Our first stop (after our master packer Larry and his assistant Cary got the car loaded) was a famous bakery in Hawaii called Leonard’s. We had Malasadas, a cinnamon and sugar topped Portuguese donut. Chris had plain. I had the one filled with chocolate. We had to wait outside in the line that stretched around the building and down the block. Around 25 minutes to get in. They stay that busy until they run out every day. But the malasada was worth the wait.
Stopped in the park next to where the beach is roped off because a Hawaiian monk seal was nesting with her husband and baby. We weren’t allowed to get close to them, of course, but the marine rescue people (aka the Lauren’s of Hawaii) were watching, and they pointed them out to us. Pretty fascinating.
I gotta say … Hawaii is well-protected in the event of fires. Even in areas like Waikiki. There are hundreds of high rise buildings everywhere. And I saw quite a few fire trucks. There were at least two emergency vehicles with boats behind. Of course there were the usual ambulances. But I must have seen seven or eight ladder trucks. I mean the kind where an extra driver handles the back of the truck. They responded to all calls. Pretty impressive.
We spent most of the morning just driving around the island. We saw a lot of beautiful scenery. We even ended up back by the glass bottom boat place. We had been looking for a food truck for lunch. We finally settled on a place called Gilligan’s back over by where we stayed the first couple of nights. But Gilligan was apparently away on an extended three hour tour. No food truck. Hence the return to the boat place. We chose a Brazilian one. I had a fried ham and cheese thing. Chris’ was chicken. Pretty good stuff.
We made one final stop on our way to the airport. We drove 45 minutes to the other side of the island. Why? To get to the Macadamia Nut Factory that we went to on the bus tour earlier in the week. That’s the only place on the island that we could find Real Noni. That’s the amazing magic rub that has relieved my back pain like nothing else. It has also helped me sleep. I had to get another bottle. And Diane wanted one. And so did KayLynn. We are now officially Noni Disciples.
Finally we made it to the airport. And then we left again. We had to get some gas in the rental car. Found a station nearby and got ‘er all filled up. Then … yes, really … we got to the airport and got all checked in. Plenty of time before our flight, too. That line to get through security was looong. It was also outside, so it was hot. We were sweltering by the time our turn came.
And then Chris notified them that she nor her heart monitor device could go through the x-ray machine. They took her aside, as usual, but this time the lady was … less than understanding. She ended up swabbing the receiver, the bag she Carrie’s it in, her prescription bottle of nitroglycerin, and, when I inadvertently handed Chris her shoes, she had to swab them, too. They finally released her to the flight, but she definitely earned her passage this time.
We all took a deep breath and made our way to the tiny food court. California Pizza, Burger King, or Chowmein Express. The Huntley’s and us had pizza. The Winkles went for Burger King. For the next hour or so we sat around the table and chatted. Well, we listened to Cary and Diane tell stories mainly.
With full bellies and different stages of CoBid afflicted bodies, we made our way to the gate to await the arrival of our ride home.
The flight was relatively uneventful. Always a good thing. The plane was one of the big ones this time. Two seats on the outside and three in the middle with two aisles. Pure luxury compared to our earlier ones. We got the usual drink and snack right away, but most people slept the whole way. I caught a few winks, but it was indeed difficult. I understand why they call it the red eye. That’s what you have when you get to your destination without enough sleep. The layover in Los Angeles was almost three hours. More on that tomorrow. If I can figure out when tomorrow is …
Psalms 24:1 says, The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it
Father, thank you for all the wonders of your world have experienced we left Hawaii truly in awe of you and your creation. And I especially liked the critters. Amen.
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