Aloha!
What a week it has been. I was negligent in last week's post due to the fact that my computer has some kind of virus that keeps popping up internet explorer and no amount of reformatting seems to get rid of it. Sigh. But all of those computer woes were washed away from my mind during my week in paradise aka Hawaii.
I arrived in Honolulu on Tuesday afternoon. When I asked a young man in a flower print shirt where I could catch the airport shuttle bus to Waikiki, he pointed to a sign that said "Ground Transportation." Then he said, "I'm sorry you are here for such bad weather." Huh? I was extremely confused. Sure it was a little cloudy, but it was 75 degrees with a slight tropical breeze and I had just come from a city that had freezing rain. Einstein was proved right again, all things are relative.
Wednesday - a day of romance.
Since my boyfriend, George Clooney, was otherwise occupied this week, I resigned myself to sulk in my hotel room (it was bad weather after all). Instead Evil Twin #2 and I decided to take a drive around the island of Oahu.
First stop-Dole Plantation.
We had a breakfast of cinnamon roasted macadamia nuts, the freshest pinapple ever, and some weird pinapple ice cream that kind of tasted like feet. After a stroll in the pinapple garden, we took pictures of ourselves in large wooden cutouts of Pinapple Pete. Maybe ET#2 will post them. Maybe not.
Second stop - Waimae beach
Our only goal for the day was to eat at a shrimp truck in Kahuku, so we played most of the day by ear. We were cruising along the Kamehameha Highway and decided to stop to enjoy some beach time. We pulled into a muddy parking lot and followed some surfers across the street. The sand was white, the water was navy and turquoise, and there were white puffy clouds in the blue sky. Another perfect moment in Paradise. We walked hand in hand in the soft white sand our hair blowing in the breeze .... okay wait we were not in a Valtrex comercial, but we could have been. The beach was virtually empty except for some leathery italians, a woman walking her dogs and a life guard with lots of ab muscles cleaning off with a gallon of water over his head. We sat down and watched some amateur surfers in distance tackle the waves.
Third stop - Food trucks
Fresh young coconuts were sold on the side of the road. Since ET#2 and I had sucker written on our foreheads, ET#2 paid some unwholly sum for two coconuts. The lady cut them with a large knife and we drank them by the side of the road. Then the lady cut them in half and we ate the coconut meat. Since we drank something sweet, it was time for the salty goodness of shrimp cooked in butter oil and garlic. Giovanni's is destination for many tourists on the island. It has two trucks one for shrimp and one for shaved ice. Tables and shade are set out in the gravel parking lot. We ordered two shrimp scampis, which are served with two scoops of sushi rice covered in garlic pieces and scampi sauce. The ultimate in fusion cuisine.
Fourth stop - the pipeline
After our garlicky meal, we decided to check out the surfers on the Pipeline. The north shore is the windy side of the island. This can be seen not only by the higher number of surfers but also the change in foiliage. It is denser and lusher. Along the Bonzai Pipeline, the sand is much coarser. We sat down next to a nice geriatric couple and watched the surfers. Since the waves were substandard, there were not that many elite surfers in the water. We did get to see whales junping in the distance. At the bathrooms, ET#2 found an admirer who followed her out, asked for the time, and commented how much he liked her dress. It was not a love connection.
Fifth stop - Coffee and portugese coconut buns
Our bride friend wanted us to meet her later that afternoon to help assemble some wedding programs. I got lost and we stopped at a Portugese bakery for some coffee. Behind the counter was a very good looking Happa boy. ET#2 told me that he was going to be a lawyer. That is what the fortune teller who was in the bakery told him. ET#2 was intriguied enough by their conversation that she ordered a coconut bun to not look suspicious as she stayed in the front to eavesdrop. A good decision because that thing was delicious. We made it to the Starbucks in which the bride and groom were meeting the videographer. This Pearlridge Starbucks was a one stop shopping for all of one's wedding needs. When we got there, there were our friends, and next to them a wedding photographer, and behind them a DJay and an asian bride-to-be that burst into tears.
We did some bridal bonding after that. More to come.....
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