From Calg to Oahu to Sydney

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Wow, what a brilliant start to our trip. If you're ever doing the trek over to Aus, NZ or Polynesia, stopping for a small hiatus in Hawaii is the way to do it! Our hotel was right across the street from Wakiki, but we decided to rent a car to maximize our time. We had stunning weather the whole time, then it rained so we hit the road to Sydney. Now I know that a lot of you have been to Hawaii, but all that I can say is that everywhere (except the crowded freeways) are breathtaking.

Day 1: Coconut syrop, fresh pineapple, Pearl Harbour (blah... probably would have been a stunning spot, had the Yanks not parked there), surfer's beach, Diamond head, nap, sushi and a 6 pack of Moosehead for 5 bucks!

Day 2: Dole plantation: we decided to naviagate through a maze of pineapple groves in 30 C heat without water or any good sense. (This should be a required pre-marital test.) Snorkelling paradise at Waimea Bayon the North shore (I found Nemo and he's the size of a pickle. Boy does Disney ever throw things out of whack.) On the way home, we were wondering what everyone was looking at, so we stopped. Turns out the giant sea turtles love this one beach. They just come right up and swim with you. Denny was so excited that he jumped in with wallet and passport in pocket. We spent a little while with the blow-dryer to dry out our cash (the Aussies know what going on with waterproof currency!) Another sushi feast.

Day 3: We spent the morning on Wakiki, but it was crowded and the tide came in and washed people's things away. That was quite a humerous sight... fat Americans trying to run in sand and waves to retrieve their stolen towels! We decided to hit the East coast and found more stunning scenery and a beach to rest our tired bums. We drove up the rest of the coast to our pig-roast and luau. Delicious, especially the purple buns and purple sweet potatoes (and pineapple, of course). After dinner we went on a war canoe ride and explored some more parts of paradise. Phew! That went by quickly.

Day 4: We get to the airport with a nice buffer (we know about those American customs and their rubber gloves!) to find out that our flight to Sydney is delayed 2 hrs.... grrrr.... We had packed breakie, so tried to burn as much time savouring the last of our pineapple, then sat for the long haul. We eventually made it, 15.5 hrs after leaving the hotel. Chris and Tasha picked us up and we headed straight to the rugby match. It was New South Wales vs Queensland in a 3rd match tie-breaker. We picked up our free tshirts and blue wigs, and headed down to our 5th row seats. Nice choice, Denny. The game was really rough, with fists flying, dudes landing on their heads and 2 guys getting knocked out. The rules were different than what I was used to, with a team getting 5 downs and if they didn't score, they had to kick. Just like football, but with short shorts 😊

Day 5: I woke up at normal time, without the slightest sense of jet lag. In reality, we're only 3 hrs behind Hawaii (and a whole day), but I'm feeling awesome. We're going down to the harbour to explore the touristy stuff... it's the coldest month here and the forecast is for 21 C. Ahhhh.....

Jealous yet!
Love J and D

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