Hawaiiii '09, here we come! Day 1

It's Saturday morning, time to ship out! Plane leaves SJC @ 9:10am, direct to HNL, yipee! Flight was uneventful, although Hawaiian Air is rapidly becoming our favorite airline to fly - free meals, friendly crew, and lots of nice small touches (like flowers in the bathroom!).

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After landing @ 11:30am, we quickly mounted our Budget-supplied trusty grey steed (Ford Contour), checked in at the hotel (Aqua Palms Spa), donned beach attire, picked up sandwiches, and BOOM found ourselves on the beach, soaking up rays, at 12:59. Woot!!

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We lounged around the ocean for a bit, then shifted over a few feet to the gorgeous (even from space!) Hilton Lagoon:

Waikiki is wonderful - the beach is great, the people friendly, and the water is very clear. We ran into lots of friendly tourists, and chatted with one couple for quite some time, gleaning tips as they looked back over their highlights.

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One theme keeps emerging from everyone we talk to: Go to the Polynesian Culture Center - a Polynesian version of the Epcot Center.

We headed back to our hotel to relax for a bit, and then it was off to dinner at Duke's Waikiki, a short 15-minute walk away. The walk took us down Kalakaua road, by the huge Spam Jam 2009, and by the amazingly well-situated Royal Hawaiian Apple Store. Dinner wasn't bad: Maui-onion soup, chicken & steak teriyaki kebabs, and a crazy ice cream "Hula Pie":

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After dinner, we took a short detour to Chip and Cookie - a new venture by the Amos who started Famous Amos cookies. Then, Pete threw his sneakers in our car, and we both jetted off in search of an Ultimate Frisbee game Pete found at the Ultimate Players Association. Pete: "It was a blast! Some strange things like horizontal stacks were interesting, but even without cleats, it was a fun and fast game."

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2 comments:

DellaRose said...
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DellaRose said...

did you go to the Polynesian cultural center? I have always wanted to go, but didn't make it. Everyone I know who has says it is fantastic.