Hawaii Post # 3

Aloha!

I have to say, we're having an absolutely wonderful time here. The weather is totally stunning, and doing almost nothing other than relaxing on the beach or by the pool is a glorious way to spend the week.

Here's a couple of shots of Sweetums enjoying his new bucket and spade set that Wifey and I bought him. These shots were taken yesterday at the local beach at Poipu. So beautiful -- it was actually quite a stunning day all round.

Click all images in this post for a larger view.






And here's my little man - complete with tongue in cheek - enjoying some time in the water with his doting Daddy:




Today we all went for a drive to see Waimea Canyon, which was about an hour's drive west of where we're staying. The trip was fun enough, but the best part was the view that awaited us when we got there:
















Wifey (with lots of sunscreen on her face)
overlooking Waimea Canyon in Kauai, Hawaii.

We had a great time, although Wifey hasn't been feeling very well this evening. We're not sure what's going on, but she's pretty darn sick, actually. Hopefully this won't worsen or even remain as it is for the rest of our holiday, because that'd really spoil her time away.

Looking forward to more fun and wonderment on the morrow!

Aloha!


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Hawaii Post # 2

Aloha!

Well, here we are a few days after the previous post, so clearly I must have heaps to report on, right??

WRONG!

All we've done for the past three days is shop, swim, lounge around and eat.

AND WE'VE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!

(Alright, I'll stop yelling at you now.)

Actually, I guess I could show you a couple of carefully-selected photos from the trip so far, as long as we don't show anything too drastic ... like the photo (which you won't be seeing) of yours truly dressed up in my Borat 'mankini', swimming in the resort's pool -- much to the amusement of those around us, and the horror of my poor dear mother.

However, Grandma and Grandpa bought Sweetums a swimming outfit, complete with thongs (otherwise known as flip-flops, jandals, etc, depending on where you mail from), hat and cool little dark sunglasses. Sweetums absolutley loves his new 'sunnies', and wears them with complete and total 'attitude', as befits the tiny hunk that he is.

Want proof?


Click image for a larger view (you know you want to).

There's not much else to report at this point, aside from the fact that I'm the only one in our little troupe who's just loving American cuisine -- I always have and I always will -- so it's a good thing that my dear friend MelbourneGirl has left me a series of questions to answer ... some of which may be redundant as of my previous post, but I'll answer them all for her anyway, because that's just the kind of guy I am:

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1. how was it?

So far so good! Hopefully these posts will help to elaborate on this answer as the week unfolds.


2. did you get my kiss from joshy boy?

Not yet, but we've still got another full day and night to spend on Oahu, so you'll have to wait and see! ...


3. can you tell us which island? o'ahu?

You've probably already gathered from the previous post (and my previous answer) that we spent one day in Oahu, then we're staying here on Kauai for five or six days before returning to Oahu for one final day and night.


4. if not, which?

Um, ... are you demented, woman??! Kauai! Pay attention!!


5. where did you stay can you tell us? i only ask because we were on o'ahu in november, and we stayed at ewa beach it was nice

The Point at Poipu while on Kauai; Aqua Aloha Surf (see here for an external shot) for the one night we'll be spending in Oahu (which is three blocks from Waikiki beach). The resort here in Kauai is absolutely glorious; utterly to die for ... I'll update you on Aloha Surf at the end of the week.


6. did sweetums enjoy his bucket and spade FINALLY?

He's used them a bit at the lagoon-style swimming pool here at the resort, but their 'sand' is really nothing more than very fine pebbles, so it doesn't exactly hold shape when using the bucket and spade stuff. We're off to visit the actual beach tomorrow (we've been taking it too easy to have bothered heading out that way yet -- and we haven't been in any rush anyway), so I'll let you know.


7. what el cheapo and tackoid souvenirs did you buy?

Hehe ... none yet to speak of, but they'll be coming! I've already seen some items I plan to buy later on, so they'll be fully documented here.


8. how was the weather?

So far, it's been perfect!!! Couldn't have been any better at all. Sunny and warm and clear skies and wonderful.


9. what did you eat? sushi?

Nah; it's been nothing but burgers and fries for me, meal after meal. :)


10. did you go to a luau? which one??

Not yet, but I'm hoping to get Wifey to one when we return to Honolulu, if not before. I've been to one with my family when we visited Hawaii in the 80s, so it's really only Wifey who absolutely has to attend one. But yes, it's a priority for me to take her to one. And Sweetums, too, if he's aware of what's going on.

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Okay, that's it for me for today. I've got some postcards to send back home (the one to my workplace simply reads: "I'm in Hawaii. You're not."), so I need to get moving.

Aloha!


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Hawaii Post # 1

Aloha!

So Wifey, Sweetums, my Mum & Dad and myself arrived in Hawaii this morning, on the island of Oahu (which is kinda what you need to do, as that's where Honolulu is located and if you want to fly international -- which again, as a series of islands, Hawaii kinda demands that you do -- then Oahu it is), and we spent the day there.

I say 'there' because as I type this, it's evening on the first night of our stay, and we're already on a different island. Just try to stop us!!

We're now on Kauai (pronounced almost the same as 'Hawaii', but with a K, obviously). Here, let me help you get your bearings:


Click all images in this post for a larger view.

So there we were, on the second island from the top/left, and now here we are, on the island on the very top/left.

It's lovely here. What can I say? We're having a wonderful time already, and even the ten-hour flight from Sydney was good (Sweetums got some good rest because it was his normal 'night time' anyway. It was also great having Grandma and Grandpa there to help share the 'baby sleeping on your lap' thing.

I should probably point out before I continue that my Dad's surprise 60th birthday party last night (was it really last night? It feels so long ago, now!) went off without a hitch. He didn't suspect a thing leading up to it, and it was a really fun night for everyone involved.

Then the next morning, which was Saturday morning, we all recovered a bit, spent some time together, I posted the previous item about my flight number being 815 (it actually wasn't, but let's make a deal: you allow me the fun of extending some literary licence in this matter, and I won't spoil the magic for you by fessing up that our flight number was J3), then we boarded the plane that evening. Ten hours later in the air, and we landed at 8am the same day (Saturday), before doin' stuff all over Oahu and then catching our flight here to Kauai.

So what's the 'stuff' we did on Oahu today? Well, we had breakfast at a little cafe in downtown Honolulu, which ended up being one frequently frequented by Aussies and Kiwis (we noticed halfway through our meal that they had Australian and NZ flags on the walls behind the counter). Then Grandma and Grandpa took Sweetums sightseeing along the coast for a few hours in our rental car, while Wifey and I indulged ourselves with a tour of the better-known filming locations for Lost. Here's the main one they push onto the tourists, despite it pretty much only featuring in one episode early on in the series:


Hurley's Golf Course.
(We don't know who that woman is, and no, it's not Wifey.)

But the scenery itself was amazing and wonderful -- and honestly made you think you were on the island from the show (it feels like you're there because the backgrounds are all identical to the ones Jack and co. always stand in front of.










So now we're here in the resort that we'll be staying in for the week (The Point at Poipu -- check out the revolving images of the incredible lagoon-style swimming pool!), and it's absolutely lovely so far.

Wifey is doing well, she was even okay with both flights, so the trip was even bearable for the pregnant one in our midst.

Tomorrow we plan to do a bit of shopping, maybe take a swim in that amazing pool, and generally take it easy ... you know, because we can.

Aloha!


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Should I Be Worried??

Should I be worried that the flight number for our trip to Hawaii (where they film the TV show Lost), which leaves tonight from Sydney (the same city from which the doomed flight originated on the aforementioned TV show Lost) is '815' (the same flight number on the aforementioned doomed flight on the aforementioned aforementioned TV show Lost)?









'Cos I'm kinda nervous ...


What if life imitates art and we wind up dead on some deserted island somewhere, or if we crash into the water and drown? Or - worse yet - what if we end up being hunted down by a group of crazies, determined to keep the secrets of their magical little island all to themselves??

What if we don't get the chance to tell everyone our news that Wifey's pregnant again?


(Oh yeah, Wifey's pregnant again. She's due 1st October.)



Oops, I did it again!

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Aloha!

I'm off to Hawaii for a week and a bit (starting tomorrow), so I'll hopefully be appearing in the background of an upcoming episode of Lost (I'll be the one wearing green felt and flippers).

Don't miss me too much -- and don't get too jealous, if you can help it -- but I'm planning to do 'bugger all' on the beach this week ... with my parents, my wife and my ever-delightful son.

Enjoy your week!


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Inappropriate?

Do you think it's wrong to write on a colleague's farewell card (when she's leaving to have a baby), "I hope you have as much fun raising your child as you did making it"??

Perhaps it simply implies that I know too much ...


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Long Time No Bother

Hello, remember me? I'm back. (Due mainly to a few individuals expressing their love and devotion to my blogging through some thinly-disguised threats to my personal well-being.)

The remarks about my mother and what I like to do in my spare time seemed frankly out of context -- plus, my mother is not as flexible as you seem to believe.

Oh, and I don't even have a gerbil, let alone ever attempted the kind of behaviour that was being suggested. Surely the poor thing wouldn't survive such an experiment, anyway? It all seems rather cruel and painful, and I certainly wouldn't want to be there to clean up the mess left behind.

Still, as Osama bin Laden can attest, it's nice to be wanted. So I thank you for your incessant whinging and nagging and hassling (and in one instance, the letter laced with a powdery white substance).

So what do I talk about? How about this:

In just over a week, I will be departing Melbourne for shores unknown (unless you're familiar with Sydney; then you'll have a working knowledge of where I am). It's my Dad's 60th birthday, so Wifey, Sweetums and I are driving up there to spend the weekend with the family. I think we'll be heading out to dinner or something, so it should be lovely.

But the BIG news (sorry, Dad), is that Wifey, Sweetums, Dad, Mum and myself will then be flying to lands unknown (unless you're familiar with Hawaii; then you'll have some kind of concept in your head about where I'll be located) for a week of fun in the sun. My parents have a time-share week available, and late last year Jetstar was offering ridiculously inexpensive flights, so the three of us are travelling there and back for just $1,400 - which is pretty darn good, really.

And if we crash-land upon arrival, we'll be found by the cast and crew of Lost (because that's where they film it), so we may even turn up as extras in the new season! Seriously, though, we're gonna hunt down their filming locations and see if we can spot anyone from the show. (If I see Josh Holloway - who plays Sawyer - I will get a photo / autograph / kiss / lock of hair / sample from him for MelbourneGirl.)

And we're gonna buy Sweetums a bucket-and-spade for him to play with on the beach. That's about the extent of our plans at the moment. We're just in it to relax, so it's gonna be fun.

We'll be back the week before Easter, so between my own leave and the public holidays, March is turning out to be quite the lazy month of work!

So, that's what I've been up to ... what about you?


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