Time has come today...

I traveled to O'ahu as part of the James Madison High School Class of 1960 tour group.  As soon as I stepped foot on the bus shuttling us to the airport, one of the organizers told me and another passenger around my age that we needed to be at work paying for their Social Security.  They cracked jokes about us "youngsters" practically the whole trip.  They were most definitely a lively bunch of seniors.  Some of them drank like they were reliving their college days.  There were several nights when I went up to my room before 9pm, while they stayed up late socializing in the lobby.  Many of us seemed to have trouble sleeping & trying to adjust to the 5-hour time difference.  I was in bed by 9:30 some nights & and woke up between 4 & 5 am most days, except for one day when I slept until 6:30am.

I explored the area around our hotel in those early morning hours when the streets were dark, but filled with many other pedestrians who must have also had trouble sleeping.  During my first morning walk, I met 2 surfers waiting on the sun to come up to begin their day at the beach.  They reminded me of "Jay and Silent Bob".  "Jay" was very friendly and greeted everyone who walked along the sidewalk.  He said his goal was to boost the positive energy around him by being positive himself.  His goal that morning was to get "Silent Bob" on his bus.  That sounded familiar, so I asked him if he had read, "The Energy Bus".  He said he had read the book and felt it was important to raise the energy of those around him even though the passersby generally ignored his enthusiastic greetings.

On another sleepless morning, I strapped on my running shoes and jogged around a well-lit military park followed by a dip in the hotel pool.  I was the only person in the pool at 5 o'clock in the morning.  I floated on an intertube and marvelled at the bright stars above.  The stars were bigger and brighter in Hawaii than I've ever seen in Texas.

One thing that I know for sure is that the tourism industry thrives on suckers who pay high prices for hotels, flights, excursions, etc.  If you're willing to pay $100 for dinner, then they are not going to tell you it only costs $10.  Our hotel and many others had agents inside selling different tourist packages like snorkeling, bus tours, dinner cruises, luaus, etc.  During our exploration of the area, we saw a small window offering the same packages that were being sold at the hotel for less than half the cost.  The shop sold snacks and computer usage, as well as the tourist packages advertised in the window, but the primary commodity of that shop seemed to be tar & nicotene in the form of cigarettes.  I stepped into the small shop that was no bigger than my Honda Civic to inquire about a tour of the island, also called the "circle island tour".  Our small group of 7 paid $38 each for the day long bus tour of the island of O'ahu versus $84 that was being charged elsewhere.  That tour encompassed many sites where the bulk of my pictures were taken. :-(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsBwBct0_5U

Eastern Star

Prior to arriving in Hawaii, I searched Groupon & Living Social for deals near Waikiki Beach.  I saw many interesting offers on restaurants and activities, including watersports and tours.  I ended up purchasing 2 Groupons (2 admissions for $35) for Herbal Spa & Sauna.  Once I arrived on the island, I called to make an appointment for the spa visit, which included a jacuzzi, steam room, & sauna.  The proprietor informed me of a discounted price of $80 (regularly $120) on the full spa services for Groupon customers.  The enhanced package included a body scrub, shiatsu massage, cucumber facial, coconut and banana body mask, scalp massage and hair wash.  It was absolutely fabulous.  I had a little trepidation when I first walked into the small building that also housed a Vietnamese restaurant at the front.  The spa visit started with a tour of the facility along with a view of the mineral salt tank that was used to pump in the steam.  The components reminded me of my water softener tank at home.  My 3 companions and I started in the mineral salt steam room followed by the dry sauna, hot tub, cold water pool, the Himilayan mineral salt sauna and the clay sauna.  During our round of the spa, we were called individually to the table for bodywork starting with the salt scrub.  Every inch of my body was scrubbed until I felt like a newborn baby with no toxins left in me whatsoever.  After the scrub, I was slightly embarassed by the dirt specks remaining on the table, until I heard everyone else say the same thing.  We left there after about 3 hours feeling refreshed and ready to bask in our newly cleansed selves.  If only I could do that on a more regular basis.  Plus, we met two very friendly military wives who graciously offered to drive us to our hotel so we didn't have to take the bus back.  The visit to Herbal Spa exceeded all of our expectations.  I imagined that must have been similar to the process Esther underwent in preparation for the king.  I definitely could have put up with that treatment for a year.

Aloha

I am currently sitting on a Boeing 767 that just took off over the hilly craters of O'ahu.  According to the screen above my head, I have 6218 km to my destination.  This is usually a very calming time for me as I look out the window at the awesomely majestic scenery below.  Even now, I can't help but feel more relaxed flying over the vast wonder we call the Pacific Ocean.  Minutes before boarding this flight, I realized that I no longer had my trusty, ever present friend, Canon.  I somehow lost my camera in the airport.  I went through the security checkpoints, walked to the restroom, and then proceeded to my gate with my camera & all my other belongings in tow.  I stopped to take a few pictures of the Hawaiian and Japanese planes sitting at the gates ready to be loaded for their next destination.  I walked to my gate, and sat for a few minutes before getting up to walk around the area to find food.  Finding food before the flight was important because no food or snacks would be served on the almost 8-hour trip.  I sat down & ate a few bites, saving most of the food for the plane.  I first noticed that my camera was missing when I got up to walk back to the gate for boarding.  I frantically searched the restaurant and asked the workers if they had seen my missing camera. It felt more like an extension of myself because it held so many precious moments of my life that I could revisit from time to time.  Not only did it store my pictures of Hawaii, but also my wedding anniversary in New Orleans, and other special events.  I retraced my steps & asked the gate agent if anyone had turned in a camera, and I checked the seating area around the gate.  I called the airport helpline and they gave me the number for Lost & Found, which I called several times to no avail.  I was very disappointed when the line rang a few times before hanging up on me.  I walked back to the gate agent and the ticket agent once more before boarding, and I left my contact info. just in case they found anything.  Without pictures, the images that I saw will live only in my mind's eye.  It was like a nearsighted person losing their glasses.  It was such an awful way to end an otherwise fabulous vacation.  C'est la vie.