Here on the southeast coast of Alberta you sometimes have to wonder if it's winter or summer. Since mid-December we have had temperatures from -30C to 13C. And some people think we live in igloos! May isn't here yet, so I can't rule out that winter will be over soon.
Well, Christmas was a blast. Three times to Hawaii within a year ain't so bad. Of course, it is all work related and I enjoyed "working" there every time. What was different at Christmas was that a lot of big stores were open on Christmas Day. Hey, what happened to Christmas?
This trip involved flying to Honolulu then boarding a cruise ship for a week. We departed Honolulu harbor that night - Christmas Eve - and arrived at Nawiliwili as the sun was rising Christmas Morning. A couple days later we left Kauai and made our way around the islands to Hawaii, then Maui then back to Oahu. We saw about a dozen whales off the Na'apali coast. The weather was great for most of the trip. It rained for about an hour while we were inside the fabulous Imiloa planetarium and astronomy center at Hilo. If you want to learn about Hawai'ian culture from a very different perspective, it's a wonderful place.
At Kahului, Maui, (and other places around the main islands) you don't have to pay big bucks for excursions. There are other ways to get around. Public transportation is great and it costs only pennies (well at least 100) to get to your destination. A teenager I met while watching the lava flowing into the ocean told me he and his dad and a couple cousins got a taxi to take them to within walking distance of the lava, and it only cost $200. Any bus tour to see the Kilauea volcano cost each person $80 or $90 - and you got nowhere near the lava.
Hawaii is about beaches and sun, relaxing and having fun. Anaeho’omalu Bay not far from Kona is a perfect spot. Oh, there are many others but this one was so peaceful. I had forgotten how buoyant salt water is when you dive 10 to 15 feet to see coral and fish. I guess the next thing to try will be scuba or snuba. A glass-bottom boat ride allowed us to see turtles, all sorts of fish, eels and a manta ray.
Well, Christmas was a blast. Three times to Hawaii within a year ain't so bad. Of course, it is all work related and I enjoyed "working" there every time. What was different at Christmas was that a lot of big stores were open on Christmas Day. Hey, what happened to Christmas?
This trip involved flying to Honolulu then boarding a cruise ship for a week. We departed Honolulu harbor that night - Christmas Eve - and arrived at Nawiliwili as the sun was rising Christmas Morning. A couple days later we left Kauai and made our way around the islands to Hawaii, then Maui then back to Oahu. We saw about a dozen whales off the Na'apali coast. The weather was great for most of the trip. It rained for about an hour while we were inside the fabulous Imiloa planetarium and astronomy center at Hilo. If you want to learn about Hawai'ian culture from a very different perspective, it's a wonderful place.
At Kahului, Maui, (and other places around the main islands) you don't have to pay big bucks for excursions. There are other ways to get around. Public transportation is great and it costs only pennies (well at least 100) to get to your destination. A teenager I met while watching the lava flowing into the ocean told me he and his dad and a couple cousins got a taxi to take them to within walking distance of the lava, and it only cost $200. Any bus tour to see the Kilauea volcano cost each person $80 or $90 - and you got nowhere near the lava.
Hawaii is about beaches and sun, relaxing and having fun. Anaeho’omalu Bay not far from Kona is a perfect spot. Oh, there are many others but this one was so peaceful. I had forgotten how buoyant salt water is when you dive 10 to 15 feet to see coral and fish. I guess the next thing to try will be scuba or snuba. A glass-bottom boat ride allowed us to see turtles, all sorts of fish, eels and a manta ray.
Humuhumunukunukuapua'a (Hawaiian trigger fish) and honu (turtles) are beautiful.
After all that, it was home to Alberta. Calgary was cold after being in such a warm place for a week. It was winter. It was summer. It was winter again. A few days ago, it was summer again as the temperature soared to 13C.
Holidays never last forever, but they can certainly last forever in memories and photos.
Holidays never last forever, but they can certainly last forever in memories and photos.
