Week 1: 3/3/2021-3/10/2021.
It has been more than 13 months since we last travelled,
that was a trip to Australia. Although
we did spend a week in July in the Poconos with Joe Jr, Ellie and their
families; and a couple of days in Cape May after that. I might get to post some pictures from those
two trips when I get around to it.
When Ellie told us her idea of moving to Hawaii for
several months to ride out the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought that was a bit
drastic. Turns out the idea was good, as
she can work reasonably well from five time zones away, and the kids are young
enough that not going to school – such as it is – won’t put them that much
behind their peers. We of course miss
the grandkids, as they had been staying two to three nights with us each week
since the end of summer.
Our original plan was to visit in February as United
scheduled non-stop Newark – Honolulu flights.
Soon after we made the booking, however, we were notified that those
flights had been cancelled and we were going to make a stop on the west
coast. We didn’t feel comfortable doing
so, so rebooked for the non-stops in March.
And we got notified about those cancellations. As we both got our second COVID vaccine shots
by mid-February, we decided to take the trip.
There are health forms one has to fill in, and a COVID
test also is required to avoid quarantine in Hawaii. The actual steps are quite simple, but we got
sent so many notices that made things sound complicated. The most difficult thing – and potentially most
expensive – is to get a COVID test. Our
son had to scramble to get tested when he came down to visit for
Christmas. Things are much calmer now,
we could readily get an appointment at Walgreens (South River), and the
drive-through testing involved nothing more than putting a cotton swab in a
nostril and rotate several times. Anne
got her results within a couple of hours; I had to wait about six to get mine. The cost of these tests is covered by
insurance (in our case Medicare), other providers charge over $100. The rapid test offered by United at Newark
cost $200 last time I checked.
Not having travelled for more than a year, we spent a lot
of time making sure the house is properly alarmed, and the trip preparation
process was a bit daunting. Now (Wednesday
night) sitting in a hotel room, things feel a lot calmer.
Wed 3/3. Since our
flight on Thursday is quite early, we decided to stay at the Newark Marriott
the night before. And we had a Marriott
certificate we needed to use anyway.
The wait for Uber was longer than usual – not too many
cars on the road – and we checked in a little after 6. We don’t plan on eating dinner, but did bring
along plenty of snacks.
Room at the Newark Airport Marriott. There is only one desk chair in the room. The location is convenient, though.
Accommodation.
Newark Marriott (1 night).
Thu 3/4. We woke
up around 6:15 am to check out of hotel and to catch the shuttle to Terminal
C. We left our room at around 6:55 and
got to the terminal at 7:05 am. Was the
terminal crowded! People were at the
lower level (regular check in area) waiting to be sent up the escalator in
groups, and the line was long. We found
a CLEAR agent who took us to the beginning of the line, but when we got to the
TSA level we were sent to the wrong end.
To get to the pre-check side we had to go up one floor, walk to the far
end, and take the escalator down. On
this end both CLEAR and TSA pre-check worked reasonably well, and we were
through in less than 15 minutes, and that is with me having been “randomly
selected” for an ID check.
While everyone was wearing a mask, social distancing
simply wasn’t possible given the number of people in the terminal, and some of
the narrow passages (not helped by these eateries put in a couple of years
ago). I would have felt very
uncomfortable if I had not had my COVID vaccine shots.
The positive aspect of this trip is that both our flights
got upgraded, using Plus Points. The
EWR-LAX flight is in a 787-10, so we get the Polaris seats. They are fine, but not as good as I imagined
them to be. Meal service was a
“pre-packaged” affair, but the entrée was hot.
I just finished the movie Tenet which had things moving forward and
backward in time, simultaneously. Even
if it makes sense (and I am not sure it did), it would be difficult to follow
the two timelines simultaneously.
Inside the 787-10.
The "abbreviated" breakfast consists of sausages and egg. At least it was warm.
The EWR-LAX flight was quite crowded. The Business First section was full, some empty middle seats in Economy Plus, and the Economy section also quite full.
100 mph headwind is normal.
It was bearable to wear a mask for a 5:30 hour flight. Not sure how uncomfortable it would be if it is a non-stop 10 hour flight.
We landed at LAX ahead of schedule, and I thought I would
go visit Alaska Lounge as part of the Priority Pass program. It is in Terminal 6, but easily walkable from
Terminal 7 without leaving the secured area.
But it was too crowded and we had to wait for may be 20 minutes. We ended sitting in the Terminal 6 gate area
for a while – it was much quieter.
It was about an hour before departure that we got back to
the United gate, and to our chagrin found out there was a long line waiting to
be “wristbanded.” Some people in front
of us seemed to take a long time, with one lady having to dig through her
documents at least three times. For the
well-prepared, it was a simple scan of the QR code the Hawaiian government sent
us, and to make sure we are whom we are, the whole process took maybe two
minutes.
Even thought LAX was a bit quieter than EWR, social
distancing was still impossible around the gate areas. And we saw this crowd near the gate serving a
flight to Orlando. Disneyland is closed,
so all the fans are heading out to Disney World.
The plane had a “cleaning delay” (someone else might have
coined the term already) so we ended up doing the usual priority boarding. This 757 is the first one I encountered that
had no seat back screens, and no wifi while over the Pacific. The purser thought it was not supposed to
happen, even though the “Flight Status” has this information for a few days
already. The seats in Business are about
the size of the Premium Plus seats, and I don’t understand why they don’t put
in a foot rest - it is easy enough. We did get a warm sandwich for lunch.
I believe these are the Channel Islands west of LAX.
The industrial area at the Southwest corner of Oahu.
The area of the airport we landed was very quiet, with
most restaurants closed. Dollar car
rental is a shuttle ride away. The line
waiting for service was long; I waited about 45 minutes before I was served.
And at some point a woman came in and said it would be a 45 to 60 minute wait
for a car after signing the rental contract.
I ordered the “house special” and was offered a Chevy Spark (very small
car) right away; which I took. The drive
to the hotel and subsequent hotel check in were both straightforward. The one-bedroom apartment was a bit worn, but
reasonably clean. The one disappointment
was there was no washer/dryer (as described in the Hotels.com website).
We ordered takeout from House of Wong, a short drive from
the hotel.
This is the Chevy Spark we rented from Dollar. After four days of use (I am typing this on March 8) it has proved to be surprisingly competent and adequate for our purposes. Don't know how it would fare when we put two more people in it, which we may do on some occasions. [And it's easy to catch a finger when using the phone in wide angle mode.]
Accommodations.
Aston at Waikiki Banyan (7 nights).
I summarize what I have learned about the health
declaration process in the following two paragraphs.
Hawaii Safe Travels. The process feels a lot more daunting on
paper than reality. For Honolulu, one
first registers at the Hawaiian Government website, which asks for inbound
flight information. That can be done any
time (one creates an account). Within
three days of departure, one takes a COVID test from one of the trusted partners,
and uploads the test results to the Hawaiian website. (The reports we get says we were tested
Monday, our flight from LAX was Thursday; we did it exactly 72 hours before
departure time, but could have done it any time during the day. We did it at Walgreens whose reports specify
only the day, not hour; and I also know it to be true with Vault. When it’s 24 hours before flight to HNL,
Hawaii sent us a questionnaire, we answered the questions, and within minutes
got a replay with a QR code. At the United
gate for our LAX-HNL flight, the agent scanned our QR code, verified our
identity, and put a wristband on us.
Upon arrival, the authorities waive you through when they see your
wristband. I am told if you don’t have a
wristband, you just have to show the health staff your negative COVID
test. My understanding is those who
can’t demonstrate they tested negative are subject to a 10-day quarantine.
LAX restrictions.
California discourages unnecessary visits, and suggests voluntary
quarantine, but says nothing about transit passengers. For LAX arrivals one is expected to fill in a
form, which is quite straightforward.
Other than an acknowledgement that the form is filled out, there are no
follow ups.
Fri 3/5. We
decided it would be prudent to practice social distancing for a few days as we
don’t know even with vaccination we can still be carriers of the vaccine. (After so many people have been vaccinated,
one would think the statisticians would have some results already.) So we brought our masks along when we visited
Ellie et al. We brought takeout to their
house for brunch. The non-descript Café
Kaila was quite crowded, and they checked my temperature before I was allowed
to pick up the food. We were happy to
see the young people, and they were happy to see us. We spent most of the time in their place, but
did venture out to the Tantalus Lookout and the Jungle Swing (which has exactly
one swing hanging from a tree). We went
back to the hotel for a short while and rejoined Ellie et al for an early
dinner. The kids go to bed before 7 pm.
Diamond Head as seen from the Tantalus Lookout.
We would see these rainbows quite often.
We stopped by Safeway to pick up some basics like milk
and bread, and I walked along the beach trying to get my exercise in. I forgot to bring the Apple Watch charger, so
the watch ran out of battery last night – there went my streak, and my hope of
achieving this months challenge of 1000 calories burned a day for nine days.
Sat 3/6. Weather
during this time of the year can be fickle.
We have had rain on and off quite a bit the last couple of days, from drizzles
to light. Not enough to ruin the day,
but enough to make you plan if you want to be outdoors for an extended period
of time.
The weather forecast yesterday said it was going to be
raining quite a bit. It has been a much
nicer day than that, although there is the occasional passing drizzle.
We started the day at the Koko Railway Trail which is the
old tram track that hauled supplies up to the top of the volcano Koko to supply
the military post there. The track is
not in use, but is in pretty good shape thanks to ongoing restoration
efforts. I walked from the base (at 250
feet elevation) to about 410, not too difficult, but I was worried about my
weak knee. The top is at about 1100
feet, and the last stretch is very steep.
Panoramic view from the Koko Crater Railway Trail.
This was followed by visits to Spitting Cave and China
Wall. People were jumping off the wall
into the ocean, and quite a few scuba divers were practicing ocean
rescues. The water is amazingly clear. Dolphins and sea turtles were readily seen
from the shore.
Ellie's family at the Spitting Cavve.
China Walls.
Maisie and Reid basically have each other as company for the last several months.
People jump into the surf from the Walls. Here scuba divers are practicing rescue with a dummy.
This gap in the rock causes quite a splash. China Walls.
Dolphins at about the 0:05 mark.
We picked up food from South Shore Café and ate at the
Ala Moana Park. The beach was quite
crowded (although social distancing wasn’t difficult), Ellie et al decided to
go in the water, Anne and I returned to the hotel to take a rest.
Lunch at Ala Moana Park.
After a late and heavy lunch, Ellie et al were just going
to have smoothies for dinner. We joined
them for the berries and tropical fruit concoctions Kuau cooked up, with tofu
added for extra protein. The Apple Watch
cable I ordered also arrived, a couple of days ahead of schedule, which is
nice.
On the way back we stopped by Leonard’s, around for close
to 70 years, to buy some malasadas which are best described as Portuguese
donuts. One special flavor is Lee Hing
Powder, which is made from preserved Chinese plums. They were quite good.
Sun 3/7. Today was
basically a shrimp truck day. On our
prior trips we have tried these roadside shrimp trucks before, and we hit the
“well-known” ones today. When we got to
the grove in Haleiwa a little before 11 am, the place was already quite
crowded, but we could find parking this time.
What we ordered: 2 shrimp plates and 2 hot dogs from Giovanni’s, Kalbi
from Honos, and Loco Moco & Kalua pork from a third place. Loco Moco is a Hawaiian breakfast dish
consisting of rice, hamburger meat, and fried egg; and Kalua pork is pulled
pork. Quite a bit of food, but we
managed.
It was then a short drive up to Matsumoto Shave Ice where
flavors come in varieties including Green River.
Towards the northern tip of the island is Turtle
Bay. We visited the Pillbox built to
guard the area during World War II.
Ellie and Kuau went for a dip in the ocean, Reid and Maisie decided to
do some tree climbing (they are both pretty good at it). Anne and I held Everly when her parents went
for a dip, and was she unhappy. It may
be attributable to her being tired and hungry, or while she seemed to enjoy us
from a distance, the feeling didn’t stick around when we were close. Afterwards she smiled at us again.
By the time we were ready to leave the beach area, it was
after 3 pm, and some wanted to try another shrimp truck. This time it was Fumi’s, a few miles away on
the other side of the tip. The shrimp
wasn’t as good, but we enjoyed the clean dining area and the clean washrooms.
We went our separate ways afterward. Anne and I walked to the Royal Hawaiian
Center looking for dessert, but ended up getting two cake slices from Cheesecake
Factory. I went for another walk to
complete my activity rings.
This grove in Haleiwa is becoming a must-visit location for tourists. The dominant business is Giovanni's, and we ordered most food from them. Although we also got some from two other food trucks.
Shave Ice from Matsumoto's in Haleiwa. Three flavors: mango, green river, and blue berry (?).
In front of a huge banyan tree. This tree has been photographed in several films.
I would call this a copse or grove of trees. But evidently this is considered a single tree.
Yes, the rock is an overhang. Turtle Bay area.
Sand covering a lava flow. The lava is still quite sharp and cause great harm if one slips on it.
Pillbox built during the second world war to guard the bases on this part of the island.
View at the location of the pillbox.
The constant wind conditions cause this slant in the trees that grow along the shore.
The first time grandma held Everly. She was okay with us at a distance, but still had stranger anxiety when we were close.
Reid and Maisie have gotten into tree-climbing. This is a huge West Indian elm tree (got its name from a Google App).
Fumi is a more "civilized" version of a shrimp truck. Water to wash up, clean bathrooms, neatly arranged tables. The shrimp were not as good though.
Two plates of shrimp, chicken katsu, and fried cod for dinner.
Mon 3/8. Ellie had
to come over to our room to work as her house is being treated for pests. We took the two kids and went to the Honolulu
zoo. The pricing scheme is such that it’s
cheaper to buy an annual pass than to buy tickets for 2 adults and 2 children. The zoo is small (depending on one’s expectations,
I guess) but has an interesting collection of animals, including a hippopotamus,
several giraffes, and two Asian elephants.
There were these two Siamang gibbons that were putting on quite a
show. The volunteer told us they are
father and daughter, and they communicate with other gibbons in the zoo via
these rather wild vocalizations. While
one can argue animals in Hawaii don’t need to freeze as they do in the
Northeast, there is still this sense of their not quite in their element. For instance, electric fences were put around
the elephant enclosure (at least that’s what the signs say). I don’t know if animals are lucky or unlucky
if they are in captivity: certainly in the wild there is a lot of predation
that goes on.
Still with stranger anxiety.
Ring-tailed lemurs.
These gibbons were making quite a ruckus.
Peacocks are evidently quite common on this island. We saw some on our prior trip.
Two tortoises from two different areas.
Spider monkeys.
Flamingos.
Often the enclosures obscure the animals.
No idea what this strange-looking bird is.
Lunch was at Teddy’s.
For dinner Anne and I got take out from House of Wong to bring to Ellie’s
house. The kids ate quite a bit
too. Their appetite seems to have
improved a lot since we last saw them in New Jersey.
3/9 Tue. A quiet day. Laundry in the morning, then bought some food
at Duck Lee and brought to Ellie’s place for lunch. It was supposed to be rainy so we decided to
stay in. Turned out to be dry most of
the time. The kids played outside most
of the time, and I took a hike up the ridge (about 2.5 miles roundtrip, 750
feet rise in elevation), with some portions that are quite steep. I did another walk of about 3 miles after we
got back – still didn’t meet the 1000 calories objective.
Elevation at beginning and end of hike: an increase of about 750 feet. Parts quite steep.
Nice views of Diamond Head along the way.
3/10 Wed. I had an
ACCESS call at 11:30 am my time, so took advantage of the morning by walking
with Anne to the beach, and also did some additional walking on my own. During the phone call Anne drove to the
Market City Shopping Center and bought lunch from Duck Lee and Gina’s, a Korean
restaurant.
We then met up with Ellie et al at Aiea Trail where we
took a short walk. There were rumblings
of thunder, even though the sky was mostly blue. The rains the last few days made parts of the
trail muddy and slippery, Reid and Maisie sure enough fell a couple of times,
but were not bothered.
After Shimazu’s for shave ice, we went back to our hotel
room to pick up the leftover lunch to bring to Alencastre. Ellie bought some Japanese. That was our dinner.
Rain was coming down quite heavily, accompanied by
thunder and lightning. Our drive back to
the hotel started unexceptionally. Then
a lightning flash, and everything went dark around us. Without any street lights, we had to depend
other drivers’ common courtesy at intersections to be able to get home. That the wireless network continued working
helped. We got back to our hotel safely,
and electricity was not out in the area.
Power in the area was restored in a couple of hours.
The area has been inundated with rain the last couple of days, with much flooding and a report of someone swept down a river.
Eastern end of Waikiki Beach. There were quite a few people on the beach.
A wall surrounds part of the beach so it is nice and shallow for those who are not fans of surfs. These small crabs are well camouflaged; wonder if they started that way or adapted to their surroundings.
At the entrance to the Aiea Loop Trail area are these ruins that were used by some first Hawaiians.
These strawberry guava bushes are abundant in the area. Kuau and the kids ate some - a bit too green. I thought better of it.
Shave Ice at Shimazu.
Continued ...
