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.