Hawaii – Page 3 – Steps to Anywhere

Wrapping up the Journey

Posted on April 15, 2018 by Ted Thorpe

Our last dinner in Honolulu was at Tony Roma’s and it brought back memories of a birthday dinner in Burlington more than 20 years ago. Some of you may remember. For those who weren’t present here’s the short version. Dinner plans began with four celebrating my birthday and one other. It ended with a group of more than 20 in attendance as a result of contacts made throughout the day with friends who shared Amateur Radio (Ham Radio) as a hobby.

Our flight from Honolulu to Vancouver was delayed more than an hour because of a needed tire change on the Boeing 737 that was transportation. A task that should have taken half an hour, according to the initial announcement, took much longer. They seemed to have difficulty finding a suitable replacement. By the time the replacement wheel had been installed there were three wheels under the airplane, the original and two potential wheels that didn’t fit. After that, the trip was uneventful but we arrived in Vancouver about two hours later than scheduled.

The Culprit Tire

Honolulu Tire Change IMG 3189

After a night of sleep we returned to the airport for our flight to Toronto. There were no delays with this airplane, in fact we arrived in Vancouver 30 minutes earlier than scheduled. It turned out to be irrelevant as did our quick clearance through Canada Border Security thanks to NEXUS. The luggage handlers didn’t get suitcases onto the carousel for nearly 30 minutes. We did get lucky and our bags were among the first group to arrive. Kevin picked us up promptly and we started the drive back to Burlington.

We picked up our car from Kevin’s home, transferred our baggage and collected groceries for our next breakfast, however, we still needed to have dinner. A quick call to friends Chris and Marie found them ready to share a late evening table at Kelsey’s. The trip home continued after an enjoyable meal and once home the suitcases were virtually abandoned until the following morning.

We have no plans for another trip although I am nearly certain there will be another and when plans are made the journal will again become active.

Thanks to all of you who followed our 2018 journey we, Gail and I, hope you found something of interest in the commentary and posted photos. Another thank you for the comments made on many posts. I have now added the nearly 1000 trip photos and videos to the gallery which can be accessed directly at the link Australia 2018. You will also find the Photo Gallery menu item above and link to the photos from there. There is also an Australia 2018 link on the sidebar of this page. Not all of the photos are captioned but that should cause no trouble.

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Aloha Hawaii

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Ted Thorpe

The boarding passes showed a 7:15 pm departure but our actual departure was 8:20 pm because, they said, the airplane was late being delivered from maintenance. Now who, I ask, could complain about the airline wanting you to have a safe airplane? We were certainly not rushed at the airport. We arrived in the afternoon and discovered that Sydney Airport is essentially a large shopping mall with air service around three edges, road and rail services on the other side.

We did no buying other than food but I did manage to add a little excitement to the afternoon by walking away from a small case containing my laptop and Gail’s iPad. We were half way across the mall when the light went on as I glanced up to see a woman sitting at a table typing on her laptop.

We hurried back, hopefully, but when we looked at the last known location it was gone. There was a group of young men sitting in the area. We asked if they had noticed what happened to the case. They all said they had seen an airport employee pick it up and go that way (indicating by hand gesture). The first employee we saw wore a Qantas badge and we hit pay dirt. He escorted us across the mall to the security desk where he had earlier delivered the case with contents which were returned after I identified its contents to the satisfaction of the security staff. Time to restart heart.

The flight was uneventful, even the food wasn’t bad. We always have hopes of sleeping on a night flight which are only rarely realized. Perhaps one of the nine hours was actually sleep, most of the other eight were spent unsuccessfully trying to sleep. It was somewhat fortunate that the entertainment system offered a decent collection but it failed to create sleep like it does at home.

Our arrival in Honolulu was rather unusual. The airplane’s contents, nearly 300 people, were escorted to waiting busses and transported in groups of 40 per bus, to the customs hall where they joined other arriving international passengers. Our NEXUS/GLOBAL ENTRY status allow us to avoid the masses and arrived where our luggage had yet to be delivered. The carousel was far too small for the the load so there was staff offloading the carousel and placing it in rows beside. We were lucky enough to have our bags and get through inspection well before the majority of our flight. SpeediShuttle was waiting and a few minutes later we were at the Hawaiian Village. Although it was only noon the check-in desk at the Ali’l was able to find us a room. There was the bed and it was very tempting to just crash but we pressed on.

The air conditioning was not working in the room so that was quickly reported and we started our first lap around the resort. There are at least five hotel towers surrounding the resort. There are half a dozen pools nestled among the luscious tropical gardens with streams and pools populated with large koi and other species of smaller fish. There are lots of birds plus the usual doves, pigeons and gulls. Outdoor bars and restaurants abound along with clusters of shops and bistros offering a wide variety of food choices from asian to Italian to $150 steaks. After grabbing a couple of sandwiches that were far too big for either of us to eat, we returned to our room, poured a couple of glasses of wine then sat on the balcony. From there we got to watch the Aloha Friday Night Hawaiian music and hula performance around the Super Pool followed by a short but spectacular fireworks display from the beach. How we stayed awake this long we have no idea but we faded fast after the fireworks.

We awoke! It was light outside! It must be Saturday! It was!!!

Yesterday’s humid, hot, bright sun was replaced by less humid, warm, overcast with a forecast of flash flooding. Needing supplies for the next few days meant a walk to Walmart which took us through Ala Moana Mall. As we passed the food court I caught the aroma of a Cinnabon shop but we continued walking. With the Walmart stop complete and completely successful, we walked back through the Ala Moana centre again. It was near lunch time and Gail found some agreeable lunch time fare so once again I heard the Cinnabon call me. I swear I was only going to have a small one but then I saw the macadamia nuts and the caramel and it was too much. It was a total contrast. Gail with her healthy broccoli soup and orange salad; me with the macadamia, caramel Cinnabon and coffee.

We are officially spoiled. This afternoon we found ourselves walking in the beautiful lagoon, around the busy, glistening pools, along the beach sand, wading in the ocean and complaining. Well, not really complaining, just comparing. Here we find ourselves with thousands of people on a few hectares of beach compared with the Gold Coast with hundreds of people on thousands of hectares of beach; gritty, gravelly sand compared with silky fine sand; tiny, gentle waves bringing the tide up the beach compared with absolutely continuous one to two metre waves crashing onto the shore. We think it must be time to go home.

We first visited Hawaii in 1973. We have visited four of the islands on cruise ship visits numerous times and Honolulu about four times as a stopover point when flying between North America and Australia or New Zealand. On every visit we have passed the iconic Diamond Head, or Lē’ahi, but only today did we climb to the top. The trail is about 1.3 kilometres one way climbing 171 metres. From the top there is an expansive view of the shoreline from Honolulu to Kuamookane. That, I think pretty much puts an exclamation point on the trip and the journal posts.

The Climb

View toward Honolulu

View toward Kuamookane

We arrive home on April 12 and once the jet lag has subsided I will get the photos online. The final post of this tour will be to announce the final photos are on line.

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Due South

Posted on February 17, 2018 by Ted Thorpe

Some time has passed since the last post. We have sailed south into the tropics into the Society Islands of French Polynesia and these are the only Pacific Islands we will visit before our stops in New Zealand. This post is quite lengthy and you will likely need to click on the email to see the full post on the website.

Our stop in Honolulu was a welcome change from the previous couple of days. In truth, there was little good to be said for the weather after departing San Francisco. On Sunday, February 11, we are making 21 knots heading almost due south (170 degrees on the compass) in 26°C seas and 26°C air with very light seas. This is much nicer. Each day since Honolulu has been warm and sunny. The wind has intensified a little as we crossed the doldrums. Sailing ships would not find themselves becalmed in the 25 knot east wind we have this Tuesday.

Wake IMG 6548

The dance floor remained almost totally horizontal Saturday evening and we enjoyed dancing until we moved to the theatre to see if the magician actually had any magic. This fellow was very entertaining. The actual illusions would never have fooled Penn and Teller but they were done with great style. He involved the first couple of rows of spectators which is one of the reasons we sit back and mostly out of reach. He kept one woman on edge after taking her ring and repeatedly failing to retrieve it from illusions that seemed to give her hope. It eventually reappeared seemingly in a ring box within the centre of an apple. Clearly, there are people who enjoy being victimized by stage performers.

On Sunday we listened to another new arrival. Gary played his violin, marched around the stage and the first several rows of the theatre. His musical skill is undeniable but his style and choice of material was less to my liking. Never-the-less, good quality. Monday evening’s guest entertainers presented one of the more interesting shows to date. This trio of vocalists, two men, one baritone and one tenor with one woman, began with a series of popular oldies, nice but nothing really special. When they performed a lengthy medley, a cappella, they became really interesting. At times each of the three was carrying a different melody, perfectly pitched, creating a complex blended harmony.

The Queens Court Orchestra gave us a very nice Dixieland set to keep Sunday evening going. As always there were pianists in some venues and other entertainers in various rooms whose only other commonality is the serving of alcoholic beverages. The photos in the Queen Elizabeth photo album may give you some idea of the public rooms around the ship. While I have not captioned many of the photos yet there will often be a sequence of photos one of which showing the name of the room. Interestingly, the casino on this ship is, apparently, equipped with slot machines purchased directly from Noah and delivered straight from the Ark, that is the opinion I have heard and I cannot speak from personal experience. It is certainly not as heavily used as on some other ships.

Saturday afternoon we found the pools. It was not that we really didn’t know their location it was just too unpleasant to bother with them. Besides, they were closed much of the time. It was a bit of fun to watch the ship’s motion create tsunamis. Fortunately, no passengers were lost in the surf. The pools and hot tubs we tried out were lovely and warm. We shall test them again on Sunday…and Monday…. We are seeing air and sea temperatures rising daily as we sail south toward French Polynesia. At our current speed I estimate we’ll reach the equator Tuesday morning. We anticipate some hi-jinx around the mid-ships pool as polliwogs are converted to shellbacks as they cross the equator for the first time. I’ll try to add some pictures to the photo site when I have good WiFi.

On Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at 0640h the ship crossed the equator, and so did we, again. King Neptune is scheduled to appear at 1400h to pass judgement on willing polliwogs. And so he did. It was a well done crossing show. King Neptune arrived with his entourage, escorted by musicians, and took his throne. Next, the polliwogs paraded and kissed the fish. Group by group polliwogs were judged guilty of such unforgivable crimes as reserving too many seats in the theatre. After the court has passed judgment they are “grunged” with sauces and pasta then plunged into the pool to complete their conversion to shellbacks. To end the show even the Captain and Entertainment Director would find themselves in the pool, The deck crew had the mess cleaned up and the pool re-opened before morning.

Collage IMG 2486

On Sunday while we were in the pool we began chatting to a chap named Harry. As it turned out, he had just come aboard as an enrichment speaker who will talk about our oceans. There are a couple of other guest speakers whose subject matter we will try to ignore; the Royal Family and British Government being slightly less distasteful than the US President and Washington DC. Harry Strong wins our vote for the next few days. We shall see if the other two turn to subjects of more interest to us.

Harry’s second presentation was on the subject of sea turtles and once again both entertaining and informative. His third presentation on Tuesday described the mechanisms of ocean movement from surface waves to tsunamis. He has a very pleasant style and is easy to listen to. He will not present again until we have finished with our French Polynesia stops.

Sunday was the second formal evening, the Hawaii Ball. There were a few, women in particular, who wore colourful Hawaiian-like attire and one couple who went the “whole-nine-yards”. They must have a lot of suitcases. I think there may be one dedicated to his top hats. There are three more formals and, possibly, three more top hats. Dressing for the theme nights is quite voluntary. Dinner dress code is not, whether formal or informal, jackets are required for men and the jacket police is active.

We have a professional dance couple on the ship and their daily dance classes are quite popular, in fact the Queens Room floor is quite full. We have not been participating. To please the crowd they seem to try to teach more difficult figures for which few have adequate background technique. The couple themselves dance very well. They have presented three shows; a viennese waltz on the first formal night; a samba on the second formal night; and a jive on Monday evening which was not a formal. Dan and Alyona partner quite well, however, Dan may actually over dance her a little.

Since Sunday we have been getting decent coverage of the Winter Olympics which we have been watching from time to time and particularly at bed time. It is great to see the cold from our tropical location. We have also been kept up to date on Canadian news headlines, by way of a four page news brief called “The Canadian” delivered every day with our Daily Programme. I have also seen a Britain Today so I suspect there is a similar update for most countries represented on board.

Tuesday evening there was an opportunity to dance on on an empty dance floor. The seems to occur when there is a recorded music set after a sequence dance set. At these times we can really enjoy the big floor. As we began to leave the floor a full tempo viennese waltz began. Not being comfortable with viennese waltz Gail suggests I dance with Cecelia, a lady from Ottawa with whom I have danced a couple of times before. I can add her to the list of partners with whom I have done a five minute VW. Wednesday evening as the Valentine’s Ball so empty floor space may be at a premium, but we were able to see rumba show dance from Dan and Alyona. Once again, they were spectacular. After their show we were able to enjoy the floor for a while.

Thursday we are at anchor in Bora Bora. The ship’s tenders have begun taking passengers to the shore to connect with early tours. We have no scheduled tours but decided not to sweat our way to shore in the tenders

Friday brings us alongside in Papeete. Once again it is tropical as expected. Before landing I had thought we had previously visited her but once on shore nothing seemed familiar. The harbour here shows much more commercial activity than in Bora Bora.

Papeete Collage IMG 2548

We sailed out of Papeete Friday evening at 11 PM and dropped anchor in Moorea at 7 AM Saturday, The two points are about 20 miles apart, line of sight, However, we may have sailed over 150 miles before arriving.

Moorea Collage=IMG 2561

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Arrived in Honolulu

Posted on February 10, 2018 by Ted Thorpe

We have not seen all the entertainment offered on this sailing but what we have seen has been quite good. With a little effort I might be able to identify them by name but since it is doubtful you would know any of them anyway I won’t make the effort. We saw a brief performance from the on board dance troupe but last night’s performance was cancelled because we were bouncing like a cork. A comedian who has been on since San Francisco did a full show rather than sharing with the dancers and had most of us laughing uproariously. We also had a guest entertainer who played piano rather well. For his closing number he took about 20 song titles from the audience then sat down and played a medley of all the tunes. There are also staff musicians including a harpist, a string quartet, at least two more pianists, a Caribbean band, the Queens Court orchestra that accompanies guest performers and the Queens Room orchestra that plays dance sets.

There is a large dance floor on the Queen Elizabeth and we have enjoyed dancing several evenings. More than half of the time the dance floor is open recorded dance music is played, this is when we dance the most. The orchestra that plays exclusively in the Queens Room tends to attract more of an audience and the dance floor becomes uncomfortably crowded. We dance only occasionally with the orchestra. I fear I made myself a little unpopular with the orchestra Wednesday evening. Several members of the orchestra sat behind the stage curtain playing warm up exercises on their instruments while the pre-recorded music was playing for the dancers and it was quite distracting. I kind of went behind the curtain and told them to be quiet. I guess I’ll be on their naughty list.

The entertainment provided by the artist Philip Gray has been quite fascinating. We have been privileged to watch him develop three canvases. I assume it is common practice for artists to cover their canvas initially and develop the image over the base coat. Philip has been using members of his audience to apply paint randomly to these three canvases after which he creates an image as if by magic. Here are some side-by-side photos showing his work.

Painting 2

It was amazing to watch Philip turn random splotches of paint into spectacular scenes. The images here cannot display the beauty of his work. However, you won’t be seeing any of it coming home with us either. If you need to ask the price you can’t afford it.

The last two days before making port in Honolulu were very rough. We didn’t even try to get on the dance floor, by Friday evening Gail was not feeling well and the seas were even starting to bother me. Overnight the sky cleared and we have a beautifully sunny day here in Honolulu.

We got off the ship as early as we could and walked the 10 minutes to a nearby Wal Mart where we picked up some supplies. We had planned to do this before leaving, It meant we didn’t have to pack a few things, like coffee. We planned to buy coffee in Australia and brought filters with us. The coffee on the ship is so pathetic we moved the plan forward.

There are quite a few photos on the photo site that I don’t show here. Check the previous post if you need to refresh your memory on how to get to them. This may be the last day with really good internet access before Auckland. I will get a few posts done I’m sure but unless I find good WiFi in French Polynesia I’ll be limited to ship’s Internet which is rather sad.

So, here you have it.

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