WE GOT LEI'D

How Vince and I ended up vacationing in Hawaii last month was due to a "wrong presumption." We were leaning on travelling to the Philippines or somewhere in Bahamas but we were mistakenly advised that if we exit the US, we will not be allowed re-entry, while transitioning with our visa status. It was only after I've booked our trip to Hawaii that the immigration lawyer realized that Vince and I are Canadian citizens, and we are in fact allowed to leave and re-enter the US provided we have a valid extension of our current J visa, which we do have.

So anyway, I was itching to go on vacation then. I was kinda feeling stressed out at work, and I felt like I badly needed a getaway. Quick. ASAP. Or else, I'd go nuts. That kind of feeling, if you know what I mean. Since we thought we're limited to travel within the States, I searched the Internet for top beaches in the US, and lo and behold, Hawaii beaches dominated. There were several here in the mainland that came up the top 10 including beaches in Florida, New Jersey, South Carolina and California, but to me they weren't as appealing as Hawaii. Plus, we're thinking that when we move to Georgia, we'll be a sneeze away from Florida and South Carolina, so might as well save those trips in the future when we're closer there. Therefore, Hawaii was it.

We flew out from Newark (EWR) airport, connected in Los Angeles (LAX), and arrived at our destination, Honolulu, after 12 long hours.  That was toooo taxing for me (and my little bun in the oven)!  That was my worst flight experience so far.   There was one time that we experienced turbulence for an hour-and-a-half! Can you imagine that?  I got terribly crampy and nauseated, I couldn't believe I survived that without *barfing.* Ooopppsss.

Vince and I were overly relieved when we finally landed in Hawaii.  I had arranged a shuttle transportation pick-up at the airport to our hotel (and vice versa) which included a "lei greeting" package.  So, after an hour delayed and bumpy, rough flight, Vince and I couldn't hide our giddiness and smiles when we heard locals at the airport greeting us "Aloha, Mahalo." The shuttle service representative was equally welcoming as well as she hung the fresh leis on our neck and volunteered to take pictures of us :)

We stayed at the Ala Moana Hotel which is about a 20-minute drive from the Honolulu International Airport. On the way, the shuttle driver gave a quick round of what to do and where to go in Oahu and the basic what-is and what's-not.

After we got settled in our hotel room, we went to the Ala Moana Center, one of the largest open-air shopping centers in the world, which is just beside the Ala Moana Hotel.  It's a very huge mall, but we weren't thinking of shopping... (yet)!  We were starving, so we headed to the food court, and oh my, there were so many selections! Too bad, my first-trimester appetite wasn't very cooperative, I settled for a beef teriyaki meal. Vince went for Loco Moco, a local comfort food. It's basically made up of burger patty and fried egg on top of Japanese rice generously smothered with brown gravy. It looked yummy, but my tastebuds were acting weird at their best, so obviously, I didn't get to enjoy it :(

Loco Moco

Our first day in Hawaii was wonderful and very promising. Vince and I were overly excited for the rest of our vacation :)

I'll end this for now, and will share more details of our Hawaiian escapade in my next posts. Stay tuned! Aloha and Mahalo ;)

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Oahu Travel Bits and Tips:

Oahu is the third largest of the Hawaiian islands, and where Honolulu and Waikiki is located.

Instead of taking a cab from the airport to your hotel (or vice versa), pre-arrange a shuttle service. You can search the Internet for companies that provide these services or even call the hotel where you'll be staying at and ask for their recommendations (some hotel provide free shuttle service).  With an added lei greeting, you get the full experience of your first time arrival in Hawaii ;)

The farther your hotel from Waikiki, generally, the cheaper the accommodation is.

Aloha translates as Hello or Goodbye. Mahalo means Thank You or You're Welcome.

PS: For those who have a bucket list, I recommend that you add Hawaii to it, that is if you have not included it yet. Seriously.

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You can read my other travel stories here:

TUESDAY TRAVEL

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