A Sea Foam Saturday

Okay, so I admit it, we haven't yet toured Pearl Harbor and I haven't been to the Polynesian Cultural Center since 1979 when my girlfriend and I rode TheBus around the island and made a stop there.

With the laid-back pace and so many things calling out to do, it just seems we can't get it all fit into the schedule while on O'ahu. 

Sometimes hours can slip away during what started as a quick stop at the beach. Like Saturday. We stopped to admire the waves breaking against the shore on Yokohama Beach.  It has been somewhat stormy in this part of the world so the waves were spectacular.

The next thing we knew, we were barefoot and walking the beach letting sea foam bathe both our feet and our souls.

Ever spent time like that?  It is amazing.



 

Sea foam at Yokohama Beach Park - O'ahu
j. smith photo (c) 2011



Songs of Sunrise and Sunset

We have a symphony playing each day precisely at 6:30 a.m. and again at 6:30 p.m.  It heralds in the pink sky of morning and the blaze of the sun as it sets out over the Pacific.



Ko Olina sunset
J. Smith photo (c) 2011

 It is the symphony of Mina birds who flock by the dozens to two 'garbage trees' (named so by the groundskeepers because of the leaves that perpetually fall from them) in the gardens outside our Marriott Vacation Club at Ko Olina.

While on a horticultural tour we learned that Marriott had once tried devices in the trees to discourage the birds from singing their songs, so they wouldn't disturb the guests. . .the tour participants were aghast. 

Can you imagine being in the tropics and not hearing the songs of the birds?

Going 'Glamping' - Hawaiian style

Waikiki
J.Smith photo, (c) 2011

You know 'glamping' - it's the new buzz for glamorous camping.  Pampered tent camping or slightly 'roughing it' (in the loosest sense of the word) in other types of digs.

Hula Babe and Beach Boy have been 'glamping' since our arrival in Hawaii. . .not the rugged sleep on the beach in a tent stuff or tree house in the mountains, but still 'glamping' - taking ourselves out of the well-stocked routine of home and put into situations that call for a bit of resourcefulness. 

Our time in the tropics began in a two room suite with kitchenette at the Courtyard by Marriott in Waikiki (formerly the Wyland Hotel).  The place was incredibly spacious with a deck large enough to host 12, a living room, bedroom, bath, and kitchenette.  I called the week prior to our arrival just to make sure the kitchenette was stocked with plates, flatware and such. . .it was good that I had called, it seemed. 

"You have a microwave, refrigerator and coffee pot and cups. . .and nothing else" began the pleasant front desk clerk, who concluded the conversation with, "bring paper plates."

I followed her advice to a point - we brought plastic, cups, bowls, plates and flatware (I always carry a paring knife in my checked baggage as well as a bottle opener - those two will get us through in a pinch). After settling in, we saw a note in the kitchenette to call housekeeping for any kitchen items we might need - but since we'd hauled the stuff along, we used our own and 'glamped' in room for daily breakfasts and lunches. (Great on the pocketbook and in keeping the Diet to Go on track).

Now we are in the small side of our timeshare at Ko Olina; commonly called the 'lock-off' as it is an over sized luxurious bedroom suite with kitchenette, wet bar type sink, microwave and tiny refrigerator, table service and flatware for two. Here we have a toaster and just yesterday housekeeping delivered a salad bowl within minutes of my request (it is glamping after all).

Banks of communal barbecues stand under a bank of palm trees near the pool, and gathering at them to cook gives the feel of being around a campfire somewhere - but here the propane is lit, the tools are provided and you simply bring your food, BBQ it, and visit with fellow vacationers. We had a salad from the deli down the street as we don't have the dishware or storage space to make our own, but served it in that nice salad bowl from housekeeping.

This form of glamping is just a matter of breaking routine and making do with less, an exercise we've come to enjoy.

It is still a juggling act to cook and often we are reminded of our cooking in Pacific Northwest campsites.  While not always convenient, it requires creativity. . .which turns out to be surprising fun.  As I gaze out over the tops of palm trees and watch the waves break against the shore, I am certain that this form of 'glamping' can't be beat!

Pro Bowl: Big Bucks and Barricades

Sidewalk barricade at the Ihilani
J.Smith photo (c) 2011

The barricades were down on Monday.
That's the good news out at Ko Olina, the sprawling resort on Hawaii's western shore where we have settled in for a spell.

Those barricades and security checkpoints go up prior to Pro Bowl as the players, their families and friends begin arriving at the J.W. Marriott Ihilani, that shares a portion of the Ko Olina landscape.  The NFL - according to the local paper - takes over the entire hotel out here. A practice field is set up next door to it (you can see a goal post from the roadway). The game was played Sunday for those of you who missed it.

The barricades, I guess, are to keep players from being pestered by fans.  I'm one of the first to admit I wouldn't know a player without helmet and pads if I were to walk into him - they look pretty normal out of uniform.

Anyway, the barricades came down so we 'other' guests are now allowed access along the entire beachwalk and into the Ihilani ;you aren't allowed in the secure area without a reservation for a restaurant or spa treatment while they are there.

Barricades are just one impact of the game.  Since we are here, I thought I'd tell you a bit more about its impact -- this information comes from a week's worth of reports in the local paper The Star Advertiser

Pro Bowl is big bucks over here. Hawaii pays the NFL $4 million to come to Honolulu for the game and its related hoopla.

• In 2009 - the last time it was played here - it brought 18,000 visitors who pumped more than $30 million into the economy and tax coffers; so maybe $4 million was a small price to pay.
• The week prior to ProBowl is chockablock full of autograph signings, appearances by players, parades, block parties, charity visits -- and this year ticket giveaways.
• The players and their families and friends rent high end accommodations while here, so last year's absence was a costly one according to news reports.  The NFL reportedly takes over the entire Ihilani (one article reported that Michael Vick was in the Penthouse).
• Several high end beach home rental companies say the increased rentals are up this year. High end resorts in downtown Honolulu reported boosts as well.

So back to the barricades.  The general manager at the Ihilani was quoted in Sunday's paper as saying that the NFL is a great customer and uses all areas of the resort as well as the timeshare neighbor Marriott Vacation Villas, (that would be where we are) so I wonder if they are using all areas of Ko Olina including areas outside security, are those barricades more pomp than circumstance? Go figure. Go team.

Diamond Head Dazzles

Diamond Head from Waikiki's
J.Smith photo (c) 2011

Hula Babe's Hawaiian love affair begins with Diamond Head. I simply can't get enough of it. 

I didn't keep my pre-trip promise to myself though, which was to climb to its upper rim and around it on its well-maintained  pathway while we were staying in Waikiki.  I am blaming that on Polynesian Paralysis - the condition that takes away all goals and vows to do things replacing them with a distinct feel of contentment over doing absolutely nothing.  Well, nothing except staring at something magnificent. And in Hawaii there are plenty of magnificent things to stare at:  waves breaking on the shore, sun rise, sun set, and of course, my beloved Diamond Head. 

While we didn't make it to the top of Diamond Head we did walk to the Diamond Head Lighthouse beach and explored it at length.  The beach that wraps itself around the base of the lighthouse and Diamond Head is a favorite with darkly tanned surfer boys and girls waiting for the right waves to develop - not many folks the ages of Hula Babe and Beach Boy.  We logged 9 miles on the pedometer that day, I might add, even without climbing to the top of my favorite peak.

The first lighthouse was built above this beach in 1899 and then rebuilt in 1917.  Today it stands tall and white against the tropical foliage surrounding it. 

Diamond Head Lighthouse
J. Smith photo, (c) 2010



There was a time that Diamond Head was known only as Le'ahi, which in Hawaiian means, "wreath of fire" as the native Hawaiians used to light fires on the crest of the volcano to light the way back for those out in canoes on the sea.  It was in 1825 that British sailors found calcite crystals among the black rocks and thought they were diamonds - thus, it become known as Diamond Head.

Looking for Luxury? Think. . . Kirkland

There's a great, but too often overlooked, alternative to Seattle and  it's Kirkland, our hometown.  So before Hula Babe begins her Hawaii reports, I must write a word or two about Kirkland, especially for those of you who are feeling you need a mid-winter change of scenery and may not make it to Hawaii or other tropical destination. (Some actually like rainy days, I am told). So if you want to dine in a French bistro, stroll miles of lakefront passing a half dozen parks along the way and then pamper yourself at either of two luxury hotels within a couple miles of each other, check out the full details in an article I wrote for KirklandViews.

A Travel Tip: Close could be costly

We came close to making a real costly blooper on our airline tickets to Hawaii all because I didn‘t pay attention when filling in the information section and used Hula Babe's everyday name Jackie instead of Jacqueline (the latter is the legal name, the one on the passport and birth certificate kind of name; and the one I always use when traveling.).


So, I’m not sure how that got past us, but it did. So, Hula Babe, aka Jackie, aka Jacqueline, arrived at SeaTac with a passport reading Jacqueline and a ticket reading Jackie. . .(and thankfully a Washington State driver’s license that read Jackie).

Oh, well, everyone knows Jackie is a short version of Jacqueline, right? Well, not exactly. When it comes to security these days, close isn't close enough.

Handing the Alaska Airlines ticket agent my passport and ticket, I asked if the names were close enough. He suggested I find ID with Jackie on it. I showed him the driver’s license and he said it would work for him and more importantly, TSA.

Had I not had the license, he said he would have had to re-issue my ticket with the correct name.

The cost to do that? $100.

Mai Tais and Macadamia Nuts: Aloha!

There is nothing that says “Aloha” more clearly than the tinkle of ice in a Mai Tai or the crunch of macadamia nuts. So, when the flight attendants started serving both - complimentary, I might add - we knew we were close to our destination, paradise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.


These liquid tropical treats also cushioned the bumps and bouncing of our decent into the Honolulu airport.

The weather has been  unsettled around this part of the world in recent weeks but we've lucked out and hat blue sky, sunshine and temperatures in the 80's since arriving a few days ago..