Tuesday, January 14, 2014

I Didn't Know I Wanted to Go.....

The thing is, I didn't know I wanted to go to Hawaii.

My grandpa used to tell us that everyone should go to Hawaii at least once in their lives. I thought that was sweet, but I didn't know I wanted to go.

When my sister-in-law and her husband called and asked if we wanted to go with them, I said yes. I was excited about it, but I didn't know I wanted to.

We planned and saved for two years. We had mid-winter get togethers with computers and books and recommendations from friends. But I still didn't know....

And then we landed.....


And suddenly, I knew I wanted to go to Hawaii.

I was so excited at the airport!  Did you know that just about everything in Hawaii is open air?  Even the airport? There might be roofs on buildings, but there are big open windows so you can feel the air as you walk....

Since we went through a travel agency, we were met at the airport by Curtis, our representative. He gave us our leis, took our picture, helped us with luggage and finding our shuttle. Note to self: always use a travel agency when booking a big trip. Even the ride to our hotel was magical. Everywhere we looked there were flowers and palm trees. And it was warm! Chilly to Hawaiians, though. Cool is relative.





We stayed at Outrigger on the Beach on Waikiki which was beautiful. They were all decked out in their holiday finest. It was hard to remember it was Christmas. The first night, we dumped our baggage in the room well, the bellmen did and we headed to get something to eat. It had been a long day and the breakfast Greg and I ate in snowy Des Moines was long gone.









Luckily, the hotel had two great restaurants to choose from. We chose the Hula Grill based on the fact we didn't have to wait an hour to get a table!  The first meal started a tradition--Mahi Mahi and Mai Tais. You can't get more Hawaiian than that!  I am not a fish eater--heck, I'm not a very adventurous eater. I tried many things in Hawaii that I would not have eaten at home.






We were only on Oahu for a couple of days, so we didn't expect this when we work up in the morning and headed out to the lanai for coffee  my favorite part of every day in Hawaii: coffee on the lanai. Sounds exotic, doesn't it?  WE COULD SEE THE OCEAN FROM THE LANAI!  I know, not a lot, but we were happy just to see a peek.....








My number 1 rule when traveling is DON'T DO THE TIMESHARE MEAL. Greg's rule is DO the timeshare meal. He won.  

But this was just supposed to be to let us know about activities on Oahu.

And it was....kind of....
       And the breakfast was free...and cold
But we did eat an orchid.... I felt like Euell Gibbons, former Grape Nuts spokesman, "Many parts are edible...."
And we did get our tickets for Pearl Harbor.....so worth it.....


to be continued
Aloha
The view from 3/4 of the way up Diamondhead.  

12 comments:

  1. I've been waiting for this story to come pouring out of you. :-)
    Absolutely gorgeous! Can't wait to read more.

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    1. Elsie, I'm going through my travel journal (tried to write every day). It helps when I'm writing these posts :)

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  2. I've never been, so now… Thanks for starting to tell us all, Deb. It just sounds so wonderful Deb. I love seeing the pictures especially.

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  3. I've been once a long time ago, and it was my husband's and my favorite spot. It may be time for another trip, Deb! The first time I went I didn't know I wanted to go either. Your photos have made me remember why I want to go...

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  4. Sigh. I worked at a camp in Hawai'i and even though the job turned out not so great, I would do it over again just to be in that amazing setting. Thanks for reminding me.

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  5. Oh my. I DO want to go! You make it sound and look wonderful!

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  6. Deb, I can understand how you feel. You see, I'm a home body. I love to be at home, so the thought of all that energy to get planned and packed and traveling just doesn't sound all that exciting to me. But, your words: I didn't know I wanted to go ... say it all for me! Usually any new experience or travel destination I end up loving. And now you have me convinced that I must one day head to Hawaii!! (Wait until my hubby hears about this! Yes, I'll blame you!) :) I'm sure it did seem rather strange celebrating the Christmas season in the warmth of the sun and coffee on the lanai! Heavenly! What a trip! Aloha - until next time!

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  7. Jealous. Very Jealous. But the smile on your face in every picture tells this truth: you were MEANT to go to Hawaii!!! Enjoy!

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  8. This post excited me! I recently just purchased one-way tickets for my boyfriend and me and am tempted not to be tickets back! Coffee with an ocean view sounds like heaven right now as I'm slaving away on homework. Enjoy!

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  9. Like you, Deb, I fell in love with Hawaii, in fact my hubby would move there in a minute. Coffee on the lanai with a view of the ocean - Heaven. We took a cruise around the islands and I think my favorite is Maui. Pearl Harbor was such a moving experience. Can't wait to hear more about your week. Aloha

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  10. You are reinforcing the idea that I need to revisit Hawaii! Looking forward to reading more posts about your Hawaii adventure.

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  11. Fabulous! The repeating phrase, ..."I didn't know I wanted to go" really shows what a pleasant surprise this trip was. What a lovely time you had and I want to read more, too.

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