Got a nickname from the bus driver Wes. Old Yeller. I wondered if it was because I was wearing a yellow shirt. No. Then I challenged him for calling me old. But that was not it either. He seemed to think I had a more voluminous than was to be expected speaking voice. I don’t understand what he meant by that.
I tried something new on the morning we left the hotel. I made some of their “Quality, Earth Friendly, Sustainable Coffee” (caps are theirs). It was called Hawaiian Paradise. Not the worst in-room, single-cup coffee I have ever had, but it was still … kinda weak. I still ordered some at McDonald’s with our breakfast order. By the way, is that weird? We’re staying at the Hyatt Regency Resort and walking a few blocks every morning to grab breakfast at McDonald’s?
The bus was loaded and ready at 7:07. We headed to the Eastern shoreline of Oahu. Beautiful beaches and shoreline. Cailyn butt dialed three times, so we FaceTimed her. Couldn’t hear her, but she got to see a little bit of the water view.
Went to a replica of a Buddhist temple. You had to remove your shoes before going in. But “in” was just two steps in front of a giant Buddha statue. Anticlimactic at best. We did get to ring one of those giant bells with a hanging log, though. So … there was that.
Next stop was a Macadamia Nut farm outlet. Before I went in I had to make sure I understood exactly what they meant by that. As a rule of thumb, I try to steer clear of nut farms. This was was an actual farm with actual, edible nuts. And they even let us sample their wares. Macadamia nuts were actually the only thing on our family and friends’ request list. Well, guys, you will be happy to know … we saw macadamia nuts.
Next we went to a nearby cattle ranch. That’s where we had our prepackaged turkey and cheese sandwiches. The ranch is a big deal. Activities from horseback rides to ATV tours if the property to fishing on the lake. Not sure why we got to experience it, but thanks for that memory.
Speaking of memories … I was somehow railroaded into helping teach the crowd of 126 how to do parts of the hula. I was the ocean. Here’s what the Hawaiian words are for the parts of the song as well as the terrain:
Ooah - fresh water (rain)
Ookah- mountains
Koolah - plains
Kai - beach (ocean)
Since I was already in the mood, Larry consented to be my designated Monty Python coconut-clopping horse hoof sound effect guy. I road briefly around the stage area while everyone else was eating. Cary was our cameraman.
Speaking of cameras, these movies all had segments filmed in the ranch:
Godzilla
Jurassic Park
Karate Kid II (Okinawa ceremony)
Mighty Joe Young
Skull Island
50 First Dates
Jumanji
Not to mention the TV show Lost.
We also passed Gilligan’s Island on our way to the cruise ship. They were only a mile from the mainland all that time.
Oh, and did I mention … there were wild chickens everywhere all over the island!
We finally made it to the ship, and when our luggage finally joined us, we got settled in. We enjoyed supper at the buffet, then walked around deck until the ship took off for our next destination. Here we come.
Psalms 16:9-10 says, “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”
Father, thank you for our bus driver these last few days. I know he was just doing his job, but he really made it pleasant. Bless him and his family. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment