Aloha with Mum Day 1: a day of travel

Ready for paradise!

The Romary airport taxi service was prompt (as to be expected from a not yet Baltes) and we arrived at the airport with plenty of time.  The trip to Dallas and departing Dallas was mostly uneventful and we boarded the plane in anticipation of a long day of travel.  The time was spent alternating between sleeping, watching “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” playing Rummy, and trying not to lose our minds.  At the feeling-like-a-caged-chicken point of the flight we appeared to be descending, I caught my first glance of the land of mana and honey and looked up at the monitor to see how far we were from landing.  Perhaps louder than intended, I said “oh no, are we turning around?!”

Cruel and unusual punishment

Mom had a look of shear panic which I hope to never see again in my life.  As I rustled to find an emergency ativan the captain came overhead to let us know that due to an inclement weather pattern we would be circling before landing.  One circle became three and as we headed straight for landing we swooped back up for a fourth.  We went from caged chickens to crazy chickens.  As we landed several over head bins popped open but there was still loud applause and whistling.

We picked up the rental car and headed to the resort in what I would describe as a monsoon.  The paradise entry to the pacific Islands I was hoping mom would experience was anything but.  We were drenched by the time we got to the lobby and mom was shivering (“we’re going to Hawaii, why would I need a sweatshirt?”).  We got situated in the hotel room to discover it is full of amenities and nothing is better after a long, cold, wet day of traveling than the famous multi-thousand dollar Japanese Toto toilet- complete with heated seat and pulsating jet stream for a deep clean.

Not just a toilet, a Toto

We headed down for dinner at Ka’anna kitchen and shared kaua’i shrimp with Japanese eggplant and anchovy aioli, black sesame noodles with peanuts and maitake mushrooms, and roasted carrots.  At this point we were too tired to talk and under dressed for the restaurant.  But the food was amazing and just what was needed after a long day of travel.

Here’s to hoping for sunshine for the rest of the rest of trip!

I had a really good video clip to enter here, but I don’t know how to do that.  Steven, it’s an m4v. Any ideas?

Aloha,

Pookiebear