MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

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MmeLeota
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MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by MmeLeota » Apr Tue 17, 2012 3:08 pm

I know this has taken a long time for me to post, but better late than never, right? ;)

One perk to Cbog40’s promotion is the annual conference. This year the conference was held in Honolulu, Hawaii…and there was no way he was gonna go alone! ;)
We didn’t have a lot of time together and we were only there a few days, so there were many things that we didn’t get to do this time around, but it only means we’ll have to go back (oh darn…). :roll:
This also meant that since we didn’t have a car and the one way trip via public transportation to Pearl Harbor and Aulani was nearly 2 hours and due to the scheduling of his conference, it didn’t allow for us to be able to tackle them this time. :? :(
The blocks of time to myself were only a few hours at a time since they had morning meetings, were given afternoon breaks, and had activities in the evening. So this made it difficult to venture too far away from the hotel…but who would want to when your hotel is so luxurious and right on the beach??? I was floored by the place…not to mention the history surrounding it.
On with the pictures!
Flying past Molokai
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Landing in Honolulu
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The Royal Hawaiian Hotel…otherwise known as The Pink Palace
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Cbog40 “hanging loose” outside the hotel (yes, we got “lei-ed” upon arrival at the hotel)
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Our room
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The view from our room
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We had a little bit of free time before Cbog40 needed to be anywhere so we decided to walk around a bit and become familiar with our surroundings.
Koi pond on the hotel grounds
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On Waikiki Beach
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View of Diamond Head from our hotel’s beach (love the colors of the sky and the water)
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Walking on the beach, we worked up a thirst…and we quenched it with the must-have Mai Tai…YUMMY!!!! :D
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(tidbit of history I learned while here…oddly enough the Mai Tai was not invented in Hawaii. But another very famous cocktail was…and it was invented at the Royal Hawaiian…the Shirley Temple)

Once Cbog40 had to go off to his work event, I had a couple of hours to spare so I set off to find something to eat. The sister hotel to the Royal Hawaiian is right next door so I wandered over there…good thing I did, 'cause look what I found!
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Yep, that’s a good ol’ Dole Whip!!!! (not the same without the Disney magic, but good anyway!)

I also saw this beautiful sculpture of the Honu, also known as sea turtles (or for us Disney freaks, Crush!!!)
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Further wandering led me to the marketplace in front of the hotel along the main drag…and I found these in the window of an ABC Store (located about every 5 steps or so :roll: these are markets where tourists can get kitschy souvenirs and such…we have them in Vegas (referred to as the 9th island of Hawaii) so I was already familiar with the store)
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Since I wasn’t real hungry, I decided to check out the food court and ended up with this chicken sandwich with a ketchup/soy sauce mixture on it…and it was way tasty! But I couldn’t finish it because it was a much bigger sandwich than I expected. :shock:
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The view looking down from the top floor of the marketplace
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Another view of the marketplace
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There was even a shooting range! (yes, at the marketplace)
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After Cbog40 was done for the night, we took a walk along the beach and got a pic of Waikiki beach at night
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The next day, I only had about 3 hours to kill so I decided to have some beach time (and picture taking of the various “interior” features of the hotel…much of the hotel was open air so there was constantly a nice breeze blowing through.
Walkway
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Interior archway leading to the lawn (ocean in the background)
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Sitting areas
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The pool
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The fabulous thing about having a hotel on the beach is that they have a small area designated specifically for hotel guests only and if you get there early enough, you can stake out a fabulous lounge chair. They will even put up an umbrella if requested.
The view from my lounge
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Love this pic of the palm trees
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I’m not a fan of swimming in anything but a pool, but when I ventured down to the water to get my feet wet, the water was inviting and next thing I knew, I was all the way in! Plus this gave me an opportunity to try out our little waterproof camera.
The hotel from the ocean
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Diamond Head
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TO BE CONTINUED....

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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by Amy » Apr Tue 17, 2012 8:52 pm

Wow ~ those are some nice photos MmeLeota! I love that you ventured into the water :D Looks like you went quite a ways in actually!!
How fun that you found a Dole Whip there. My brother went to one of those touristy stores when they went to Hawaii because we got a box of those chocolate covered macadamia nuts ~ but not with Mickey or Stitch on them :(
I like that photo you took of the palm trees too ~ very pretty :D

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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by mindflipper » Apr Tue 17, 2012 10:37 pm

MmeLeota wrote:Image
Yep, that’s a good ol’ Dole Whip!!!! (not the same without the Disney magic, but good anyway!)
On the plus side, if the boilers did ever go to Hawaii, then boilerbabe knows where she can go to get her Dole Whip! Now, did you find where Boilerdude can get his rum for his Dole Whip?

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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by Jacca5660 » Apr Tue 17, 2012 11:19 pm

That looks like it was wonderful!! Get pictures!!!
"Our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them" WED

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MmeLeota
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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by MmeLeota » May Wed 23, 2012 8:30 am

Here is the next installment of our trip! I'm trying to get the rest of it done, but photobucket only lets me do a few photos, then craps out...I need more memory on my computer. :(

After a nice long swim, it was time to meet up with Cbog40. Since he only had a couple of hours, we decided to not venture too far away so we walked along the main street. We saw this store called The Stupid Factory and there were some really funny t-shirts in the window, but they were closed so we couldn’t go inside.
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We stumbled upon the shuttle stop for Hilo Hattie’s (another store we had in Vegas but they closed). We figured by taking the shuttle, it would give us a little tour of the city and we could shop for a few mementos as well. What we didn’t realize was that this stop was at the beginning of the loop so while we got a nice tour, it ate up a bunch of time and with the horrendous traffic, Cbog40 decided to head back to the hotel to get ready for the evening and I stayed and shopped a little.
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I headed back to the hotel and continued to wander around the area for a bit. After a while, Cbog40 joined me and we had dinner at Cheesecake Factory (no, Penny was not our waitress ;) ). Since we were in Hawaii, we decided to have something we can’t get here.
Kalua Pig pizza with red peppers and mango
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Pineapple upside down cheesecake
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The next day was pretty uneventful and I didn’t take many pictures. But basically I spent the morning taking in the nature’s beauty around the hotel until Cbog40 called and said he was done and wanted to get some beach time in. Afterwards, he had an event and I hung out at a bar and enjoyed the music/dancing.

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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by Amy » May Wed 23, 2012 1:33 pm

MmeLeota wrote:Image
Love this picture of you ~ you look so relaxed and Hawaiian!
Is this a free shuttle to a store? That is a pretty smart way to get a tour!
The pizza looked tasty ~ was it yummy? And that dessert looks quite yummy too :D

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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by mjmcsl4me » May Wed 23, 2012 5:04 pm

Wow such great pics! Thanks for sharing them! Such a beautiful place! And y'all look so happy and relaxed!

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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by MmeLeota » May Fri 25, 2012 11:49 am

Thanks! It's so easy to sink right into the relaxed Hawaiian culture! The only thing is, I think we'd eventually end up with island fever though. :roll:

Yep, it was a free shuttle to the mega store...it was a great way to see a little more of the city. :D

The pizza was delicious!!!! I wasn't sure because I'm not a huge fan of pork, but I've had kalua pig before and though I can't eat a lot of it, just the amount on the pizza was perfect. The mango added a little bit of sweet and really gave it a nice flavor.

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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by Soarin08 » May Wed 30, 2012 9:16 am

I want to go to Hawaii.... darn you airfare! :lol:
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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by MmeLeota » May Wed 30, 2012 6:16 pm

Soarin08 wrote:I want to go to Hawaii.... darn you airfare! :lol:
Tell me about it! The only reason we were able to pull it off was because a good portion of it was free because of his work. We only had to pay for my airfare (which was bad enough), any food on my own, and souvenirs.

We don't know where next year's conference is going to be yet, but I imagine it will require a hefty amount for airfare again...better start saving my pennies. :shock:

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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by Soarin08 » Jun Fri 01, 2012 9:38 am

MmeLeota wrote:
Soarin08 wrote:I want to go to Hawaii.... darn you airfare! :lol:
Tell me about it! The only reason we were able to pull it off was because a good portion of it was free because of his work. We only had to pay for my airfare (which was bad enough), any food on my own, and souvenirs.

We don't know where next year's conference is going to be yet, but I imagine it will require a hefty amount for airfare again...better start saving my pennies. :shock:
Perhaps next year's conference could be in... Orlando?? :lol: I remember the first two trips to WDW we took were because of my dad's job and his healthcare conferences. All expenses paid at that. Of course that was back when a ticket was $35. My how things have skyrocketed in 15 years.
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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by MmeLeota » Jun Fri 01, 2012 6:39 pm

Soarin08 wrote:
MmeLeota wrote:
Soarin08 wrote:I want to go to Hawaii.... darn you airfare! :lol:
Tell me about it! The only reason we were able to pull it off was because a good portion of it was free because of his work. We only had to pay for my airfare (which was bad enough), any food on my own, and souvenirs.

We don't know where next year's conference is going to be yet, but I imagine it will require a hefty amount for airfare again...better start saving my pennies. :shock:
Perhaps next year's conference could be in... Orlando?? :lol: I remember the first two trips to WDW we took were because of my dad's job and his healthcare conferences. All expenses paid at that. Of course that was back when a ticket was $35. My how things have skyrocketed in 15 years.
Funny you should say that...that's where we've been saying would be a fabulous place to have it! It's the one time of year when they have a big conference and many people bring their families. What better place?
Last year was in the Bahamas, this year was Hawaii, why not next year Orlando??? *fingers crossed*

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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40's Adventures

Post by MmeLeota » Feb Sun 16, 2014 7:51 pm

It's about that time of year again for Cbog40's conference...and though I started this thread as a Hawaii report, I thought I'd kind of make this a general thread for some of our adventures.
Last year's conference was in Las Vegas, and since that was basically a trip home for us, I didn't do a trip report.

This year, we will be headed to Puerto Rico! Normally, we would take a few extra days to explore an area we've never been to, but since we would be going through Orlando on the way back...we decided to take some extra days and get a Disney fix instead.
Tentatively, it doesn't seem like Cbog40 will have as much free time as he did in Hawaii, so I will be exploring more stuff on my own.
Now, we have [very] recently started a new site (the link is in my signature...Shutterbugs Travel) to catalog our adventures and that is where I will be posting the bulk of our Puerto Rico stuff...but I will post some P.R. stuff here too. I haven't decided if I'm going to post any WDW stuff on the site or not yet. But I will definitely be sharing here!



....and I just realized that the last day of our Hawaii trip never got posted. I will post that very soon too.

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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by Amy » Feb Sun 16, 2014 11:05 pm

Oooo, another place to vicariously visit for me :D Too bad Cbog40 won't have as much free time, but that is cool that you will be able to explore! And now I am off to explore your newest site!

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Re: MmeLeota and Chernabog40 say Aloha!

Post by MmeLeota » Feb Mon 17, 2014 3:47 pm

So, I realized that there's actually 2 days missing from the Hawaii report...This is a long report...sorry. But I hope you enjoy the pics!
The last day of Cbog40's conference was just breakfast, so I went downstairs to have my own brekkie. It was quite pricey, but the view was fantastic!

Now, I had decided earlier in the trip that I wanted to do something we've never done before while we were in Hawaii. A friend of mine had told me about her first time snorkeling (which happened to be in Hawaii as well) and suggested that we try it. I was nervous about it because I don't like swimming in open water. Since I had done fairly well with the water earlier in the trip, and through the amazingly helpful concierge who told me about a fantastic spot for beginners, we had booked an excursion for late morning (so we'd be sure that Cbog40's brekkie would be finished). We got changed for our excursion and head off to our meeting spot. Before we knew it, the van pulled up and whisked us away to Hanauma Bay for our first-ever attempt at snorkeling.

Prior to letting us loose out of the van, our driver (who had been talking up the sort of creatures to look out for the whole way up) gave us some instruction about how to wear the gear, as well as the basics of how to become acclimated to breathing with the snorkel and then he handed out the equipment. We were instructed where and when to meet back and we were free to go. (side note: the really neat thing about this particular excursion was that there were several scheduled return times available and you could choose which one you wanted to go back on, depending on space in the van. We chose the one that would allow us to take our time, yet still get us back to our hotel in plenty of time for our hotel change and evening plans)
What wasn't included in the price of the excursion (but we knew about it ahead of time) was the entrance fee to the park. Once we paid our fees, they shuffled us into a room to watch a movie about preserving the reef and the do's and don'ts of swimming in the reef. We started to make our way toward the bay (which was quite a hike down). Our driver had told us that there is a cart that takes people up and down the hills since it's so steep, or you can choose to walk. We chose to walk down and ride back up. The catch is: the cost of the trolley going down was 50 or 75 cents...but $1 to ride back up. Those folks knew what they were doing. ;) (probably the best $2 we spent though)

We had been assured that if we needed any additional assistance, there would be people around that we could ask...but surprisingly, I had not trouble at all breathing with the snorkel. I tried dunking my head in the water to practice a few times, and I was good to go. Unfortunately, Cbog40 had more difficulties with it. I felt badly because as soon as I saw my first fish, I was off on my own adventure. We weren't too far from each other (the safety guidelines said to use the buddy system), but I kind of left him in the dust. With my handy-dandy waterproof camera in hand, I set off to take a few pics of my first snorkeling adventure.
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I couldn't tell you what kind of fish I saw, but I did manage to see an eel. Apparently (at least it's what I was told) they only really come out much later in the day, so I was lucky to see it. He definitely startled me and I did my best at staying out of his way. But I managed to snap a few pics of him (or her).
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Look out Mr. Fish!
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Notice the urchin peeking out from the hidden Mickey...
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At one point, I ended up much farther out than I ever intended to go and a wave came along and threw me into some large rocks that were almost to the surface of the water. In that moment, my mask was loosened a little and water began to get into my mask. I couldn't see, was being thrown onto the rocks and I was trying not to touch them because I didn't want to kill any coral, was in a deeper area where I couldn't just stand up, and I was waving to Cbog40 to help me. He thought I was just waving at him and kind of gave me the 'way to go' thumbs up. When I finally made it back to where he was, he realized something was wrong. I ended up with a few small scratches, but was fine. To my surprise, I wanted to go back out...normally something like that would have scared me from going out again...ever. But because it was getting kind of close to our departing time and we had to change and make our way back up (and it was kinda chilly since it was cloudy), we decided to get out of the water. I headed over to the lifeguard station to get some iodine and band-aids to clean/cover my scratches with, and the lifeguard put me at ease saying that it happens all the time...boy those things stung like the devil!
We made it back up with no problem (other than the 10 minute wait) and also managed to take some additional pics of the area.
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Hanauma Bay (the beach cannot be seen in this pic)
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On our way back, our driver passed out some tootsie pops to help us get the salt out of our mouths. We encountered a heavy downpour on the way back to the hotel, so it was a good thing we had left when we did. We decided to grab a Dole Whip before walking back to the hotel. That caramel sauce on top was really tasty!
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When we arrived back to the hotel, we gathered our bags and took a taxi to the hotel we would be staying at for our last night in Hawaii. It was sad to say goodbye to such a beautiful property, but there was no way we were able to extend our stay there, so we found another place not too far away. We got checked into our new hotel and proceeded to get changed for our dinner cruise.
The view of Diamond Head from our 2nd hotel:
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There was even an "ocean view" from our room... :lol: (yep, right there between the palm trees in the distance...)
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Not quite like the poshness of our beautiful pink palace, but it'll do for a night...
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We went out to our meeting place for the cruise and the bus came and took us to the appropriate dock. Along the way, our guide (who ended up being a performer in the show on the cruise) got everyone pumped up by teaching us a chant. What we didn't know at the time was that this was going to be part of the show later.
Our catamaran for the dinner cruise:
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It turned out that there were several people from Cbog40's conference on our cruise too. Since the seating was large tables, we asked if we could all sit together. So we all had our own table...and I think we were the party table... :lol:
The food was good and was served buffet style.
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After dinner, we had a little bit of time to explore the boat before the show started. The show consisted of dance styles and costumes for each Polynesian nation that made up the early inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands.
Let the show begin!
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The chant came into play later on in the show when there was a competition to see which 'bus' was the loudest....honestly, I don't remember who won, so it probably wasn't us. :lol: The show ended with a giant conga line around the entire floor. (I cannot confirm nor deny my participation in said conga line)

We headed back to the hotel after a very long, but exciting day.

On our last day, we were both so beat and only had a few hours before heading to the airport, that we decided to take it easy. We originally planned to go check out Aulani and Pearl Harbor...but given the amount of time it would have taken to get there and back, it wouldn't have left us much time to explore. Plus we were exhausted. So we discovered that there was an aquarium close by and we decided to check it out. The aquarium is located in a park, and we passed this banyan tree on the way there. I never realized how majestic and beautiful these trees are until I saw them in person.
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The building wasn't much to look at, but inside was great! It wasn't a large aquarium, but the tanks they had were well lit and very colorful. There were inside as well as outside areas to explore as well.
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Hawaiian Monk Seal
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Yeah, we did the touristy thing and got our pic taken...
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Look what was on the walls in the gift shop! (besides the security camera...)
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It was time to head back to the room and get over to the airport for our long flight home. It was sad to leave...especially when we came home to this...
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