Hawaii

Jan 24th - Feb 8th 2009

Saturday 24th January 2009

Home to Los Angeles

Welcome to another blog - this time it's Hawaii for the big January holiday.

Two years in a row in Australia was amazing and it nearly became three in a row this year, but, at the last minute we decided to try somewhere a bit closer! Flying time from Hawaii to Sydney is 8 hours - so not THAT much closer.

Why Hawaii? Well we drew up the short-list of what we wanted to see and do. We both wanted some warmth, Nikki wants to go diving with sharks and I want to go snorkelling and we both want to see an active volcano. Those criteria sort of narrow our choices.

Hawaii has three main islands - Oahu which is where Honolulu is, Maui which is the lush, Jurassic Park type of landscape and Hawaii itself which is called Big Island. This one is more volcanic and dramatic. The plan is to see all three.

The last few weeks have been spent working out what points we have for Virgin, Marriott and Hilton and how best to spend them. Virgin were great - we used my points to book economy to Los Angles and Upper Class home. I called Virgin to see about paying to upgrade the outward leg and the woman on the phone reckoned I had enough points. She totally baffled me saying things like "Well if Mrs James travels on the outward leg on a flexible premium ticket and then upgrades the inside leg with a flux capacitor then I think you can do it". So that was that - luxury both ways and hurrah for that! We are getting too old (and snobby) for cattle class. LA is 11'30" so I think a bit of luxury is both warranted and deserved.

So today arrived - as did Nikki's cold. Poor thing was up at 03.00 this morning snuffling, coughing and unable to swallow without pain. I woke up around 08.00, oblivious to all this. Spent the morning packing our last minute things and left for the airport at 11.25. Very cold and icy on the roads but a straightforward run down to Heathrow.

Purple Parking booked for 12.30 and we turned up at 12.27 - first time ever we've not had to wait. No queue to check in for Upper and we went through the private security channel and up to the lounge - via Boots for some throat sweets. Had some lunch and then nicked Stuart's idea of taking your own plastic bag to help yourself to the pick 'n' mix! Most excellent.

Buggy took us up to the gate and then a Heathrow first - we were bussed to the aircraft. So we had to walk down three flights of stairs to get the bus and then up the aircraft steps when we got there. Nikki was knackered and cold by this point so recovered with a cup of tea.

I think she also perked up when she realised that Christian Slater was sat opposite - did a bit of a double take and it was totally him!

Took off about half an hour late with a very northerly routing. Flew up over Luton, Birmingham and Glasgow before heading out over the North Sea. As I write this on the plane we are way up over northern Canada.

First crisis was the discovery that the plane didn't have the AVOD in-flight entertainment system. It had the slightly older one which plays 12 or so movies on continual repeat without being able to pause etc. Wasn't too bad though. Watched "How to Lose Friends" with Simon Pegg which was pretty good before having my second lunch. Tomato soup with a warm roll, the horrible Virgin vegetable hot-pot followed by cheese & biscuits and coffee. Got the bed down and had a kip for bit. Nice to have a Saturday afternoon nap at 35,000 feet.

Second movie was "Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist" or something like that - again, pretty good. This was watched while in bed. It's amazing to think I only first flew Upper Class in January 2007 - I've taken to it like the proverbial duck. At one point earlier I was thinking, "Oh dear, they are being very slow with my coffee" - I then remembered that the poor buggers in cattle would kill for 5% of the room I've got!

As I write now it's just gone 23.00 in the UK - we have an amazing view of frozen seas in crystal blue sunshine. We've just started to turn south so the final 3 hour run into LA is starting.

We're hoping that our friends in the TSA will be nice to us today and not take me off to the naughty room - also hoping it's a quick luggage pick up and journey to the Marriott. We shall see!!

<LATER>

Well I have to say I'm amazed at the TSA. We landed at 19.00 - by 19.15 we were through security, picked up the bags and were outside! The Virgin staff at Heathrow had arranged a chair for Nikki which was waiting and the guy whisked us to the front of the queue.

The bloke doing our immigration seemed a bit confused when he scanned my passport so I told him about my "problem". He called his supervisor who shouted at him a bit before stamping my passport and taking me off to meet a really nice lady in the naughty room. She glanced over my paperwork and said I was "good to go, honey". I asked her if they'd caught the other Thomas James and asked why they were after him. She told me not only do I share a name with him, but I share the exact date of birth! When I asked what he'd done she smiled and said it was serious enough for them to be after him!

Waited for the hotel shuttle for ten minutes and it brought us to the hotel which is right next to the airport. Check-in was a doddle. By the time I'd come in with the bags, Alex on reception was handing over our keys. I asked if anyone could help with the bags and he said, "It would be my honour". Gotta love LA!!!

He brought the bags up - really nice room. Totally soundproofed windows, walls and doors. Couldn't hear a thing. Had a quick freshen up and then went downstairs for a a quick dinner. Both had a gorgeous salad and coffee before taking a wander around the corner to take a picture of the LAX sign before hitting bed at 20.40 - so that's 04.40 UK time - Nikki had been up for 26 hours!

It's never nice going 8 hours back in time after an 11 hour flight - but Virgin, LAX, the TSA and the Courtyard Marriott made it nice and simple.

And so to bed!

Saturday 25th January 2009

Los Angles to Maui

Day 2 started at just before 04.00 LA time.

The thing about changing so many time-zones is that your body doesn't have a CLUE which way up it is. I heard Nikki sighing so figured, as I was awake as well, we might as well get up. Had some coffee and wandered downstairs for a butchers and found they'd set up a coffee cart in the lobby.

Did some uploading and caught up with Ann and Dad before heading down for breakfast. Really nice omelette, potatoes and some toast, coffee and juice.

Left the hotel around 07.20 to start the American Airlines experience.

Got to the airport at 07.30 and it was a bear garden - lots of people shouting at you to have your boarding passes etc ready. Did self-service check-in which you'd think would be quick. Damn machine told me to wait for a supervisor who came and checked our ID. After getting your boarding passes printed out, you then need to queue for the desk for your bags to be tagged. Woman behind the desk was totally rubbish. We were in a queue of about 7 people for about half an hour. Nikki gave up and sat on the floor. It took ages to get sorted and then she told us we needed to drop our bags off at the next counter. Nikki kicked up a "gentle" fuss and a bloke came with a trolley and took them away. No idea who he was - just kinda assumed he worked for American. When we get to Maui, I suppose we'll find out!

We'd called for a wheelchair and thank God we had. The queue for security was around half an hour I'd guess. Once the chair came we were taken right to the head of the queue. 

Had bought a day-pass for the Admirals Lounge so we could wait near the gate in comfort. This is where I'm now writing this from. Great view from the window and nice atmosphere but that's about it. No real service and not too many amenities. Plus you have to pay for the food.

We're boarding in about 10 minutes for our five hour flight in cattle class. Think of us with pity. More later.

<LATER>

Actually boarding was pretty straight forward and we were in row 33 on the plane. It's a 3-3 configuration and it was just me and Nikki on the left side of the 3 so pretty good.

Crew were standard American Airlines issue. Humourless and non-welcoming but once you realise that's what you're going to get, then that's fine. Leg-room not too bad so after take off we settled down to watch some DVD's.

Had some cheese & crackers and a couple of coffees and then the bumpy ride really started. Had one ten minute segment where even the crew were confined to their seats and the captain needed to come on to reassure everyone.

About half-an-hour from landing he told us that Big Island would be coming up on our left and it did. We then started our descent into Maui - crossed the coast below the level of the main mountain on Maui and flew up a valley before doing a sharp right turn and landing. Stunning views across the countryside and out to sea as well. Nikki was in the window seat and said it looked very green and lush.

Got our bags and prepared for the walk through the airport. Came off the air-bridge - and that was it. One central corridor with a cafe and a shop, which we walked straight across and down an escalator and we were outside. Baggage reclaim was open to the street and it really felt stress free. There was a duo performing live next to our baggage carousel which was a strange experience indeed.

Our bags were 5 & 6 off the conveyor and we were out - walked across to the Avis counter and was told to grab the shuttle bus by a very friendly chap. I don't know if it's a cliché but people seem genuinely happy to see you. Everyone is greeting us with Aloha.

Picked up the car and started the drive down to Wailea. You know when you go somewhere new - the conversation tends to be, "Oh this reminds me a bit of....". I think for the first time ever we were at a loss. The first opinion of Hawaii is that it is so different that it doesn't fit into any category. It's not Caribbean, Mediterranean, its not the US (but it is) and it's not like Australia or Europe. Very distinct smell as well - might be the sugar cane.

Found our hotel and got checked in very quickly (issued with shell lei each of course). Really friendly staff - they took us to our building on a golf buggy. We've got an ocean view room with a lovely balcony. Did some unpacking and felt like a clockwork toy who's mechanism is running down. Sat on the bed to have a coffee and then shot up shouting, "I've just seen a whale". It wasn't a mirror - there genuinely was a whale in the bay outside our room. And I'd seen it while sat on my bed!!

Suddenly revitalised we grab the binoculars and dashed out onto the balcony. Beginning to think I'd seen things when we spotted about 7 or 8 whales in a five minute period. Sometimes it was their water spout, other times it was their backs arching through the water and on quite a few occasions we had the full tails in the air. Just unbelievable. In California we paid to go on the Boat of Vomit to chase whales - now I was getting as good a view while sat on my balcony with a coffee in my hand and CNN Headline News on on the TV!!

Watched the whales for about an hour before heading to bed for a quick kip.

<LATER>

(Nikki) Awoke around 18:30, still both totally bewildered and not totally with it, despite the lovely sleep. Decided to drive back across the island for a book, provisions and dinner. Still quite warm, but dark by now. 

We headed back towards the airport as we'd seen a few places (including Borders) on the way over this afternoon.  Journey seemed a lot quicker, probably because we knew where we were going this time, and also we weren't stopping every few minutes to take in the scenery (it being dark and all). Still regular flights coming in to land, so Kahalui must be quite a busy little airport despite its size and general laid back attitude. 

Found Borders - Huw bought a book and I bought some post cards, so everybody happy. We then went to Walmart for milk, coffee and tissues. Drove back towards Wailea and stopped off in Kihei where we found an Australian themed steakhouse (someone trying to tell us something?) Did our usual of completely ignoring the menu and just asked for what we wanted. They were very accommodating! Huw had onion soup followed by a huge salad. I had salad with a baked potato. We then drove the 6 miles back to the Marriott, and wilted into our beds. 

Brilliant day - lots done! Intense planning now needed tomorrow, and deciding what we are doing next. Quite a few ideas from the Lonely Planet guide, leaflets from the airport, hotel and Avis. Honestly don't quite know how we are going to fit it all into 5 days, but will give it a good try!

Monday 26th January 2009

Maui

Monday morning again. Up early. Sandwiches made. Shirt ironed. Except this time it's not for work!!

Nikki was up at just gone 04.00 - I surfaced just before 06.00. The time zones are still playing buggery with our body clocks!

Got coffee and sat on the balcony - still dark but was aware of shapes moving around below. Took a moment and figured it was joggers and power-walkers.

Suddenly I was seized with a crazy idea. I COULD JOIN THEM!!. I flung down my coffee, grabbed my shorts and rushed out to embrace my new-found friends. Together we would walk and jog into the sunrise. Obama's bright shining America was on the horizon. There was nothing we couldn't do. The only thing to fear was etc. Well you get the idea.

I walked around the headland and checked out the next beach along then doubled back and checked out the hotel next door. By this time the sun was up and I could see my early morning exercise companions were a lot fitter than me!

Came back to the room and did my warming down exercises which involved sitting down and turning the air conditioning on.

Went for breakfast at about 08.00. Gorgeous setting - high up in the hotel with outside tables overlooking the bay. Had a pretty healthy breakfast and watched for whales. Saw a few while eating my muesli. Had the oddest waiter though. He was speaking English we think, but with a strong Hawaiian accent combined with a high pitched voice. I think he asked if we wanted coffee - but he could have been objecting to me poking him with my fork - nobody knows.

Watched the whales from our room balcony for a short while - turned out to be for longer than we bargained for when the door locked itself, and we were were stuck on the balcony with nothing but coffee and binoculars.  No-one about of course, but then we heard voices from the balcony above, so a short semi-shouted conversation was held, resulting in them calling reception to report the problem. After a few minutes, a very nice man appeared in our room with a massive bunch of keys and sorted the door for us. Said he had not come across this problem before - trust us to be different!

After this excitement, we packed for The Road to Hana. Hana is a tiny town on the opposite side of Maui but the drive to get there is spectacular. There is a company that makes CD's for the car which give you a commentary of the route and points out interesting things - we bought one of those and headed off. First stop was the laundry to drop off some clothes to be cleaned. $9 per shirt at the Marriott or $2.99 per pound in the laundry. Got all the washing booked in for $15. Particularly enjoyed the ten minute row the shop owner was having with a woman who claimed she'd lost her favourite designer shirt. Funny how it's always the designer ones that go missing - never the crappy ones!

Stopped off to get the Road to Hana CD and bought a coffee for the journey. First town you come to is a real hippie town called Paia. This is where we turn on the CD and get set for the drive. Some stunning scenery along the way. We stopped to watch some surfer dudes riding the waves along with a few dozen other people. Amazing how they stay on considering how big the waves are.

The actual road is supposed to have 500 turns in it - and I can vouch for that. Nearly all the bridges are only wide enough for one vehicle, as is the road in some places. Lots of stop/starting to see the sights along the way and also to let traffic through. It's 30 miles of turns which took nearly 2.5 hours.

Got into Hana itself at around 13.30 and found a really nice place to have lunch - veggie burgers all around.

After Hana the road used to loop right around the bottom of the island but an earthquake in 2007 knocked it out. On all the maps it says things like, "Your car hire insurance is invalidated if you use this road". We did debate it for a bit but after driving a short way down towards that section to see another waterfall, decided to turn back. So it's 30 miles of bends in the other direction! 

Around 5 miles before we arrived back at Paia, we saw a very bedraggled looking hitch hiker. Felt so sorry for him that we picked him up - he wanted to get to Paia which was lucky as we did too. He was a young Canadian hippy type - complete with dreadlocks. Chatted with him until we dropped him off in Paia, then made our way back to Wailea.

Got back to civilisation in time to hit "rush" hour. Came back down towards the Marriott and checked out a beach we plan to snorkel before returning to the room and a shower and sit down!

Dinner was a leisurely affair at a local Italian themed eatery. Loved the fact that you ordered and paid when going in. None of that nonsense of waiting for the bill at the end of the meal.

Some Bruschetta, salad and pizza later we were knackered so in bed by 21.45 - lightweights. Our arrival back at the hotel was heralded by some pretty spectacular fireworks  - so nice of them to welcome us back in this way!

Tuesday 27th January 2009

Maui

 

(Nikki) What a shock! Awoke to howling gales and torrential rain. Grey, angry skies and an even nastier looking sea.  Don't think we'll be swimming in that today!!! Decided to regroup and find an alternative for the day's activities.  Unfortunately the internet service was down, so we had to resort to using guide books and leaflets! After reporting the

internet fault, we decided to head out to Kilea for some breakfast, and follow the coast road up a bit to see what else was there (ideas included the Aquarium, a pharmacy for cough medicines, post office to post cards and a dive shop to hire/purchase snorkelling equipment).

Had a very nice breakfast at a restaurant in Kilea, and used their payphone to ring parents. Drove on, and found loads and loads of shops - from Macy’s and Sears to little specialist shops - so that kept us occupied for a bit. Still raining heavily, but certainly not cold. After doing our 'paper based' research, we decided to visit 'Snorkel Bob' in one of his dive shops. No sign of the man himself - but a very helpful (if taciturn) young girl assisted us. Decided to buy the gear as we would (hopefully) be using it for some time to come. She checked our glasses and matched up the prescriptions as far as possible (silly us - fancy forgetting to bring our eye prescriptions with us) so we now have prescription goggles!  Hopefully will be able to see things coming now before bumping into them eg sharks. We also bought snorkels, a waterproof bag to keep things in while we are in the sea and ear protectors for Huw (after the 'divers ear' incident of last year). Very satisfied with our purchases, we headed back to the hotel - totally tired out after the mornings' exertions! 

Watched the whales for a bit (they don't seem to mind the rain) and had a snooze. Just had a couple of biscuits for lunch. Huw tried again with the internet so we could upload the day's blog and photos - still no luck, so he rang up and reported it again. Afraid that I went back to sleep again for an hour - well relaxing is very tiring!!!

Headed back north to visit the Queen Ka'ahumanu shopping centre - bought some shirts, shorts and swimming trunks for Huw and a pair of pyjamas for me (says it all!). We then headed back into the metropolis that is Kilea for tea. Really nice Italian restaurant - bit of a garlic overload - so we should be safe from vampires tonight!

Returned back to the hotel around 21.00 - still no internet, but apparently the engineer is now on site doing his very best to rectify the situation! Too tired again to sit waiting for it - so sleep time again!

Wednesday 28th January 2009

Maui

(Nikki) Awoke around 05.30 (quite late for me - finally getting into Hawaii time). Still dark at the moment - sunrise not due until 07.00. Not raining at the moment. Internet is back!!! Watching the morning news at the moment, and the weather   lady is telling us to wrap up warm, as the high is only expected to be mid 70's!!! Even the graphics are saying "chilly" with  the lettering shivering for added emphasis! Oh no - I forgot to pack my ski jacket!) 

(Huw) Had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. Nice food - only problem is that sparrows keep flying in and out and landing on the muesli!

Back to the room for a conflab about our plans for the day. Bit annoyed it's raining again - but I suppose Hawaii wouldn't be very green etc if it didn't.

Decided to head over to Lahaina as we'd read it was worth a visit. Imagine Maui being the same shape as a robin's profile. We're down on its tummy, Lahaina is up near its nose. Nice drive to get there around the coast road. Arrived around 11.00 and the rain stopped for a bit. Grabbed a coffee and walked down to  the bay. Lahaina is a very quaint town - lots of little shops selling tourist tat and some designer-type shops as well.

Came to the booking booth for the Reef Dancer boat tour and plucked up the courage to go for it. Went and got some sea-sickness tablets and took a couple - amazingly they made me feel sick!! Sat in the car and gathered my courage together and went for it. Nice enough boat where you sit in the viewing area beneath the water - it's only an hour trip but had a few "moments" on the journey. Luckily they passed so I was able to look out the window. The boat goes about a quarter of a mile off-shore and then parks over a reef. Two divers then go off and grab things like sea-urchins and bring them to your window. Very interesting - sadly the reef isn't in as good condition as it could be. I think we've been spoiled by the Great Barrier Reef and the Ningaloo in Western Australia. Not a bad tour though.

Back on dry land it was time for a slap-up lunch. It may have been time for it - but one wasn't available. Had a bagel and Nikki had a salad.

Back in the hotel at around 15.50 and I then fell asleep on the bed until about 18.30!

Spent the evening up in Kihei - had a pretty average Italian meal, bought some milk and ice-cream and then headed back to the room.

I'm really hoping tomorrow's weather is better. We've now had two days of rain and I, for one, am getting a bit tired of it. All we want to do is go snorkelling!!

Fingers crossed.

Thursday 29th January 2009

Maui

Awoke to better weather - it has finally stopped raining!! Hurrah.

Had a nice breakfast around in Kihei in what has now become our "usual" place. It's cheaper than the hotel and there are no sparrows in the muesli.

Then it was snorkel time. Headed to Turtle Beach just up from the hotel and got ourselves ready to take the plunge. Sea was quite warm and had really good visibility through our prescription masks. Sadly there wasn't a huge amount to see though. Western Australia has spoiled us. Saw a few fish but sadly no turtles. Stayed in for about 45 minutes and then gave up.

Back to the beach for a lie-down in the sun and then we decided to go back to the hotel for a shower. After shower we wanted to go to the aquarium. Had some lunch before going in at a nice place on the harbour. Amazingly, as we were eating, we could sit and watch Humpback Whales in the bay jumping and splashing the water. Incredible.

Aquarium was pretty good - saw some Hammer Head Sharks and some turtles. It's right on the harbour front so one of their exhibits is the actual harbour with the Humpbacks!

Then we decided to tackle the volcano - now it's 10,000 feet and quite a drive. Picked up our laundry first and I asked the Chinese woman which was the best way to the volcano. She looked at me and said "No volcano here". I think she's in for a surprise when it erupts next!

Nice drive up the first 8,000 feet of the volcano and then it got scary. Once you're into the National Park, crash barriers on the side of the road become optional. You are literally driving around double back bends with a sheer drop. As Nikki pointed out, at least there was the white line to keep you on the road. I'm usually quite brave about these things - but I'm afraid we gave up at about 9,000 feet. It was getting dark - plus we had to drive through the clouds to get to the summit. Bottled it!

Back down we came and got back to the room at about 19.30 - both collapsed on the bed. An hour later we debated whether or not to go out for a meal. Voted against and ended up with ice-cream, crisps and M&M's from the hotel gift shop while watching The Office (US version) on CBS. Caught the late news and then Letterman before giving up for the night!

Tomorrow it's off to Big Island as the adventure continues.

Friday 30th January 2009

Maui to Big Island

Up around 06.30. Nice coffee on the balcony before getting things packed for the big commute.

Today we'll be travelling 89 miles with Pacific Wings. Rang reception to get them to print out our boarding passes and they informed me that they can't do that as Pacific Wings is too small.

Now naturally this worried me, so some use of Google later I found out that we're on a 9 seater plane that has the nickname "The Dramamine Express". Now REALLY worried.

Breakfast was taken in near silence as I worked out how best to vomit politely on a 9 seat aircraft.

Felt a bit better after breakfast so finished the packing. Resolved that we would rock up at the Hawaiian Airlines desk and see if we could buy a ticket - they use jets! They have this stupid system online where you can only book with debit or credit cards if you have a billing address in the US. Figured we could pay cash and be done with it.

Left the hotel around 11.00 after some nonsense with MBNA. Got to the airport and spoke to Hawaiian Airlines - woman behind the counter was snotty and unhelpful so I thought "sod you love". Went across to Pacific Wings and they couldn't have been more cheerful, helpful, chatty and just generally nice! Am now resolved that they will be the best people for me to vomit with! It's only a 40 minute flight so I'm going to put my head between my legs (or the person in front's legs, if I can't reach my own) and sit there silently!

Currently in Starbucks in the baggage reclaim area waiting for our flight. Check in etc is double the length of the actual flight!

<LATER>

Went back across to the commuter terminal and waited with 7 other people for our flight. The pilot and co-pilot arrived and genuinely looked about 18. They took us out to the aircraft - by this time my knees were knocking. I then realised I'd left our camera on the chair in the waiting area - the pilot very kindly went and got it for me. We were told to sit in row 3. There were only 4 rows and row 1 was the pilot! Very small plane with steps at the back to get in. Found our seats and got strapped in. I'll be honest - by this time it was dry mouth and where the hell is the sick bag.

Took off and immediately I was distracted by the view. Simply amazing. Cruised up over the island and then out to sea. No turbulence to speak of. I totally loved it!! Took about 35 minutes to get to Big Island. The pilot pointed out a few whales in the bay and then we landed at Kona Airport. It was great taxiing in with all the big jets. We pulled into our parking lot, got out and then the pilot got our bags out and handed them to us. And that was it. No security checks to go through - just grab your bags and you're on the street when landing!

The Avis bus came to pick us up within about 3 minutes and we were in the car and heading off about 10 minutes after wheels down! Excellent way to travel. I love Pacific Wings!!

The drive to the Marriott was across barren, moon-like countryside. It's simply black with lava. Big Island has its own type of graffiti - people put white stones on the black lava to spell out messages. Lots of fun.

Check in was simple enough and we were shown to our room - very nice. Quite large with a huge bed and a nice balcony. Seems quite peaceful.

Went out for an explore and found a great supermarket. Just about everything you could possibly want including a deli counter that makes a salad for you. Couldn't resist so got ourselves some late lunch/early dinner and went back to our room to eat it on the balcony. Time now to firm up our plans for the next few days. They will involve a helicopter, some snorkelling and a drive around the active volcano. Hurrah!!

Saturday 31st January 2009

Big Island

The decision was taken over breakfast that today would be a lazy, pampering kind of day!

Breakfast was in the hotel - really nice choice and no sparrows eating the muesli. Very friendly staff. Nikki has decided she loves Big Island and it's to here she wants to retire! Can actually think of worse places. Year round temperatures of 75 degrees and a coffee plantation around each corner.

Got swimming stuff together and headed down to the pool. They have loungers around the pool but with no umbrellas so we decided to go for a cabana - like a tent! $50 for the whole day, plus they give you a goodie basket full of nibbles & drinks, an ice bucket and chilled water. Lovely.

Sat and watched the world go by for a bit before deciding to give the pool a go. Absolutely freezing. However there is a way to get the pain of the cold over with quickly - a water slide! I went for it and jumped straight back out and into one of the poolside hot-tubs. Sat in there for about half an hour chatting with an American couple. They'd been to the UK and struggled with the driving - the husband had driven round central London so I'm not surprised.

After more relaxing we headed to Subway for lunch and brought our subs back to the poolside. Ate them watching the world go by and then the waiter brought us ice-cream and coffee.

Had a dip in the infinity pool which was a bit warmer and then called it a day around 16.30

After a shower etc, we went down to check out the snorkelling bays further down the coast. Took some pictures of the sunset over one of the bays and came back up. Ended up in Arby's near the hotel and had a quite horrible baked potato and a disgusting chocolate milk-shake.

Both knackered by this point, so had an argument about the air-conditioning in the room and went to bed by 22.00

Very relaxing day!

Sunday 1st February 2009

Big Island

Our quest to swim in the sea in as many months of 2009 as possible continues. Today is snorkelling day.

Up around 07.30 for coffee and to ring home - in the car by 08.30 and heading up to Mauna Kea Beach. It's about 15 minutes north of the hotel - read on the internet that they had limited public beach access parking so we needed to be quick. No problem when we arrived at the resort - they gave us a pass and off we went in to park. Public car-park is quite a walk downhill to the beach but we got there.

Gorgeous beach with the great snorkelling off to the right hand side. Snorkelled for about an hour there seeing all kinds of fish. Came back in and sat on the beach to dry off.

Started to walk up the hill to the car and I saw a gardener on a golf buggy who was then persuaded to take Nikki up to the car. Headed south for more snorkelling.

Stopped off at a cafe for some breakfast - 2 fried egg sandwiches and 2 coffees did the trick.

We were planning to go to Kealakakua Bay but when we got there, we found it was only really accessible by Kayak - didn't fancy rowing for half an hour so gave up on that idea!

Went down to Kahalu'u Beach Park Bay which was about an hour south. Found a place to park and headed over to a covered area next to the beach. I think a better description would be some volcanic sand. Apparently in winter the proper sand gets washed away, and then comes back in the summer!

In the covered area were some benches and people chilling so we changed and got chatting to a really friendly Yank who frequently holidays locally. He gave us the inside track on where to snorkel so we followed his advice. Quite a rocky place where you get in the sea but after that - OH MY GOD - it was like jumping into an aquarium. The bay is really shallow so the coral is about 2 feet below you. In places you have to turn around as you'd damage the coral by getting over it. And the fish!!! Thousands and thousands of all types. We saw loads of puffer fish etc. Just incredible. After swimming open-mouthed for about ten minutes we were then joined by a Green Turtle. He was literally in front of us. I was worried I was going to crash into him. He swam around us for a bit, went under Nikki and disappeared. And then another one showed up. It was an awe inspiring feeling to be swimming with a real-life, wild sea Turtle.

Stayed in the sea for another half an hour or so watching all the fish - or as the Yanks insist on calling them...fishes! Came out and dried off and went up to a nearby shopping centre for lunch. The Super Bowl was on everywhere - had a grilled cheese sandwich and Nikki had some ice-cream. And then back to the snorkelling site.

(Nikki) Once again - thousands of extremely colourful fish of all sizes all around us. They didn't seem phased by us being there at all - even though we were frequently in the midst of a shoal. Fewer people here now as it was getting later, so we pretty much had the bay to ourselves. Sadly no turtles on this occasion, but still a fabulous experience none the less - the tide was now in, so we could swim over much more of the coral without disturbing it.

After about an hour we climbed back onto the 'salt and pepper' beach (so called as it was a mixture of ground up black lava rock and white coral). You really feel the cold when you get out of the sea - the invaluable 'rashy' when in the sea now clingy and cold! Drove back to the hotel, after checking out the Manta Ray dive organisers who were based in the next bay to the south - no-one there, but it was Super Bowl Sunday after all! Drove back to the hotel for a lovely shower to freshen up. Decided to go to an Italian restaurant for a well deserved tea. Very nice meal and - as with every place we have been to on Big Island - warm, cheerful and friendly service.

Very tired now, so back to the hotel, where we phoned folks to find out how things were in VERY cold and snowy GB.

Monday 2nd February 2009

Big Island

The plan for today was to do the volcano - we were a bit slow getting going plus we needed to be back on this side of the island for the manta dive - so we decided to snorkel today and do the volcano tomorrow.

It's surprising just how big the Big Island is - if only they'd put some sort of hint to that fact in the name! Imagine it as a clock. We're at 9 o'clock and the volcano is at 4 o'clock. There are two ways around the island - north or south. North takes 2 hours to get to the volcano and south takes 3 hours. So everywhere is a long way away!

We headed south to a snorkelling bay that had been recommended to us. On the way we dropped off our laundry to a place which seemed to be run by a serial killer. Very odd man. Having said that, Marriott want $10 per shirt - this guy wanted $13 for a massive bag full! After that ended up in a hippie supermarket to get some breakfast - they did the best coffee I have possibly ever had.

Yesterday we'd met a chap called Jerry and his wife who've been coming to Hawaii for 5 weeks a year for years. He knows all the good snorkelling spots as that's all he does! He'd suggested a place called Two Step - so called because it's on rocks but with 2 steps cut out to let you into the water.

As we got there we saw a bloke standing in the road putting his swimming gear on - it was Jerry who invited us to join him and his wife on their picnic table along with four other Americans. It was a bit crowded so we moved some of our stuff to the table next to them so they then teased us about being British - unable to see anything without colonising it! We warned them they were only being allowed to keep their table at the Queen's pleasure. Really friendly bunch and very helpful about watching our stuff while we snorkelled.

Got into the water at Two Step - no easy matter. I'm one who likes to gently ease myself into the water - at Two Step you're either fully in or fully out! Once we got the masks on and looked under the water, the view was breathtaking. Miles and miles of coral to swim over and the variety of fish was astounding. We swam towards the left hand side of the bay and I glimpsed a turtle. Nikki didn't get to see him - but about 5 minutes later we swam over the top of one being groomed by a few fish. We swam with him for about 15 minutes. Just amazing. The list of other fish we saw would take up the rest of this page!

Back out of the water for a break. Sat on the benches and chatted with the Yanks. Then two whales swam across the mouth of the bay. They were maybe 200 yards off-shore. We saw their backs coming out of the water and then a fabulous view of their tails!

Back into the water for another amazing snorkel - sadly no turtles this time.

Left Two Step around 15.30 and drove back up the coast. Stopped at a roadside cafe for a sandwich and some coffee and filled up the car. Picked up the laundry and headed to the place for the manta dive.

Got there around 17.30 and hung around with about 6 or 7 other people waiting for the check-in and pre-sail briefing. Got chatting with some of the others about their trip to the volcano - so got some more tips there.

Boarded the boat around 18.00 and got the safety briefing from the crew. It was a fabulous boat. Lots of area to lounge around. Boat was for 50 people and there were 14 of us. It was a 5 minute run out of the bay to the diving spot and here's where the trouble started. I was told it was 5 minutes sailing, 45 minutes diving and then 5 minutes home. Sadly it was 5 minutes sailing, 20 minutes briefing, 15 minutes waiting and then 45 minutes diving. I started to feel a bit queasy but not too bad.

Once into the water we had to hold on to a float coming out from the boat and they'd given us another float for our feet so we could just lie there. Lay for about 5 minutes and then saw a manta in the murky depths.

They are attracted to the plankton which is attracted to the lights carried by the divers. The divers had moved off so we had to follow them. We swam about 100 yards and then the mantas arrived. First up was what I considered to be a huge manta ray. She was swimming around near the divers about 20 feet below us. Just incredible to see. And then the big one arrived. Totally dwarfed the first one. She came right up to within an inch of Nikki. We were told not to touch them - but they were allowed to touch us if they chose. It all seemed to be over too quickly. 45 minutes had passed and we had to head back to the boat.

Now regular readers will know of my aim of vomiting on as many sea creatures as possible. I did whales in California - now it was mantas in Hawaii. I'm not a good sailor so the aforementioned roadside cafe sandwich was donated to the cause of marine conservation in Hawaii.

Drove back to the hotel feeling very sorry for myself and went straight to bed! Was it worth a bit of a vomiting? Totally!

Tuesday 3rd February 2009

Big Island

(Nikki) Reasonably early start ahead of the drive to 'the other side' of the island. 81 degrees, sunny with a bit of cloud and quite breezy when we left the hotel. We were prepared for the helicopter trip - warm clothes, trousers and proper shoes (as we were told by the helicopter lady). As we started to go north, we also started ascending. The peak of Moana Kea (the presently dormant volcano) was clearly visible. It is 13,796 feet high and is the highest peak in the Hawaiian Islands. There is constant snow at the top (people ski here) and the mega observatories were clearly visible as well.  Through the clouds, we could also see the peak of Moana Loa (a mere 13,680 feet high) on the south of the island.  It was this mountain we were heading for as this is where the active volcano is - on its south east side. The reason we were driving north - then all the way to the bottom of the island instead of just driving across is because of this - loads of roads have disappeared because of "volcanic activity".

By the time we arrived at Waimea (tiny village towards the North of the island), we were at over 2,000 feet and the temperature had dropped by 10 degrees - and it was raining! The sunshine had completely vanished, and there was a grey mist everywhere ..... and it was raining (did I mention that?). 

We stopped at a roadside cafe for breakfast - once again incredibly friendly service, and a super fabulous breakfast.  Really hit the spot. Had to run for the car after brekkie as it was raining very heavily now. We both got a soaking in the short time from cafe to car. Huw even put the heating on (!!!!!). We then began the long drive down the east of the island.  The temperature went down and down, the mist got thicker and the rain got heavier. We were driving down a coastal road - but couldn't see the sea due to the very poor visibility. 

By the time we arrived at Hilo - the commercial capital of Big Island, we discovered that it did indeed live up to its name - "wettest place in the USA". We stopped for a coffee - still raining, then made our way to the village of Volcano (kid you not!). From here you can enter the 'Hawaii Volcanoes National Park'. $10 to enter, and you get an up-to-date map of the area - including what areas and roads are closed. There are several hiking trails too - again some are closed due to "high levels of sulphur dioxide". Even on some of the roads, there are posters up warning you to keep all car windows closed, and to not get out of the car. Proper grown-up stuff! 

We headed for the Kilauea Caldera with the Halema'uma'u and Kilauea Iki craters. These are the sites of the most recent explosions. Currently there are huge plumes of smoke pouring out.

(Huw) Incredible views down into the crater. One thing about this volcano is that it doesn't just have 1 crater - there are hundreds of them all over the place. We drove around the Crater Rim Road until we got to the road closure and then went down Chain of Craters Road. It goes from about 3,000 feet right down to the sea with various craters and old lava flows around you. Breathtaking.

By this point we were needing to get cracking for the helicopter flight. Rather than drive the 30 miles back to Hilo only to find it had been cancelled, we decided to ring from the visitor centre instead. Got through and was put on hold for a while and then we found it HAD been cancelled due to bad weather. Oh well, not much we can do about that!

Headed out of the park from some lunch. The ranger at the gate suggested a place in the nearby village of Volcano. Found it easily - and really wished we hadn't. I had a veggie burger which was OK at best - Nikki had a baked potato with cheese and broccoli which looked (and tasted) vile. At least the coffee was good!

Back into the park to do the bits we'd missed and then a council of war to work out what to do next. The ranger in the visitor station told us that we could see lava going into the sea outside the park boundary but that we'd need torches, good shoes and water. Drove down to the town on Keau'u and stopped at a hardware store for the torches and off we went.

We took Route 130 right to the end - to the part where the lava had flowed over it and destroyed it in previous years. Parked up in a lot right at the end of the road and got directions from the State Troopers on duty. It was about a three quarters of a mile hike over old lave fields to the viewing area. All the time we could see huge plumes of steam shooting into the sky. Got to the viewing area and OH MY GOD - real, red, boiling lava pouring into the sea. Totally mesmerising. As it hits the ocean it sort of explodes and you get a shower of red sparks shooting into the sky. As it got darker the steam cloud itself started to turn red. Watched for about half an hour before starting the return walk back up to the car.

Got to the car park both feeling knackered - it's very hard walking over rock-strewn, uneven ground in the dark with a little torch!

One of the rangers got Nikki a chair near the coffee stall - only in America would there be a coffee stall! The guy running it did me a coffee and Nikki an Earl Grey while I went to get the car. And then we started the 2 hour return trip. It's a long way as the road winds around the coast. Got to a Shell station and decided to get our tea there! Snickers, Pringles and Lays crisps and a very friendly guy behind the counter serving.

Back to the room - Nikki weighed down like a pack-horse with all our stuff while I parked the car. Half an hour of Letterman and bed!

Great day.

Wednesday 4th February 2009

Big Island to Honolulu

Awoke around 07.30 in time for coffee and a catch up with the folks via Skype. So far we've had dozens of conversations and spent less than £4. Can't beat it.

Went for breakfast in the hotel - not as nice as the roadside cafe we found yesterday but did the job. Fruit and cereal for me and Nikki had some eggs and muffins. Paid our bill and spent a relaxing hour or so packing and hanging round the room.

Checked out just before midday. The bell-man came for the bags and I got the car and we were off to the airport. Really sorry to leave this Marriott behind. Really friendly staff and a great resort.

Got to the airport around 12.30 and dropped the car back. Found the Go! desk and checked in. Again the TSA warning came up on my passport and a supervisor had to be called to OK me. Then their computers broke down so it was hand written baggage tags and boarding passes. Took about half an hour all told.

Security was a doddle - really nice and helpful and then we were through to the massive departures area! Not seen anything like it. It was open to the elements with various shops and restaurants dotted around. Very quaint.

Our flight was called at 14.30 so we made our way to the plane. Basically it's a private jet type plane that's been converted for passenger use. 50 seats on board with tons of leg-room. One flight attendant looking after us and she was brilliant. Did the entire safety briefing from memory and then came around to take our drinks order. This was a 30 minute flight!

Took off, got settled and had my drink and then we started descending. Over very quickly.

Baggage reclaim and the Avis shuttle at Honolulu were fine - got chatting to the Avis girl and she said she used to live on Big Island as a little girl and could see the lava hitting the sea from her bedroom window.

Drove off into Honolulu - much bigger city - more like LA or Dubai with skyscrapers and freeways. Not what we've been used to. Excellent map reading from Nikki got us to our hotel in about half an hour.

And then the fun started - very welcoming people at the Embassy Suites but as she was taking a swipe of our credit card, the check in woman managed to input the wrong expiry date, meaning the card locked. We didn't know this at the time. I went to the cash-point and got out as many dollars as I could but with daily limits etc I was limited to about $400 to go to a $1,100 bill. The girl was very nice and checked us in but we were mortified.

Came to the room and rang Citibank who couldn't have been more helpful - the guy told us about the wrong expiry date being entered and unblocked the card so we could use it. He said he'd watch it going through so we went back downstairs and sorted it out - and got my $400 back - so we're awash with cash now!

Recovered our dignity with a walk to the shop up the road for milk, coffee and film for the underwater camera.

This hotel is pretty good at free stuff. Free internet access (3 Mbps for the anoraks amongst you), free cooked breakfast to order, free manager’s reception every evening with soup, salad and free drinks, free beach chairs and umbrellas, free sun-tan lotion and tanning advice, free evening sail around the bay and the list goes on.

We've got an amazing room. Right at the top of the building on the 21st floor with an entire corner to ourselves. Separate living room, bedroom, bathroom and a balcony on 2 sides. Really pleased.

Went down to the managers reception to see what that's all about - as mentioned loads of free stuff plus two guys playing the guitars. Nice atmosphere even if the class of people are slightly lower than the Marriott crowd!! What a snob. Nikki finally had a Mai Tai and she's now passed out on the couch - not really.

So here we are in Oahu. Our final stop on the great Hawaiian adventure 2009. Tomorrow it's snorkelling, shark diving and finding a laundry.

Thursday 5th February 2009

Honolulu

(Nikki) - Bit of a lie in, then some planning for our final 2 days - rang the shark dive people and booked a trip for one (that would be for me) for tomorrow morning. Warm and sunny, but with some cloud as well. Went down to breakfast on Level 4 of the hotel - Huw had fruit then cereal - I had fruit then eggs and an English muffin - yummy!!! We then collected the car (we have to valet park here as there is no parking anywhere near the hotel), and drove round the block to drop off our laundry for a wash and fold service (very amusing Japanese lady served Huw). 

We then headed south to Diamond Head - one of the volcano craters on the coast - very iconic part of Oahu's shoreline.  Taking the coast road, Huw spotted a huge splash in the ocean, so we pulled over, and sure enough there were two whales in the bay - a mother and calf. We saw them splashing about - lots of fin splashing and breaching. Mum did a stunning jump - completely breaching and a HUGE splash. They were very close to shore - the closest we have seen whales all holiday. The binoculars were quickly brought out and we spent a very pleasant half hour watching them. The journey then continued around the headland, and up the east side of the island. Scenery was spectacular - huge mountains covered in lush greenery. 

We stopped at Hanuama Bay - a nature reserve. Beautiful circular bay in an old volcano crater, with a golden sandy beach and coral. We had to pay to park there, then had to pay to enter. It was then a pretty steep walk down to the beach - luckily they have a little train that can take you down and back up again (for a small fee of course!). Before even being allowed to go down to the beach - we had to watch a compulsory video about the reef, and have the quite rigid rules explained to us - such as do not walk on, stand on or touch the reef. Pretty obvious stuff really, but you can see why they get quite protective over it. 

We found a pitch on the - by now - quite crowded beach. No time to waste - we were straight into the sea in full snorkelling gear. Water was blinking freezing!!! Not what we were used to at all. The reef was close to the shore, but it was in a pretty sorry state - very grey and rock like. Such a shame. Saw dozens of pretty big fish, but again, nothing like the number and variety on Big Island. We also saw some idiots standing on and kicking the reef, so Huw had a good old shout at them. We snorkelled for about an hour, then changed and caught the train back up to the car park. Took some photos, as it really was a stunning beach, then carried on our journey up the island.

Stopped for lunch and various photo opportunities, then decided to stop at Kualoa Ranch - it's a 500 acre site with a proper cattle ranch to the south, and movie sets to the North. The Jurassic Park movies, Outbreak, King Kong, Godzilla and Lost were filmed here. They do a tour of the movie sites - and we'd just missed the last one for the day. We may see if we can catch the 15.00 tour tomorrow. Simply stunning backdrop - huge volcanic peaks. We then decided to head across the island - via a tunnel through the volcanic mountain, and take a look at Pearl Harbour.

Completely missed Pearl Harbour somehow - but saw the bays. By then we were back in Honolulu, so we collected our washing (same Japanese lady serving!) and went back to the hotel for a shower. Watched a fabulous sunset from the balcony.

Suitably freshened up, we went out to dinner (nice little Italian round the corner), then went for a walk on Waikiki beach and back to the hotel for an early night. Will be an early start tomorrow ready for the appointment with the sharks!

Friday 6th February 2009

Honolulu

(Nikki) Apologies in advance - this was a fantabulous day - so adjective overload to be expected! 

Well I was up well before the 07.00 alarm - very excited and perhaps a little apprehensive about today's shark diving - so I was pretty much up and dressed before Huw got up. 

We had decided to forego breakfast at the hotel, and to just drive up to the North Shore and grab something there. Bit of traffic to get on to the motorway North, but then no problems getting to the North Shore - very picturesque scenery again - huge 'crinkled' green mountains to the right and gorgeous ocean, beaches and harbours to the left (including huge naval vessels in Pearl Harbour). Easily found the dive place in the harbour at Haleiwa - gorgeous little town!  As we were an hour early, we found a very friendly little place for breakfast (eggs, potatoes and toast). 

Then it was time for me to check in! Cute little boat - 2 crew and 12 passengers. Huw waved me off at the shore and after the obligatory safety briefing we were off. As soon as we were out of the harbour it was full throttle out 3 miles from shore. Beautiful warm, sunny day with blue skies and an even bluer sea. Boat slowed after about 15 minutes (getting soaked by the spray!) and I could see a tiny little cage in the middle of the ocean - that was to be our home for the next 2 hours! 

As there were 12 of us diving - they suggested that we split into 2 groups - I went for the second group as I still had to put my rashy and swim shorts on - seems with hindsight that I had the better deal too! Whilst the first group were in the cage - I sat at the back of the boat whilst they threw bait out - suddenly there were about 10 shark fins there! Mostly Galapagos sharks (with eerie white eyes) and some Sandbar sharks (slightly smaller). Some of the sharks were well over 10 foot long - they completely took your breath away! Asked the guy a few questions and he told us quite a bit about the local sharks - at one point he just dangled the bait so that a shark practically came onto the boat - he then held his nose so we could all see the markings under his mouth! The golden rule for the dive was to NOT put your hand into the sharks' mouths (well durrrr!). The bait they were using consisted of large chunks of fish about the size and colour of a hand (or foot), so they may bite your hand off "by accident". He also showed us how quick the sharks were by hurling pieces of bait way out to sea - within a second of the fish hitting the surface, there were around a dozen sharks there - amazing. 

Then it was my turn to climb into the submerged cage.

As soon as I was inside it I was taken aback by the absolute incredible, intense blue of the ocean below the surface. I was then even more taken by the fact that I was completely surrounded by sharks - must have been at least 30 of them swimming around - up to the cage and underneath it as well. A few times I forgot that I was underwater and had a few snorkels full of sea water - totally worth it though! The cage was, by this time, secured to the boat, so it was bouncing up and down with the surf (5 - 10 foot swells) - so pleased that Huw wasn't there for that part of the trip! 

At face-level there was a large opening in the cage for improved visibility, but it was covered by a sheet of Plexi glass for safety. This didn't extend any further though, and I had to really stop myself from putting a hand out to stroke the sharks as they were so close! Took loads of underwater photos - just hope they come out OK - but nothing could really come even close to capturing the sensation of being in the water with these fantastic and beautiful creatures. All too soon, it was time to climb out of the cage and head back to the harbour. Again - full throttle - stood up all the way back - very exhilarating! Had to stop briefly to pick up one of the bait buckets that had washed off the boat in the swell - then back to land - with a Mr Huw waving on the harbour!

(Huw) While all this excitement was going on I was reading a magazine in a nearby car-park and enjoying a coffee bought from the local supermarket. I'd rung Mum & Dad for a chat from outside then went into the most fishy smelling supermarket in history.

Saw a boat that looked like Nikki's coming in so checked it out through the binoculars and saw her on board. Drove round and picked her up - she couldn't stop smiling so it was a really worthwhile morning!

After catching up we went round to a shop that sold Shave Ice - it's a local speciality prized by people like Barack Obama. I had one with strawberry on and Nikki went for coconut. It's basically what it says - shaved ice, but they call it shave ice. Go figure. I was underwhelmed and Nikki thought it was good.

First stop after this was the beach used in the first season of Lost. Took a bit of finding. It was where the plane crash was staged - we read that when they were filming it, the emergency services were getting loads of phone calls about a plane crash - so they had to put up signs saying it was a film set. Really beautiful beach and if you didn't know it was there, you'd never find it.

Drove around the coast to see some of the big waves - the guy on the weather the previous night had said there'd be 14 foot swells off the coast so really wanted to see this. Got to Sandy Beach on the North Shore and there were about 15 or so surfer dudes riding the big waves and "pipes”. More people on the beach watching them than in the sea. The waves were enormous - the timing has to be perfect - we saw a few people catch some big waves and more people fail! Really enjoyable to see. Loads of professional 'snappers' on the beach too hoping for some good action photographs.

(Nikki) Further down the East coast, we went back to the ranch and this time we were able to book on the movie sites tour. Chappie driving the bus talked about the history of the ranch, the movies that have been filmed there and some Hawaiian facts and folklore. Saw the WWII bunkers - used in the Pearl Harbour film. Also saw the fallen tree from a very memorable scene in the first Jurassic Park. Also saw lots of scenes from other movies such as 50 First Dates; You, Me and Dupree and Godzilla. The footprints were still there from the film, although they had been filled in for the safety of the cows on the ranch! A lot of the scenes from Lost were filmed here as well, so took some really cool photos - and vowed to watch the films again. One thing to note about the scene in Pearl Harbour where the boy scouts see the Japanese planes coming over the hill - they were going in the wrong direction!

On the way back to the ranch in the bus, we saw 2 wild pigs and 2 piglets. So, loads of critters seen today, as well as the film sets and massive waves.

Back at the hotel, we decided to pack ready for the early morning, fill up the car with petrol and buy provisions for tea and breakfast. Massive fireworks display - sadly on the one side of the hotel that we couldn't see from our balcony - but we could see the reflections in adjacent buildings. Watched the local news and it seems there was a huge stricken Navy vessel in the bay outside the Hotel - they were waiting for high tide (due at 04.00 Saturday morning) in order to float the ship off the reef. It all happens here!!!

Saturday 7th February 2009

Honolulu to Los Angles to London (Part One)

(Nikki) - The 04:45 alarm went off far too soon! Fortunately we had been very well prepared last night, so all we had to do was shower dress and eat our breakfast. Huw rang down for someone to come and collect our luggage - we had already paid the hotel bill. Little man came - he was ridiculously cheerful and very helpful. He got our car for us as well, so within half an hour we were at Honolulu airport giving our car back in to Avis. 

Caught the little bus to the terminal (very happy and cheerful bus driver), expecting the horrible crowding that is American Airlines - only to be very pleasantly surprised! Didn't have to queue for check in at all - think there were 2 other people there. The check in staff were very friendly and cheerful (!!!!), and we asked if we could check our bags all the way to London, even though it was a change of airline and they did this for us no trouble at all! They also waived the luggage fee of $30 as we were international passengers. The lady also told us to get something to eat for the plane as the food on the plane was pretty awful! (we know!). Security was also friendly - even the TSA staff! I wanted to take a deodorant and toothpaste through and they said this was no trouble at all (!!!)  - so why is it such a problem everywhere else?????

Wandered through to our gate - via Starbucks where we bought muffins and cookies for the plane and found a lovely Japanese garden to watch the sunrise. The forecast for today was very warm and sunny - so we wanted to catch as much of the sunshine as possible before heading back to snowy Britain.

Crew at the gate were very cheerful again and helpful - we must write and say something to American Airlines about how good the Hawaii experience has been (compared to their usual downright unhelpful attitude). Real 'Aloha' spirit. Boarded the plane - no problem at all. Unfortunately we didn't have 3 seats to ourselves, but we managed fine with the DVD player on my table and Huw in charge of the nibbles. 5 hour flight and it went really quickly as we watched a film (The Island) and a Barack Obama documentary (lot of scenes from his childhood in Hawaii!). Arrived in L.A. Terminal 4 to a much cooler temperature (57 degrees) and the Aloha spirit had seriously gone.

We caught a bus to Terminal 2 and checked in at the Virgin Upper Class desk - unusually the staff there weren't very attentive at all. Huw asked (as we were 5 hours early) if we could possibly move to the earlier flight - the chap said there would be a charge so we though, sod that, we're only trying to help out!

(Huw) Pushed through the bear garden around security and basically got shouted at for about ten minutes. One bloke's job seems to be to yell at people "You, over here", "You, stand there". Gave him a Paddington hard-stare for a bit and moved as slowly as I could! They really are on a power trip and are genuinely the most unhelpful people possible. If you spoke to them they way they think they are entitled to speak to you, then it would be the back room and the latex gloves for sure.

Once through we found our way to the Air New Zealand lounge - Virgin share their lounge. I'd really been looking forward to this. Had heard great things about Air New Zealand and was convinced their lounge would be amazing. Sadly not. It was a bit like a Servisair lounge, but with free food and showers. Very tired looking with just rows of armchairs. Very crowded when we got there as the 18.00 Virgin flight hadn't left plus there was an Air New Zealand flight yet to depart as well.

On the AA flight from Hawaii Nikki had been watching "The Matrix" on her iPod - when we walked into the lounge and past the coffee and tea stand - there was Keanu Reeves getting himself a cuppa! We had Christian Slater on the way out at Keanu Reeves on the way back!

Got some coffee and sat down for a bit - I decided to go back outside to get some supplies and this time had a very different experience with the TSA coming back through. The crowds had gone and they were generally OK apart from one chap. I went through the metal detector and it beeped - he said, "You got some metal on there. Are you wearing a belt?" I said yes and pointed out that I'd gone through another arch less than half an hour before still wearing my belt. I said it was good to know that some detectors worked and some didn't. He handed my boarding pass back with no comment and said "There you go Thomas". I said, "Actually, it's Mr James". Petty, I know, but it's the small victories that matter with those buggers.

Back in the lounge we both had a shower - very nice indeed - great to freshen up ahead of the big flight. Had some dinner which was a nice salad and some bread and did our Tesco shop before we were called for boarding. No walk at all to the plane and we boarded easily and found our seats. On Upper Class flights there are basically three seats across the aircraft. 1A and 1D are facing each other and 1F has a wall to look at instead of other passengers. It changes halfway up Upper Class. Thanks to www.seatguru.com we'd found out that 8A and 9A were next to the wall, meaning fewer people walking past us, more baggage space and more privacy. Result.

Were given pre-flight drinks and made to feel very welcome - all the time keeping an eye out for other celebrities. We knew it was the BAFTAS in the UK so were hoping for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Sadly not.

Took off just after 21:00 and got settled in for the flight. Dinner was a nice Carrot & Coriander soup followed by a 3 cheese ravioli with warm bread. Watched "Burn After Reading" and laughed like a nutter - really silly and enjoyable. And so to bed!

Sunday 8th February 2009

Honolulu to Los Angles to London (Part Two)

There's no two ways about it - they've got some heating on those planes and, by God, they were using it. Woke up boiling hot with all the covers kicked off. Turned on my air-flow thingy and went back to sleep. I'd looked at the map and went to bed over the Mid-West - I woke up off the coast of Newfoundland so I'd slept for about 3 hours I think.

Watched a documentary about a group of American teenagers in the last year of High School and one episode of Summer Heights High and was then offered breakfast.

Nikki had managed about an hour's sleep so had been watching films and relaxing.

Breakfast for me was Weetabix and a croissant - Nikki got eggs, hash brown, omelette with chives in and a grilled tomato. Lots of coffee and juice. Both wrecked by this stage. In fact when they took back the headphones ahead of the descent into Heathrow I fell asleep a further twice!

Everything went really smoothly after landing - straight to the gate, doors open quickly, easy(ish) walk to Immigration, only about 5 people in front of us, cases 10th & 11th off and straight through to Arrivals. Waited about 10 minutes for the car to be brought around and we were off.

Nice drive home seeing all the snow - not as much as we were expecting. Don't know what all the fuss is about!!!

Stopped for supplies and petrol and got home around 17.30. Heating and kettle on and had a butchers at the snow - more here than we'd expected. Had some toast, watched Sky News for an hour or so, watch one episode of Eastenders and hit the sack around 20.30 - totally wiped out!

So there we go - the end of another great holiday. We've done so much and seen so many things. Swimming with manta rays, diving with sharks, doing some of the best snorkelling in the world and seeing an active volcano. LOVE Hawaii and would go back in a shot.

Here's to the next trip!