Wednesday, July 1st, 2015
Sad but true, this was our last day to enjoy Hawaii (for this trip anyway). When Frank and I were here before, we had climbed Diamond Head. In my mind, that was a must for Betty since the scene from the top overlooking Waikiki is amazing. I am not so sure that Betty thought so, but she had agreed to give it a try . So off we went once again, although this time we had signed up for a tour rather than taking a bus.
Diamond Head is a left over part of an old tuff volcano. That means it didn’t actually ever erupt but there had been volcanic activity here and the dust that flew up in the air formed the high cliffs that surround the crater. It just wasn’t lava. When you’re on Waikiki Beach and look to the southeast, Diamond Head’s silloutte is iconic.
It has been very hot here as I mentioned yesterday. Taking a hike up a mountain in the late morning in this heat was not a pleasurable experience. Plus the physical demands of hiking the switch backs and the final steps were a bit more rigorous than I had remembered, but then again I was nine years younger. With many rests stops and sweat pouring down our faces, we did indeed reach the summit. And yes, the view was amazing!
Going back down was much easier. Betty was worried that we would be the last of our group to get back, since we appeared to be the oldest in the group. Our guide was waiting for us. Betty asked, “Are we the last ones back?” And of course the answer was yes. We felt a little embarassed as we got back on the bus. But we made it didn’t we?That’s what counts, right? Perhaps I am aging and I just don’t like to admit it!
After returning from our hiking tour, since we had already checked out of our hotel room, the desk attendant loaned us a key to the fitness room so that we could shower. We wanted to head back to the beach area before returning to catch our shared ride shuttle at 6:10 for our flight at 8:40.
We had a little trouble with getting the shower room. A young Japanese woman got there at the very same time we did. We tried to work out a compromise, but neither one of us could understand the other’s language. The young lady finally walked away. Seizing the opportunity, I quickly locked the door and we took our showers. We tried to hurry as fast as we could, but did not see her when we left.
We used the hotel shuttle to the beach area and headed for The Cheesecake Factory and had a great meal. After some last minute returns and a few more purchases, we headed for a bench by the beach. It was fascinating to watch the surfers, the swimmers, the huge waves cresting, and the brightly colored turquoise ocean.
Flagging down a taxi, we were back to our hotel in plenty of time for our shuttle. We waited and waited and waited. Finally when it was 6:40, a half hour later than our scheduled pick up time, Betty and I opted to take a taxi rather than take a chance on missing our flight. I can hardly wait to call Speedi Shuttle to try to get a refund from their not so speedy service!
Our flight from Honolulu to Dallas was about seven hours. Our lay over was supposed to be about two hours. There wasn’t a gate open for our plane, so that time got cut drastically. We had about twenty minutes to get to our gate and buy some food before boarding. What a contrast to our five and half hour lay over in Los Angeles on our way to Hawaii. We made our flight, a little ruffled, but glad to be heading home. Unfortunately our bags did not make it to Philly. When we checked in at the claim desk, the man said they did not have on record that the bags were ever scanned. Not a good sign. So we drove home without our bags. They are supposed to be delivered to our homes when they are found.
Betty and I had spent a lot of time planning this trip and did get in all the activities on our agenda. I am pretty sure Betty was out of her comfort zone several times this past week with some of my hasty decisions. All in all, we made a lot of wonderful memories. Hawaii sure beats the trips to Ocean City, N.J. that we took together as teenagers!
