the hotel and reacquaint ourselves with Waikiki.
We drifted through tourist shops. John saw this shirt, and almost bought it for a very special friend going through a tough time at the moment.
As the sun started to drop, it was time to go back to the beach.
We then drifted over the Jen and Ange’s place for dinner. On our way, we discovered some pretty cool bikes we thought we could hire some time.
After a great dinner that included bruschetta, cheese, bread, apple pie, a bottle of yummy napa valley chardonnay, and a bottle of napa valley zinfidel , we set of home in readiness for a wonderful day exploring this island.
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