Fish Out of Water

Musings and observations about life from an East Coast native now living on the Left Coast in the California State Capitol since 2004. This fish has made her home in Madison, WI (7 years); Portland, OR (2 years); Las Vegas, NV (7 months); Middlebury, VT (3 summers); Marne-la-Vallee, a small town east of Paris, France (6 months); Middletown, CT (3 years); and Marshfield, MA, the fish's coastal hometown 40 miles south of Boston (17 years).

Name:
Location: Sacramento, California, United States

1.30.2019

On Oahu

Friday 1/25: Shop, Shangri-La, Ala Wai Canal Runs
Morning run for me along Ala Wai Canal and then yoga in the room. Breakfast at Hideout (oatmeal, eggs, pastry for Mr. E; smoked salmon avocado toast for me). Then some shopping at Ross, Tori Richard, and Quiksilver before getting two Biki bikes to ride to the Honolulu Museum of Art. We had time to peruse two of the contemporary special exhibitions and then checked in for our 1:30pm tour of Shangri-La, the former estate of Doris Duke that showcases her love of Islamic art and culture. I had done this tour during our last trip to Oahu in 2017, but I wanted to share it with Mr. E because I was so impressed by the entire experience. And the repeat visit certainly didn't disappoint!

Due to traffic, our shuttle to and from Shangri-La was a bit delayed, but we still received the full 90-minute tour and then returned to the Museum around 4pm. Too bad we didn't know that it was an "Art After Dark" evening or we might have planned to linger for the activities! Instead, we waited just a bit for the free shuttle back to Waikiki, especially since the rain had started and we didn't want to get caught out either on foot or on Biki.

We stopped at Duke's Market for me to pick up a sorbetto and fruit bowl snack. Then it was Mr. E's turn for a run along Ala Wai Canal while I checked email, blogged, and updated the travel journal. We decided to have dinner at Basalt, one of the eateries in Duke's Market. The food was very tasty, and the kitchen was able to make the scallop dish without onions or garlic for me, but the service was a bit off -- sort of friendly but rather abrupt. Mr. E lingered at the bar for cocktails, and I returned to the room to read and relax.

Saturday 1/26: Market City, Foster Botanical Garden, Hawai'i State Art Museum, Wetsuit
I enjoyed a peaceful lap swim in the hotel pool and then yoga. Breakfast at Hideout again where we shared oatmeal with fruit and an omelette with peppers and mushrooms. Unfortunate issues with the potatoes (onions and garlic despite our reminder to the server -- *sigh*).

We headed off around 10am for a Biki ride to Market City Shopping Center. We'd read about a Chinese New Year celebration at the site, but we were apparently two late for the firecrackers and only stayed for a bit to watch some of the lion dancing. Then back on the Biki bikes for a longer ride to Chinatown near downtown Honolulu to visit the Foster Botanical Garden. Lots of wind today, but the cooler temps and partial cloud cover were very welcome during our multiple Biki rides.

The stroll around the Garden was lovely cooling. We saw some interesting and large trees as well as butterflies and interesting flowers in the Conservatory. Lunch at Zippy's right across the street. Our first attempt to purchase swag for the Year of the Pig (Boar) had been unsuccessful due to a language barrier and inflexible cash-only negotiating, so we were very pleased to spot a small flower shop off of Beretania Street that had several decorations and a much easier transaction process.

As Mr. E waited to complete the purchase, I headed a block away to the (free) Hawai'i State Art Museum. Wonderful! One exhibition highlighted recent acquisitions to the collection, and the other showcased a variety of works from across the decades that showed how artists respond(ed) to and portray(ed) the changes that have happened in and on and to the islands. The collection includes both 2D and 3D artwork, which was an interesting variety and provided some great photo opportunities.




Mr. E joined me eventually, and we perused the outdoor sculpture garden together to finish up our visit. We also learned that Hawai'i was the first state to pass legislation requiring public art and setting aside funds for it back in the late 60s.

We took a final Biki ride back to the hotel, where I showered and relaxed while Mr. E went for a short workout. Around 6pm, we left to try to catch the sunset from the Top of Waikiki, but the restaurant was too busy even at the bar, so instead we ended up on the public beach near the Royal Hawai'ian Hotel (along with lots of other folks).

Then we set off on a quest to find a wetsuit for me to help stay warm during our snorkel cruise tomorrow. Success with a Roxy long-sleeved shortie front-zip version at Quiksilver -- yay! We had drinks and snacks at Hideout and then procured additional food at Duke's Market (yes, there's a pattern emerging here...) to bring back to the room. Jaws 2 was playing on TV, so of course that was a perfect background for our in-room picnic!

1.27.2019

Big Island Finale + Oahu Debut

Wednesday 1/23: Waipi'o Valley Road Trip
Short Zumba workout in the room for me followed by beachfront yoga class again. Then we hit the road to try out the new Starbucks during its grand opening to begin our road trip up to the north eastern part of the Big Island. Destination = Waipi'o Valley. Our outbound route took us up along the coast, following 19 north and east until we met up with 240 to head west.

We found a parking spot along the road near the trail down to the valley floor. Before tackling the very steep 25% grade route, we enjoyed the panoramic views from the lookout point at the top of the cliffs.



The path downwards is a paved road but only accessible with 4-wheel-drive vehicles due to the steep incline and bumpy conditions. At the bottom, we started with a quick walk to the left that led us to a horse encounter and a view of an impressive waterfall. We then headed back along the road and took the right branch of the fork that leads to the beach. Despite the rather rough surf and swells, several swimmers and surfers were out in the water.





The ascent was quite challenging and sweat-inducing, regardless of what our Lonely Planet guide claimed!!! By the time we got back to the top, we were both rather moist. I'm glad that the path was mostly shaded and that the temperature wasn't too hot, or the climb would have been miserable! I changed clothes in the car, and we stopped at nearby Honoka'a Country Market for lunch. Great service from the cashier but disappointing sandwiches when the kitchen staff promised dijon mustard but instead delivered massive amounts of dijonnaise. Not. The. Same. Thing. Arrgh!!! We used napkins from the car to wipe off as much of the offensive substance as possible and agreed that future orders should just always indicate sauce-on-the-side, no matter what.

We took a different return route to Kona, following 190 across the middle of the plains, and that led us directly back to the hotel when the route becomes Palani Road as it meets up with Kailua Kona. A final dinner at Honu's and then packing up to prepare for our departure tomorrow.

Thursday 1/24: KOA > HNL
I had a final morning of room Zumba and beachfront yoga before we finished up the packing and headed off to Starbucks again for breakfast on our way to the airport. Some of our meal was DIY to finish up the awesome huge local avocado we had bought a few days ago at Greenwell Farms, along with the orange for Mr. E's cocktails and the wheat thins from ABC.

At the airport, we had no problems this time around with the rental car return or checking in for our flight (unlike what we experienced six years ago when long, slow lines caused us to miss our flight...). However, we did have an unexpected and unwelcome fee for our checked bags. *sigh* Another strike against Hawaiian Airlines, and Mr. E will need to contact United for some sort of compensation.

The flight from Kona to Honolulu was quick and on time, and we had arranged for the local Charley Taxi service to pick us up and take us to our hotel, The Laylow, which is part of the Marriott family of hotels. We arrived around 1:30pm, so our room wasn't ready yet since the official check-in time is 3pm. With our bags safely left at the front desk, we sought out lunch at the awesome new Duke's Lane Market & Eatery next door, which contains several different eateries along with a rather upscale ABC Store, so we can continue to accrue points for our purchases towards special gifts. Nice!

We then spent some time browsing at the next-door Nordstrom Rack before returning to the hotel just after 3pm. Room still not ready. Boo. And no ETA or explanation. We whiled away a bit more time on the open-air terrace near the hotel bar and restaurant, and then Mr. E took up the late room issue with the Front Desk Manager, who finally explained that the previous guests had taken advantage of a late check-out, which is why the room wasn't yet cleaned and ready for our arrival. She offered us a $50 credit for the inconvenience, and we also received two $15 food coupons per day along with an additional one-time $10 food and beverage credit thanks to Mr. E's status with Marriott. Very useful to help keep our food costs lower, for sure.

When we finally got into our corner room on the 16th floor, we admired the amazing views of the ocean, fronted by the iconic pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel, along with the unmistakable Diamond Head silhouette.


The room has two lanai, providing a lovely cross-breeze when we open the sliding doors. We unpacked and got settled, and then Mr. E did a short workout before we grabbed Happy Hour drinks at the bar and came back upstairs to try to catch the sunset from our room. Just missed it. Oops!!! We still enjoyed our drinks on the lanai along with the music from the nightly 6:30pm hula show at the International Marketplace, which is just below and behind our hotel.

We spent time reviewing some of our tourist info and the Lonely Planet guide to make plans for the next few days, including a reservation with Hawai'i Nautical for a "guaranteed honu" snorkel lunch cruise on Sunday. We did this same activity two years ago and had a great time, and as repeat guests, we even got a 20% discount on the price. Sweet!

For dinner, we headed down to the hotel restaurant, Hideout, to use our daily vouchers. Manchego and veggie flatbread for me, and Piggy Marley burger for Mr. E. Yum! Very filling on both counts! Then we finished up the day as usual with wine and TV in the room.

1.25.2019

Big Island Adventures

Monday 1/21: Scuba & Reflexology
Early morning zumba in the room for me before our 7:45am appointment with Kona Diving Company for our two-tank "Discover Scuba Dive" tour. Max[ine] was our guide for the DSD, and the other passengers included four certified divers and one doing a refresher, so we had Max all to ourselves. Captain Jeff was also very helpful and friendly. As we headed towards the dive site, Max provided a review of basic scuba skills for us and then did the practical test in the water once we arrived at the reef.

Dive #1 = 45 minutes with lots of colorful fish, several eels, and one honu. Back on the boat to snack and move to the next dive site, Turtle Heaven, closer to the harbour. We saw lots of frisky spinner dolphins playing about in their pods -- bonus!!! Dive #2 = nearly 1 hour. No dolphin or tiger shark sightings but we did have one honu at the beginning when Max and I were in the water and another that bid us farewell as we finished up.

We got back to the dock around 12:15pm and tried to get coffee at the nearby Starbucks, but it won't be open until Jan. 23rd. We'll be back!!! Instead, we got Menehune coffee again at the hotel and some food as well. No more blueberry oatmeal available (unlike during our previous visit) and there was an unexpected charge when we asked for a to-go cup since we didn't finish our drinks in the mugs while we sat at a table. Boo. Two strikes...

After we showered, Mr. E took a nap while I did some postcards, travel journal, etc. Both of us noticed physical effects of our scuba dives this time, which was surprising to us since we did a two-tank dive on Oahu two years ago for our very first time and also did two dives on Maui last year. However, we realized that these dives were both longer and in quick succession compared to the previous experiences, so that's likely why we felt our ears were a bit plugged in addition to the rocking sensation of being on the water.

A bit of browsing along Ali'i drive, and then Mr. E went for a run while I did my daily yoga. We had a 6:45pm appointment at The Spa for reflexology, which was a bit delayed until 7pm but still provided 30 minutes of stress-relieving foot work.

Dinner at Honu's was edamame to share and then a fresh veggie roll and salmon avocado roll for me. Mr. E got the grilled ahi sandwich and shared some of his sweet potato fries. Yum all around! The evening finished up with wine and TV in the room. We both were feeling tired from the scuba so we made it a relatively early night.

Tuesday 1/22: Laundry, Whales, Manta Rays Attempt #2
Morning run along Ali'i Drive for me, with a quick visit to my favorite "secret spot" with the salt-water pool. No honus this time, though. Darn! Then beachfront yoga class again and breakfast at Honu's with a shared egg white veggie scramble, hash browns, fruit bowl, and oatmeal for Mr. E. Coffee at Menehune but not a very good crema on the Americano. Strike three???

Time for a load of laundry and relaxing before our 12:30pm check-in at the pier across the street for our Body Glove Whale-Watching cruise. Whales, whales, whales! And some sharks, too! We got to see and follow a trio of humpback whales as they swam together, spouted, flipped their tails, and even breached fully. Amazing!!! Also a shiver of hammerhead sharks towards the end of the cruise.








We got back to the pier at 3:30pm and tried to swim laps at the community pool but were foiled again, this time by team and club workouts that take over the pool in the afternoons. Would have been nice if that had been noted on the posted schedule... *sigh* A dip in the hotel pool instead to cool off and stretch out a bit. Then Mr. E took me back to Keauhou Bay to try again with Sea Paradise and the manta rays night snorkel. He had decided to opt out of a second attempt and instead went back to the hotel to work out. Caught a rainbow over the hotel when he got there!

My second attempt was a success! Woo-hoo!!! A smaller group of passengers with only three crew this time around, which gave a more intimate feel to the excursion. Four of the others were also doing a repeat, so I recognized them from two days ago. No luck again at the first spot, but then we moved into the inner harbour and joined up with a few other groups to enjoy the antics and frolicking of two lady rays. Wow! They were swimming by and doing barrel rolls up towards the surface, getting just inches from our faces. So cool!!!

Mr. E picked me up a bit after 8pm, and I regaled him with stories of the amazing rays. So glad I tried again and was able to experience this awesome sight! Dinner in our room was takeaway Taco Bell for Mr. E and finishing up some snacks for me.

1.23.2019

JEMS Sabbatical, Part 3: Hawai'i (Big Island + Oahu)

Saturday 1/19: SMF > LAX > KOA
After 2.5 days home in Sac to catch up with the kitties, bills, and laundry, we headed off again for the final part of our travel adventure. An early (6:45am) flight from Sac to LA with a two hour layover spent in the United Lounge before our 5+ hour flight to Kona on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Despite a potential oops with the rental car, Mr. E was able to procure our ride once we arrived, and we got to the Marriott Courtyard King Kamehameha before 4pm.

Smooth check-in process and quick organizing to pull out our swim gear in the hopes of getting to the nearby community pool for laps before closing time. No luck. Darn! Pool was closed all day for a swim meet, but at least we got to see the schedule for the next few days. So back to the hotel and a try for the ocean in the secluded beach but a bit too chilly for us! A dip in the lovely infinity pool instead, which we can see quite easily from our 6th floor semi-ocean view room.


Just enough time for Happy Hour at the poolside restaurant while watching sunset over the mountains and beach. Mr. E had some pupus, I had a seafood-topped salad, and we both enjoyed some cocktails. Thanks to Mr. E's status with Marriott, we get 15% off all food purchases along with $10 daily food credit per person. Sweet!

A stop at the in-hotel ABC Store for provisions (crackers, wine, candy) and then yoga in the room for me. We finished up with drinks and TV as we settled into our hotel room, enjoying the "Scenic Hawai'i" channel for info and images of multiple island attractions.

Sunday 1/20: Coffee, Pool, Manta Rays Attempt #1
Lovey and peaceful beachfront hatha flow yoga class for me from 7:30-8:30am with instructor Danielle, then breakfast at Honu's in hotel where discount and daily credit led to a total charge of under $5 for both of us. Nice!!! Next on the agenda were two errands and a coffee pilgrimage to stock up on 100% Kona beans. Our first purchase was at Menehune in the hotel, of which we had very fond memories from our previous visit six years ago.

The first errand was check-in for our evening Sunset with Manta Rays tour with Sea Paradise. Then we continued farther south to Greenwell Farms for coffee tasting and purchase, including a huge fresh avocado for only $1. Our third and final coffee stop was at Mountain Thunder, followed by the second errand of check-in at Kona Diving Company for our morning scuba tomorrow.

Back to hotel to drop off our purchases and grab our swim gear. Then a 10-minute walk to the free community pool for a lovely and uncrowded lap swim. After we showered and changed, we headed to the nearby retail area for lunch at Subway and browsing at Ross. By this time, we needed to prepare for our night manta rays snorkel adventure, heading south to Keauhou Bay to meet up with the Sea Paradise crew and other passengers. We got our wetsuits and lots of info from the crew and headed off towards the beautiful sunset over the ocean. Maybe we saw the green flash??!!



We also had glimpses of the "wolf moon" and lunar eclipse throughout the night, but unfortunately no manta rays. Boo. The captain and crew tried valiantly to encourage the rays to appear, but they just weren't cooperating, even when we moved into the inner harbour. And the 30+ minutes in the water on the light raft were quite chilly. Maybe try again another night? We can re-book for free since the critters were a no-show (well, there was that one ray that swam quickly by the boat as we transitioned to the inner spot, but that didn't really count).

By the time we dried off and got back to the hotel, we were in search of dinner. Nearly 9pm by now, so we stopped at the AKT grocery store just up the street from the hotel for some provisions for me (cheese, smoked salmon, popcorn) and other supplies for the rest of the stay (cocktail fixings). Mr. E popped down to the ABC store for some additional food, so we had a rather late dinner and later-than-usual bedtime, at least for me. Yawn!

1.15.2019

Chilling in Christchurch + End of Trip

Tuesday 1/15: Walking Tour + Buskers + Art Gallery
I got up for a run along the Avon River and all around Hagley Park. Still a bit chilly and cloudy but no rain. For breakfast, we went next door to Foundation Cafe at the beautiful new central Turanga Library and had very generous portion sizes -- actually too much bacon for Mr. E and a wee bit too much avo for me, so I shared it. Yummy and pulpy orange juice and Americanos to go so that we could join up with the 10am Walk Christchurch tour, which leaves from the red kiosk just outside the Canterbury Museum.

Our guide, Anne, led us around the CBD and other surrounding areas for 3+ hours, providing thorough commentary about the history and development of both New Zealand and Christchurch. Obviously, quite a bit of the narrative concerned the earthquakes and ongoing recovery efforts. Anne also generously shared her own personal experiences of the earthquakes. During the tour, we passed or made stops at the Canterbury Museum, Christ's College, Cathedral Square, New Regent Street, Cathedral Junction, Latimer Square, Transitional (aka Cardboard) Cathedral, 185 Chairs, Arts Centre, Public Art Gallery, The Terraces, Canterbury Earthquake Memorial, and a couple of shopping & entertainment areas. Such a great way to learn more about this fascinating and ever-changing city!








The tour finished up back at the starting point, and our timing was perfect to catch the performance of one of the many buskers currently in Christchurch as part of the 2019 World Buskers Festival. This particular performer, Hero-San, does amazing handstands, and Mr. E remembered that we'd seen him already in Wellington on Cuba Street about a week ago. This time, we watched his entire show and enjoyed both the physical skill and comic patter.


We then headed just a couple of blocks away to the Public Art Gallery, where we stopped first at the Universo restaurant for a light lunch, since it was already past 2pm by this point. We then had just under two hours to explore and enjoy the (free) Art Gallery, which wasn't nearly enough time to see everything!

Off to Cashel Street to the Unichem pharmacy to find a new clear travel cosmetic bag for me, since the Target one I'd bought just before the trip had worn out. Then back to the library to enjoy the views from the North and South roof gardens. The sun had come out to stay for the late afternoon, so we got to see the city in a very different light, both literally and figuratively.




We returned to the hotel to try to check in for our flights tomorrow but had some challenges with Mr. E's booking, so we'll have to finish the process at the airport. Dinner back on Cashel St. at the quick Japanese spot Hachi Hachi followed by drinks at Mr. E's new favorite spot The Last Word on New Regent St.

Back at the hotel, Mr. E attempted to procure a final cocktail at the restaurant bar but was unsuccessful due to a gin "crisis," so he actually went back to The Last Word while I relaxed in the room and finished up the wine we had bought yesterday. I also enjoyed the beautiful sunset and view from our hotel room.


We both went to bed at a reasonable time to prepare for our 6:30am departure from the hotel tomorrow, the start of a long travel day from Christchurch > Auckland > San Fransisco > Sacto.

See you later, New Zealand!!!


 

1.14.2019

Southern Traverse Tour Day 8: End of Tour in Christchurch

Monday 1/14: Dunedin > Christchurch
Our final coach trip today, leaving delightful Dunedin at 7:20am from our hotel for the Inter City double-decker bus at 7:45am. Again, minimal commentary and stops and only a 20-minute refreshment break in Timaru around 10:50am. Good thing we were prepared with fruit and snacks! But such hard seats on this coach -- ouch! We were both quite relieved to arrive in Christchurch just before 2pm and take the short walk from the bus depot to the Novotel on Cathedral Square. We have a great vista over the Cathedral from our 8th floor room, despite the rather cloudy and cool weather.


After checking in, we set off to find a snack along New Regent Street and then headed to the Quake City exhibition to learn more about the Christchurch earthquakes. From there, we strolled along the Avon River in the now-sunny but still cool afternoon to see the Canterbury Earthquake Memorial, which was opened in 2017, the same year that the container mall Re:Start was closed. So glad we got to see that during our previous visit!

On the way back to the hotel, we picked up some items at the grocery store, including dinner for me. Then Mr. E went out for a jog along the Avon while I ate and did some computer work. Mr. E brought back a program for the World Buskers Festival, which is currently happening at various sites throughout the city. Perhaps something to put on the agenda for tomorrow??? We still have one whole day here on our own before heading back to Sac on Wednesday for our mid-sabbatical transition.

Southern Traverse Tour Day 7: Enjoying Dunedin

Sunday 1/13: Nova, Public Art Gallery, Otago Peninsula
A sunny morning but rain in the forecast for the afternoon. Back to Nova for breakfast -- wow! Some of the best food we've had during our trip! Eggs benedict with a smoked salmon fillet for Mr. E, and the Budda bowl (quinoa, beets, bean sprouts, spinach, avocado) topped with poached egg for me. And of course Americanos to accompany the delicious food.

As Mr. E finished his second coffee, I headed into the (free) adjacent Public Art Gallery and began with the New Networks exhibition of contemporary Chinese art. Some very striking and moving works, including an entire section of pieces from the White Rabbit collection, and it was fascinating to see this linkage and have a connection to our recent time in Sydney. The permanent collection of the Gallery is also most impressive, and we spent nearly two hours exploring the various exhibitions. Incredible that all of this is free!!!

Mr. E returned to Nova for another coffee and a sweet treat, and we then headed back to the hotel for our 1:15pm pick-up for the Otago Peninsula excursion. A light rain started to fall, but the weather cleared as we drove out across the top of the peninsula to the Albatross Center and also for our tour of the Penguin Place conservation area. This spot focuses on efforts to conserve the rare and elusive yellow-eyed penguin. We got to see some chicks and adolescents in the rehab area, and then our guide Ainsley took us on a short ride out to the coast where we first got a glimpse of the fur seals.





Ainsley then led us through the ingenious trench system to a camouflaged viewing area, where we were able to observe one of the yellow-eyed penguins near a penguin "apartment."

After our tour finished, Ainsley drove our group back to the small dock to board our Monarch Wildlife Tours boat for a one-hour wildlife cruise out around the headlands. More seals, water birds, and the big albatross.



The choppy waves out in the open water were a bit much for me, especially given that the cold rainy weather had returned. I went into the inner warm cabin to lie down for a bit and was fine once we re-entered the calm waters of the harbour.

The boat docked briefly to disembark a number of passengers, and then the rest of our smaller group continued the water voyage to return to Dunedin, enjoying free hot drinks and meat pies (not for me, of course) along the way. We arrived back at the harobour around 6:50pm and were transported back to our respective hotels. A bit of organizing and packing before doing down to the Ports o' Call bar for cocktails and food. The final full day of our tour!!!