"Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one. "
~John Lennon


Friday, January 24, 2014

Vacation Results

Everything I do has results. I was with my son and daughter-in-law for 17 days. It must have been a good number because my daughter-in-law did not want me to leave. Usually after a week, the guests begin to resemble stinky fish, right? In our case, we enjoyed being around each other each day up to the last minute.

For me, doing the Hawaii activities was icing on the gluten free cake. It didn't matter where they live, the loving and fun family time was what I flew all that way for. The fact that they happen to live in Honolulu was a bonus.

I brought warm and hilarious memories home with me to sustain me until I see them again. I actually am a bit browner than when I left and I like to see I have a slight tan now here in the cold winter of Nebraska.

My son and daughter-in-law live in a high rise condo building in downtown Honolulu. Walking is the general mode of transportation. The bus system is huge and convenient. My son is 6'4" tall with long legs and when I first arrived I had to hurry to keep up with him. His office is a couple blocks from his home. The last week there I had increased my speed and felt great. My daughter-in-law is an excellent cook and she likes to prepare healthy meals. Besides eating and walking, we spent lots of time at the pool, a beautiful infinity pool. They reserved one of the cabanas with its own large barbecue next to the pool and would watch football games and cook and eat and play with several of their friends. They also reserved the theater room and we watched DVDs on huge screen with surround sound and luxurious theater lounge chairs and popcorn maker and bins of ice. One of the movies we watched was Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips. Another movie was The Bridesmaids. A couple more action movies as well. One was Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in 2 Guns.

My friend and I headed out to explore on our own sometimes, taking the bus to Waikiki Beach and walking around, touring Iolani Palace and other points of interest about the Hawaiian history and culture. And we went on guided tours too. One was Pearl Harbor. Another was a circle island tour, all day tour, seeing all the beaches and beach towns around the island. We saw whales and turtles and of course surfers in the huge waves. We spent time at Dole Plantation and at a coffee plantation. A person could spend a couple days at the memorials around Pearl Harbor. The day we were there, one of the few remaining surviving servicemen who was at Pearl Harbor was at a table signing autographs and visiting with the tourists.

We found plenty of restaurants with gluten free menus. A local Moroccan restaurant had the most delicious food and a belly dancer entertained. Some Asian restaurants provided gluten free soy sauce and gluten free noodles. In the heart of downtown there is a busy vegan market/deli.

The atmosphere on Oahu is relaxed and friendly. I had been there two other times but this was a first for my friend. We didn't go to another island; I had spent a week on Kauai last time I was there, but we didn't feel the need to leave Oahu on this trip. We were busy most of the time and when not, enjoyed the sun and water and people. My son says he lives in paradise and does not plan on leaving there. Well darn, I guess I will just have to go there to see him again next year.




13 comments:

Ms. A said...

A tan??? You lucky devil! That should really make you stand out back home! LOL!

Glad to hear you had a great time. Now, where are the photos?

Brian Miller said...

smiles...sounds like you had fun and everyone had fun...i think going back is a great plan...i am sure there will always be new things to explore...

glad you found gluten free food as well...

DJan said...

It sounds like it was a fabulous vacation right in the middle of winter. I leave in a week to visit my sister in Florida, another beautiful place to go when the weather is awful elsewhere. :-)

Adam said...

I can imagine finding restaurants over there having menus that cater to gluten free. It's hard to find one here in SC unless unless a national chain does it.

Abby said...

Sounds like a dream vacation, CiCi! I agree with you - it's who you're with, not where you are. But what a bonus! Glad you had such a nice time! Show us your tan?

stephen Hayes said...

Do you have room in your suitcase for me to accompany you next year? I don't eat as much as I let on.

Hilary said...

Well that sounds just lovely, CiCi. What a beautiful place to be.. and especially so because your son lives there. I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself so much.

Pauline said...

That sounds like a great holiday. You wouldn't have any trouble folowing a gluten free diet in Brasil. I was cutting down on carbs before arriving and have cut down even further since being here. I could live on fresh fruit and vegies for ages I think. Hope you blog more about your trip, any snaps?

Stickup Artist said...

Wow, that sounds exactly like what an amazing vacation should be! What wonderful memories. It's fun to have friends and/or family in awesome places!!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful time you had. Yes, you must return not only for the beautiful scenery but also for the beautiful company. You are indeed a blessed woman.

terri said...

It sounds perfect. Just perfect!

I think everything is what you make it. You have such a positive spirit, it was bound to be a happy and fun trip. So glad you had such a wonderful time with your family. I hope you get to do it again soon!

Shammickite said...

What a marvellous trip, I, like all your other commentators, am insanely envious! I'll try to persuade my son to move to Honolulu too, but I don't think he'll go for it. Meanwhile, welcome back to the deep freeze.

Cheryl said...

One word: Wonderful! I read your post with (I must admit!) lots of envy! I am so pleased that you and your friend had a fun and memory filled trip. And sounds like your son and daughter-in-law have a wonderful life there.