Saturday 23 May 2015

Day 4 - Shopping. food and fireworks

Friday 22 May 2015 Yet another sleep in.....don't know why it is so conducive to sleep in over here....doesn't happen at home.

Caught the old pink line bus to IHOP (which I only recently found out stands for International House of Pancakes) and had a fabulous brunch. Totally yummy food and bottomless coffee....great way to start the day.

So called because IHOP-ped off the bus to go there....groan!

Holy Moly this was good!!

IHOP-ped back on the bus and did a few miles walking around Ala Moana but didn't buy anything. I haven't been to the outlet shops yet and I would be seriously irritated if I found I could get something a lot cheaper there. Will remedy this and go there tomorrow. Did make it to Walmart but was disappointed as it didn't have the range of things I remember from USA....however there is another one so I will check that one out too.


Finished today off with the regular Friday night fireworks over the lagoon. Great vantage point and luckily all completed before the rain set in.




Got another visit tomorrow to my favourite ever Chiropractor. My back isn't 100% better yet but it certainly is 90% better so I hope to be doing a few more energetic things once I have this next treatment.  All being well I'll head of to the outlets stores straight after.

Thursday 21 May 2015

Day 3 on Hawaii - Thursday - Crazy mixed up day

Thursday 21/5/15.  Woke up with back feeling better again but knowing it will deteriorate as the day progresses I finally made a Chiropractor appointment for 3.30. The timing meant I couldn't do anything major or I wouldn't get back in time so I hit the streets of Waikiki again. Today's restaurant of choice was The Cheese Factory and a wise decision that was. The menu is like a novel. I settled on Buffalo Wings (entree size which in Oz would have been main course size) and asked the waitress (no...not Penny) to bring me her favourite cheesecake. This turned out to be Mango Key Lime with Coconut Cream.....it was chockerblock full of yumiosity,
Cheesecake Factory


Buffalo wings before.............

............and after. If you think this is a mess you should have seen my face

Mango Key Lime Coconut Cream cheesecake......got fat just typing that!
Started walking again trying to track down the place I saw from the bus yesterday where they serve you drinks in a whole Pineapple...eventually found it after a long, hot walk but it was worth it.

Pineapple drink shop....for want of a better name

Now that is a drink!!

 After leaving the pineapple shop I saw this dude in the street........hmmmmmmmmm!



It was getting late by then so I headed off at a rate of knots so I could get back for a shower before "chiropractoring" and managed to trip over a raised paver.....result.......grazed arms and twisted back and bruised ego and even more reason to go to the Chiro.....I would have been seriously pissed off if it happened after I had just been. The Chiro guy was wonderful and had this magic couch that you lie down on for 15 minutes first and it massages your whole body. I want one!! As soon as he touched my back things started cracking and creaking but I started to feel a bit nauseous. I blamed it on my food intake for the day but when i got back to the hotel I was seriously sick and slept for 2 1/2 hours. Dr Google tells me this sometimes happens after going to a Chiro so....sorry for blaming you, Cheesecake Factory.

I walked another 12.5 kms today according to my Vivofit and as a result am three inches shorter and because of my food intake am three inches wider!!

Day Two in Hawaii - Could be Wednesday - May be Thursday

Wednesday 20 May (Aussie time)
These look like fun but I would probably get run over by the Pink Line Bus


. Now Paysmart peoples...... Last week on a Friday I flew to Adelaide for my brothers funeral and it was premature as I found out when I got off the plane that it wouldn't be held until the following Friday. Left me in a jam work wise because I couldn't afford to fly back to Brisbane and then back to Adelaide etc.......but I have the best boss (Please remember that Andrew) who let me off the hook. Well........as I was sitting on the plane....halfway to Hawaii...reading my Itinerary I had an OMFG moment. Please see below and see if you can spot it.

Your Itinerary  Note: This is not a Boarding PassWeb Check-in:    Print:  Print
Flight DetailsBooking Date: 27 Feb 2015Itinerary Issue Date27 Feb 2015
DateFlight NumberDepartingArriving
Tue 19 May 2015
Change Flight
JQ5Jetstar
Airbus A330
Starter
Flight Duration:  9hr 35min
Brisbane
Tue 19 May 2015
1755 hr / 5:55 pm
Brisbane International Terminal
Honolulu
Tue 19 May 2015
0730 hr / 7:30 am
Honolulu International Airport
Thu 28 May 2015
Change Flight
JQ6Jetstar
Airbus A330
Starter
Flight Duration:  9hr 45min
Honolulu
Thu 28 May 2015
1040 hr / 10:40 am
Honolulu International Airport
Brisbane
Fri 29 May 2015
1625 hr / 4:25 pm
Brisbane International Terminal
Note: Times are local times at the relevant airport.

Yes...it says I leave Australia on the Tuesday 19th May...and yes it says I leave Honolulu on Thursday 28 May in the morning arriving back at 4.25 pm as I thought. And as I told Andrew...yes I will be at work on Friday the 29th May  ..refreshed and ready to take calls from our lovely customers. BUT!!!...... Look at the right hand side - I don't arrive back until FRIDAY 4.25 pm. Now I'm sitting on the plane thinking this must be a typo....no plane can stay in the air that long......no stopovers........yes......definitely a typo. Then I looked up at the screen above me and saw that little dotted line on the map....The International Date Line. Where on this bloody ticket does it say anything about the International bloody Date Line!!!??? I knew the Pilot probably wouldn't turn around and go back so here I be.....with 2 Tuesdays and no Thursdays and once again stranded far away. Really nothing I can do....but if any of you want to explain to Andrew I would appreciate it. :(

I woke up after my 12 hour sleep this morning and realised I had missed breakfast so got ready and walked along the beach to my Pink Line Bus Stop. This bus goes to all the shopping centres and hotels and you can sit upstairs in the open air.....last time I did that was in London and I froze all my bits off but this was glorious. I got off at Ala Moana...holy moly....Take three Carindales and twelve Chermsides and put them inside and  you would still have room for Pacific Fair. Well I may exaggerate a bit but it is enormous. I had a list of things I wanted to do and see there but Starbucks was the first stop. Then T Mobile to get a US sim card for my phone and then to the Apple store because I love the Apple Store and I got a new phone (which wasn't on the list). It's a nice and big 6 Plus....my 4S went from being just right when I got it......to hard to read as my eyes fail...to my not having long enough arms to be able to read text messages. Love the 6!!!  I will return tomorrow and see the rest of Ala Moana

I had to cancel a chiropractors appointment last week as I was in Adelaide and am having a lot of trouble with my back. Maybe I can get a massage or chiro tomorow...will try. After walking another 9 kms today it is playing up and I had to come back to rest and therefore  didn't finish all ...my "chores" hehe

There seems to be a lot of homeless people here which is so sad...or maybe its just because they are in a smaller area. If you have to be homeless Hawaii is certainly a better environment for it. I just had to take a picture of this one camp which was under a bridge.

That thing on the left is a telescope - very odd but I guess if you are sleeping under the stars you might as well have a damn good look at them




Aloha!!!!

Tuesday 19 May 2015 - well its been a long time between blogs but I haven't really been anywhere noteworthy.....till now!! Flew Jetstar out of Brisbane about 6 pm and besides a few noises that I thought I should alert the Captain to (but didn't) we had an uneventful trip to Honolulu. Really - this plane had the loudest "flap moving" and "wheels dropping" noises I ever heard. This blog attests to my survival but I maintain it was touch and go.

We arrived at 7am-ish  Hawaii time which was 3 am my time - weird because it was a bright sunny day. Now this was the SECOND Tuesday in a row because of the International Date line. More on this later fellow Paysmart employees and employers...but I digress.  The question was shall I sleep or try to stay awake till Hawaiin bed time. I tried I...I really did...but after 36 hours of being awake I lay down....just for 5 min....and woke 2 hours later. Now prior to this 2 hour nap I walked 12.5 kms, sat and paddled on Waikiki Beach and observed (read perved) on all the beach goers, went to the Zoo (and yes ...they let me out).....took a trip on the Pink Line Bus (I love that bus - best value for $2) and compared US McDonalds to Aussie McDonalds. The US one won because I got a bowl of pineapple with it.
The day was warm and balmy about 28 C - with a slight breeze - perfection

Waikiki Beach - to the right

Waikiki Beach to the left

Going to do this

There were some issues with my accommodation as it seems I wasn't booked in but - after spelling my name 366 times it was decided the error was at my end and they got me in anyway. Too much stress for a tired me...sigh. When I finally hit the sack I was comatose for the next 12 hours. Best sleep I have had in a long long time.

This guy looked a lot better coming towards you than going away from you

Some of the enclosures were a bit small and a bit sad but the big dudes like the elephants and rhinos had all the space they needed 

Crazy Ant hills 

Lion in wait?