Settling in to Island life

So we're finally adjusting to the time change. And now that we have the blog set up and a free moment as we sip our Kona coffee this morn, we can tell you a bit more about what we've been doing.

When we arrived Wednesday night, Gary's sister Jaclyn and her boyfriend, John, gave us the best welcome. We got leied at the airport, and they brought flutes and popped open a bottle of champagne in the car ride through the city. It was like our own limo ride. The city aglow at night is spectacular. Thousands of twinkling lights from houses trickle down these massive mountains into the ocean-front city. Honolulu seems a lot like what I'd imagine Tokyo to be like: not quite as large, but with all the glitz, glamour, and high end shopping you can imagine, and Asians are the majority here. I've been told many Japanese come to Hawaii to shop because it's cheaper. Definitely not cheaper than NC though. : )

We finished that night off at a local bar enjoying poke (basically chopped ahi sashimi in a sweetened soy sauce), local beer from one of a couple of breweries on the islands, and toasting our new hosts. Jaclyn surprised us by letting us have free reign of her apartment while she stays at John's. Her condo is two blocks off of Waikiki beach and right up against the canal, so either way you look, there's something to see and everything is within a short walk.

Our view when we awoke the next morning was just breathtaking, with the rising sun lighting up Honolulu's dramatic backdrop of jagged peaks. Jaclyn gave us passes to enjoy a leisure day at the Sheraton's infinity pool. Ahhh-mazing! It sat right on the ocean, with a sweeping view of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head peak across the bay. We lucked out with a front row lounge chair (which are apparently coveted and hard to come by), and sat on bean-bag floats in the water while enjoying an over-priced mai tai. I can't imagine a better way to overcome jet lag! That evening, Jaclyn sent us to a rotating rooftop bar for sunset (way cool!) before having us to John's condo (with an incredible view over the city and ocean) for a grilled mahimahi dinner. Thank you, thank you, thank you to our hosts who are spoiling us big time!

infinity pool

downtown Honolulu

O'ahu east shore

Yesterday, Jaclyn gave us the keys to her car, so off we went around the island, jumping from beach to beach. Holy shit! Those words are how I can best describe every view around every bend. Check out the pictures. The sand is soft and the waves aggressive. Giovanni's shrimp truck had the GREATEST shrimp scampi you could ever imagine. They serve it with sticky rice, which was a nice touch, and homemade hot sauce. We finished out the day on the north shore in the hip little surf town of Haleiwa watching surfers rip the waves as the sun set. And last night we rested!

Now, breakfast of pineapple, papaya bread, fresh squeezed oj and kona coffee before a hike and later surfing! Aloha!

View from our friend Jaclyn's condo

Infinity pool

  

view from Jaclyn's condo

Waikiki Beach

East shore shrimp truck

Greatest shrimp scampi we've ever tasted.  Seriously.