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17th APRIL 2009 - ROCKING UP IN HAWAII!!
Aloha Hawaii! 6.30am when the plane landed and I was like a kid at christmas...very very excited!! I guess some childhood dreams do come true! Off the plane we picked up our luggage and queued up through passport control. A relly rude lady began shouting 'this way sir' over and over until the guy at the front realised she was talking to him. She was only around 10 feet away and could have easily have walked over without being so aggressive! I hoped that wasn't a sign of things to come from Americans....I had only just changed my opinion of them thanks to Alabama. I hoped she was a one off! I think I then annoyed the lady at passport control. She asked me how long I was in America for. I wasn't sure if she meant America the country or America the continent so I asked her to clarify. You would have thought I had asked her to shine my shoes the way she glared at me! Oh dear...off to a bad start!
We had been very lax for this country and had failed to pre-book anywhere to stay. The information
lady was not very helpful either but a couple nearby heard us asking for places to stay and came over to help. They had booked a hostel (Hostel International - American version of YHA) and gave us the number to try there. We decided to chance it and just rock up and pray they had a room for us. We kept our fingers crossed!! Off the shuttle bus we buzzed at the gate and a guy came down and led us to reception. They had no dorm rooms left but said they would put us in a room for the night that ´they didn't usually use' and then we could move to a dorm the following night. It sounded ominous but we just needed a place to stay and would have taken anything. The room was pleasantly surprising. It wasn't luxury and was a bit dark like a crack den but on the whole we were lucky. It was a private room. 1 bunk bed and an ensuite bathroom. I was not complaining! The hostel also had a kitchen, internet, a dining area and a tv area. Sorted..for 3 nights at least!
Once we had dumped our bags we
set out to check out the area. It didn't feel at all like we were on an island like Fiji but more how I expected a place like California to be. It was very built up and sky scrapers and palm trees littered the streets. We were in an awesome location; very close to Waikiki beach (world famous) and the town centre. It didn't appear to really be a travellers destination but more of a holiday place as very expensive. Looked like we would have to live like we were on holiday for a week. The things life throws at you eh?!! We had a wander to look at the beach...clear sea, nice strip of sand though very small as sky scrapers littered the sea front, and an abundance of surfers in the water. I loved it already and pinched myself...I really was in Hawaii!!
At 8ish we went into a cafe for breakfast. Pancakes and tea for me. Tasty and cheap until we got the bill and saw the compulsary 15% service charge tax whacked on there...bloody America! After breakfast we browsed the streets some more. Looked like loads of good shopping...not fair when I had no money
to spend. After browsing the streets some more we headed back to the hostel to grab our towels...time to hit Waikiki beach!!
The beach was lovely - golden sand and clear waters. So many surfers out and boards for hire. A good place to hone my limited skills!! We didn't do much on the beach that day though except lie there and go for a paddle. Nat slept for a while to try and catch up from her lack of sleep on the plane and I just chilled out and people watched...or should I say surfer watched!! The sun was very hot and I was still very excited that I was actually in Hawaii!!
After the beach we headed to the supermarket and bought some fruit and cereal etc. No real prices though as extra tax on everything when you go through the checkout. Why they don't just put the actual price I will never know! Back at the hostel we had a spot of tea, showered and changed. It felt nice to be refreshed as always feel groggy after being on a plane, especially during the night. I tried to text home to tell them that I
was safely in Hawaii but my phone had broken and though I can receive texts I cannot send them. I knew mum would panic if she didn't hear from me and so I emailed instead and hoped that she would get it.
Neither of us were up for much during the evening but the guy at the hostel told us about a cheap cinema that showed older releases for $1 per showing...thats about 70pence! Wow!! 'He's Just Not That Into You' was showing. I had wanted to see it when 1st released anyhow and so we set off out to catch the bus to the cinema. Crazy lady at the bus stop and what she didn't know about buses was not worth knowing! She badgered us about where we were going and then handed us a piece of pre-prepared paper to tell us which buses to catch. It wasn't her job...she just liked buses I think! A guy sat on the bench nearby cupped his hand around his mouth and muttered 'she knows a lot about buses' as the lady moved on from us to badger some more people waiting. So funny!
When the bus finally arrived I stepped on . $2 per person. I only had a $1 and a $5 note and the bus didn't give change. I turned to Nat to ask if she had a spare dollar. The driver began shouting at me and telling me to hand the $5 note over and pay for both of us. He was really rude and kept shouting for me to pay $5. In a normal life I would have but in this travelling game, every dollar helps. I stood my ground and waited for Nat to lend me a dollar. He continued shouting and so I turned and told him that there was no need for his attitude! I was really mad and he should not have been working in a job dealing with people. I wanted to punch him hard in the face!
We eventually arrived at the cinema and I had calmed down a little. It wasn't the dollar ticket we expected but $1.50...still a bargain! Settled to watch the film and it was so so good and a lot of it was pretty close to the truth. I laughed, empathised and even shed a tear...signs of a good film and very easy watching. Film over we caught the bus back to the hostel. Not the same driver thank goodness. We did see another confrontation on the bus though between 2 passengers about a bag touching someones foot. Not a big deal at all but they became really confrontational about it. Not seeing Americans in a good light so far!!
Once at the hostel, we crashed as we were both very tired; not surprising considering it had been a 47 hour day!
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uh huh
non-member comment
hm
I hoped that wasn't a sign of things to come from Americans.... wow.. don't jump to conclusions or anything!