Last post I wrote about being on Maui during the worst of the Lahaina fires. It was a weird experience that gets weirder and sadder with each passing day, as the extent of the disaster is uncovered. Latest reports: over 100 people confirmed dead, nearly 1,000 still unaccounted for. Mind-boggingly tragic numbers, given that last week Tuesday, when we touched down, we thought a temporary power outage was the only "hardship" anybody would be facing.
But time rolls on...
The first part of the trip, the part in the Aulani resort in Oahu, was quite lovely. It was my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, so the whole fam was there, 14 of us in total, and it was so nice to hang out with everybody. We spent a lot of time at the beach, more time poolside, and even more time walking back-and-forth between the resort and the Starbucks across the street.
That last part is a joke, but like all jokes there is an element of truth to it. The time difference in Hawaii is pretty extreme for us East Coasters (six hours), so we were waking up super early and flagging severely by mid-afternoon. Multiple caffeine injections were needed to keep things running. The resort actually had drip coffee as part of their drink deal (unlimited refills throughout your stay for $25), but I'm almost always willing to pay for iced coffee in the summer if it's nearby. I'm high-end that way. Plus, Lil' S2 loves the egg sandwich from Starbucks with the Impossible sausage patty, and it's probably healthier than pizza and nachos, so we don't mind going to Starbucks a bunch to get them for him.
We spent most our time at the resort (that's what resorts are for), but we did get out a bit too. I went to Pearl Harbor with my mom and dad, which was, well, I won't say fun -- that's probably not a very respectful way to put it -- so, how about worthwhile? It was worthwhile. I'm glad I went and had that experience with them. Then S and I took the kids, just the four of us, on a guided tour around the island. We went to the Waialua coffee estate and the Dole pineapple plantation, got lunch at some food trucks, and hiked up to (and swam in) a little waterfall. That I can say was fun.
The most memorable part, however, was probably a luau at the resort. The performances were excellent and the food was delicious.* The Aulani is owned by Disney, but it's not Disney! the way, say, Disney World is Disney! It just looks like any other beach resort, but then you will occasionally see, like, Chip and Dale posing for pictures by a palm tree. During the luau the performers invited up their "very special guests" Mickey and Minnie Mouse to sing with them, which was pretty hokey, but it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the show. Plus, I think the kids like that sort of thing.
*Except for the prime rib, which was bland on the inside and a salt-bomb
on the edges. I don't eat too much red meat, so I was extra disappoint
that I made an exception for it.
Anyway... I'm going to do a photo dump and call it a post.
[Luau performers]
[Ocean views from the resort and a lagoon near the resort]
[The top rainbow didn't come out in the photo very well, but in-person this was very clearly a double rainbow: What does it mean?]
[View of the "lazy river" from our hotel room deck]
[Pearl Harbor: USS Arizona memorial (top) and the USS Missouri (bottom)]
[An old advertisement featuring Tommy Lasorda and Hideo Nomo that was randomly hanging at the Waialua coffee bar]
[I've talked about my love of fruit before, so I couldn't pass up a hollowed out pineapple filled with fruit from a food truck; honestly, I would've preferred to just eat the pineapple]
[The only pic in this post from Maui -- near the Iao Valley]
[Dole Pineapple Plantation]
Until next time...
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