2011 - Dec. 9 - International Market and Germaine's Luau

We spent a good part of the day (and our money) roaming around the International Market, which is five or six blocks west of our hotel. We ate lunch there and scoped out several more shops on the way back to the hotel. We also stopped on Waikiki beach and relaxed for a while.

We got back to the room about 2:30 and had a glass of wine and a short nap. We left the hotel for the short walk to the pick-up point for the bus ride to Germaine's Luau, located on the western shore about 30 miles from Waikiki. The bus was about a 40 minutes late, so we were the last bus to arrive at the luau. There were about 1,000 people there, most of whom came by bus!

Had a great time at the luau. The food was great, but I didn't care for the poi. Tomorrow, we have to get up early and do laundry before catching our shuttle to the pier at 11:00. It's 11:30PM now. See you tomorrow on the cruise ship!

2011 - Dec. 8 - Hike to Diamond Head

After our 4 block round trip walk to Mickey D's for my WiFi fix, we dropped the computer back at the hotel room and started walking to Diamond head at 11:30, snapping a few pictures along the way. The map we got at the hotel said "Diamond Head 1 mi., 10 min." One hour and about 3 miles later, most of it up hill, we arrived at the entrance road to the Diamond Head Crater. In another half mile or so, we were at the trail head and ready for the 3/4 mile hike to the summit with an elevation gain of 570 ft.! Are you doing the math?

We made it to the summit after hiking about 4.5 miles. I'm being conservative in my mileage estimates. The hike was worth it! Check out the pictures and imagine it about 5 times more beautiful that what you see. We spent twenty minutes or so at the top before heading back down the trail and toward Waikiki. When we got about 3 blocks from the hotel, we turned onto Kapahulu Street to find a restaurant called Cousin Bo's that had been recommended by a police officer we talked to last night at the Parade. After walking a mile or so, we found it at 4:00. It didn't open until 5:00. Not wanting to wait, we walked a couple of blocks farther before turning around and walking back to the hotel.

So, I figure we hiked somewhere between ten and twelve miles in total. We didn't even go back to the room before going to the Moana Terrace poolside bar and grill. Marsha had 2 Mai Tai's and a Mango Daiquiri. That's a lot of booze for her. I was thirsty for beer!

I think we were back in the room by 8:00. Ahhhh, sleep!