I arrived in a whiz and bang of screaming toddlers seated beside me on the plane. I had had such plans for that 8 hours but it turns out they at my foolish plans for sleeping were just that... foolish. I got maybe two off and on. I did watch snippets of two fils to while away the hours. Hide and SSeek which claims to be a comedy and it is, sort of. It is also a horror. Areally tame horror but still there was gore. The other one was Yesterday which was nice. I dozed though chunks of it but listened to the Beatles soundtrack which was lovely.
When I got in I had to shuttle tothe hostel and was told I would have to wait to check in. Until 3.30pm. It was 10am. Lucky for me, ,,I met a tour guide as I waited for my bacon and egg bagel. China sold me a circle island tour and a luau tour. She said it was a discount but now, having see the prices, I am not so sure it wasn't the normal price and she started high lol
That done though, I had the day to mooch about and try to stay awake which I managed... mostly. I stopped at the far end of the beach and sat beneath a palm. After half an hour I was asleep. Pretty sure I was catching flies. I kept going after a breif nap with the homeless lol and headed to the other side where the posh hotels are. I walked right in and to the infinity pool at the back. Will go back for a swim, I think. There seems to be no system for knowing who is a resident and who it not. Cool with me.
In the hotel was some very cool Christmas sandcastles and they were BIG.
I mangaged to hold out till 3pm and was back at the hostel but it was so busy that I went and sat in their lounge area. And slept again. Definitely catching flies the second time.
My room is nice enough for a hostel. The sheets are clean and the beds comfy. Sucks to be on the top bunk though. No chance of changing as there is a marathon on and it is busy. Booked out. Glad I booked when I did.
It is fascinating to see who books hostels. Some people are so anti social it boggles the mind why they bothered. The first person I met in the room I said, "Hey, I am Deborah." She replied, "Okay" and rolled over to ignore me. Alright then. Next one I met I did the same, and got her name and then she walked away. Third times the charm though. I met a lovely woman called Rachel and as we chatted and few more in the room joined us.
Day two in Waikiki began with me sitting outside the Aston at 7.45am waiting for my tout that never came. In the end, at 8.30, I was convinced that I had been scammed. I had made three calls and could not get through to the number given and as my heart sank I made eye contact with tour guide who asked what I was waiting for. Turns out my tour had not gotten to me due to the marathon pre-event and so the gentleman took my ticket and let me join there tout instead. It wasn't the same but it was close and the guide was awesome. Imagine Morgan Freeman looks and voice but he has 17 brothers and all the stories of growing up on the islands. He was crack up. I got to see the North Shore which was awesome and the Chinaman's Hat which were on my list. We went to the tourist spots like Dole Plantation and the Macadamia Farm. Boy do they know how to charge. I tried the free samplea but did not purchase the food. I did get a few Christmas baubles but that was because I was worried I wouldn't see them agai. And they were affordable.
We were meant to visit a coffee plantation too but everyone was tired and wanted to go. Fine by me.
I did a brave thing while on the tour. I went and snorkled... only five metres off the sand, waist height water but there were rocks! I was glad I was wearing my sea shoes. I saw a few fishes but the water was not calm and there was a strong pull so I stayed close. The water was clear and when I saw those huge, spikey sea eggs with needles longer than my finger I was done. I believe my exact words were, "Nope, nope, nope. I am done." As I walked out of the sea, talking to myself. Still, the water was warm which I didn't expect given the waves.
It was as we headed back that I remembered it was the parade for Pearl Harbour. What it meant was that I had no way to get to my hostel. So, at the far end, on the main street, I walked. It was actually really neat. I had a band marching beside me like my own, personal pep squad keeping time with my walk. I got distracted a few times with the pretty Christmas lights and then by the nearly naked male dancer. Whoa! Yes please, is all I can say. Hahaha.
I got back to the hostel, tired and in need of a wee. However, you know things come in threes. 1) bus couldn't drop me off. 2) busting for the loo so headed straight up three flights of stairs to room but the key didn't work so had to go back down and wait in the que to have my key fixed. 3) finally got to my room and someone was in the bathroom. I went back down and couldn't use the staff loo. Thankfully for me, camel bladder to the rescue. I ordered a burger from the hole in a wall place next door, sat and ate, and when I got back it was free.
Showered and exhausted I sat and chatted with a few roomies then crawled up the ladder to bed.
One last thing, the beds squeak and wobble the top bunk EVERY TIME the person on the bottom bunk moves. I am fairly certain that the girl below me dreams she is a whale breaching and hitting the water because bloody hell, I am thrown about. Thank god for bed rails hahaha
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