Hawaii 2k9: Day 1

They say, “It’s not what you know but who you know.”  Well, I know Mindy and she knows someone who was willing to hand over a two bedroom condo for a week on The Big Island.  Luckily, I was on Mindy’s guest list as a +1 and I asked Margo to join me.

An 8:11am flight Friday morning necessitated rising before 6am.  The last time I was up that early, I was working in a cucumber field in Woodburn, Oregon.  Hawaii is five hours behind Chicago and I landed at about 4pm.  I refueled with a local brew and waited, at the airport, for Margo to arrive.

When all vacation participants were present, we ventured into downtown Kona (if you can call it a downtown) in search of dinner.  Even though I’m 31, I’m pretty sure if I took a “What’s Your Real Age?” test it would clock me at no more than an 11 or 12 year old, which explains my insistence on ordering the “Pu-Pu” platter for starters.

After dinner, we meandered and I spied a little piece of home.  I followed the banner like a rainbow, hoping to find my pot of gold (i.e. a Chicago dog).  No luck, just a local trinket store.

Cedar Point summary, Hawaii to come

My blog post ToDo list is quickly growing out of control.  I intended to post about Margo’s and my trip to Cedar Point but I think our most recent trip to Hawaii will take precendence.  I’ll defer to Margo’s interpretation of the Cedar Point trip but expect a proper COF summary of our adventure on The Big Island soon.

Plane reading

In preparation for our day long journey from Chicago to Kona, HI, Margo and I hit the library for some in-flight edutainment.  Can you guess which book belongs to whom?

Protection from Mexicans

When Margo was getting ready to go out, I noticed a small glass vial.  Since it was abnormally small and nondescript, I inquired about its contents.  ”It’s perfume,” she answered.  ”I’ve never seen a bottle of perfume with these characteristics,” I thought to myself.

After much thought, I concluded the vial likely contains Gypsy tears which are believed to provide protection from Mexicans.  Or it really could just be perfume.