Nothing like letting a vacation get in the way of blogging. Our trip has been very relaxing, and enjoyable so far. Here is a summary of how we spent the few days on Oahu.

Early mornings appeared to be a common theme to this vacation. It was not unusual to be up, caffeinated, showered and dressed by 7AM. Both mornings we went to Eggs ‘n Things which serves - as the name suggests eggs and things (hmmm… macadamia nut pancakes are one of those yummy things).

The hotel/condo we are staying at is currently owned by the Renassaince chain and there is a significant amount of renovations being done around the entire complex. I learnt that the the Ilikai is actually made up of three buildings, and there is a pretty good view of the Pacific Ocean from the property (as you can see by the picture).

Once breakfast was done on Sunday, Chris and his parents went to the USS Arizona Memorial. While they were off visiting the memorial, I reacquainted myself with an old friend. It appears that people friends are not the only thing that changes, and Ala Moana has gone through a bit of an expansion, and added a few more shops that I’m still not interested in. Of my three purchases that I made, two of these were done at Macy’s, and one at a local pet accessory store - True Friends.

On the way up towards the north shore of Oahu, we stopped at Queen Kapiolani Gardens where there was a great display of Hibiscus and other native plants. We had decided to drive along the coast up to Waimea Bay, and then down through central Oahu making appropriate stops along the way. Some of the noteworthy destinations included Hanauma Bay, Kailua (for lunch), Laie, and finally we ended up spending a good amount of time at ‘Ehukai Beach. On our journey back through central Oahu we stopped off at the Dole Pineapple Plantation to snap a picture or two.

For dinner, we ended up going to the Chart House Waikiki Restaurant, which is a part of the Ilikai Hotel, and had a wonderful meal to end the day. (I had Ahi Mignon, and followed this up with a phenomenal Key Lime Pie.)

I can’t let this day go by without wishing our very good friend Ian, a fabulous Happy Birthday.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life … and a good way to start that day is by adding on five (5) hours. This is what I did today (yesterday), as Chris, myself, and his parents headed off to Hawaii for a short vacation.

We departed in the mid afternoon (a little later than scheduled), and then we arrived in the mid afternoon (a little earlier than scheduled). The flight was reasonably pleasant, and we were able to watch “27 Dresses” and “Night at the Museum” on the plane. I actually enjoyed both of them, and I decided that these were good movies for planes. One of the funniest things I noted on the plane, is that when they were showing TV programs like “How I Met your Mother” words like “breast” and “damn” were bleeped.

Anyway, we arrived in Honolulu where the temperature was a pleasant 80-something degrees. It was a little cloudy, so it was not completely perfect, but tolerable. The interesting thing about Honolulu airport is that most of the walkways are outside (or open air), and it’s just a pleasant experience to have an environment where you are not sweltering as you are running to your next plane.

We checked into our accommodation and loved the views from our large balconies. The hotel is not located directly in Waikiki, but is close enough, and a very pleasant stroll through Fort DeRussey Park.

After settling in a little, we headed for a wander along Kalakaua Ave before going to Perry’s Smorgys. I remember going to this place with Daniel about 12 years ago, and as I have aged, I have realized that memories are not always what they appear. The dinner was a buffett with mediocre food - at best. The only upside to this place is that it does have a pleasant eating area outside, and one of the more unique entrances for a restaurant in Waikiki. Sadly, these positives don’t outweight the negatives, and this blog entry will serve as a reminder that memories can be flawed.

At the end of Day 1, we fell into bed having achieved an almost 29 hour day!