Shauna in Korea: September 2010

So Mom and I planned a trip to Hawaii. She had never left home other than for spots like Las Vegas, and I wanted to share my love of travel with her, so I convinced her on to a plane. Her friend Roz went along with her (it sounded like they were a couple of kids We stayed in Waikiki on the island of Oahu. It was much like home with palm trees and beaches (and full of people who were as concerned about being on time as I am: yay for island-time!). It was a quick trip, only 3 full days on the island for me, but it was SO worth it!

When I arrived I'd booked a shuttle to the hotel area since mom and Ros had already arrived. It was a GIANT tour bus for a shuttle and I was the only one. I hung out chatting with the driver while he waited for more passengers, but my flight was quite late (I got in just after midnight) and I was the only one who didn't seem to want to pay the $60 for a taxi (crazy Koreans) so I happily waited in the warm summer air just chillin' out and looking around. Strange how an airport is an airport is an airport no matter where you go...

My driver was a very big Hawaiian man who told me with very sparkly eyes about his wife and kids. We were trading stories about working night shift when his shift partner came up and waggled her finger at him, pulling him aside. When we climbed onto the bus 5 minutes later he was shaking with laughter and told me she'd warned him not to be too flirty with me, lol... it made us both laugh. On the way to the hotel he played tour guide, and told me that since switching to his current job he had started to learn a lot about the local history, and I was genuinely appreciative and excited about all the things he was telling me.

We pulled up at the hotel around 12:45 and after I got checked in I quietly set about getting comfy and unpacking a bit. About 10 minutes later there was a knock on the door that connected my room to the next, and my mom's sleepy head peeked around the corner when I opened up the door - Mommmmmmmm!!!!!!

Screeching and hugging and giddiness ensued for a minutes (it'd been 7 months since we'd seen one another last) and of course we woke up Roz too. They had arrived earlier in the day and picked me up a few snacks (fresh fruit! sammidges! Yum!!) which I gobbled up while we visited. We stayed up another hour chatting before deciding that we'd better settle back in for the night if we were going to get a proper view of the place in a few short hours. It was a few short days we were going to be there, I didn't want to miss out!

So, not in any particular order, these are some of the things we did...

I played on the sand and in the surf of Waikiki, only about a 5 minute walk through the International Marketplace from our hotel, the Ohana Waikiki West. Mom and Roz lazed under the umbrellas in lounge chairs, but I just couldn't stay outta the water!!

I didn't try surfing, though I did spend much time avoiding the rescue jetski and the crazy renters that were out on the water. There were boards all around and I think lessons were available for a reasonable price, but I just wanted to play in the water. I managed a bit of a sunburn by the end of the trip (when do I not manage to bring one of those home, right?!), but I SO enjoyed the sun.

We learned about the Duke, a Hawaiian surf champion that you can google or wiki if you're interested, and this is one of my favourite shots from the trip, Roz, me, and mom flashin' the Hawaiian 'hang loose'

We wandered the International Marketplace for a few hours, picked up a few souvenirs and got chased around by some of the most grabby and persistent vendors I've EVER met (actually a lot of vendors from Korea and Borneo once I got to talking to people!). Waikiki itself is just a normal city that just happens to be lined with palm trees. Shopping was horrible though we did ride the pink tram (which was very cute) to the great big mall. I laughed and then almost cried when we got there... I was so very much looking forward to being able to buy some clothes after the time in Korea, but when I got there?? ALL brandname stores that people from Korea and Japan love to shop in, lol... NO shopping for me.

Deep breath, big sigh, moving on...
We did breakfast at IHOP (I'm never going again, lol, it was TERRIBLE service!) and I totally enjoyed the return to American food. We ate at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville which was pretty cool, and we were never at a loss for where to find food.

We visited Pearl Harbor after renting a car for the day. We relied on the GPS system and managed to drive a BIT farther (haha, a bit, meaning onto 2 separate army bases that were NOT open to tourists - and no matter how much I batted my eyes at them they just wouldn't let me on, lol) than we needed, but eventually got there. On one base I think the soldiers assumed I was a soldier as well because I was acting like they should just let me in, and they just giggled when they figured out that indeed I was just a misguided Canadian, it was very funny. Still, they didn't let us in, lol, but they did tell us how to get to the right spot!

This was mom's deali-o, she really wanted to make sure we went there so we walked around until she had her fill of the place. I really don't like visiting war memorials, no matter at home or abroad, so it wasn't my thing but I was happy we could get there so she could see some of it. For me, I get the images and emotions of the times, the things you pick up in photos and personal accounts and movies, stuck in my head and my heart and it really impacts how I feel over the next few days and weeks and months, so I am more careful what I take in (lesson learned from Cambodia and Vietnam in 2005; I still don't have those pictures out of my head).

After that we drove up to the North Shore of the island and visited a small town called Haleiva. We shopped around a bit, had a nice dinner, and had a snow cone... the guy at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville in Waikiki recommended Matsumoro's to be the place not to miss up there, so that's what we did!! Snow cone, AND some aloe and sun cream, because by that time I was F R I E D!! :)

Once we did that we checked out many of the beaches along the Northshore (this was my deali-o, I dragged Mom and Roz along and they were very kind and patient checking them all out with me, lol).

These are some of the beach photos for your enjoyment...