This was our day for touring the island. We’d planned to do a big circuit, but there were time constraints. So we visited Lahaina, which is nice, if a little too much like Fishermans Wharf…

We started the drive to Hana, but we realized about a half hour in that it was pretty much just another winding road, and that it was going to take forever but not offer sufficient benefit for the time invested, so we aborted and headed back to Kihei to say goodbye to KC and Galen, and we watched the sunset from the correct side of the island…

 

We were pretty much determined to get local food for dinner, and we found it at Sheik’s in Kahului, a typical Hawaiian plate lunch sort of place. We liked. Muchly…

 

Afterward, it was back to Foodland (just because we could) and home to the hotel, so we could get up very early and fly back to Oakland…

Like I said, Hawai’i was never high on my list, but I’m glad we visited. People were friendly, the wedding was beautiful, and Spam was plentiful and cheap. Next visit, though, we’ll probably do Oahu. I’d imagine it’s a little more to our liking…

Wedding day. After a breakfast involving lots of Spam and rice (two scoop) at the hotel coffee shop, we went to the local Wal-Mart for flip flops and assorted casual wedding gear. We also did the quick drive-by tour of Kahului…

The wedding was really nice. Miraculously, a breeze seemed to appear just as we hit the beach, even making the temperature bearable. As Mark said, a casual and unrehearsed wedding is a good thing since everything is very informal and nothing really can go all that wrong…

 

Dinner Friday night was at Humuhumunukunukuapua’a, which is much easier to cut and paste than to type (or pronouce). It made for a wonderful dinner in the tiki hut, with lots of food, the occasional toast, and even a dance from the bride and groom…

 

Afterward, we went back to out own hotel and played on our own cooler and darker beach…

I’d never been to Hawai’i. In fact, it had never been very high on my list of priorities. But there was a wedding involved, and I just couldn’t resist the thought of visiting — not to mention doing it in — another state, one of only two which is ever farther west than my own…

Mark and I dragged our asses and our luggage up Seventh Street to the Civic Center BART station at an unspeakably early hour so we could make it to the Oakland airport and catch our rescheduled flight to Kahului. The airport was from hell (who knew there was an even worse option than SFO?), but the flight was just fine. Aloha may be one of the last airlines that actually takes care of its passengers…

We picked up three hours flying west, thanks to that time zone thing, and arrived a little before noon. We got our car, drove out of the airport and were immediately greeted by a Costco and a Krispy Kreme. Just like in America…

 

It didn’t take us long to find the Longs (for water and snacks) and our hotel (for the elimination thereof). The hotel was budget, but nice, with sort of a faded 1950s glory and a window unit air conditioner which eventually cooled things down. And it was a friendly sort of place. After checking in, we looked around Kahului and got lunch at a burrito place in a strip mall near the Wal-Mart. I sort of liked that we were obviously staying in the “locals” part of the island…

Later, we me KC and Galen at their resort, and they frolicked in the ocean and on the beach while I desperately sought shade. I only do beaches in the fog and at night, and find them to be wretchedly miserable places to spend a hot sunny day, and I don’t apologize for that fact…

Afterward, we had a group of about eight for dinner at a nice Thai place in Kihei…

In less than 24 hours, I’ll be in Hawaii. Who saw that coming?

Apologies for the lack of updates lately and all, but I’ve just been too busy. If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t sent my aunt in North Carolina a “thank you” card yet either…