Hawaii Chronicles April 8-11/2008

Tuesday April 8, 2008

Well yesterday was a gorgeous day and we made it down to Sandy Beach for some relaxation in the sun. Of course we overestimated the relaxation part having never ventured to the beach with a child. In the twenty minutes we spent on the beach we managed to damage our camera and almost impale two people with our flying beach umbrella while Ben found every grain of sand to fill his mouth, eyes, ears and diapers. Feeling a bit exasperated we left and headed back to the indoor pool at our place, I know, poor us eh?

So we start today going for a drive to Waikiki and finding the Sony shop for our camera before deciding what to do. We may just have to settle for a disposable camera or simply taking in the sights and sounds in our head while recording them only on paper, imagine that.

Wednesday April 9, 2008

Alleluia! Well there are two things I love today, Sony Mapunapuna and GPS modules. Yesterday we headed out to a Sony service store and dropped off our camera for an hour to see if they could fix it. Meanwhile we found a gem of a place to eat, Henry Louis Restaurant, in heart of the industrial area of Honolulu. The place was a time warp once you walked in with its dark wood and dark lighting, even the bathrooms had ashtrays between the urinals. There were only two people in the whole joint when we arrived but by the time we left it was getting full. We found out later that it’s actually a landmark restaurant in the area especially with the military. We headed back to Sony with our fingers crossed and we were rewarded with a fixed camera and no charge! Alleluia! From there we let our GPS do the walking and found our way to Waikiki Beach.

It was a gorgeous sunny day and we were riding high with our camera back in full swing. We walked along the boardwalk and checked out all the tropical fish in the ocean. We stopped for some of Hawaii’s famous shaved ice, banana and strawberry flavoured of course. As we sat down on the grass near the beach we started to realize that we stood out amongst the scattered couples wearing banana hammocks and tight shorts. I guess we had found the equivalent of Vancouver’s Davie Street. I thought the two guys wearing their underwear on the beach seemed a bit odd. Other than the gorgeous Waikiki Beach I had enough of the tourism core, throngs of traffic and people. We ended the night cooking a typical Portuguese chicken and potatoes hearty meal for our hosts.

Today on the other hand has been our rain day and sadly the forecast for the rest of our trip is looking to be more of the same. Hawaii without a tan, say it isn’t so! So we spent most of the day playing with Ben and then heading out for a small drive to check out Pali Lookout and Waimanalo Bay, which just isn’t the same on an overcast day.

Thursday April 10, 2008

Today we headed out early in the morning to make the drive to the North Shore of the island, famous for its surf culture and the amazing pipeline. It is another overcast day but just like in Vancouver you can’t let the weather dictate your plans. So off we went for the good two-hour drive. We hit all the beach parks on the way stopping for breaks and checking out the gorgeous views off the island. Ben wasn’t into being in his car seat for long stretches so he was a bit cranky throughout the day, a sweet reminder that things had definitely changed in our little world. Once we made it up to the tip of the island we stopped at Turtle Bay, Sunset Beach, Waimea Bay and the historic town of Haleiwa. Apparently Haleiwa in the summer is jammed packed and the population just skyrockets like Tofino on Vancouver Island. All the shops and buildings are from the 1920’s and there are surfboards everywhere.

After that we headed through the middle of the island back south to Waikiki where the weather had taken a turn for the best. We stopped at Ala Moana Beach Park and finally had a good day of swimming in the salt water. Little Mr. Ocean just loved being in the water and having a few gulps of salt too. Of course he was in heaven playing in the sand and finding rocks and shells that fit comfortably into his mouth. He also enjoyed crawling endlessly after a bird that he thought might taste good too. We finally made it home and then had dinner at the Kona Brewing Pub before hitting the hay after a long adventurous day.

Friday April 11, 2008

So what does one do when you come to a sunny destination for some beach and sun but really can’t have either? Well maybe its somewhat of a blessing anyways since we couldn’t last long at the beach with Ben at this young age. Small doses is the prescription and its been working so far. So while Ben has his morning nap we are out on the deck taking in the breaks of sunshine that have come out to play. It’s hard to believe tomorrow makes a week we’ve been here already. Time is definitely starting to fly by fast. Speaking of flying, today they announced the third airline in as many weeks that has gone bankrupt. American Airlines, Aloha Airlines and now Oasis. Makes me wonder if they’ll ever be able to make air travel eco friendly and sustainable.

I’ve been missing my guitar this week and I think Ben has been missing his drums, judging from the way he has turned every table into a drum with whatever he can get his hands on. Although Alicia Keys, John Mayer and Fergie rule the airwaves here, we have been enjoying the variety of Hawaiian radio, especially all the reggae, but the absence of any musical instruments is sorely missed. The other day I had a dream that Sugah Shea and I were jamming away with guitars, bass and drums. I remember waking up with a big smile on my face like it had really happened. Our next home will definitely have a jam room!

One thing I have enjoyed here has been waking up before seven in the morning and not having to go to work. You just seem to get a bunch accomplished and don’t even realize its only nine and then ten, time just goes a bit slower and I love it in this accelerated world of ours. Hawaii was the ‘hang loose’ state where things go a bit slower but I haven’t been witness to that as most of the island looks just like another American town with capitalism beaming from every intersection.

There was finally a good break in the weather so we packed up and headed for a small drive to get take some great photos and soak up the sun. The first place we stopped at was Hanauma Bay a spectacular nature preserve just minutes away from our place. We couldn’t believe we hadn’t checked it out yet. We took a few pictures from the lookout and we plan to head back there for a full day before we leave. It’s simply beautiful with amazing snorkeling and hot spot for humpback whales, dolphins and other marine life. After that we headed over to Sandy Beach and Makupuu Point where the waves were the biggest they’ve been all week since it was such a windy day. The beach was full of surfers and dudes on their boogie boards, not to mention the throngs of tourists out with their cameras just like us but as luck would have it our batteries would die out and that would be the end of today’s footage!