Aloha! Wow a real downpour last night - had to get up and close the slider, as the water was "bouncing in" it was hitting with such force. After delicious Kona coffee this am, packing up, and saying goodbye to Chester and Garfield, we departed the studio and breakfasted one last time at the Hukilau cafe - great veggie omelettes. Then headed down the road south toward Honolulu - such lush green scenery and beautiful coastline. We stopped at Kualoa Park for a view of Chinaman's Hat and to stretch our legs. Beautiful sunny day w/ intermittent showers. Met two Asian ladies who came to attend a wedding and were from "Jersey!" (We expected them to say they were from Japan!) We arrived in Honolulu and made our way to the Marine Surf to drop our bags. Checked in and made a mad dash to return the car rental so would not be charged another day - went off w/o directions, but made it in time. Took the bus back to town from the airport. We phoned Rob and Diana Home from the bus stop to wish them well on their journey here tomorrow, only to find out they had 3 inches of snow and the roads were treacherous! We of course wished them a safe journey and kept them in our thoughts. During our long bus ride we sat behind and started visiting w/ a delightful young (20) woman from Buenos Aires. She had dark blond hair, brown sparkling eyes which were very expressive, a beautiful smile, and we chatted a long time. She was traveling w/ friends who had stayed on Maui, and she came over to Oahu to explore. She is later coming to the West Coast to visit relatives in Sacramento and then on to Berkley to check out UC Berkley to decide whether to continue her education there in psychology. Her dad is a lawyer in Argentina, as are two out of her three brothers. Her next trip she would like to be to Thailand. Of course we thought of Adam and John :) and gave her our email in case she made it north to Seattle. She also gave us her email.
We made it back to the hotel and headed to Waikiki for one last swim in the far Pacific. It was pretty funny to observe the contrast between the North Shore and Waikiki where we sometimes were the only ones on the beach vs people everywhere. We established our space much like one occupies a parking space someone just vacates, but front row to the surf and yes, the wonderful warm blue waters and nice waves today! Bill and I agreed it felt a little safer (perhaps no sharks?) w/ so many others in the water. Chatted w/ a nice couple from Vancouver BC who it turned out were both city cops - they were delightful, in their low 30s and already contemplating the challenges of the Olympics. We tore ourselves away from the water and the beach, regrouped at the hotel, and set out just in time for sunset at the Ala Moana terrace and a Mai Tai. What a fitting farewell to Hawaii and very familiar after out stay last year. Then off to Cheeseburger in Paradise for dinner - Bill had a long-awaited cheeseburger and I a salad w/fresh grilled Mahi - excellent! Watched a full moon on the lania over Honolulu and then bedtime!
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