Tuesday, January 1, 2008

The First Day and Last Night

The first day of 2008 is also the first day that it has not rained since Husband and I arrived in O'ahu during a sunshower on Dec. 25. (This is not a complaint, as it was still warmer in Hawaii than in New York.) After we abandoned our second attempt to snorkel on our own on this trip (our new fear of sea urchins is powerful), we waded for a little while and then sat around on a beach away from Waikiki and basked in the warm light. Then we put the top down on our heinously colored rental car (evidence below) and drove through a mountain rain forest.

Last night, we shared a wonderful meal with friends and their delightful family and watched fireworks and a cheesy fun movie (Tremors with Kevin Bacon.) Tonight we'll celebrate our last night in Hawaii (and Husband's football pool victory) with a delicious dinner at Roy's.

While I am sad that the trip is over, I am also looking forward to going home. Given the less than perfect weather (see evidence below), sometimes I wondered if we were in Maine or Hawaii.

Again, not that I am complaining. Despite my sea urchin injury, I enjoyed spending so much time with Husband and exploring a warm and interesting new place. Still, I miss Tycho the Giant White Rabbit, who has happily vacationed at his country estate (i.e. - my in-laws' home in the suburbs of NY) for the past three weeks. I long to sleep in my own bed with Theo, my teddy bear friend since I was 12, who remained at my apartment to guard it and because he didn't fit in my suitcase since I only brought a carry-on bag and backpack. Most important, I feel so out of touch with my friends. I can't wait to see everyone.

Since we now are terrified of sea urchins, Husband and I decided to take a boat ride and snorkel tour on our last day in Hawaii. (Yay, winning the football pool!) Hopefully, we will also be able to visit the Iolani Palace, the only royal home in the US. Then its an overnight flight to LA and an early morning flight back home. Before I go, I thought I'd share some fun pictures:


Me as a ukele-playing pineapple at the Dole Plantation, which was by far the most crowded tourist attraction (i.e. - hellhole) we visited in all 15 days. I did learn, however, that pineapples neither grow on trees (as I believed) or vines (as my mom thought), but rather in bushes.

Pineapple in the bush! Heh heh heh. I'm guessing that each pineapple bush does not have its own pot in the actual fields. This was to impress the tourists.

All in all, the trip was a fun way to end 2007 and begin the adventure of 2008.

7 comments:

  1. i just sliced open a pineapple before i read this post. (no fatalities w/ the knife. i had asked my bf if he'd cut it because my fingers don't get along with knife blades too well)

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  2. Good gosh, I hope your second snorkeling adventure is much better than your first. Mine was maaaaagical when I was on Kauai.

    We also had a hideous convertible mustang. It must be the gringo Island go-to car.

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  3. Love the picture of you as a pineapple!

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  4. suzanne,
    You make me want to go to Hawaii.

    We watched a movie the other day, LA VIE EN ROSE – which was about Edith Piaf. The actress who played her had a very familiar look. Then it came to me - she looked very much like you! Same cheekbones, same hair, but not the same teeth.

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  5. If only I had the same level of talent! Thanks for the complement. (And that goes to ET for comparing me to Marian Cotillard and Alex for enjoying me as a ukele-playing pineapple.)

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  6. Question, how did you survive with only 3 oz. of product all this time?

    Did you buy everything there???

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  7. Shampoo, conditioner, and lotion are free at the hotel, so I didn't pack any. We had a few tubes of travel toothpaste, and deodorant is not restricted. My travel bottle of contact lens solution lasted the whole time. That's all I needed. Sunscreen we just sneaked through, I guess, since our bottles were bigger than 3 oz. and we didn't check any bags on the way there.

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