starrsville

Jetset, come on down! Or, would that be come on over!?!? I had a house full for a whitewater rafting trip last weekend. It was a blast! I don't expect to get back to Alaska anytime soon. My next trip will be to Seattle or environs and the kayak trip fun had recently in the San Juans. I do hope to get to Italy next year. Right now, I'm settling it to enjoy vicariously your trip to Hawaii. How nice was it to get "outside"?

BayouGal

Starrsy girl, maybe we could get cmc and all the gang from your area together and all meet up. What a blast! Don't know if Georgia is ready for that much excitment. Whacha think?! ;-)

MelissaHI, I did think about you while we were there, but it was such a whirlwind. It was a spur of the moment trip, and since I'd never been there before, I wanted to see everything and it went by so fast. We'll have a GTG next time, though, 'cause I'm going back with DH!

SpeedBuggy

Welcome back, Jetset and BayouGal! Looking forward to the rest of your report. Was this the first time you three met?

It's sounds like you had fun and made lifelong friendships. What a great story!

SpeedBuggy

Maybe you could keep traveling together, collect goodwill stories . . . . . . no, that's another thread. Apologies!

LoveItaly

LOL SpeedBuggy, only if they don't put up a website where they will have threatening people to deal with

matnikstym

aloha, Well I finally got the handcuffs off, good last practical joke jet!(actually I'm in Reno on business and just checked in here and saw Jet's post. What a great time we had! Talk about raunchy jokes, I'm still laughing over jet's sense of humor, she just doesn't shut up! If I had Prince Charles's ears, they would have grown even bigger and i'm sure Bayou is still blushing! Very nice ladies (well...) we had a blast amd hit it off from the get-go, seems like we knew each other since babies. I enjoyed their company and especially enjoyed showing bayou my island as she'd never been there before. She could have caught flies with her mouth open in awe so many times!! My favorite time was taking a hibachi and a pitcher of mai-tais (well, two pitchers actually, down to kaimu and had a nice bbq on the black sand beach, looking up at the lava flow and me telling them hawaiian ghost stories...almost convinced them of the night marchers. We aso spent some time looking at each others photo albums, they both have beautiful families and live in beautiful parts of the US! If anyone wants some great house guests, those two are the ones to invite! Next year we plan on meeting up in Alaska. Anyway, I've got a plane to catch in the morning so a hui hou!
P.S. P.M., maybe we can meet up, i'm meeting Old Southern Belle in march!

CaliNurse

Sounds like great fun! I'm jealous.

UmaUma falls- loved that name. Gave me and the kids visions of King Kamehameha growling "uma uma!!" at enemies on whichever island he was conquering at the moment.
( BTW, Jetset--any luck with search for info on your Aunt Mary of WW2 fame?? Did you see any WW2 history sites on Oahu--Punchbowl, AZ Memorial?)
A hui hou back atch' all!

SpeedBuggy

It's easy to see that you are all fine people, and Jetset should get a job writing comedy for Jay Leno! Looking forward to more details of your trip.

jetset1

Calinurse~ no, not my missing WW2 "nose art" aunt has not been located. I have been given links to some colorful websites, but I don't need info. about the little purple pill!
I had been to the Arizona Memorial before(I lived on Maui for a year in 1982 and toured the islands extensively during that time), and BayouGal, myself and my Oahu friend Siri paid another visit last week. It really affected me more this time, maybe because the world has been so unsettling with the flying regulations and constant threat issues.
SpeedBuggy~ you are the nicest man on this forum. I nominate you and LoveItaly to be the King and Queen of the forum, and you are most welcome to have a slightly hyperactive tour guide if you ever get to the Kenai Peninsula in the future.

I will post the final installment of the Hawaii report today..** as an aside, the ladies might like to know that the Body Shop vitamin E cleansing cloths were NOT considered a liquid by security(maybe it helped that she was female?), and that was the only thing besides "dry goods" that I left in my carryon for the return flight. J.

SpeedBuggy

LMAO, Jetset. You just don't know me well enough yet.

Can't you just picture Christie Brinkley with flies exiting her gaping mouth?? ;-) Seriously, though, it's like taking a first trip all over again when you get to travel with someone on their first visit.

Again, it sounds you all had a blast. I sure hope to get to meet you all one day at a Fodor's GTG. Many good people on this forum!

Tiff

A big Mahalo to jetset (with special thanks for notations from BG and Mat).

Welcome back everyone! Can't wait to read more.

Loved the 57, and then clarification that is was 5'7. Was laughing out loud.

Looking forward to more!

Cheers with tiny bubbles! Tiff

p.s. kudos to you jetset for fed-exing one suitcase, I think you are my hero.

LoveItaly

Jetset and Tiff, I am considering looking into FedExing luggage in the future. There is a post, I think it is on the Other Topics or whatever you call it here on Fodor's where a poster did that and I was amazed how low the shipping cost was compared to what I assumed it would be. They said that was for shipping it FedEx one week in advance however. But wouldn't that make the week before leaving relaxing? Basically no last minute packing. Jetset, I would love to see your Alaska and you!! I can only imagine the fun you all had in beautiful Hawaii.

Tiff

I have to agree Love, it is just a fabulous idea.

If I owned shipping company, I would be marketing this one massively!

They could have a luggage rate (like a book rate for when you mail a book).

Ok, jetset - - - carry on!

SpeedBuggy

Is there a place that stores luggage?

We shipped halibut and salmon home from Alaska, but the only time we've shipped luggage is when we are flying to an area where we have relatives. They must have shipped theirs to mat's place on BI.

jetset1

*Part Three* (grab a Depends)..

So after a pretty full tour of the Hilo area and NVP, we ventured to the other side of the island(a three hour tour,lol, a three mai tai tour!!)..
Coffee farms.. interesting? No says I, but this trip wasn't me telling my family what we'd be doing. I was being part of the gang and plus, buying fresh Kona coffee was worth the time.
Anyone catch Mike Rowe on Dirty Jobs working the long process at the coffee farm for one cup of coffee?
We did stop at the Napoopopo Beach park(locals, please forgive me for being too lazy to use proper markings for syllables, etc)..anyhoo, Capt. James Cook(wanted to say Kirk) met his demise here and there is quite a tall monument in the spot where he ,um, met his maker.(Us Alaskans have a Cook history. In fact, I live next to Cook Inlet and he explored our coastal areas back in the day as well.

Kona was next. I know it's touristy, but I had to stop at Bubba Gumps since my friends dh designed it a few years ago.. we shopped the many stores and I said a prayer to Dr. Scholl to resusitate my feet..
ended up at Jameson's for dinner, which was a great choice for "Christie"since they had cajun prepared dishes too for one and y'all. Me? Strickly the fish and lots of mango salsa..
I love my crab and halibut up North, but over there, I want the island fish mon.. plus, it's just easier to digest with the various libations.
Should not be admitting this, but maybe "one of us non drivers" reached their Hawaii DUI limit that evening.
It was not me, and I did not pressure anyone into a chorus of Marching to Pretoria! No recollection of that vicious rumor at all...
Did I mention that mat did a hula for us? He even used to perform for crowds and lasted five years..no wonder his waistline held up so well.(I have already donated mine for science and cosmetic surgery experiments, me and Babette the pudgy orangutan.)

Look at the time. I have yet to order pizza for dinner!

The next day was the thing I was excited about almost as much as the NVP and finally seeing lava flow somewhere besides down the old kisser.
Snorkel and dolphin time. We did the Farwinds2 afternoon cruise since we had to drive from Pahoa back around(BG and I insisted on buying all the gas for mat, only fair since we didn't need a rental car)..
I had been on a FairWinds boat before and loved it when my kids were young.
We also enjoyed a trip on a Body Glove cruise but I prefer the FairWind.the crew was nice and the fish were abundant, the water is much choppier than the other direction that Fairwinds goes and The dolphins swim alongside the bow!

If you like Jimmy Buffett and reggae and cheeseburgers and people having a good time on the water, you must do this trip. The morning one is fine too, just be at the dock in time to leave(parking is usually easier on side streets with lots).

We had a bet about what language a family was speaking..VAMPIRE! .. such pale skin that I wondered if they might perish in the afternoon heat.

Okay, I'm weak from hunger and I need to wrap this mess up before I get another "didja finish" email via La. and Reno ..

On the 13,BG and I flew to Oahu after a somewhat sniffly buh bye at the Hilo airport. Promises were made to have a reunion in Alaska, because no way in heck will I ever venture into humidity and cotton mouth/brown recluse/gatorville-hmm,boots would be neat, maybe I should..

Arrived in Oahu and were met at the airport by a family friend. This gal has been is an avid traveler and owns a home in Kailua..years ago, I worked with her,and one divorce settlement later, she found paradise.
Didn't do much the first day, mainly relaxed and caught up with family news and acted like the gecko soaking up more death rays.
The Diamond Head crater is a pretty good cardio workout as many of you know,and helps with the intake vs. burnoff factor!
That was what we did on Monday,attempted some minor snorkeling for photos,but it was sort of a hard effort after the hike, so we opted for the popular activity of wading and drying and people watching.. at one point, I asked BG id she thought any of the other beach dwellers were Fodorites!!

Shopping and dining took up another day. We had lunch at Orchids one day, went up to the Hanohano room in the Sheraton Wakikki at sunset, goofed around an afternoon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village(I stayed there w/family last trip),had my veryfavorite caesar salad and lobster at Duke's..then prayedthat the trip back wouldn't involve three hours of torture and a strip search at the airport..

jetset1

My computer freaked out on me and dh tried to fix the letter skip syndrome and somehow, some of my post disappeared into space, lucky you!

I wound it up by saying that yes, I Fed-Exed my suitcase full of shoes and hiking boots and war paint spackle to matnikstym's for $34 plus change, quite worth it to me..

Now I require a shoulder massage and dark chocolate so carry on in my absence. J.(sounds of body falling off chair)..

BayouGal

I just love the way J tells on mat and me, but manages to either disguise the stories on herself or conveniently leaves them out! LoL Just kidding. She's the writer, and doing a heck of a job!

We are not really the big drinkers we may appear to be on Fodor's, (hey, we're somebody's mom, afterall), but man, those island mai tais ARE to die for! Definitely addictive!!

Besides the absolute fun and momentary silliness that reigned every now and then (well, quite often, come to think of it), we really did have many moving experiences. The lava blew us away, of course. And I think Jetset will always have a special place in my heart after I glanced over at her when we spotted all the dolphins, only to see tears rolling down her cheeks. She's a much bigger softee than she lets on! She was wishing her sons could be there and grew a little melancholy for a second. I was feeling the same way. I guess we all want those dearest to us with us when we experience those magnificent moments that make this life worth living!

Seeing the sea turtles is what wow'd me the most, probably even more than seeing the lava flow. Now that was a National Geographic experience!

So many of you have upcoming trips to Hawaii, and I know you are going to have a wonderful time! The memories of this trip will definitely help get me through some rough days ahead.

Shanghainese

What fun you had! How far is the lava flow from the black sand beach, and how would you compare the sight to hiking over the lava at VNP? Thanks.

matnikstym

they forgot to tell you that they dragged me to EVERY store in Kona, looking for "just the perfect" pareau and the "perfect" souvenir for every one on their list. They were successful, jet with her blue dolphin creation, bayou with her honu wrap t-shirts for the kids, Kona coffee for the hubbies and on and on...I didn't complain though, no, I was the trooper, the perfect host (?) and wanted their stay to be memorable. On the way back from Kona we stopped at Punalu'u black sand beach where bayou got close and personal with the honus (turtles) relaxing on the beach...she was like a kid at Christmas, such excitement...made me appreciate the things around me that I don't even notice anymore. except for the goose that "goosed" her on the beach, it was a great time. For their last night on the Big Island, I went all out. Lit the tiki torches, Iz and Willie K on the stereo, Captain Morgan Sunrises with my own home grown pineapple, papaya shrimp, teriyaki poke and macadamia crusted brie with mango chutney for appetizers, baby green salad with papaya seed dressing, kalbi ribs, rice and to top it off, macadamia cheesecake. We laughed, joked and talked into the wee hours of the morning, then a few hours of sleep and off to the airport. It was a sad departure but happy to have made friends with two great ladies! Oh yeah, while they were here, bayou found some gecko eggs on the window sill (we went gecko hunting every night with flashlights) anyway, bayou, the eggs hatched, you're a Mama again and guess what I named them? T and J.

LoveItaly

The most fun and awesome Fodor's GTG report ever, this is it!! Now if BayouGal doesn't have to go through a hurricane all will be well with the world. Thanks you three for sharing your fun!!