Our plan today was to drive to some beaches in South Maui. We got on the road around 10am. We were looking for Maluaka/Makena Beach. Our "Maui Revealed" book said it was called by many different names it was a real gem of South Maui. As we approached the area we turned down several small streets to a dead end with a drop off. I dropped off the family and droved about 100 years back up the road to a parking area.
The beach was fairly secluded and the water was nice and calm. It was partial cove that was blocked on the right by some lava rocks. Also on the right was a lot of rocks with coral. The was trees backing the beach that provided nice shade. I could be in the shade while Anne was only a few feet away in the sun. Ah, the best of both worlds!
We found the snorkeling to be very good and saw more fish and interesting things there than any of the previous locations we snorkeled. We stayed until about 3pm. In the afternoon the winds picked up and the tide came into the shore. It got rougher but was still safe for the kids.
Around 3:30pm we left and headed back into Kihei where we stopped at Fred's Mexican Cafe. It was Tuesday taco night so all tacos were $2 and $3. We sat drank and Margaritas and ate Mexican food. It felt like best moment of the vacation just then.
We headed back to home base and got stuck in a lot of traffic. There was a girl with a full drum kit setup on a rock by the ocean that was causing traffic to slow to a crawl. It looked like some sort of photo shoot. We got back and just hung out by the pool.
A great day!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 12
Today is Monday and our plan was to hang out by the pool most of the morning and then head down to Lahaina for our planned Luau. That's exactly what we did.
I did take a run down the beach about 1.5 miles. Half of it was running on the sand and the rest on some boardwalk areas in front of some of the other hotels. It was very tough running in the sand as it was very soft.
After hanging out by the pool for a while I decided to walk back over the Star market to get a few things, I picked up a bottle of Bacardi Gold rum to mix with our cherry coke zero that we bought the day before, Those certainly were a tasty combination to drink by the pool.
Around 2pm we got cleaned up and headed down to the Lahaina mall. The kids spent most of the time in Game Stop playing with the new game releases, Jonathan and I played Guitar Hero on Tour on the Nintendo DS. Anne did some shopping and got us all Maui shirts.
We got the the Old Lahaina Luau early and had to wait outside. Anne looked over and noticed a kid's flowered Hawaiian shirt that looked like one of mine. Then she looked closer and said "That's Conner from Highland's School". Sure enough it was one of Jonathan's old classmates. What are the chances of that! Jonathan spent time sitting at their table talking before the Luau started. The Luau was lots of fun and both kids really enjoyed it. The sunset was beautiful. What a great location. The drinks were weak but very fruity and tasty. My observation was that the traditional Hawaiian hula was a mix of Yoga and African dance. Very interesting to watch but after seeing it performed for the last week and half it was starting to all look the same. There are only so many moves.
Another very enjoyable day,
I did take a run down the beach about 1.5 miles. Half of it was running on the sand and the rest on some boardwalk areas in front of some of the other hotels. It was very tough running in the sand as it was very soft.
After hanging out by the pool for a while I decided to walk back over the Star market to get a few things, I picked up a bottle of Bacardi Gold rum to mix with our cherry coke zero that we bought the day before, Those certainly were a tasty combination to drink by the pool.
Around 2pm we got cleaned up and headed down to the Lahaina mall. The kids spent most of the time in Game Stop playing with the new game releases, Jonathan and I played Guitar Hero on Tour on the Nintendo DS. Anne did some shopping and got us all Maui shirts.
We got the the Old Lahaina Luau early and had to wait outside. Anne looked over and noticed a kid's flowered Hawaiian shirt that looked like one of mine. Then she looked closer and said "That's Conner from Highland's School". Sure enough it was one of Jonathan's old classmates. What are the chances of that! Jonathan spent time sitting at their table talking before the Luau started. The Luau was lots of fun and both kids really enjoyed it. The sunset was beautiful. What a great location. The drinks were weak but very fruity and tasty. My observation was that the traditional Hawaiian hula was a mix of Yoga and African dance. Very interesting to watch but after seeing it performed for the last week and half it was starting to all look the same. There are only so many moves.
Another very enjoyable day,
Monday, June 23, 2008
Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 11
Now that we are settled in we can get to some serious relaxation. We took our time getting up in the morning although the kids are still getting up at 6am. We attended a free breakfast at 9:30am that was to try and sell you excursions. It took a while but it was good breakfast.
After breakfast we headed over to the Star grocery store right across the street. It was very convenient. When we were walking out of the store a couple approached us and told us that a person parked next to us open their car door and it slammed into our car. There was clearly a large dent in the passenger side door of our rental car. They had the license plate of the car so I called the police and reported it. I had to wait for the police to arrive so Anne and the kids walked back to the hotel. That certainly was a pain.
After that we headed to the pool and setup by the pool at the end of the slide. This pool is only 3.5 feet deep so Alex would be safe. We spent most of the day by the pool basking in the sun.
We headed back up the room in the afternoon and cleaned up for dinner. We walked across the street to the small strip mall and had pizza at a small Italian eatery.
That was about it for the day.
After breakfast we headed over to the Star grocery store right across the street. It was very convenient. When we were walking out of the store a couple approached us and told us that a person parked next to us open their car door and it slammed into our car. There was clearly a large dent in the passenger side door of our rental car. They had the license plate of the car so I called the police and reported it. I had to wait for the police to arrive so Anne and the kids walked back to the hotel. That certainly was a pain.
After that we headed to the pool and setup by the pool at the end of the slide. This pool is only 3.5 feet deep so Alex would be safe. We spent most of the day by the pool basking in the sun.
We headed back up the room in the afternoon and cleaned up for dinner. We walked across the street to the small strip mall and had pizza at a small Italian eatery.
That was about it for the day.
Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 10
Today is another travel day to Maui. We had to return the car by 12 noon so we had to occupy ourselves in the morning. Since we packed the night before we got up and took our time sipping our huge stock of Lion coffee that we purchased earlier in the week.
After some relaxation we walked to the mall which was right around the corner. Jonathan and Alex were able to locate a EB Game store and and arcade so we were entertained for a few hours. Around 11pm we checked out and headed to the airport.
Everything went smooth checking in the car and getting to the gate. It seemed as though the inter island flight terminal was pretty lax on security. We sat at the gate until our 4:50pm flight. The kids watched videos and Alex got a Wall-e coloring book.
The flight to Maui was short. Our luggage had made it there on an earlier flight as it was sitting over to the side when we arrived. We then headed over to the Alamo rental center. The attendant informed us that our reservation had been canceled. Although we had canceled an earlier reservation for a last minute $179 deal we had not canceled the more recent one. Obviously their system had messed up our 1st cancellation. The attendant acted annoyed and didn't seem like she was going to help us. I just persisted and we got the $179 rate.
We were on our way to the Kalapani Beach Club. We arrived got checked in and headed down for a meal. By this time it was almost 8pm. The bar had a cheesy male/female singing duo. Anne said it reminded her of the Saturday night skit with Will Farrell. I didn't think it was that bad. They started talking to the kids and asking questions. That's when the one way shouting started and we had to reel them in. Luckily the finished at 8pm. The male singer came over and said "Good luck when the become teenagers. It's a good thing you are young". I didn't know what to think of that.
Off to bed. Why does every travel day seem to take a day even when the flight is only one hour?
After some relaxation we walked to the mall which was right around the corner. Jonathan and Alex were able to locate a EB Game store and and arcade so we were entertained for a few hours. Around 11pm we checked out and headed to the airport.
Everything went smooth checking in the car and getting to the gate. It seemed as though the inter island flight terminal was pretty lax on security. We sat at the gate until our 4:50pm flight. The kids watched videos and Alex got a Wall-e coloring book.
The flight to Maui was short. Our luggage had made it there on an earlier flight as it was sitting over to the side when we arrived. We then headed over to the Alamo rental center. The attendant informed us that our reservation had been canceled. Although we had canceled an earlier reservation for a last minute $179 deal we had not canceled the more recent one. Obviously their system had messed up our 1st cancellation. The attendant acted annoyed and didn't seem like she was going to help us. I just persisted and we got the $179 rate.
We were on our way to the Kalapani Beach Club. We arrived got checked in and headed down for a meal. By this time it was almost 8pm. The bar had a cheesy male/female singing duo. Anne said it reminded her of the Saturday night skit with Will Farrell. I didn't think it was that bad. They started talking to the kids and asking questions. That's when the one way shouting started and we had to reel them in. Luckily the finished at 8pm. The male singer came over and said "Good luck when the become teenagers. It's a good thing you are young". I didn't know what to think of that.
Off to bed. Why does every travel day seem to take a day even when the flight is only one hour?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 9
Ok, so I'm falling behind on blogging. I'm writing this two days late at this point.
Today we got up and packed lunched and headed towards the north shore. The drive today was not as scenic as yesterday. It took us about 50 minutes to get there. The first beach we stopped at was three tables. We parked about 100 yards from the beach in an alternate parking lot. As we started trekking towards the beach I noticed a public bathroom on the right. I decided to swing in before getting to the beach. As I turned the corner the smell of urine hit me in the face and there was 4 nasty looking homeless folks drinking 40's. It was uncomfortable and I walked away very quickly.
The beach had very large crystals and stuck to everything. The snorkeling was not that great and we didn't stay very long. We didn't feel our things were safe on the beach. We packed up and headed over to another larger beach. I can't remember the name of it now but it was only 1/4 mile south of where we just were. This beach was much larger and had lifeguards. The beach dropped off very quickly but the water was very calm. We stayed there until about 2pm and then we headed back. The drive home took us quite a while as we hit some rush hour traffic while getting back into Waikiki beach.
We cleaned up again and headed back towards the high-end shopping district. We had plans to go to the world famous Duke's. Duke was a famous Hawaiian Olympic surfer. We had to wait about 40 minutes for the mean but it was worth it. One of the Ahi appetizers that we ordered was one of the best I have ever had in my life. mmmmmmm. Anne got a tropical itch drink that came with a full size back scratcher. That was a hit with kids.
We started back to the fireworks at the Sheraton but we were crossing Fort DeRussy when they started. Needless to say both kids through a fit.
Back to the room and to sleep around 11pm.
I think we had enough of Waikiki living. Tomorrow it is travel day to Maui.
Today we got up and packed lunched and headed towards the north shore. The drive today was not as scenic as yesterday. It took us about 50 minutes to get there. The first beach we stopped at was three tables. We parked about 100 yards from the beach in an alternate parking lot. As we started trekking towards the beach I noticed a public bathroom on the right. I decided to swing in before getting to the beach. As I turned the corner the smell of urine hit me in the face and there was 4 nasty looking homeless folks drinking 40's. It was uncomfortable and I walked away very quickly.
The beach had very large crystals and stuck to everything. The snorkeling was not that great and we didn't stay very long. We didn't feel our things were safe on the beach. We packed up and headed over to another larger beach. I can't remember the name of it now but it was only 1/4 mile south of where we just were. This beach was much larger and had lifeguards. The beach dropped off very quickly but the water was very calm. We stayed there until about 2pm and then we headed back. The drive home took us quite a while as we hit some rush hour traffic while getting back into Waikiki beach.
We cleaned up again and headed back towards the high-end shopping district. We had plans to go to the world famous Duke's. Duke was a famous Hawaiian Olympic surfer. We had to wait about 40 minutes for the mean but it was worth it. One of the Ahi appetizers that we ordered was one of the best I have ever had in my life. mmmmmmm. Anne got a tropical itch drink that came with a full size back scratcher. That was a hit with kids.
We started back to the fireworks at the Sheraton but we were crossing Fort DeRussy when they started. Needless to say both kids through a fit.
Back to the room and to sleep around 11pm.
I think we had enough of Waikiki living. Tomorrow it is travel day to Maui.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 8
6:00am... wake up time! The sounds of construction trucks backing up was the alarm clock this morning, They sure start work early. I guess it is to avoid the heat.
We took our time this morning and head out of the room around 9:00am for the north shores. We first headed toward Kailua through the mountain pass on hwy 61. What an incredible drive! Once we got near the beach we stopped at the first small parking lot we saw. We headed for the beach with our gear. It was a small path with a bath house shaded by palm trees. As we emerged on the beach the view was spectacular. The beach wrapped left and right for miles. The beach was not very crowded. There were lots children in the mildly gentle surf. The kids played in the water for hours. It was a lot of fun.
We left around 2pm in search of some more Hawaiian snow balls. GPS took us right to one of the best listed in our guide book. From there we started towards north beach but the GPS said we would not get there until 4pm. As we looked back Jonathan was asleep and Alex said he wanted to head home. So we diverted and drove back across the H3 through another mountain pass. The weather on the north side was cloudy and gray and when we emerged from the tunnel on the south side it was sunny.
After we got back to the room we cleaned ourselves up and headed out for dinner. We walked through the high-end shopping district so the Sansei restaurant. It was about a mile walk. The food was very good. Jonathan ate way too much expensive sushi. After dinner we walked back along the beach while the kids complained the whole way.
We stayed up later until about 10pm until falling asleep. The plan for tomorrow is the North shore.
We took our time this morning and head out of the room around 9:00am for the north shores. We first headed toward Kailua through the mountain pass on hwy 61. What an incredible drive! Once we got near the beach we stopped at the first small parking lot we saw. We headed for the beach with our gear. It was a small path with a bath house shaded by palm trees. As we emerged on the beach the view was spectacular. The beach wrapped left and right for miles. The beach was not very crowded. There were lots children in the mildly gentle surf. The kids played in the water for hours. It was a lot of fun.
We left around 2pm in search of some more Hawaiian snow balls. GPS took us right to one of the best listed in our guide book. From there we started towards north beach but the GPS said we would not get there until 4pm. As we looked back Jonathan was asleep and Alex said he wanted to head home. So we diverted and drove back across the H3 through another mountain pass. The weather on the north side was cloudy and gray and when we emerged from the tunnel on the south side it was sunny.
After we got back to the room we cleaned ourselves up and headed out for dinner. We walked through the high-end shopping district so the Sansei restaurant. It was about a mile walk. The food was very good. Jonathan ate way too much expensive sushi. After dinner we walked back along the beach while the kids complained the whole way.
We stayed up later until about 10pm until falling asleep. The plan for tomorrow is the North shore.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 7
We woke up this morning at 5:30am but this time on purpose. We wanted to get to Diamond Head early to beat the heat and the crowds. We can see the top of the point from our room and it looked clear.
We arrived at the base of the mountain and started our accent at 7:03am. We were only a few hundred yards on the paved path before the kids started complaining. We had to coax them along the entire way. It was a really cool hike winding up the side of the hill. The tunnel through the side of the hill with the lighted path was a fun contrast. We drank 3 bottles of water on the way up mostly because of the sun. The climb was not that bad at all but it is hot. Once we climbed the spiral staircase embeded in the mountain to the peak you had to squat under a large slab to emerge on the absolute summit. It was very spectacular. I don't think pictures will do it justice. We'll see.
The decent was easy but still Jonathan complained the whole way down. We had to bride that they would get treats when we reached the bottom of the hill. The way I see it, if a bride eliminates the complaints then it's worth it. We got more snowballs at the bottom concession stand. Everyone was happy.
We continued on to Hanauma Bay to snorkel. We had to wait in a line to get our tickets and a time to watch the informational movie. It took us about an hour to get in. The bay is actually a crater that the ocean has overflowed into over time. There are tons of fish but the corral is very low and more like and algae on the rocks, Jonathan did very well with the snorkeling but Alex had more problems with it. He wanted to stop and stand up and they didn't want you standing on the corral. We saw about 6-7 different varieties of fish. Alex had a freak out on the beach when Anne tried to put spray sun screen on his neck. The day would not be complete without an autism moment. People sitting around us got up and left. It's upsetting that we can't even go one day without an incident. *sigh*
We returned home. When I got in the room I realized that I had left the charger for the new Canon camera in the room at the airport hotel. I used the computer and google maps to look up and Ritz Camera near our hotel. I called and they had a charger for $29, I walked over and picked it up. Problem solved!
We went to dinner at Sam Choi's Seafood resturant and brew pub. Anne and I both had fresh catch of the day. It was fantastic. I got the beer sampler's which included 6 3oz samplers of all the beers made on site. That was delicious as well. I would definitely go to this one again.
One more trip to Walmart for snacks and it was back home. Alex had a incident at Walmart that made me do a lot of thinking about what it really means to have a non-physical disability. Alex walked up to a customer service rep and pointed at a man standing at the counter who was missing his hand and said, "Excuse, me. Where is his hand." The employee said, "That's not very nice now go back to your Dad". So it made me think, this is a classic symptom of his autism disability; his inability to understand why asking a question would hurt someone's feelings. Yet, he is not viewed as having a disability but simply a rude little boy. The irony is sad and made me cry.
We returned to the room and the kids were out by 9pm. I made it until 10pm and Anne toughed it out reading the newspaper until 11pm. zzzzzzzzzz
We arrived at the base of the mountain and started our accent at 7:03am. We were only a few hundred yards on the paved path before the kids started complaining. We had to coax them along the entire way. It was a really cool hike winding up the side of the hill. The tunnel through the side of the hill with the lighted path was a fun contrast. We drank 3 bottles of water on the way up mostly because of the sun. The climb was not that bad at all but it is hot. Once we climbed the spiral staircase embeded in the mountain to the peak you had to squat under a large slab to emerge on the absolute summit. It was very spectacular. I don't think pictures will do it justice. We'll see.
The decent was easy but still Jonathan complained the whole way down. We had to bride that they would get treats when we reached the bottom of the hill. The way I see it, if a bride eliminates the complaints then it's worth it. We got more snowballs at the bottom concession stand. Everyone was happy.
We continued on to Hanauma Bay to snorkel. We had to wait in a line to get our tickets and a time to watch the informational movie. It took us about an hour to get in. The bay is actually a crater that the ocean has overflowed into over time. There are tons of fish but the corral is very low and more like and algae on the rocks, Jonathan did very well with the snorkeling but Alex had more problems with it. He wanted to stop and stand up and they didn't want you standing on the corral. We saw about 6-7 different varieties of fish. Alex had a freak out on the beach when Anne tried to put spray sun screen on his neck. The day would not be complete without an autism moment. People sitting around us got up and left. It's upsetting that we can't even go one day without an incident. *sigh*
We returned home. When I got in the room I realized that I had left the charger for the new Canon camera in the room at the airport hotel. I used the computer and google maps to look up and Ritz Camera near our hotel. I called and they had a charger for $29, I walked over and picked it up. Problem solved!
We went to dinner at Sam Choi's Seafood resturant and brew pub. Anne and I both had fresh catch of the day. It was fantastic. I got the beer sampler's which included 6 3oz samplers of all the beers made on site. That was delicious as well. I would definitely go to this one again.
One more trip to Walmart for snacks and it was back home. Alex had a incident at Walmart that made me do a lot of thinking about what it really means to have a non-physical disability. Alex walked up to a customer service rep and pointed at a man standing at the counter who was missing his hand and said, "Excuse, me. Where is his hand." The employee said, "That's not very nice now go back to your Dad". So it made me think, this is a classic symptom of his autism disability; his inability to understand why asking a question would hurt someone's feelings. Yet, he is not viewed as having a disability but simply a rude little boy. The irony is sad and made me cry.
We returned to the room and the kids were out by 9pm. I made it until 10pm and Anne toughed it out reading the newspaper until 11pm. zzzzzzzzzz
Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 6
We were up early again. We still are about 1 1/2 hours off normal sleep time. Today was overcast so we went for a ride to the punchbowl to check out the memorial. We also drove around and found Hilo Hattie, a store that features all sorts of Hawaiian shirts. We all picked up a flowered print shirt. The kids didn't last long in the store so we had to hit the snowball stand outside. We were very pleased with the Hawaiian snowballs! The ice was shaved very fine.
After the store we headed back and found Walmart. We picked up various items for our kitchen as well as beach items. We picked up an umbrella and a flat folding beach chair for $10 each. We found out the day before that renting two chairs and an umbrella for 1 day on the beach was $54. Yikes!
We went to the beach later in the afternoon and I watched the end of the Celtics/Lakers game at a beach side bar. We came back to the room and had some frozen pizzas from WalMart, watched some TV, We only made it to about 9PM. It seems to get a little better each night. We are starting to come to the realization that the trip home is going to be a nightmare when it comes to the time shift.
Aloha!
After the store we headed back and found Walmart. We picked up various items for our kitchen as well as beach items. We picked up an umbrella and a flat folding beach chair for $10 each. We found out the day before that renting two chairs and an umbrella for 1 day on the beach was $54. Yikes!
We went to the beach later in the afternoon and I watched the end of the Celtics/Lakers game at a beach side bar. We came back to the room and had some frozen pizzas from WalMart, watched some TV, We only made it to about 9PM. It seems to get a little better each night. We are starting to come to the realization that the trip home is going to be a nightmare when it comes to the time shift.
Aloha!
Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 5
With iPods and various sundry electronics charged we were ready for another day of travel. We got up at 5:30am and began our trek to LAX. We arrived at the terminal at 6:05am and was surprised to see the hustle and bustle at such an early hour of the morning. Our flight was 8:40am and the recommended time to arrive at the airport was 3 hours before your flight. I now see why. The security line was poorly organized, It was a two stage security. I agree it was thorough but it was surly inefficient.
The flight went well. We were flying on Hawaiian Airlines. Our flight was on time but we had to wait a while for our car at Budget as it was not ready on time. We drove to Waikiki beach and our room was ready at the Aqua Palms resort early at around 1 pm. The kids were very excited after traveling for the last 6 1/2 hours. We suited up and headed to the beach.
As we were only 1 block from the beach, we headed across the street and through the open air areas of the Sheraton hotel. We reached the beach and the kids dove into the surf. We had arrived!
After 3 hours or so we heard music coming from a beach side bar at the Sheraton. We headed over and sat down for a dinner while listening to a Hawaiian band playing all Bob Marley songs. After a few hours and a $110 bill we headed back to the room,
We didn't make it past 8:00pm. Good night.
The flight went well. We were flying on Hawaiian Airlines. Our flight was on time but we had to wait a while for our car at Budget as it was not ready on time. We drove to Waikiki beach and our room was ready at the Aqua Palms resort early at around 1 pm. The kids were very excited after traveling for the last 6 1/2 hours. We suited up and headed to the beach.
As we were only 1 block from the beach, we headed across the street and through the open air areas of the Sheraton hotel. We reached the beach and the kids dove into the surf. We had arrived!
After 3 hours or so we heard music coming from a beach side bar at the Sheraton. We headed over and sat down for a dinner while listening to a Hawaiian band playing all Bob Marley songs. After a few hours and a $110 bill we headed back to the room,
We didn't make it past 8:00pm. Good night.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 4
This morning was even better as far as w up went. We woke up around 7:30pm and the kids were still snoring away. Yes, Alex as snoring. He was also making poping sounds which he picked up from the Disney characters. It was the sound that they would make to simulate kissing. Pop, Pop! It was cute.
We headed to downtown Disney to visit some of the stores and browse for some keepsakes. The kids really liked the Lego store. They had so many unique kits that we have never seen before. After an hour or so we headed back to the car. We used the rented GPS to navigate to Craig's house in
We had a nice visit with the 3 C's. Jonathan beat Craig in Wii bowling. I really thought we could avoid video games for the next 2 1/2 weeks but apparently not. I really wanted to watch the US Open but I was destined to read about it in the paper tomorrow. Craig had a cool electronic drum set that we will have to consider for Jonathan rather than a full drum set. Their dogs Lucky and Bella were very nice. The kids interacted with them nice. It gave us more confidence that the kids would enjoy a family pet. We left Craigs around 6pm and headed back to the Sheraton at the LAX airport.
I dropped the family off and headed back to the Hertz rental center. It was about 1.5 miles from the hotel so I just put on my running shoes and shorts and ran back to the hotel. Ok, so I have not been keeping up on my half marathon training. Well, actually I have since my training really doesn't start until July. I just created my own schedule that extended into June.
When I returned to the room the family was not there. I knew they would be by the pool. So I headed down to the pool through the sheik black and shiney bar area. As I approached the doors I heard dance and techo music playing. It looked like it was a private party but then I saw Anne sitting in a chair by the pool. As I entered the pool area I saw black cabanas with flowing drapes and a DJ spinning records by the pools. There was also large BBQ pits with a chef cooking ribs and sausages. I had to yell in Anne's ear, "What is going on? A Party?" She said I don't know. I headed into the bar and got a drink and asked the bar tender was going on? He said, "Oh we do this sort of happy hour every Sunday". After I returned to Anne with our drinks I noticed that there was a flat screen TV inside the black cabanas where lots of young people were lounging. Anne said she felt like she was in a Entourage episode. She said, "This is so LA" I had to agree.
After the pool we packed up and headed back up to the room to get to an early bed time for long flight to Hawaii in the morning.
Another successful day!
We headed to downtown Disney to visit some of the stores and browse for some keepsakes. The kids really liked the Lego store. They had so many unique kits that we have never seen before. After an hour or so we headed back to the car. We used the rented GPS to navigate to Craig's house in
We had a nice visit with the 3 C's. Jonathan beat Craig in Wii bowling. I really thought we could avoid video games for the next 2 1/2 weeks but apparently not. I really wanted to watch the US Open but I was destined to read about it in the paper tomorrow. Craig had a cool electronic drum set that we will have to consider for Jonathan rather than a full drum set. Their dogs Lucky and Bella were very nice. The kids interacted with them nice. It gave us more confidence that the kids would enjoy a family pet. We left Craigs around 6pm and headed back to the Sheraton at the LAX airport.
I dropped the family off and headed back to the Hertz rental center. It was about 1.5 miles from the hotel so I just put on my running shoes and shorts and ran back to the hotel. Ok, so I have not been keeping up on my half marathon training. Well, actually I have since my training really doesn't start until July. I just created my own schedule that extended into June.
When I returned to the room the family was not there. I knew they would be by the pool. So I headed down to the pool through the sheik black and shiney bar area. As I approached the doors I heard dance and techo music playing. It looked like it was a private party but then I saw Anne sitting in a chair by the pool. As I entered the pool area I saw black cabanas with flowing drapes and a DJ spinning records by the pools. There was also large BBQ pits with a chef cooking ribs and sausages. I had to yell in Anne's ear, "What is going on? A Party?" She said I don't know. I headed into the bar and got a drink and asked the bar tender was going on? He said, "Oh we do this sort of happy hour every Sunday". After I returned to Anne with our drinks I noticed that there was a flat screen TV inside the black cabanas where lots of young people were lounging. Anne said she felt like she was in a Entourage episode. She said, "This is so LA" I had to agree.
After the pool we packed up and headed back up to the room to get to an early bed time for long flight to Hawaii in the morning.
Another successful day!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 3
Today was day 2 and our last day at the parks. The kids got up around 6:00am which was much more acceptable. They are starting to adjust to the time change. We walked through Downtown Disney and had breakfast at a small walk in breakfast bistro. It was expensive but good.
We went into Disneyland again to finish up some of the rides that we did not get to the day before. We went to Fantasyland and rode all the rides in that area. We also did some rides in Toon town that Jonathan did not get to see because we went to California Adventure yesterday.
Alex and Jonathan wanted to see the Jedi Training Academy again and Alex wanted to see if he could get picked. We got to the area early and sat right up near the front in hopes of being picked. We were concerned if Alex would follow directions if picked. Sure enough, he was one of the 3rd or 4th kids picked. He jumped up so excited and ran up on the stage. He was barely standing on his assigned circle because he was jumping up and down. What they do during the show is give the kids robes and light sabers and tell them they are padawans in training to be Jedis. Then they instruct them on how to attack. Then Darth Vader and Darth Maul come out and the kids are split into two lines to pretend to fight them. Darth Vader was on the stage and Darth Maul in front of the stage. Alex was the first to attack Darth Maul. He did a great job and looked like he was having fun. After all the kids had a turn they did some more group things and then the show was over. The cast member MCing the show was funny. He would say things as the kids were fighting Darth Vader such as "Don't be afraid. He's just like Santa Clause, only Evil!" After the show was over all the kids got papers that were diplomas for graduating from the Jedi Academy. As we started to walk away talking about what a great job Alex did he got very angry and grabbed the diploma paper and ripped it up. We had to stop and talk and try to calm him down. It took almost and hour to let it go.
After that fun, we headed over to California Adventure. We hid the midway section and rode most of the rides. Alex was very disappointed that the Toy Story Midway Mania was open but they were not letting in the general public. It was a tease that haunted him the rest of day. He talked about it off and on. We did stand for quite a while and listen to the Mr. Potato head tell jokes and make funny comments about us. We then rode the California Screamin' Alex was happy and had a great time on the ride even though he was a little nervous at first.
We went into the "Crush turtle talk" show and Alex and Jonathan ran ahead and sat down on the floor way up near the front on the opposite side from where we were sitting. I had a feeling that would not be a good idea but I let it go. Of course as soon as the MC began the show, Alex sprung up and ran up to him and started talking. I instinctively approached but the MC waved me off and said, "That's OK. He's going to be my helper" I thought, OK good luck. He ended up taking the microphone from the guy and asking appropriate questions about the Crush tank/screen. It seemed to be going ok. He returned to his seat when asked. Then during the show, Crush was calling on kids and he called on child in the front near where Alex was sitting. As the MC approached the child Alex once again jumped up and grabbed the microphone. They MC again, was very patient and let him ask his question of Crush. Unfortunately it was not a question but more of a broken statement about the Indiana Jones ride from the day before. Crush responded with a witty response of "The answer to your question is .... True" Everyone laughed. I was disappointed because the child that the MC was heading towards never got to ask his question. I can only imagine what the other parents were thinking at that point. The show ended and we started to walk out. As we passed the MC at the exit Alex once again tried to grab the microphone and talk into it. The MC said "He's going to be performer one day" I was very impressed the MC was so calm and accommodating.
The Aladin show was a real hit at the end of the day. We left the park around 6:00pm walking out through a side entrance into the Californian hotel. We got a reservation buzzer to eat dinner at a cafe restaurant in the hotel and sat in the great hall and had some adult beverages. That was a nice moment. Dinner was very good. Jonathan got to make his own pizza and Alex had the standard Mac-N-Cheese.
We headed back to the room after dinner and put on our suits. Anne was not feeling well so she hung back in the room while Jonathan and I headed to the pool. Jonathan wanted to get in some slide time. Anne and Alex came down in a while and we hung out for a while. When we got back to the room, a little after 9pm, we were all exhausted and fell asleep before 10pm.
All in all it was a good day.
We went into Disneyland again to finish up some of the rides that we did not get to the day before. We went to Fantasyland and rode all the rides in that area. We also did some rides in Toon town that Jonathan did not get to see because we went to California Adventure yesterday.
Alex and Jonathan wanted to see the Jedi Training Academy again and Alex wanted to see if he could get picked. We got to the area early and sat right up near the front in hopes of being picked. We were concerned if Alex would follow directions if picked. Sure enough, he was one of the 3rd or 4th kids picked. He jumped up so excited and ran up on the stage. He was barely standing on his assigned circle because he was jumping up and down. What they do during the show is give the kids robes and light sabers and tell them they are padawans in training to be Jedis. Then they instruct them on how to attack. Then Darth Vader and Darth Maul come out and the kids are split into two lines to pretend to fight them. Darth Vader was on the stage and Darth Maul in front of the stage. Alex was the first to attack Darth Maul. He did a great job and looked like he was having fun. After all the kids had a turn they did some more group things and then the show was over. The cast member MCing the show was funny. He would say things as the kids were fighting Darth Vader such as "Don't be afraid. He's just like Santa Clause, only Evil!" After the show was over all the kids got papers that were diplomas for graduating from the Jedi Academy. As we started to walk away talking about what a great job Alex did he got very angry and grabbed the diploma paper and ripped it up. We had to stop and talk and try to calm him down. It took almost and hour to let it go.
After that fun, we headed over to California Adventure. We hid the midway section and rode most of the rides. Alex was very disappointed that the Toy Story Midway Mania was open but they were not letting in the general public. It was a tease that haunted him the rest of day. He talked about it off and on. We did stand for quite a while and listen to the Mr. Potato head tell jokes and make funny comments about us. We then rode the California Screamin' Alex was happy and had a great time on the ride even though he was a little nervous at first.
We went into the "Crush turtle talk" show and Alex and Jonathan ran ahead and sat down on the floor way up near the front on the opposite side from where we were sitting. I had a feeling that would not be a good idea but I let it go. Of course as soon as the MC began the show, Alex sprung up and ran up to him and started talking. I instinctively approached but the MC waved me off and said, "That's OK. He's going to be my helper" I thought, OK good luck. He ended up taking the microphone from the guy and asking appropriate questions about the Crush tank/screen. It seemed to be going ok. He returned to his seat when asked. Then during the show, Crush was calling on kids and he called on child in the front near where Alex was sitting. As the MC approached the child Alex once again jumped up and grabbed the microphone. They MC again, was very patient and let him ask his question of Crush. Unfortunately it was not a question but more of a broken statement about the Indiana Jones ride from the day before. Crush responded with a witty response of "The answer to your question is .... True" Everyone laughed. I was disappointed because the child that the MC was heading towards never got to ask his question. I can only imagine what the other parents were thinking at that point. The show ended and we started to walk out. As we passed the MC at the exit Alex once again tried to grab the microphone and talk into it. The MC said "He's going to be performer one day" I was very impressed the MC was so calm and accommodating.
The Aladin show was a real hit at the end of the day. We left the park around 6:00pm walking out through a side entrance into the Californian hotel. We got a reservation buzzer to eat dinner at a cafe restaurant in the hotel and sat in the great hall and had some adult beverages. That was a nice moment. Dinner was very good. Jonathan got to make his own pizza and Alex had the standard Mac-N-Cheese.
We headed back to the room after dinner and put on our suits. Anne was not feeling well so she hung back in the room while Jonathan and I headed to the pool. Jonathan wanted to get in some slide time. Anne and Alex came down in a while and we hung out for a while. When we got back to the room, a little after 9pm, we were all exhausted and fell asleep before 10pm.
All in all it was a good day.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 2
As expected Alex woke up at 4:45am and started talking. We told him we could not get up until 5:30am and he sat and stared at the digital clock calling out a each new minute passed. If we were not so tiered it would have been cute. We went in search of breakfast and walked into "Goofy's Kitchen". It was a character breakfast but because it was so early they were able to seat us right away. It was going to be a $110 breakfast but the kids seemed to excited about it that we went for it. The food was good. They had tons of breakfast items as well as some lunch items for the kids (hot dogs and chicken fingers) as well as tons of dessert items. I have to say the service was not as good as other meals or character breakfasts we have attended at Disney World. Alex and Jonathan were having fun interacting with Goofy, Chip and Blu (from the Jungle book). Alex was talking to all the characters telling them all sorts of storys about them. When Alice from "Alice in Wonderland" appeared at our table, Alex had a lot of problems looking at her and conversing. His speech became very broken. Anne and I realized it was because she was not hidden behind a mask and it was very apparent he was having a problem. At some point during the conversation he said something that prompted the actor to pretend to cry and Alex immediately started to get upset and we had to talk him down. The meal ended and we all had a good time. I did have to search out the waiter to request more coffee which was a pain.
We then walked through Downtown Disney and entered the Disneyland Park at 9:10am. After we got through the gates I asked an employee where guest services was located and she told me we had to go back out through the entrance gates. That did not sound correct so we proceeded ahead and found it located in the town hall much like the Magic Kingdom except on the other side of the circle. I went in to try and get a pass so Alex would not have to stand in the lines. We had a letter from his doctor requesting that he not have to stand in the lines due to his disability. They issued us a pass and we headed into the park. We first went to Tomorrowland. The rides were not crowded this early so we did not use the pass. After about 2-3 rides it started to get crowded so we tried to use the pass on the Autopia (car rides) and the cast member said it was not the right kind of pass. The one we had did not allow us to skip the lines because it was only for wheelchair assessable rides. She instructed us to go back to the guest services and request a pass with a red arrow. She was nice and let us pass the line. After that I went to the front of the park and they issued me a new pass. While I was standing talking to cast member a young Asian man ran up in a frantic moment and started yelling "You have to help me!, I've lost somebody in the park!" The cast member said "Sir, you will have to calm down. How old is this person that you lost". "23" the Asian young man responded. The cast member calmly responded with "There is nothing that we can do at this time. If she approaches any cast member they will direct her to come to this office" That did not satisfy the man. "No, you don't understand. This is an emergency. I'm not sure she is in the right state of mind". At this point, I'm just standing to the side observing but the cast member was still filling out the pass for me. He handed it to me as the argument continued and I slipped out the door.
We rode some more rides and around 12:30 we meet Chris, Craig and Catlin. We continued to have fun the rest of the day. The popular rides for Alex was Space Mountain, and the Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Jonathan's favorite rides was Space Mountain, the California Screamin' and the Peach (a swing ride).
The day ended with fireworks in front of the castle. The castle is so small it looks strange to me. The fireworks were very good. I think I liked them more that the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom at Disney World.
Overall, we had a great day and a lot of fun. The experience was surreal as I felt like I was in Orlando but then I would see differences and it would remind me where we were. I also noticed small details about the park that were different. For one, the parks did not seem as clean. Also, we encountered some rowdy teenagers at various points. Overall, I would say that Disneyland is certainly not at the same quality level as Disney World.
Tomorrow... another day at the parks.
We then walked through Downtown Disney and entered the Disneyland Park at 9:10am. After we got through the gates I asked an employee where guest services was located and she told me we had to go back out through the entrance gates. That did not sound correct so we proceeded ahead and found it located in the town hall much like the Magic Kingdom except on the other side of the circle. I went in to try and get a pass so Alex would not have to stand in the lines. We had a letter from his doctor requesting that he not have to stand in the lines due to his disability. They issued us a pass and we headed into the park. We first went to Tomorrowland. The rides were not crowded this early so we did not use the pass. After about 2-3 rides it started to get crowded so we tried to use the pass on the Autopia (car rides) and the cast member said it was not the right kind of pass. The one we had did not allow us to skip the lines because it was only for wheelchair assessable rides. She instructed us to go back to the guest services and request a pass with a red arrow. She was nice and let us pass the line. After that I went to the front of the park and they issued me a new pass. While I was standing talking to cast member a young Asian man ran up in a frantic moment and started yelling "You have to help me!, I've lost somebody in the park!" The cast member said "Sir, you will have to calm down. How old is this person that you lost". "23" the Asian young man responded. The cast member calmly responded with "There is nothing that we can do at this time. If she approaches any cast member they will direct her to come to this office" That did not satisfy the man. "No, you don't understand. This is an emergency. I'm not sure she is in the right state of mind". At this point, I'm just standing to the side observing but the cast member was still filling out the pass for me. He handed it to me as the argument continued and I slipped out the door.
We rode some more rides and around 12:30 we meet Chris, Craig and Catlin. We continued to have fun the rest of the day. The popular rides for Alex was Space Mountain, and the Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Jonathan's favorite rides was Space Mountain, the California Screamin' and the Peach (a swing ride).
The day ended with fireworks in front of the castle. The castle is so small it looks strange to me. The fireworks were very good. I think I liked them more that the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom at Disney World.
Overall, we had a great day and a lot of fun. The experience was surreal as I felt like I was in Orlando but then I would see differences and it would remind me where we were. I also noticed small details about the park that were different. For one, the parks did not seem as clean. Also, we encountered some rowdy teenagers at various points. Overall, I would say that Disneyland is certainly not at the same quality level as Disney World.
Tomorrow... another day at the parks.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 1
Today was the first day of our 17 day Hawaii vacation so naturally it was a travel day. We have a total of six pieces of luggage with 2 carry on bags. We need to coordinate how we were going to move all the luggage. We arrived at BWI early after a rocky start leaving home. We had to return to get some food we packed in a carry on cooler. We had to wait around for almost 2 hours before our flight arrived. The check-in and security in the Southwest terminal was very efficient.
We boarded a plane at 11:20am and traveled to Los Angeles through Phenoix, Az. The flight took longer than scheduled at about 5 1/2 hours. Alex had a some trouble with his right ear as we were descending into Pheonix to land. He made quite a scene. Generally the kids did pretty well on the flight considering how long it was. I had loaded up both our iPod Nanos with tons of movies so the kids were pretty well entertained until the batteries died. "Back to the Future" was very popular!
We arrived in LA and had to take a shuttle to the Hertz rental car facility. After waiting in another line for about 25 minutes, I was able to upgrade to a larger vehicle but when I went on the lot to find the car it was not in the spot. I returned back inside and had to wait in another line to talk to customer service. At this point I was starting to get annoyed but the nice saw I was starting to get upset at upgraded us to an SUV with a GPS free.
We punched in DisneyLand's address and start on our way. It was now 5:00pm (8:00om to us). It took us almost an hour and half to drive 31 miles. We never saw an accident it was just LA rush hour traffic. Yuck!
We arrived and checked into our room. They said they were very booked up and asked if we would be ok staying in a room with a roll away shower. They explained that the room was ADA and the shower did not have a tub so a wheel chair could simply roll into it. I took the room and we got settled into the room.
The kids immediately got into their bathing suits and hit the pool and the slides as they were going to close at 8:00pm and it was now 7:15pm. Alex started feeling sleepy around 8:30pm so Anne and him grabbed something to eat and headed back to the room. Jonathan and I headed to downtown Disney. We checked out a bunch of different resturants like ESPN and the House of Blues but they all had 30-40 minute waits. We just got a slice of pizza and sat and checked out the scenes.
We headed back to the room and we all fell asleep around 10:00pm. I would say it was a successful travel day.
We boarded a plane at 11:20am and traveled to Los Angeles through Phenoix, Az. The flight took longer than scheduled at about 5 1/2 hours. Alex had a some trouble with his right ear as we were descending into Pheonix to land. He made quite a scene. Generally the kids did pretty well on the flight considering how long it was. I had loaded up both our iPod Nanos with tons of movies so the kids were pretty well entertained until the batteries died. "Back to the Future" was very popular!
We arrived in LA and had to take a shuttle to the Hertz rental car facility. After waiting in another line for about 25 minutes, I was able to upgrade to a larger vehicle but when I went on the lot to find the car it was not in the spot. I returned back inside and had to wait in another line to talk to customer service. At this point I was starting to get annoyed but the nice saw I was starting to get upset at upgraded us to an SUV with a GPS free.
We punched in DisneyLand's address and start on our way. It was now 5:00pm (8:00om to us). It took us almost an hour and half to drive 31 miles. We never saw an accident it was just LA rush hour traffic. Yuck!
We arrived and checked into our room. They said they were very booked up and asked if we would be ok staying in a room with a roll away shower. They explained that the room was ADA and the shower did not have a tub so a wheel chair could simply roll into it. I took the room and we got settled into the room.
The kids immediately got into their bathing suits and hit the pool and the slides as they were going to close at 8:00pm and it was now 7:15pm. Alex started feeling sleepy around 8:30pm so Anne and him grabbed something to eat and headed back to the room. Jonathan and I headed to downtown Disney. We checked out a bunch of different resturants like ESPN and the House of Blues but they all had 30-40 minute waits. We just got a slice of pizza and sat and checked out the scenes.
We headed back to the room and we all fell asleep around 10:00pm. I would say it was a successful travel day.
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