Hawaii Vacation Trip Report: Part II

Wednesday, June 16
We checked out of our room in the morning and went to Kailua-Kona for some sightseeing. We happened to park right by a town market, so we walked among the stalls and picked up some fresh fruit. After that we meandered down the main street. We stopped in a gallery called Pacific Fine Art that had a lot of spectacular paintings. While megory chatted with an artist painting in the back of the gallery, I admired this painting by artist Jia Lu. (If I owned a house where I could display it, I probably would have bought it.) Next we went on a tour of Hulihe'e Palace, where members of the Hawaiian royal family used to live.

After leaving Kailua-Kona, we drove across the north side of the island, stopping for lunch in Waimea. Waimea is in the middle of ranch country, so cowboy themed items are everywhere. We ate at a place called Village Burger at the Parker Ranch Center, where they served "mushroom burgers" made of mushrooms pressed into a patty shape, then breaded and fried. Painted on the shop wall was a list of all the farms from which they obtained their ingredients and the distance to each farm, most of which were within five miles.

Once we got to the east coast, we stopped at Waipio Lookout to gaze at the valley below. We continued down the coast, past several gulches, and stopped again to see Akaka Falls. This spectacular falls is part of a lush, tropical state park. It was mentioned that walking through the plants in the park was like stepping into the movie Avatar. When we returned to the car, we got a little more nature than we bargained for when we caught sight of a pair of mating mongooses.

We continued on into Hilo, where we checked into the Seaside Hotel for the night. Our room was unfortunately situated facing the pool, which meant we heard every shriek of the children swimming. Even after the pool closed, people would sit around in the pool courtyard to talk on their cell phones, so it wasn't exactly quiet. On the bright side, the hotel was at least conveniently located.

Thursday, June 17
megory roused us out of bed early in the morning and hurried us to Coconut Island to watch the sunrise. While the view in the east was spectacular, the show later wasn't bad either. If you turn around and face west toward Mauna Kea (in this shot, the observatory at the top is just visible as tiny white dots), you eventually get to see the entire mountain turn pink from reflected sunlight.

After getting our fill of the pink mountain, we went for a stroll through the Liliuokalani Gardens, which are designed in the Japanese style. It appeared to be a popular spot for people out on a morning walk. After we finished touring the gardens, we were treated to a lovely double rainbow. (The second rainbow, with colors reversed, is just visible at the horizon to the right of the main rainbow.) We went back to our hotel for breakfast in the cafe, where I was impressed by the coconut syrup. If only it weren't so heavy--and liquid, therefore impossible to bring in carryon luggage--I would have bought some.

Next we went to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, where we saw scads of beautiful tropical plants. We also admired Onomea Falls. The entrance fee is expensive, but it is well worth it.

When we finished touring the garden, we headed back to Hilo and boarded our plane to Honolulu. My uncle picked us up there and took us to Kailua, where we purchased some snacks at the local farmer's market. One of our discoveries was sea asparagus, which has an interesting flavor because it is naturally salty. After we ate, my uncle drove us back to the city, where we checked in at our hotel. My parents tried to put some valuables in the room safe, but it was locked with no key in evidence.

Friday, June 18
In the morning, we set out to get acquainted with Waikiki. About a block from the hotel, we came across the first (of many) shops selling gorgeous Hawaiian clothes. Both megory and I bought dresses, though my dad adamantly refused to get any Hawaiian shirts. We continued walking around, admiring the flowering trees and scouting out places where other family members would be staying. The whole crew would be coming in a few days to celebrate my youngest brother's wedding. We returned in time to be picked up by the parents of the bride, who took us on a tour of the locations where the wedding and rehearsal would be held. They also showed us around their home, where they would be holding a meet-and-greet party once everyone arrived. After we returned, we met up with my aunt staying at a hotel down the block and went out to watch the weekly fireworks display put on by the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort next door.

Saturday, June 19
I hooked my computer up to the hotel's internet and made use of a few spare moments to post a quick update. As I was doing so, I was distracted by some noises coming from the street outside. We all went to the balcony outside our room to look, and saw that the city's Pride Parade was just going past.

megory and I set out for the nearby Ala Moana Shopping Center. We browsed through Shirokiya, one of the shopping center's department stores that contains Japanese merchandise, including a branch of Book Off. While there, we met up with my aunt again and spent some time examining the clothing in Macy's. I wanted to get a new swimsuit to wear at the meet-and-greet, but it was hard to find something in the style that I like that is the right color. Plus, most of the suits were around $75 on sale.

We all headed out together to join up with my dad and uncle, who had picked up my brother (the groom) at the airport. We had a dim sum lunch and took a brief tour of Chinatown to see the restaurant where the rehearsal dinner would be held. Afterward, we turned our hotel room over to my brother, while we checked in to a room arranged for us by my uncle at the Grand Waikikian, part of the Hilton Village. My parents were teased mercilessly about the bathtub in the bedroom. The Hilton Village is a huge complex containing numerous shops and restaurants. It even has its own private lagoon. And, as if that weren't enough, it also has penguins.

We later found out from my brother that he went to the hotel manager and got a key to the safe in his room (formerly our room). When he opened the safe, he discovered it contained two bullets. Hmm...

Hawaii Vacation Trip Report: Part III

Sunday, June 20
We started the morning by going to IHOP for Father's Day breakfast...and so did everyone else, it seemed. We had a half hour wait just to be seated. Once we had eaten, megory and I let Dad have some time to himself while we occupied ourselves with shopping. We began in the Hilton Village shops, which kept us busy for a while. One of the swimwear shops even had a bikini that was the perfect style/color combination for me...but it was priced at $75 for each piece. I couldn't justify paying that much for something I only wear once every five years or so.

Eventually we made our way out of the resort and headed down Kalakaua Avenue, which is lined with shops of all kinds. We found a couple things to buy at the Waikiki Shopping Plaza. I bought a lovely quilt and pillow cover set. It was apparently too early in the day for most shoppers, since we practically had the whole place to ourselves. Next we went across the street to have pizza for lunch. We continued on through a flea market, where we admired many of the wares and made a few purchases. I was tempted by this sign, but I don't have a car, so it would have been silly to buy it.

After that we went through the International Market Place. There were loads of interesting things there, and we both spent more money. Just as we were almost finished, we received a call that one of my brothers and his friends had arrived at their hotel, so we walked over to meet up with them. They all had plans to get up early the next day and take a package tour, so we wouldn't see them again for a while.

Monday, June 21
We borrowed my uncle's car and took one of my brother's friends with us for a drive. We stopped at the Pali Lookout, which has a view that can take one's breath away. From there we went to Kailua and stopped to eat at a cozy Thai restaurant. After we drove back and returned the car, we figured out how to use the bus to get to the Waikiki Aquarium, which was near the official wedding hotel. We waited there until my third brother and his wife arrived and then took them out for drinks at a place a few blocks away. We managed to arrive in the middle of happy hour, so we all sat around a table, called some friends to meet us there, and had various drinks and snacks while gazing out at the ocean. We discovered a tasty concoction called a Lava Flow. Even the guys at the table were ordering them...

I went with megory for a bit more shopping, and we checked out a swimwear shop where I was able to find a suit I liked at a reasonable price. (Actually, the shopkeeper let me mix-and-match two different suits to get what I wanted.) I was all set for the party.

Tuesday, June 22
My brother and his girlfriend invited us to go to the zoo with them, so we joined them for a casual walk from their hotel. On the way, we pointed out various (shopping) spots of interest. We also happened across a couple of guys with a flock of macaws that they let us pose with for pictures, which was an unexpected treat.

The zoo itself, when we got there, was small compared to others I've seen, but it did have some nice displays. In particular, the napping lemurs were adorable. There were also some toys to keep the "kids" amused.

We were all picked up and taken to the bride's parents' house for the meet-and-greet party. They live on the side of a mountain, so their house has an amazing view of the ocean. They also have a salt water swimming pool decorated with a dolphin mosaic. Their garden in the back, although steep, is filled with numerous brightly colored plants and flowers.

The party went quite well. I was asked to make something with potatoes, so I threw together a cheesy potato casserole. It took a while to finish baking, so the party was well underway by the time it was done. I took my serving, then I changed into my hard-won bathing suit and spent some time in the pool. I was told later that fights nearly broke out over the last helpings.

Wednesday, June 23
My dad said he wanted to go swimming, so various friends came over to do that with him. I chose to use the morning to do some last-minute shopping, as I had several souvenirs left to buy. I did make some progress on my shopping list, but I had only covered two of the three floors at Ala Moana when I was called back to attend a pre-rehearsal lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. They don't kid around with their portions, that's for certain.

After lunch we all browsed through the shops at King's Village before we headed to the aquarium area for the rehearsal. It took longer to get everyone assembled than to go through the motions of the ceremony. Everyone then piled into cars and went to Chinatown for the rehearsal dinner.

Thursday, June 24
The day of the wedding had finally arrived...which meant it was time for absolute last minute shopping. I covered the final floor at Ala Moana, where I found a couple of nice shops and bought my last souvenir.

We got all dressed up and went to the meeting place at the wedding hotel. The groom and his men gathered for a photo shoot...or were they just playing around?

The wedding itself was held at Waimanalo Beach. It was a beautiful day, though the wind was blowing something fierce. I didn't get any pictures of the ceremony, but I'm sure plenty of other people did. The newlyweds stuck around for pictures and hugs.

The wedding reception was held at the Waikiki Aquarium, which we had all to ourselves. I took a few minutes to walk through and see the exhibits before the meal began. When the sun started to go down, everyone hopped up and rushed over to the ocean side while the newlyweds posed again for more pictures. It was such a romantic setting, even my parents got in on the smoochie action.

After the dinner and dancing, we returned to our hotel room to finish packing. We had an early flight, so we had to leave before dawn the next morning.

That concludes my Hawaii Vacation 2010!