Punta Cana

For the first vacation of the year, we went to Punta Cana, DR. We had a bunch of airline miles with US Airways that we wanted to use and this seemed like an easy vacation. Indeed, it was. We went from January 21-26. Flight at 5:15 AM. No one looks pretty at that hour. As is our usual, there was a snowstorm for our January vacation. This time, we left Albany on time, but Philly was backed up so we didn't get a gate for a LONG time. And, of course, our arrival terminal was the farthest possible from the departure. Thus, for the second time in my life, I ran at top speed through the Philly airport. I have no idea what actually exists at that airport other than very long hallways. But, we made the flight - as they were closing the doors. Then sat on the plane for over an hour before it took off thanks to the weather. Arrived in Punta Cana an hour late, but at least we were there on the correct day, so we were fine with it!

Immigration in Punta Cana is rather chaotic. There are two main lines and a lot of people that don't really believe in lines. We were surprised that our luggage made it, though exceptionally happy that it did.

We stayed at the Catalonia Royal Bavaro, which is not terribly far from the airport. The Catalonia is a very large resort and the Royal "side" is the adults only part. It's an all-inclusive, so that comes with the good and the bad. The food is never going to be great, but the food here was mostly fine, so our expectations were met. Crappy beer, but it's the Caribbean, so it is what it is. I stuck to rum drinks and wine mostly. This place seemed to be better than the place in Aruba at making mixed drinks with the proper ingredients, so that was good. The hotel was mostly nice and our room was fine, with one major exception - probably the most uncomfortable hotel bed we've ever had. The restaurants were, as stated, mostly good. The tapas restaurant on the adults side was the best, in our opinion (we ended up going twice).

Unfortunately, the entertainment was kind of lacking. The place could really do with more live music (not huge bands or anything, just a dude with a guitar in the corner or something). The evening "shows" were, as expected, not great. Definitely a step down from a cruise ship (which is saying something). Wouldn't have minded so much if they didn't start so late. Beach was very nice though. Super windy, but very pretty. Spent a lot of time there reading.

We only did one outside the resort activity - went to Dolphin Explorer and swam with dolphins (Ariel and Luna), which was awesome. The place was very large and located in the ocean rather than inland with a pool, so that made the animal lover in me feel a little better, though I still had (have) some guilt about it. We also did the fur seal swim - we were the only ones who did that out of the whole morning group of 50+ people. Ended up being a very expensive experience (have to buy photos from them since you can't bring your camera and they're not cheap, but I still wanted all of them). Worth it though. Trainers there seemed very protective and qualified, so that was nice.

Other than that, we most sat on the beach or the balcony reading books and drinking tropical drinks, with the occasional walk or snorkel. Not a bad way to spend 6 days. Read several books to get 2012 started:
1. The Nerdist Way (Chris Hardwick)
2. The War on Destiny (Jim Sciancalepore)
3. Concierge Confidential (Michael Malice)
4. You Want What? Concierge Tales (Mariann Mohos)
5. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (Mindy Kaling)

2012

So, that goal of writing in this last year did not work out so much. Rather pathetic actually. I think this year's goal will be to at least get the vacations documented on here. That is a more reasonable goal, I think. So, I shall do that. So far, we have 2 planned. First is Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We had airline miles on US Airways to use, so we picked a place that would fit in the number of points we had. Thinking it will be a pretty relaxing vacation. Staying at an all-inclusive, have almost nothing planned. We'll just see how it goes. Second trip is Disney with some of flarf's family. The neices are going for the first time. We decided to go along for part of the trip (not staying the whole week). Should be fun. Not sure after that.

In 2011, we did Kenya in January (didn't quite finish the posts about that - will have to do that soon). Then we went to New Orleans with flarf's parents at the end of April for a 4 day weekend. Fun trip. Will happily go back. Stayed at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel (did a travelocity secret hotel and ended up with that - worked out well.) Hotel was nice and in a great location. Listened to some music, ate some oysters, did a swamp tour, ate more oysters, wandered the French Quarter, ate more oysters, listened to more music, ate beignets, ate po boys, ate more oysters. (needed some serious workouts when we came home, but completely worth it.)

In August, we went on a cruise from NYC to St. John and Halifax on the Carnival Glory. That was a relaxing trip and super easy since it left from NYC. We spent the weekend before in the city since the ship left on a Monday. Splurged on a balcony cabin. Worth it. Carnival has a less formal dress code now which made packing easier - only one set of nice clothes. St. John was rainy and cold, but a cute little town. Halifax was great. Would consider just going there for vacation.

In September, we went to Orlando to go to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure - Harry Potter world! (Southwest had a big sale, so it seemed silly NOT to take advantage). We stayed on property at the Pacific Beach Hotel. Of the 3, that is the shortest walk to Islands and City Walk, so that was nice. Hotel was decent. They have a luau there which we did one night. Not quite like being in Hawaii, but a decent experience. Met some nice British people and a Universal exec at our table. Had a good time at Harry Potter World. They did a nice job with the theming. And there is a pub. So that always makes it better. Learned neither one of us can do rides like we used to. The new ride in Hogwarts made us both REALLY sick (and thankful for the pub as a cool place to relax and fix the tummy). (The Hogshead Brew is a decent beer. I find the butterbeer to be gross, but most people like it. Pumpkin juice was good though.) It's worth just walking through the castle though - if you tell the line people you just want to do that, there is a separate line to go in. I remember going on dueling dragons a dozen times in a row when we were there 8 or 9 years ago. Twice appears to be my limit now. (They also don't duel any longer (stupid people throwing stuff ruin it for everyone) and are themed after Book 4 - the Dragon Challenge.) The nice thing about staying on property is your room key is a fast pass for almost all the rides (not the Harry Potter ride). We barely waited 10 minutes for anything, so did the park very quickly even with sitting down for long relaxing lunches. Universal has a new coaster where you can choose music to play in your seat as you ride. We went a few times. Was fun. Glad we went on the Jaws ride one last time since they are taking it down this year. The Simpsons ride was the death of me for a few hours (used to be Back to the Future) - my head and stomach can no longer handle those types of rides, I guess. A good trip.

Other events - worked on a movie in October. Took one day off of work for filming (had a small part). Was a fun experience. Flarf broke his wrist playing football on Thanksgiving. Cast should come off soon, we hope. Nice Christmas season, though too short as always. Low key New Year's Eve because we've been so busy and have more stuff coming up soon. Also managed to get one more book in there - Familyhood by Paul Reiser.

Happy New Year to all.

More books this year!

Sooooooo...I guess this year's plan to write in this regularly is very much busted. However, it appears I have repeated my resolution from last year already and managed to read 20 books. Maybe that should just be my goal every year. Admittedly 7 of these were re-reads, but I still read them, so it counts. Additionally, I'm well-aware that these are not terribly intellectual books, but I get stressed and cranky with work and cheesy books make me happy. Therefore, I shall read them. :-) I have been on a vacation-related kick since mid-summer, due to going on a cruise and a trip to Universal Orlando as well as planning a trip to Disney for later this year. This year's list so far:

1-7: re-read all the Harry Potter books before our trip to Harry Potter world.
8. Bad Day at the Amusement Park by DaleBrumfield
9. Cast Member Confidential by Chris Mitchell
10. Cruise Confidential: A Hit Below the Waterline by Brian David Bruns
11. Cruise Ship S.O.S: The Life-Saving Adventures of a Doctor at Sea by Ben McFarland
12. The Dark Side of Disney by Leonard Kinsey
13. In Fifty Years Will All Be Chicks by Adam Carolla
14. Mouseschawitz – My Summer Job of Concentrated Fun by Angela Lovell
15. Mousetrapped: A Year and a Bit in Orlando, Florida by Catherine Ryan
16. Permanent Passenger: My Life on a Cruise Ship by Micha Berman
17. Ship for Brains: Cruise Confidential Book 2 by Brian David Bruns
18. Spinning Disney’s World: Memories of a Magic Kingdom Press Agent by Charles Ridgeway
19. Stories from a Theme Park Insider by Robert Niles
20. The Truth About Cruise Ships by Jay Herring
21. Stupid American History by Leland Gregory
22. Bossypants by Tina Fey

Honeymoon part II

Big Island

2.5 days. Rental car – upgrade to a Mustang Convertible. Convertible is a very fun thing to have in Hawaii, especially on the Big Island where you have to drive very far.

Hotel: Sheraton Keauhou Bay. Free upgrade to ocean view room. Good location (in Kona – the hotels in Kohala are much pricier and further away from stuff you will likely want to do, though it does rain every afternoon in Kona.) Hotel has a big waterslide and a few interconnected pools, which is nice because you can’t swim in the ocean there (it is on lava rocks and has no beach, but the rocks are pretty). The best part about the hotel is that at night there are giant manta rays that gather there. You can watch them from the bar.

First day: We arrived pretty early (8 AM flight out of Kauai – glad our hotel was only 15 minutes from the airport…) The airport in Kona is interesting – no inside terminal, just a bunch of thatched roof hut type things. You have to walk down the stairs to get off the plane as there is no jetway. We stopped in Kona town on our way to the hotel and found a street festival. Scott got some CDs out of it. Saw a few sights in town (the palace, etc.) Had lunch at Rosa’s Cantina (more poke of course!) and then a stop at Walmart for supplies. Dinner was just mai tais and a bunch of appetizers in the hotel bar because it was such a comfy place and we were content to not drive more.

Next day: Volcano day! Breakfast at the Aloha Theater Café. Apparently they used to have a back porch where geckos would run around as you ate, but they were renovating when we were there. Good food and coffee either way. After that, we stopped at Greenwell coffee farm for a short tour. It was fun and doesn’t take very long. We bought some coffee to take home. We attempted to drive to South Point (the southernmost point in the US), but the road was closed a couple miles up, so it was kind of a wasted detour, but oh well. Stopped at Punalu’u bakery to use the restroom and buy taro sweetbread roles (when doing the volcano from the Kona Coast, this is highly recommended – it will be a long day. You will want snacks in the car). After that, Punalu’u black sand beach. Very cool place to walk around for a few. Saw a giant turtle on the rocks. After that, Volcano Winery. Neat place, though not exactly the world’s best wine. Some of the fruit wines are interesting. We bought a guava one. Then to Volcanos Park. Part of Crater Rim Drive was closed when we were there, so we went to the museum, saw the crater, saw the steam vents and then turned around to go back to Thurston Lava Tube and the rainforest. After that it was down Chain of Craters Drive to the end. (Lava versus road – lava wins. You can see where the lava just ate the road and stopped). You have to park your car pretty far from the lava and walk along a very windy stretch of road, but it was worth it. We spent a long time hiking on the lava rocks. On the way back, we saw the sea arches and the Petroglyph trail (this is a longer walk from the car than you expect, but worth doing.) When we were there, the lava wasn’t flowing a ton and to see it was a LONG drive down Highway 230 (the opposite direction from back to our hotel) and then about a mile walk. It was a bit disappointing (the lava was very far viewing area and not a strong flow), but we’re glad we did it because we would have wondered if we didn’t go. (Bring a flashlight for the walk.) On the way back, we stopped back in the park to see the crater at night. That was worth it. Very pretty – bright red steam. It was after 10 when we finally got back to the hotel. We were very glad we had the bag of rolls in the car.

Next day: We decided to book a snorkel trip on the Hula Kai with Fair Winds (Hula Kai is the smaller and faster of their 2 boats). I looked into Sea Paradise as well, but that company had the boat in dry dock at the time, so Fair Winds it was. It was a good experience. I’m kinda scared of deep water (I can swim enough to not die, but not well enough to actually have fun while doing it). The captain saw that I was terrified and helped me make sure my snorkel was on right, that I had the right amount of defogging goop on my glasses and most importantly hooked me up with a floating belt and a noodle. Not having to focus on the swimming part made all the difference in the world. The first snorkel stop was Coral Gardens. It is gorgeous. So colorful. The second stop was Rob’s Reef further south. Not quite as colorful as Coral Gardens, but still really pretty and the fish seemed to be bigger and more plentiful. Breakfast and lunch is included on the boat. Bring a big towel to sit under. When the boat gets going, it gets COLD. I wish I had brought a windbreaker. On the way back, the boat stops at a few places like the Captain Cook monument and a few other palces. We got to see a bunch of spinner dolphins (very cool) and a few flying fish. After that trip, we went back to the hotel to swim. As I was in fear conquering mode, I actually went on the waterslide several times. We went into Kona town for dinner at Bongo Ben’s. Decent food, good portions and cheap prices. Also a band playing. We had tried to go to Kona Brewing Company and Dan the Beachcomber, but they were closed (one risk of going during the slower and less crowded season). We walked around Kona and shopped a bit. Stopped to the Donkey Balls outlet store. Buy them. Just do it. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Outrigger Hotel to have a drink at the bar over the water where you can watch fish (and sometimes turtles). Then back to our hotel to watch the manta rays. If I went back, I would probably do the nighttime snorkel with the rays. It looked really cool.

Next day: We had some fruit from town left over and some local banana bread (which you should buy everywhere you can in Hawaii), so we ate that for breakfast. We had some time before our flight so we drove up the Kohala coast to see the fancy resorts. Then we flew to Maui.


Maui
5.5 days. Rental car: Mustang Convertible. Worth it.
Hotel: Kaanapali Beach Hotel (keeping with Rodgers tradition). Great place. Really nice people. There was a problem with our reservation (never quite figured it out but it looked like the travel agent accidentally cancelled it), but the front desk people couldn’t have been nicer about getting it all worked out. We ended up having to spend the first night in the older crappier building, but then were moved (they moved all our stuff for us) to an ocean view room in one of the nicer buildings. You get a Kukui nut necklace (a good one) when you check out (there is a whole ceremony) and each time you stay there, they replace a brown nut with a white one to show how much a part of the family you are. There is a band every night and the hotel is right on Kaanapali Beach, which I think is probably the best location on the island. One of the best snorkel spots is just down the beach and a bunch of good restaurants are a short walk down the beach in the other direction. It’s also a very short drive from Lahaina.

First day: Walmart stop for supplies (including lots of seaweed crackers, my snack of choice on this trip), of course. I spent $4 on a noodle for snorkeling. Best investment ever. After the craziness of reservation issue, we went for a walk down to the Whaler’s Village shopping center and had dinner at the Hula Grill (inside). Chef’s tasting menu. Food is very good there and the mai tais are second only to Duke’s. (owned by the same company). Back at the hotel we ordered drinks and watched the evening hula show. The mai tais at the hotel were pretty awful unfortunately. We didn’t get them there again, especially since Hula Grill was only a short walk away.

Next day: Road to Hana day! This is the portion of the trip when the Revealed book is almost necessary. Plan on the whole day. And try to get up early to beat the crowds. We stopped at the Shell station for gas, drinks for the day and sandwiches for breakfast so we wouldn’t have to slow down. I recommend reading the book ahead of time and marking places you MUST go and places you’d like to stop if there is time. Then plan accordingly. Don’t just stop at every place in the beginning because you will run out of time. It doesn’t sound far, but the road is very curvy and full of one lane bridges, so you will be going very slow (even slower if you start too late and get in the crush of traffic. Our stops included:
- Twin Falls. There is a fruit stand. Get bananas.
- Lower Puohokamoa Falls (short walk)
- Haipulaena falls. (short walk)
- (make sure to stop at the places with bathrooms. There are enough, but not an overabundance, so use them when you see them)
- Punalau Falls (not the actual name – it doesn’t have one). This was a 20 minute hike up a streambed on slippery boulders (it was raining at the time). The waterfall was not really flowing when we got there, unfortunately. This one is not recommended for everybody.
- Kaeanae Peninsula – nice place to stop and relax for a few at lava rocks in the ocea. Go to the banana bread stand there. Do NOT skip that. Best banana bread on the trip.
- Chings Pond (short trail next to the road)
- Halfway to Hana – stand to buy more banana bread (do it) and coconut candy.
- Stop at the spring fed gusher under the bridge (in the book). Only takes minute to just get out and look over bridge to see it so no wasted time.
- Wailua Valley State Wayside – nice view of taro fields from the top of the stairs
- Upper Waikani Falls (Three Bears falls). Right next to side of the road, so easy to see.
- Unnamed waterfall – this one was so worth it. It is in the book as a waterfall that requires a 10+ minute hike up a hunters road (Wailua Iki). It’s not too bad of a hike. If you are lucky, you will have the place to yourselves for at least a little while (this one is only visited by people who seem to have that book rather than the hordes, so it is pretty private). We saw only 4 other people, but were by ourselves for a bit. There is a big pool and a waterfall. Scott swam all the way out to it. I went in to my waist. That was enough. Pretty views there too.
- Pua’a state park – a potty stop with 2 small, but pretty waterfalls.
- Hanawi Falls. By the road, so easy stop
- Makapipi Fallls – interest view from above on the bridge
- Nahiku Road – a long winding drive through lots of green. Nice view of the water at the end
- Nahiku Marketplace. Good place to stop for lunch. I recommend the fish tacos (Flarf recommends the Kalua pork tacos), Also mango banana bread.
- Waianapana Park – black sand beach, lava tube cave, blowhole. Nice place to hang out for a view. Also a potty stop
- Hana – cute little town. Stopped at the black sand beach
- Red Sand Beach. Neat place. A hell of a hike to get there. Not for everyone. Walk through an unmarked field, down a trail, down another steeper trail holding on to a rope, over a bunch of docks, up a slope, and along a narrow trail on the side of a cliff. Pretty though.
- Kuki Beach, Hamua Beach
- Wailua Falls. Very pretty. Right next to the road.
- Pua’a-lu’u Falls
- Oheo Gulch (aka Seven Sacred Pools). Very pretty, but very crowded with people as this is one of the “can’t miss” places in ALL the books. Worth going for a swim.
- Many people turn around here and drive back the same way. That is what the rental car places tell you to do. We did not. After that, the road gets really narrow and curvy, so be very careful. It eventually opens up. We saw an unnamed black sand beach, Polowai Sea Arch, lot of cows, a rainbow, Tedeschi Winery (didn’t get to stop, already closed for the day), an interesting view of Haleakala and a high school football game (didn’t stop. :-)
- (We did miss some things; there’s just not enough time to see everything in one day. But, you can see a lot).
We managed to make it back to the hotel around 9, so we were able to go to a late dinner at the Hula Grill Barefoot Bar. Love that place – the tables are in the sand, so you can eat with the beach in your toes. Mai tais with sand under your feet = a good thing.

Next day: Started with snorkeling at Black Rock, just down the beach (in front of the Sheraton). Nice place to just walk out and snorkel. Then we went shopping/exploring in Lahaina. Saw the Banyan tree, old prison and a few famous houses, etc. Did some souvenir shopping at Hilo Hattie, Whallers General Store and ABC. We recommend. Parking in the shopping center with Hilo Hattie if you know you may buy anything there – they validate. Otherwise, it is kinda tough to find parking in Lahaina. Lunch at Aloha Mixed Plate. You have to have a plate lunch at least once in Hawaii. This is a good place to do it. Back in Kaanapali, we walked down the beach to see the other hotels. The Hyatt has penguins. They are adorable. That night we did the Old Lahaina Luau. It is known as the most Hawaiian luau in the islands. The food is really good and the dances are nice. The setting is very pretty too, so get there when it opens to get your mai tai and walk around. We bought a wood carving from the carver there. He’ll put your initials on it and if you don’t have the money with you, you can leave it at your hotel front desk for them and they will pick it up later. If you tell them it is a special occasion when you book (book before you go – it fills up), they will reserve your seats at a better table. Honeymoons and anniversaries seem to get the best tables. If you are expecting fire dancers, however, don’t – they are not Hawaiian, so not “authentic” enough for this luau. Many other luaus around will have them though if that is your thing.

Next day: Flyin’ Hawaiian Zipline. It’s an interesting place. They are a very ecofriendly place, so the course was built with helicopter flying in the materials, so there would be no cars up on the mountain. They also plant a hibiscus plant on every tour to try to repopulate it as it is on the endangered species list. This means you do have to do a little hiking – only a few minutes at a time, but you do have to carry your equipment, which is about 10 pounds or so. The harnesses are really comfortable – like a backpack that turns into a chair, so unlike many other ziplines that are just the butt/legs harness, this is really kind on your back. The first line is 2400 feet. This course is the longest in Hawaii and one of the longest in the world. The longest line in the course is 3600 feet. Unfortunately, our tour had to be stopped halfway through because the wind was too strong (they can’t let you zip if the winds are too strong because it is dangerous). So, the whole eco thing comes into play again if this happens – you have to walk all the way down the mountain because they can’t drive up and get you. But, it wasn’t too tough of a walk and it was a little neat to be somewhere that no everyone goes. Plus, when you do get to the trail, you take a long ATV ride back to the actual pickup area – bonus activity! (It’s hard not to be glass half full in Hawaii…) They were also really cool about the cancellation. You can either re-schedule or they will refund your entire fee (which is great because it is not cheap. We attempted to reschedule for the 2 days later, but they cancelled again because of wind, so we got all our money back (so we ended up being able to do half the course for free; not bad at all). ). Since we ended up with more time than planned after the trip down, we went back to Lahaina for more shopping (if you are island hopping, save your souvenir/present shopping (unless there is something super unique like the wine or coffee we bought) until the last island to make your life easier.). Lunch at Lahaina Fish Market (not our favorite). Then we spent a bunch of time on the beach in Kaanapali, then dinner at Lelani in Whaler’s Village (decent, but Hula Grill is better). Then another evening of hula and music at our hotel.

The next day: We had intended to have a beach/snorkel day, but my body had other ideas and I got REALLY sick. We made one failed trip to the beach that resulted in me crawling back to the room (literally on my hands and knees because I got dizzy if I stood up.) Flarf spent the day shopping and wandering Kaanapali. I eventually made it upright enough to go to dinner at the hotel’s main restaurant – Tiki Terrace. I think the food was decent. I mostly just ate rice. So, I have no good advice for anyone from this day except Flarf did not care for the pizza place in Whaler’s Village.

Next day: (or middle of the night). Up at 1:30 for our Haleakala sunrise tour. We opted to do much on our own in Hawaii and not tours, but neither of us wanted to drive up a mountain in the dark at 4 AM, so we chose to do a tour for this one. I was still feeling not awesome, so sleeping on the bus was good. Well, it would have been if our driver had shut the heck up. He was talking about sites we couldn’t see because it was 3 AM and dark. If you drive yourself, you can get up later, but because they pick up at a lot of hotels (and in our case wait in a convenience store parking lot for a cruise ship group for a bit), you have to start earlier. We went with Ehaki tours. My advice for Haleakala – wear as much clothing as you can (make sure you have a windbreaker with you to put on top). (I wore a t-shirt, a summer sweater, a sweatshirt and a windbreaker (3 hoods total!), tights, jeans, socks and sneakers.) And bring a blanket from your hotel room. You will be cold. Very very cold. With the wind chill (wind was apparently even crazier than normal that day), it was about 22F. Feels even colder when you’ve been used to 80-85 for 2 weeks. Despite the tired and the cold, it is so worth going here. The colors are beautiful before the sunrise and then all of a sudden the sun pops up through the clouds. After sunrise, they take you to a few more lookout stops to see things like the Big Island volcanoes, Science City, magnetic hill and the silversword plant. Then breakfast at Café O’Lei. We weren’t terribly impressed with it. Since the zipline was cancelled, we ended up going snorkeling at Black Rock, which worked out great because 3 giant turtles swam with us that day. Black Rock is known for turtles. Just make sure you don’t go to them (let them come to you) or try to touch them – illegal. Love the noodle. Late lunch at Barefoot Bar at Hula Grill. We then drove further up the west coast to see a few more sights. Then to Lahaina for last minute shopping. Unfortunately, it then became Flarf's turn to get sick, so he spent the rest of the day in bed and I read a book on the lanai. We did manage to go see one last sunset.

Last day: Goodbye ceremony at Kaanapali Beach Hotel. As mentioned above, you get the Kukui nut necklace. Then we walked around the beach and grounds for a bit and then ate breakfast on our lanai. And then the long long journey home.

Hawaii honeymoon, part 1

It kind of took forever to get here, but I finally wrote up what we did on our honeymoon in May 2010. It was done in part to share with some relatives planning a trip there and looking for advice, but since it is now done, seems like a good idea to share. Will be posted in 2 parts. We went to 4 islands: Oahu, Kauai, Big Island and Maui. Part 1 is Oahu and Kauai

Our general advice for Hawaii:
- Buy the Revealed books. Totally worth it.
- Do NOT overpack. Almost every place is completely casual. (less so in Waikiki if you want super fancy dinner). We washed undies and t-shirts in the sinks at the hotels and did fine. Plus, there’s Walmart conveniently located on each island (maybe not Oahu if you don’t have a car) in case you are desperate.
- If traveling from the east coast, book early morning stuff for days you first get there and days right before you leave (while you’re still on East Coast time or trying to get back on it).

Oahu
There for 2.5 days. Stayed at the Pacific Beach Hotel. (almost all hotels are in Waikiki unless you can afford Turtle Bay on the North Shore.) Hotel location was quite good. I’d say greater than 50% staying there was Japanese. Views were good. I believe we were in an ocean view room on the top floor (free honeymoon upgrade). Nice park nearby. Beach across the street. Breakfast included (this was the only hotel with that.) We did not rent a car on Oahu. We had one on every other island.

We did the Discover Hidden Hawaii circle island tour. We booked the Pearl Harbor and North Shore tour, but when given the option to continue on with the circle island rather than head back to Waikiki, we stayed with the circle group to see the rest, which was worth it. You get picked up VERY early (before 7) and dropped off around 5 (3 I think for the north shore one). Pearl Harbor is first. On this tour, there is enough time to see the Arizona and walk around the grounds. You do not have time to do the Bowfin or the Missouri. There’s a brief stop at the Dole Plantation (think giant tourist store with yummy ice cream and a few cool things on the grounds). Get the dole whip and (some fresh pineapple for later) FIRST and then walk around. Then it goes up to the north shore and stops at several beaches and Laie Point. You go past the Kualoa Ranch (more on that below). Stop at Tropical Farms (coffee and macadamia nuts. Buy them. They are good.). Lunch at some country club. Nothing special food-wise, but view is nice. Stops at a bunch of other places including Pali lookout and Halona Blowhole. It was a nice way to see a lot of stuff in a short period of time without having a car. We liked our tour guide, which helps. If we went back to Oahu, we might rent a car, at least for a day, to explore on our own.

The next day we did the KOS Hummer tour at Kualoa Ranch. Many movies were (are) filmed there as well as Lost. The tour shows you where a bunch of Lost stuff was filmed and the guide will help you recreate scenes for goofy photos. Other things filmed there – Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Tears of the Sun, You Me & Dupress, Godzilla, Aztec Rex, Mighty Joe Young. Tour was 5 hours. Also picks you up early (I think there is a PM tour as well and they have longer and shorter tours). Not really an issue because you’re still on east coast time and wide awake with the sun. We had a lot of fun on this tour. The ranch is gorgeous. And we only had one other couple with us (you can only fit so many people in a Hummer.) It was really amusing to see how many different things are filmed in a smallish area. You’ll be able to easily pick out things filmed at the ranch in the future if you do this. The ranch itself also has a bunch of different tours you can book if movies and tv don’t interest you – ATVs, horseback riding, etc.

Beach at Waikiki – smaller than we expected (narrow), but not quite as crowded as expected. (Though we were there in May, which I guess is a low season). Spent some time there on day 2 and the morning we left.

Restaurants and bars:
Duke’s – best Mai Tais in Hawaii. Live music early in the evenings. Really good poke. (I ate poke as much as possible in Hawaii.) We went there multiple times.
Margaritaville – touristy, yes, but we were looking for a quick lunch and fruity beverage. Poke was okay, not great. Pieces were too big and too much soy sauce.
Barefoot Bar at Hale Koa – met a friend for drinks there. Terrible Mai Tais. Terrible.

Kauai
2.5 days. Had a rental car this time - Toyota Corrola.

Hotel: Aston Kauai Beach at Makaiwa (Coconut Coast). Ocean front room (free honeymoon upgrade). Great place to watch the sunrise (which we did the day Charlie was born since we were already up). One con – can’t swim in the water on most of the beaches in this area (waves too big). Pro – hotels are much cheaper in this area and it’s also in the middle so neither the north nor the south is crazy far. Also near the airport which is convenient for an early flight out (which we had – 8 or something like that). Good Mai Tais at the hotel bar.

Arrival day: Stop at Walmart for supplies (on the way from the airport). (Walmart will be your friend on vacation in Hawaii, as will ABC stores.) Lunch at Fish Hut at the Coconut Marketplace (near our hotel). Okay. Decent shave ice. Near our hotel. Drove up to north shore to look around. Went to Secret Beach/Secret Lava Pools. Awesome. Go there. As long as you don’t mind hiking down a hill and parking at the end of a street that looks like just someone’s house. Great beach and really cool rocks to walk along to see the pools. Very not crowded. Dinner at Hukilau Lanai, near our hotel. Decent food, though slightly pricier than some other places we went.

Next day – Up super early because we got a text that our niece was born. So, we stayed up to watch the sunrise on the balcony. Breakfast at Harbor Mall (Market Street Diner). Then Blue Hawaiian helicopter ride. I am very afraid of helicopters. But it was worth the fear. There are many parts of the island you can’t see except in a helicopter. It’s about an hour. Napali coast is beautiful. And seeing Waimea Canyon from above is neat. After helicopter, we drove to Poipu Beach and had lunch at Puka Dog. Do that even if you are not a meat eater (I ate the veggies dogs. They are good.) After lunch, we continued the drive west. Spouting Horn (blowhole) – neat. Then to Waimea Canyon. We drove all the way up to the end of the road (it gets a little rough for the last few miles because the road is full of potholes). The canyon is awesome. It’s red and green. On the way back down, we went to Jo Jo’s Shave Ice. Highly recommended. Looks like a run-down shack, but it is very well known and very good. Get the tropical rainbow with macadamia nut ice cream. Then we stopped at Russian Fort and the mouth of the Waimea River. The Corolla made it, but just barely. Be careful driving there. After a little shopping at Hilo Hattie’s. we went up north to see the taro fields and Hanalai Bay. After sunset, we headed back toward the hotel. Dinner at Verde, a small burrito place. Decent.

Next day – Up at sunrise again to go for a walk. (enjoying the mornings are easy when your body is stuck on east coast time). Then we drove down to the south shore. First we went to Poipu Beach state park to go snorkeling. We brought our own snorkels and fins from home (I’m a crummy swimmer, so we bought them to practice in the in-law's pool the summer before), but you can rent snorkels lots of places. I believe Snorkel Bob’s is the most recommended because they are good and have lots of locations all over the islands so you can rent at one and return at another. Snorkeling at Poipu is easy – you only have to walk out about 20 feet and put your face down. Plenty to see in very shallow water. The only problem – because the water is so shallow for so far there, it’s tough not to hit your knees on rocks. A flotation device (noodle) would be helpful. They sell them at Walmart in Hawaii (see Maui below). Lunch at Puka dog again. Then to Sheraton Beach to go swimming. Nice place to hang out and swim. If it is crowded, parking might be annoying, but we only parked about a block or so away from beach access. Poipu state park has a parking lot. After that, we drove back up the coast and went to the Wailua Falls (aka the Fantasy Island waterfall). That night we went to Duke’s for dinner at the Barefoot Bar. The one in Kauai is good, but we liked the food and drinks a little better at the Waikiki one. Hula pie is a good idea, but share it.

Next time: Big Island and Maui

Trip to Kenya, part 2

So, clearly that whole resolution to write in the blog every week is not gonna happen. Oh well. Maybe next year. I did at least manage to keep up with a paper journal so far this year, so there’s that I guess.

Let’s finish up that whole Kenya vacation thing.

We moved on to our safari in the Masaai Mara next. We went with Oltome Mara Magic. The price was one of the lowest for a mid-range tented camp safari, so we went with it. It ended up being a good experience. We were group with 2 guys – both from California, I think. One was a theology student in Nairobi and the other was his friend, a reverend or something, visiting. They were pretty nice guys. Almost every conversation they had with each other was about something to do with religion, but they didn’t insist on talking to us about religion at all, which was nice.
The drive from Nairobi to Narok was such a change from the last time I went on safari in the Masaai Mara (again in 1999). The highway is quite nice now and several hours are shaved off the trip. Included is the obligatory stop at one of the overlook areas along the Rift Valley with the gift shops. Didn’t mind though, because Mama Lucy packed us a big bottle of homemade passion fruit juice and it was very much time for a potty stop. The last bit of road after Narok (about 70km) is still seriously crappy though. That part took 1.5-2 hours. Bounce bounce bounce bounce, dust dust dust dust. Unfortunately, Scott had come down with a nasty cold (poor guy always manages to pick something up on airplanes), so he was struggling for a good portion of the safari. He’s a trooper though and still managed to have fun.

Camp was nice. Small – only 7 or 8 tents. We were the only 4 people there. Our tent was nice – big bed, decent bathroom, desk, table and chairs, lounge chair, porch with more chairs. Electricity and hot water only for a few hours a day in the morning and evening, but that’s all you need to recharge cameras and shower. Big difference from the last safari – regular tents with sleeping bags, pit toilets across the camp. A bit of a step up. Dinner in the main house. Also a bar there. A little weird with multiple people serving just 4 of us, but they were very nice.
On our first game drive, we watched a cheetah kill and impala for dinner. Kinda cool. Kinda creepy. We managed to get it on video.

The next day involved a drive all the way across the reserve to the Mara River for a picnic lunch by the hippos and crocodiles. Lots of lions, giraffes and elephants. Lots of baby lions. Beautiful day as well. (lots of other animals as well, of course). The one disappointment – despite looking for quite some time, our guide was unable to find a leopard. Thus, in 3 trips to Kenya, I have not seen a leopard in the wild.

We had one final game drive the next morning before breakfast. Very pretty sunrise. Not a whole lot of animals, but still worth going. Unfortunately, it was then my turn to get sick. Upset stomach and chills for the whole day, including the ride back. I blame it entirely on myself. I know better than to eat salad in Africa, but I was tired and hungry the day before and forgot to remind myself. I shall not be forgetting again.

We got back to Mama Lucy’s house in the mid-afternoon and repacked for the next adventure.

Trip to Kenya, part 1

So, I guess I’m getting a little bit of a late start for this year’s goal. One week behind. Well, we’ll just move on.

Last month, Scott and I went to Kenya. It was my first trip there in almost 10 years. The last time I was there was in May-June 2001 as my college graduation present. (The first trip was my semester there in Fall 1999). It was fantastic to see everyone again.

Nairobi is noisier, dirtier and more crowded than it was 10 years ago. We stayed with Mama Lucy, my host mom from 1999 in Olympic Estate in Kibera. I would have no idea how to get to Swahili school as the road we used to take is now FULL of kiosks and shops and nothing looks familiar past the first few dozen feet.

Olympic Estate itself is different. It took a beating after the 2007 election. The house on the corner where my friends lived burned down. Not that you can see because there is now an uninterrupted line of kiosks all down the main street. I guess most of the kiosks were destroyed and when it calmed down, they came back in full force. The matatus still stop at the corner on the main street, but now the buses do too. Mama Lucy mocked me for going to get the bus in the wrong direction, but I was walking to where they used to be! I even have a map in my notes from my semester there that proves I’m not crazy.

Riding in a matatu is a different experience. In 1999 and 2001, it was “there’s always room for one more” and you sat there until they crammed the vehicle completely full before it left. This was my first trip back since the new laws were put in place. One butt per seat. Such luxury! The KBS buses are different too. Smaller, all seats, no standing in the doorway, hanging on for dear life. Again, luxury! Now there’s another line of buses too – Citi Hoppa. Only took that company’s bus once I think. Was fine. Not really much different, except I think they don’t have the little machines that the KBS guys do, if I remember correctly.

As usual, Mama Lucy is the best. She bought us welcome flowers and had the room all ready for us. The same room I stayed in when I was there the first time. And second. Used to share with Betty. Then Michelle. Then Jurgen. Now there’s a bunk bed and a regular bed so room for 3. New fancy shower system for upstairs too. And new paint. And couches. And bathroom tiles. Her house looks very nice. And she was nothing but a great host. Love her. Her house still has the banana trees out front. Gotta love it.

On our first full day in Nairobi, we went downtown and walked around. Went to the memorial garden (the site of the former US embassy that was bombed in 1998). The funky building next door is now a functioning building again. I guess the structure was usable after the bombing so it was gutting and is now shiny and new. I remember that building being really creepy the first time we were there. We walked all around downtown, including out to the National Theatre so I could show Scott where I took drumming lesson with Julius. I think he lives in Norway now. Wish I had tried a little harder to keep in touch.

We went to City Market to do some preliminary shopping for souvenirs for the family back home. I forgot how exhausting souvenir shopping in Nairobi can be. Though it was nothing compared to the Masai Market the next week.

We had lunch at some random place downtown. Stopped at an Uchumi to get some water. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that diet coke can now be purchased in most of the grocery stores in Nairobi. It’s the little things. I remember that being such a rare luxury in 1999, so I was amused that it was easily available. After walking around downtown, we headed back home to hang out with Lucy and Jeff for the evening and get ready for our Masai Mara safari the next day.

Next time…animals!