Jenny and I met up at the Honolulu airport, grabbed the rental car (a Buick- ha!) and headed for the Dole Plantation. Jackson and I went there last time we were on Oahu and loved it so I insisted Jenny see it, too. It is similar to a pumpkin patch but with pineapples and other crops planted. It did not disappoint! We had a Dole Whip first because some stuff is just important.
Behold: the world's best (non-chocolate) dessert
Then, Jenny convinced me to ride the little train around the property. It turned out to be a great idea because the stuff you learned on the ride. We saw banana trees!
Pineapple plants
Jenny and her ticket for the Pineapple Express
Mocking some of the other travelers for their poses
A gorgeous gum tree
Look at that!
All the sudden we are on a safari! Obsessed!
Selfie!
Look at the color of the dirt!
Jenny was a good sport about this photo op
We went from there to the North Shore to try to see some massive waves. It turns out to be the wrong time of year for that so we just sat and watched normal surfers. We also at a local McDonald's and Jenny tried some of the local fare: taro pie. I am kind of obsessed with this guy's review of trying it when he was in Hawaii. Jenny did not finish her pie, but said it was not awful. It was kind of like a sweet potato pie, she said.
We eventually headed down to Honolulu to meet up with Uncle Derek. He had to be with us to check into the hotel because it is a military hotel. I really love it there. I feel insanely safe when I am there! After we got all checked in we took Uncle Derek back to his house. We got to see Aunt Fe. She is seriously my favorite. She is an absolute hoot. I just love her. She says exactly what she is thinking. That is one thing I really miss about my Grams and Aunt Fe just kicks it up a notch.
Aunt Fe
We eventually headed back to the hotel to rest up for the night. We spent the next day pretty close to home. We went to the adult pool and were the only young people. I loved it.
The view from our room
Then we headed down to the beach and "borrowed" a set of chairs and an umbrella. It was awesome. Jenny was happy in the shade and I was happy in the sun, sand and surf. WINNING!
YES!!!
Uncle Derek came and met us for dinner at the hotel because we ALL love the Mongolian BBQ they do by the pools and beach.
THIS is my FAVORITE part of the Hale Koa hotel: the
Mongolian Grill they have on weekends
MONGOLIAN BBQ!!!!
I'd never been happier in all of my life. It was that good.
A rainbow over Diamond Head Crater
I love this view of Diamond Head
Jenny and the sunset
Look at that!!!!
Group shot!
Grams would be SO pleased!
Uncle Derek headed home and we went back up to the room to do face masks and other girly stuff. The mask felt so good after a long day in the sun!
Chilled rose masks? Yes, please!
We decided to get up really early the next morning so that we could hike the Diamond Head Crater before Jenny had to get cleaned up for her flight. She left about 6 hours earlier than me just due to flight availability. Again with my free flights not being ones you could argue with much!
Anyway, we headed out to the crater and were some of the first ones in line to get in at sunrise. We snagged an awesome parking spot and headed up with the rest of our friends. No one spoke English. It was ok, though. We powered up to the top via some back routes I'd read about online. They worked like a charm. It was totally worth the early morning to see the tail-end of the sunrise.
Sunrise at Diamond Head
Sunrise is equally stunning as the sunset
Looking out towards Honolulu
How could you not feel at peace in the world here?
We finished the hike and went to a local cafe for a massive breakfast. We shared a waffle that was amazing. I had a delicious egg dish. The whole thing was awesome.
Such an awesome breakfast!
We went back to the room and got all clean and packed up. We hung out for a bit around the hotel then I stored my bags in the trunk of my rental car and Jenny grabbed a Lyft to the airport. I had quite a few homeless hours to kill so I bought a magazine and went down to the beach to get some final rays soaked in. I knew I had a long night of traveling ahead of me so I just tried to relax and enjoy the day. It went pretty well and before long it was time to head to the airport myself. I returned my rental car and began the long journey home. I lucked out on my flight and had a row to myself. I watched movies (you'll see a post about those) and just kind of relaxed. I could never get myself to really sleep like I needed to.
One last Hawaiian sunset
I had a long layover in Denver (my flight was a little easier than Jackson's since I was already in Honolulu thereby cutting off one of the flights he had to make the week before) that I used to catch up on work and dig out of my inbox AGAIN. The four hours flew by and it was time to head to Indy. While I was in Denver I got word from Jenny that she had made it home safely and was greeted by her two little guys and husband. It was adorable.
What a sweet welcoming crew
A quick flight and it was time for my own little reunion at the airport. I was so happy to be back with Jack and MacK!
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