Our Trip To Hawaii - 25th Jan 2007
Our Trip to Hawaii
25th January 2007 – Nikhil dropped us (Me, Mahi & Arti) to the Sky Harbor airport. We boarded a United Airways flight to San Francisco. It was a two hour flight and Mahi slept throughout the flight. Plane journeys are probably the most boring journeys and I really hate them. I enjoy train journeys as it brings you closer to the place you travel through during the journey.
After reaching San Francisco, we had a 2 hour gap in journey and then again a 5 hours and 30 minutes flight to Kona (Hawaii – Big Island). I tried to pass my time by watching the movie “The Queen” that was being shown during the flight.
By the time we landed in Kona - Hawaii, it was 09:30 PM local time. My first impression of Hawaii turned out to be great. As Arti was getting down from the plane, her shoe lace came untied and an airport service staff member who was standing below the ladder noticed the same. Seeing Mahi in Arti’s arms, she asked Arti if she needed help tying her lace and before Arti could say anything, the lady bent down and tied up Arti’s lace with a smile. The people seemed very friendly and wherever you went they greeted you with an “Aloha”!!
The airport was a very small one with no walls or anything around it and no security related crap that you have usually come to associate with any airport in the world, post 09/11.
Asha (Sis-In-Law) picked us up at the airport and we headed off to the Hilton Waikoloa Resort, which was going to be our venue of stay for the next 3 days.
It was a good 30 minutes drive to the hotel and we noticed that the big island was a desert and not a densely forested tropical place that we were expecting. Then Asha told us that on this small island you could find deserts, rain forests, beaches & snow capped mountains.
When we arrived at the hotel, we were awestruck at the splendor on display. From the reception to our room it was more than a mile long. The hotel was huge and had to be seen to be believed. You had two modes of transportation inside the hotel to take you from one place to the other. One was a TRAIN and the other a BOAT.
It has to be seen to be believed. There were two trains running on two tracks and a parallel waterway where boats would transport you to wherever you want. There are nine restaurants within this hotel and our room as the last stop.
The hotel was too good and the room was comfortable too. The room had an attached patio too and the hotel had lagoons and waterfalls within the hotel. Our room overlooked a well kept lawn and on the other side there was a pond with two or three waterfalls. There were huge fishes (a foot and a half) long and ducks etc within the big pond.
It was great to meet Asha after a long time and she was meeting Mahi after a long time. The last time she saw Mahi she was a few weeks old. Asha hasn’t changed much and is her usual busy self, talkative as usual.
The next day Asha was busy in her conference for which she had come and I and Arti took time off between my office calls to walk and look around the hotel.
The hotel was really huge and it would take you probably a whole day to just walk around and look at the different things. We went to the ocean front and spent some time looking at the clear turquoise blue waters.
We also spent some time looking at the kids frolicking in the lagoon and the swimming pools around the hotel.
We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant within the hotel and the food was ok. Tasty food is not something that you associate with the USA. Most items are bland here and the quantity that they serve in one plate is good enough to server a whole Indian family. “Khaana achcha nahi hota hai, par bohot saara hota hai”.
Then after some time of roaming around the hotel, we went back to our room as it was getting hot & humid. In the evening we went out to the water front again to catch the sunset and it was breathtaking to see the big ball of fire disappear into the water. There was a golf course on the water front and the view was absolutely stunning. We sat there for some time and enjoyed the beautiful evening, something that I have not done in years now. But I have made a resolution. From the next year I shall spent more time with my family and will take more vacations with them.
We went out of the hotel to a nearby mall for dinner and had a typical Hawaiian dinner, which again I did not enjoy, except the lemonade which tasted great after the hot day.
At the mall I saw a familiar face who was sitting on a wooden bench in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts and that person was also trying to recollect where he had seen me. Then his eyes lit up as I walked to him and introduced myself – “Arun from IDC Mumbai”. “Hi! Jeff, how do you do??”
It was Jeff Dube the Accenture Senior Executive on AMEX business side. He was surprised at running into me at Hawaii of all the places. He introduced me to his wife and kid and I did the same too. After talking to him for a few minutes, we parted ways.
The next day we left in the morning to visit a beach nearby and a rainforest – botanical garden.
The Hapuna state beach was a small one and a big disappointment. Its small even compared to Juhu beach, except for the crowd on the beach. There was a decent crowd of sunbathers on the beach.
We left the beach soon and proceeded towards the botanical garden / rain forest. The 2 hours drive was one of the best drives of my life. The whole highway-19 runs along the coastline and the ocean is visible almost during the entire drive.
After a two hour drive we reached the rainforest. It was complete with a waterfall and a small walk through the rain forest. This place looked almost a replica of Kerala.
It was very beautiful and Mahi thoroughly enjoyed the walk.
She was smiling throughout the walk and was happy to touch and feel the flowers and leaves. This was one of the rare outings that she has had since we went to Kerala & Tanjore. But then she was very small then.
On the way back we lost our way and drove around Kona for two hours more trying to find our way. By the time we reached our room, we were tired and ready to collapse.
The next day we got up early in the morning and had our breakfast where I had a small incident where there was a glass piece in the butter that the hotel had served and my tongue got scratched. The whole staff was at our table trying to apologize. They removed the entire set of contents from the buffet and re-filled each of the dishes. They asked me if I wished to file a complaint. I said I was fine and that the bleeding had now stopped. Luckily I did not swallow the glass piece and escaped with just a scratched tongue.
The hotel later sent a basket of fruits to my room to apologize for the incident.
After the breakfast sitting next to the pond filled with fishes and ducks, with two small man made waterfalls, we went to the lagoon for some swimming and snorkeling. I snorkeled for almost two hours, where I swam with a school of fishes and swam for almost five minutes holding on to the back of a huge turtle.
I saw a whole lot of colorful fishes out of which one came near me and took a good look at me before swimming away. I had the time of my life in the lagoon. I also got sunburn to show for the time spent floating on the water.
I took the tram / train back to the room and relaxed for a while before setting out in the evening for watching the sunset. There while watching the sunset from the golf course on the waterfront, I saw whales breaching the ocean surface in the distance. The spray from their breathing was clearly visible and it was exciting watching the huge mammals splashing about in the water. It was the most beautiful sunset ever. How I wish I could see those whales from up close!!
Late in the evening (today) we are leaving Hawaii for Phoenix again.
25th January 2007 – Nikhil dropped us (Me, Mahi & Arti) to the Sky Harbor airport. We boarded a United Airways flight to San Francisco. It was a two hour flight and Mahi slept throughout the flight. Plane journeys are probably the most boring journeys and I really hate them. I enjoy train journeys as it brings you closer to the place you travel through during the journey.
After reaching San Francisco, we had a 2 hour gap in journey and then again a 5 hours and 30 minutes flight to Kona (Hawaii – Big Island). I tried to pass my time by watching the movie “The Queen” that was being shown during the flight.
By the time we landed in Kona - Hawaii, it was 09:30 PM local time. My first impression of Hawaii turned out to be great. As Arti was getting down from the plane, her shoe lace came untied and an airport service staff member who was standing below the ladder noticed the same. Seeing Mahi in Arti’s arms, she asked Arti if she needed help tying her lace and before Arti could say anything, the lady bent down and tied up Arti’s lace with a smile. The people seemed very friendly and wherever you went they greeted you with an “Aloha”!!
The airport was a very small one with no walls or anything around it and no security related crap that you have usually come to associate with any airport in the world, post 09/11.
Asha (Sis-In-Law) picked us up at the airport and we headed off to the Hilton Waikoloa Resort, which was going to be our venue of stay for the next 3 days.
It was a good 30 minutes drive to the hotel and we noticed that the big island was a desert and not a densely forested tropical place that we were expecting. Then Asha told us that on this small island you could find deserts, rain forests, beaches & snow capped mountains.
When we arrived at the hotel, we were awestruck at the splendor on display. From the reception to our room it was more than a mile long. The hotel was huge and had to be seen to be believed. You had two modes of transportation inside the hotel to take you from one place to the other. One was a TRAIN and the other a BOAT.
It has to be seen to be believed. There were two trains running on two tracks and a parallel waterway where boats would transport you to wherever you want. There are nine restaurants within this hotel and our room as the last stop.
The hotel was too good and the room was comfortable too. The room had an attached patio too and the hotel had lagoons and waterfalls within the hotel. Our room overlooked a well kept lawn and on the other side there was a pond with two or three waterfalls. There were huge fishes (a foot and a half) long and ducks etc within the big pond.
It was great to meet Asha after a long time and she was meeting Mahi after a long time. The last time she saw Mahi she was a few weeks old. Asha hasn’t changed much and is her usual busy self, talkative as usual.
The next day Asha was busy in her conference for which she had come and I and Arti took time off between my office calls to walk and look around the hotel.
The hotel was really huge and it would take you probably a whole day to just walk around and look at the different things. We went to the ocean front and spent some time looking at the clear turquoise blue waters.
We also spent some time looking at the kids frolicking in the lagoon and the swimming pools around the hotel.
We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant within the hotel and the food was ok. Tasty food is not something that you associate with the USA. Most items are bland here and the quantity that they serve in one plate is good enough to server a whole Indian family. “Khaana achcha nahi hota hai, par bohot saara hota hai”.
Then after some time of roaming around the hotel, we went back to our room as it was getting hot & humid. In the evening we went out to the water front again to catch the sunset and it was breathtaking to see the big ball of fire disappear into the water. There was a golf course on the water front and the view was absolutely stunning. We sat there for some time and enjoyed the beautiful evening, something that I have not done in years now. But I have made a resolution. From the next year I shall spent more time with my family and will take more vacations with them.
We went out of the hotel to a nearby mall for dinner and had a typical Hawaiian dinner, which again I did not enjoy, except the lemonade which tasted great after the hot day.
At the mall I saw a familiar face who was sitting on a wooden bench in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts and that person was also trying to recollect where he had seen me. Then his eyes lit up as I walked to him and introduced myself – “Arun from IDC Mumbai”. “Hi! Jeff, how do you do??”
It was Jeff Dube the Accenture Senior Executive on AMEX business side. He was surprised at running into me at Hawaii of all the places. He introduced me to his wife and kid and I did the same too. After talking to him for a few minutes, we parted ways.
The next day we left in the morning to visit a beach nearby and a rainforest – botanical garden.
The Hapuna state beach was a small one and a big disappointment. Its small even compared to Juhu beach, except for the crowd on the beach. There was a decent crowd of sunbathers on the beach.
We left the beach soon and proceeded towards the botanical garden / rain forest. The 2 hours drive was one of the best drives of my life. The whole highway-19 runs along the coastline and the ocean is visible almost during the entire drive.
After a two hour drive we reached the rainforest. It was complete with a waterfall and a small walk through the rain forest. This place looked almost a replica of Kerala.
It was very beautiful and Mahi thoroughly enjoyed the walk.
She was smiling throughout the walk and was happy to touch and feel the flowers and leaves. This was one of the rare outings that she has had since we went to Kerala & Tanjore. But then she was very small then.
On the way back we lost our way and drove around Kona for two hours more trying to find our way. By the time we reached our room, we were tired and ready to collapse.
The next day we got up early in the morning and had our breakfast where I had a small incident where there was a glass piece in the butter that the hotel had served and my tongue got scratched. The whole staff was at our table trying to apologize. They removed the entire set of contents from the buffet and re-filled each of the dishes. They asked me if I wished to file a complaint. I said I was fine and that the bleeding had now stopped. Luckily I did not swallow the glass piece and escaped with just a scratched tongue.
The hotel later sent a basket of fruits to my room to apologize for the incident.
After the breakfast sitting next to the pond filled with fishes and ducks, with two small man made waterfalls, we went to the lagoon for some swimming and snorkeling. I snorkeled for almost two hours, where I swam with a school of fishes and swam for almost five minutes holding on to the back of a huge turtle.
I saw a whole lot of colorful fishes out of which one came near me and took a good look at me before swimming away. I had the time of my life in the lagoon. I also got sunburn to show for the time spent floating on the water.
I took the tram / train back to the room and relaxed for a while before setting out in the evening for watching the sunset. There while watching the sunset from the golf course on the waterfront, I saw whales breaching the ocean surface in the distance. The spray from their breathing was clearly visible and it was exciting watching the huge mammals splashing about in the water. It was the most beautiful sunset ever. How I wish I could see those whales from up close!!
Late in the evening (today) we are leaving Hawaii for Phoenix again.
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