Hawaii. July 8 – 16, 2019.

This started as a trip to Asia, but eventually turned into a one-week trip to Hawaii.

Joe Jr had initially wanted to travel to Hong Kong and Taiwan, and asked Anne and I to come along.  Eventually he thought better of taking a young kid that far away, so he settled on Hawaii, where Jess could also meet up with her friends.  As I type this inside UA363, they have been there for a few days already.  We will be joining them for about a week, first staying at Waikiki, then moving to Disney Aulani Resort.  I must state staying at Disney isn’t my idea of fun, or a Hawaii vacation for that matter, but Joe managed a “deal” on a two-bedroom apartment.

Monday 7/8.  A roundtrip ticket between Newark and Honolulu costs around $800, while award tickets cost 22,500 miles each, so we opted for the latter.  When I first booked the EWR-HNL leg only flights with connections were offered at that low mileage.  That would mean flying out of EWR at 7 am.  Hotels.com was selling Marriott Newark Airport rooms for about $130 (non-refundable), so I booked ourselves into that property for the night before.  Eventually the non-stop leaving at 8:45 am became available, so I switched our flights (and for the two of us the 767 E+ seats work well).  Since the room was paid for, we decided to use it anyway, and Eric T came by to take us to the airport.

[For the record even though the following isn’t part of our trip.  Ellie and family meanwhile went to Sweden, and before that had stayed with us on-and-off for a couple of weeks so the children could go to Manasquan for swimming lessons.  The upshot is that we left Terra behind Monday evening, and they will come by to pick her up after they land on Tuesday.  Their flight was delayed a couple of hours, but things should still be okay.]

After checking in, I walked over to Terminal B to buy toothpaste (forgot to pack my liquids bag) and a couple of burgers from Wendy’s.  The walk was about 5 minutes, but involved “climbing over” a small barrier.

A “regularly” priced room at this property is $200 - $300+, so Hotels.com did give us a great rate.  I also thought Marriott claims the rates they offer on their direct booking site are the lowest; if they do, then it’s not true in this instance.

Accommodations: Marriott Newark Airport (1 night).

Tuesday 7/9.  It was a good thing we woke up in time to take the 7 am shuttle.  We were dropped off at the ground level, and when we got to the first level there was already a long line being held at the escalators so the security area wouldn’t be too crowded.  Today one of the days having TSA precheck would have helped.  It took us over 30 minutes to clear security, so we made the 7:55 am boarding with a few minutes to spare.

The flight is packed – all seats taken.  They served breakfast soon after take-off, and lunch at around 2 pm EDT.  As a 1K member I could get one food item for free, but the flight attendant saw my status on her device and didn’t charge me for the two hamburgers we ordered for lunch, saying “we are glad to have you travel with us.”  Small favor, much appreciated nonetheless.

All I have done so far is watch a movie (Venom) and an episode of Midsomer Murder.  My many attempts at napping were mostly unsuccessful as I forgot to bring my neck pillow; plus I don’t sleep well inside airplanes anyway.

Our flight will arrive an hour ahead of schedule, a nice departure from the delays we experienced during our last two trips (to Florida and to Boston).

We landed an hour early but had to wait for a gate.

Our early arrival meant an occupied gate; so we waited for about 10 minutes inside before we could disembark.  We decided to have lunch at the airport before hailing an Uber to take us to the hotel, which Joe booked for us with his elite status.

We met up with Joe’s family at around 7 pm to have dinner, at Tim Ho Wan in the Royal Hawaiian Center.  Usually our grandchildren are happy to see us, tonight they were plain tired – jetlag and a lot of outdoor activities during the day had tired them out by dinner time.

 Our upgraded room had a view of Diamond Head and the ocean, albeit with chimneys in the foreground.

The cookie-cutter rooms in Hyatt Place are spacious.  But their layout can be improved to accommodate folks with different sleep schedules.

Anne and I took the bus to save on some walking.  After having paid $5.50 for the two of us, the driver asked us how old we were, and then gave us two day passes.  Day passes for seniors cost $2 only.  We had planned to walk back, but decided we would save a few steps by taking advantage of the day passes.

Accommodations: Hyatt Place Waikiki (2 nights).

Wednesday 7/10.  Both Anne and I went to bed early, she around 9:30 pm, I around 11:30 pm: we both needed to catch up on the long day yesterday.

There are signs around the hotel saying one needs to be a Hyatt traveler member and booking an eligible rate before one can enjoy the full breakfast.  Turns out no one checked (we would have been eligible), and breakfast wasn’t all that unusual compared to other Hyatt Place properties.

We took the bus out to Hilton Waikiki Resort to join Joe Jr at the pool.  All the grandchildren seemed to be enjoying themselves.  For lunch we took the bus over to Ala Moana Shopping Center’s Japanese food court – we were here in 2017 – although both Anne and I thought the food (fried gyozas) didn’t quite agree with us.

 Day Pass on the bus costs $2 for a senior, $2.75 for a child.  On our way to Ala Moana Mall.

There is a section in the mall called Shirokiya Japan Village.  We had lunch there.

After saying good bye, we went back for a short rest, and then decided to take the bus to the Diamond Head visitor center, which involved a considerable walk from the bus stop.  The park closes at 6 pm, but they won’t let people in after 4:30 pm.  I vaguely remember we had the same situation last time we tried.  Today we got off the bus at 4:27 pm, and walked most of the way towards the visitors’ center before turning around to take the bus back at the hotel.  I noticed the “real time” public transportation feature was not all that timely.  Luckily there were enough buses that we didn’t have to wait too long.

To get to the Diamond Head visitor center one has to go through a tunnel - makes sense as the center is located on the caldera.  Even though the park is open until 6 pm, entry has to be before 4:30 pm.  We also missed the cutoff time last time we visited.

 Lining Kalakaua Ave along Waikiki Beach are palm trees and these giant banyan trees.

I recently reconnected with a high school friend; we last met in 1970, close to 50 years ago.  He has been living in Hawaii for a while.  He picked Anne and I up for dinner.  We do recall many teachers we had in common, although we forgot what we did together (probably not much anyway).  It was nonetheless an enjoyable dinner at a quiet restaurant (B&T Terrace Dining on Pilkoi Street).

Thursday 7/11.  Joe Jr and I couldn’t quite decide what kind (and how many) of rental car(s) we should get.  At the end we decided if he could get a van or an SUV that can accommodate all of us, we would just have one car.  The upshot is we have a Ford Explorer with three rows of seats.  Anne and I checked out around 12:30 pm and took the bus over to his hotel.

The Explorer has seven seats, but the trunk is too small to fit everything in (even we all pack light), so we ended up with a stroller and a bag in the passenger compartment.

The ride over took a little over 40 minutes, our having to take a detour because of an accident on H1.

Joe Jr is crazy about all things Disney.  We like it because our grandchildren like it.  The Aulani Resort is quite expensive, with small rooms starting at over $500 per night.  We have a two bedroom apartment.  Our room wasn’t available until around 3:45 pm, and Joe Jr took off to take a tour of the place.  He also scored a free lu’au for us, a rather expensive proposition.  Before the dinner (self-service buffet) started we had an hour or so where kids could explore different activities such as lei-making and getting a fake tattoo.  Dinner was good – but not spectacular – and included a roasted pig that tasted very much like Chinese roasted pork, complete with char-siu sauce.

With Emmie in the Aulani Resort.  Waiting for our apartment to be ready.

We had "VIP" seating which allowed us to get food first, and to be very close to the show platform.

There was a rather long show after dinner, with two emcees going through a brief history of the region by introducing songs and dances into the program.  They claim to be brother and sister, and things got a bit (too) serious when they talked about how tradition relates them to their deceased mother.  The music was sometimes a bit loud for us sitting very close to the stage, but to Anne’s and my surprise, Emmie and Harrison seemed very much engrossed in what was happening, with Emmie telling her mother that the shows was better than watching TV.  It was close to 9 pm when we got back to our room.

The dinner and show lasted from 5:30 pm to 8:40 pm.

Accommodations: Disney Aulani Resort (5 nights).

Friday 7/12.  Day spent around the different swimming pools in the resort; for Anne and I that meant looking for chairs under shade.  I imagine we will be doing the same things over the next several days.

Luau and swimming, these are the major themes at Aulani.  View of the ocean from the deck of one of the many swimming pools at the resort.

Saturday 7/13.  Anne and I walked down to the Ko’Olina Center to look for lunch.  There are a few eateries, we would eat at the Ko’Olina Hawaiin BBQ (which Google Maps says is closed permanently); I would end up going down later in the day to get takeout from Corner Pizza.

 Several eateries are located in the Ko'Olina Center a few minutes' walk away.  This place is run by a Cantonese-speaking lady who has been in Hawaii for over 40 years.

 We enjoyed these dishes of fried chicken and beef noodles.  The food we got on subsequent visits weren't as good.

The cattle egret was introduced to the island to help the local commercial cattle herds in Hawaii.  As is often the case, the law of unintended consequences resulted in these birds taking over a lot of the local bird population.  People are thinking of ways to control the population, including a 24/7 open season on them.

DD wanted to ride on the narrow-guage Hawaiian Railway, but the round trip would take 2 hours.  It passes by the Ko’Olina Center, so we drove Joe Jr and DD to the terminal and the two walked the short distance from the Center to the hotel.

 The Hawaiian Railway rides on a narrow gauge track.  DD loved it.

 It is more fun to watch videos than get into the water.

At around 6 pm we all gathered at the beach to have portraits taken.

 Guests can come down to this cove at around 6:30 pm to have their solo or family portraits taken.

Emmie was very intrigued by the long shadows cast by the setting sun.

Sunday 7/14.  We set out at 9 am this morning, with about 6 things on our list of things to do before Anne and I need to return to the hotel at 3 pm for a conference call.  We ended up doing perhaps 4, not quite the way we expected to accomplish them.

First, we headed out to Laniakea Beach where sea turtles sometimes come up to bask themselves.  According to the volunteer “turtle ranger” there they had been coming up in the early afternoon.  We were there at around 10 am, but managed to see the young turtles which stayed by the shore all the time.  Per the ranger (and I am not sure I got all the facts straight), there are about 75 turtles in the area, and 12 of them regularly come ashore.  Sea turtles generally breed where they were born, and the ones here would travel 500 miles to their breeding ground.  They frequent this area because of the marine growth caused by the intermixing of seawater and freshwater that seep into the sea.  While not an endangered species, they are protected and humans should keep a distance of 10 feet.  One did come ashore, only for a few moments.

 Many sea turtles congregate along Laniakea Beach to feed on the abundant algae that grow where streams meet the sea.  We saw quite a few, but they are not easy to get in photographs.

 CC and DD would much rather play with the sand.

It is a rather long stretch of sandy beach along this part of the Oahu North Shore.

Different people would have different favorites when it comes to shrimp trucks.  Today we tried out Jenny’s, a smallish food truck.  We enjoyed the different shrimps on offer.

 I am sure books have been written about the North Shore Food Trucks in the area.  We visited two during our 2017 trip.  Today it was Jenny's for lunch.

Butter and garlic shrimp for $14.  Typically served with macaroni salad and rice, but they will give you salad if you ask for it.

The next stop was Du Pont Sunflower Farm.  Evidently sunflowers’ blooms last 10 days, and the time changes year to year (could be in November!).  We hit it during this year’s blooming season, and there were a lot of them.  Just as we were getting off the car, Jess found out she left her bag (mostly with children’s stuff) at a drinks place near Jenny’s, so she and Joe went back to get it, while Anne and I took Emmie and Harrison to see the sunflowers.  They were not too keen because there might be bees, but they did enjoy the (small) ices Anne bought them.

 Du Pont Sunflower Farm.  The sunflowers bloom for a limited period each season, and for some reason the time varies.  We caught this season's crop in full bloom.

Why is such a large tractor needed to harvest these flowers?

Traffic was heavy returning to the hotel.  And we needed to make a rest stop at Green World Coffee Farm.  The iced lattes tasted okay, but not special.

After our 3 – 5 pm conference call, Anne and I walked down to the Hawaiian BBQ place again, this time for dinner.

I took several evening strolls during the stay so I could meet my exercise "quota."  This is the sign leading to the resort.

Monday 7/15.  Before we knew it, the last full day of our vacation was upon us.  The children have been enjoying themselves, spending a lot of time at the many pools at the resort.  Emmie has certainly gotten a lot of sun, it was a good thing that she doesn’t seem sunburned.

Anne and I wanted to check out Giovanni’s Shrimp in Haleiwa again.  When we got close, we found out the parking lot was full, and parked about ½ mile away at the North Shore Marketplace.  The line at Giovanni was long, so instead ordered a shrimp dish and a kalbi dish from the other truck, Honos.  From what I read from my iPhone Honos seems to have more of a Korean flavor.  Its shrimp plates were about $1 cheaper at $13.  As far as Anne and I could tell, they were just as good as what we (couldn’t) remember of Giovanni’s product.  And the kalbi was also very good.

 Korean style shrimp and kalbi from Honos Truck.  We enjoyed these two dishes.

The Google Map "street view" was from June 2011 (screen shot done during this trip).  As far as I could tell, Giovanni wasn't there yet.  Nowadays Honos seems to get only the overflow traffic.

We spend some time with CC in the afternoon while the two older kids went – what else – swimming.  She really bonded with us after all these days, and we had a good time with her, at least as much of a good time as one can get with a 20-month old.

Anne and I again went out for dinner, this time at Jack-in-a-Box.  There is a side dish called fried rice with Portuguese sausage and spam.  Very Hawaiian, even more so if they had used spam instead.

The mongoose was introduced to Hawaii to control the rat population that was damaging the sugar cane plantation.  Turns out mongoose like to eat a lot of the local animals too.

Tuesday 7/16.  The kids went to some kid activity before we checked out, at around 11:30 am.  We had lunch at Island Market down the street, and then headed off to the airport.

When we arrived at the gate for our flight, the gate agent was just finishing an announcement that a “decision” will be made at 3:30 pm.  Our flight was scheduled to leave at 3:20 pm.  A hydraulics leak was reported on arrival, which they needed to fix.  When 3:30 pm rolled around, the decision time was moved to 4:30 pm.  Joe ran into the pilots and found out they were “good” till 6:30 pm before their on-duty time would be exceeded.  Options offered on my Unite APP for alternate flights were not that great: middle seats, connections, and arrival a good 10 hours later than originally scheduled.  We decided to stick with the original flight.

The leak was fixed a little before 4:30 pm, and we left at around 5:10 pm (about two hours late), and got to Newark at around 8:10 am (about 1:30 hours late).  We also lucked out on our seats, with six of us plus CC (lap infant) occupying a row of seven seats.  The flight had three empty seats per the seat map.  And they charged us $20 for $40 worth of food when I identified myself as a 1K member.

Three empty seats in our flight, and we are thankful we got one of them.

It was interesting that there were not that many flights between 3:30 pm and 8 pm, when the next wave of United flights leave.  Quite a few shops in that area closed around 4 pm.

The three kids traveled well.  There were other children on the flight as points of reference.

Anne and I didn’t sleep much – in my case not at all.

Anne and I came home on the train with Emmie  The others took an Uber home.