Oahu ! Last leg

Monday 27th – Tues 28th

Wished a sad farewell to V&M as they dropped us off at Hilo airport on Monday morning. They have been stunningly great hosts, and now they get to have their home back and spend time fixing up the boat at Hilo harbour, ready for a summer trip to Seattle. We found time for a few team shots before we left :

At the airport I distracted myself from this sad parting by looking for inspiration for more crap jokes. Ah, here’s one

And after takeoff, we finally spotted the peaks of the two major mountains of Big Island that had been hiding from us all this time…

Once landed on Oahu, we thought a visit to Pearl Harbour would be a good use of the afternoon , as it’s right next to the airport . Not many pictures taken, more a place of remembrance and contemplation … It gave us a better understanding of how Japan came into WWII, the careful planning & the human cost of the attack.

We’d splashed out on a swanky hotel for 2 nights. Ok, it was free with the last of the travel points I’d been hoarding from a previous life. Drank to your health from the balcony before crashing that night – not a bad view …

Final Day – Road Trip

Transport to/from airport was so eye-wateringly expensive that we decided to hire a car instead and spend Tuesday ( our last day !) touring the east and north of the island. Here’s the plan , starting from Waikiki on the South Coast.

But first – an aerial disaster was narrowly averted this morning , which could have disrupted our plans. Well, it might.

Back to the road trip stuff: we headed off anti- clockwise round the island from Waikiki, starting by heading to Diamond Head crater, which I remembered giving great views. But that was 30 years ago. Now you need a pre-booked reservation to get access, so we reversed out, after sneaking a few pics of what looked like a Bond villain’s hideout hidden in the crater ( “No, Mr Collins – I expect you to …. Pay the outrageous entry fees !”)

Further east we had more luck – there are a ton of scenic stops along the coastline , and as we dodged the regular heavy rain showers we got pictures which make it look like constant sunshine. Lies, damned lies, and holiday snaps. 🌧️ ⛈️

So after about 5 hours of that we were back at the hotel. Very interesting to see what is a much more populated island than the other 2 we’ve been on. Still has stunningly beautiful spots, but also a lot of poverty ( shacks, homeless people camping rough by the beaches) mixed in among the overpriced tourist spots. It clearly creates a lot of tensions.

For our final evening, we watched the sun set on Waikiki, had a pleasant Thai meal, and took a quick dip in the rooftop pool (decadent, but rude not to – won’t be staying in a place like this now I have to PAY for it !)

And…. That’s IT !

Next day we had a smooth but looooong journey back to UK , stopping off in London to see Max before finally getting home on Friday 3rd March. It’s already starting to feel like another world , as we return to normality. So in the interests of preserving some colour in all our lives , let’s leave you with this message , from a drink provided by United Airlines :

Hope you have enjoyed absorbing all the bizarre blog flavours too. Look after yourselves , and thanks for reading. Till next time !!