Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category

Grand Canyon

Friday, October 21st, 2011
grand canyon grand canyon

We arrived at the Grand Canyon on the evening of the 16th Oct. We had the 17th there and left in the morning of the18th. The first thing we noticed was how cool it was. In the evening and even more so in the morning a pullover was needed. In fact the morning we left there was frost on the car. Luckily during the day it was beautiful, blue skies and pleasantly warm.

We went up to see the canyon in the morning. Having seen it 40 years ago I noticed that it hadn’t changed much. It was still awe inspiring. The thing that had changed was that I had a bit more cash this time and so was able not only to walk along the edge of the canyon but also take a helicopter ride. Yes, after our experience in Hawaii we were eager for more.

So at 12.30 we got into the helicopter along with 3 French persons. My school boy french deserted me and so we simply smiled at each other. Then to the sound of Frank Sinatra singing “fly me to the moon” we lifted off. It took about 10 minutes to reach the canyon but when we did “Wow”. It is even more amazing from the helicopter. It gives an even greater impression of the size. On the flight there was a commentary about the canyon in both French and English by the time they had finished we were flying, to the sound of “What a wonderful world”, back to the helipad. It was all over too soon. In fact, we both agreed that instead of paying for the 30 minute tour we should have paid for the 1 hour trip.

Which was better  – Hawaii or Grand Canyon? The canyon is more awe inspiring in terms of the size but the helicoper is enclosed and the flight is fly out, circle gently round and fly back. In Hawaii the scenery is spectacular and more varied, but with the sides open and the steep banking of the helicopter it was a really exciting ride. So for me Hawaii has it.

Phoenix – Sedona – Grand Canyon

Friday, October 21st, 2011

sedona

Our flight from Hawaii arrived in Phoenix just before midnight. We were booked into the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Glad we were only staying there for one night. I had first come to the USA 40 years ago and travelled across the stats on a Greyhound bus. The Crowne Plaza reminded me of the hotels we stayed in then. In other words, the hotel could do with a make over.

8.30 the next morning we collected our hire car and we drove to the Grand Canyon via Sedona. Sedona is situated in the “Red Rock Country” and has featured in many westerns. It has grown up into a tourist town and an “artistic centre”. As we wandered round the town we came across some italians. Another opportunity to find people from Pesaro. We didn’t even talk to these italians as we were able to understand everything they said, meaning they spoke very clear italian and therefore not from Pesaro.
kachina
The other thing that we noticed in the shops were indian carvings. These were Hopi carvings and each indicated a spirit or a power. We went to a store specialising in Hopi carvings (Kachinas), pottery, bows, arrows, peace pipes, feather head dresses. It was a great shop and we ended up buying a Kachina (not the one in the picture but hope we like the one we bought when we get home).

From Sedona we drove for another couple of hours to reach the Grand Canyon at about 5.00.

Hawaii worth the effort?

Friday, October 21st, 2011
kauai streets kauai bar

We had a really good holiday in Hawaii. Glad we went to the Big Island first as it is a really interesting island but not the image one has of Hawaii. Kauai was nearer to the image with its tropical vegetation, tree covered mountains and beautiful beaches. The hotel on Big Island was rather isolated and we ate in the hotel. At Kauai there were a couple of small towns within easy driving distance of the hotel. The small towns and villages are mainly main streets with one or two storey buildings on either side, all in various states of repair, and mostly consisting of cafes, bar and shops selling souvenirs. There were a few up market restaurants but most were mid price, very relaxed, with a laid back feel. As always in the states the portions were very big, iced water was brought to the table as soon as we sat down at the table and when we had finished eating the bill arrived on the table within a minute (very different from Italy).

Would we go back to Hawaii? Yes to Kauai and if wanting to try another island would go for Mauai which is meant to be very beautiful.

Leaving Hawaii

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

pearl harbour

Our flight out of Kauai was on Saturday 15th Oct at 9.30 a.m.. We flew to Honolulu where we were to take a flight to Phoenix at 3.30p.m. So when we arrived at Honolulu we decided to go and see Pearl Harbour. We went outside to wait for a bus but after 30 minutes and no bus we opted for a taxi. As Pearl Harbour is on the airport side of the town we arrived there within 20 minutes having had an interesting chat with a very pleasant cabbie. He had come to Hawaii from Vietnam 17 years ago and he new wife and daughter are back in Vietnam with no likelihood of ever getting them to Hawaii.

At the Harbour we left our bags in the left luggage and then got our tickets. We were allocated the 11.15 tour. So we had time for a drink and a walk around the site. At 11.30 we were taken into a cinema and shown a really interesting film about the attack on pearl harbour. Exiting the cinema we boarded a boat for a five minute sail across the harbour to the memorial for the men who died on the HMS Arizona. The memorial is a covered walkway over part of the sunken ship and at the end of the memorial is a wall giving the names of all who died when the ship sunk. As always with war memorials the most touching thing is the age of those who had died.

One can stay at the memorial as long as one wants but we returned to the boat after about 10 minutes and by 12.30 we were getting a taxi back to the airport and our plane for Phoenix and the Grand Canyon.

Morning at the beach

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

regis beach hotel

On our last full day in Kauai we decided to spend the morning at the beach. Our hotel, the Westin, is set back from the coast but it has a sister hotel the Regis which is on the coast – in fact it is on 9 floors which literally descent the cliff down to beach level. Architecturally it is not a beautiful hotel but it has the benefit of being 5 star and each room has a fantastic view across the bay. As guests at the Westin we can use the Regis’s beach which means you can avoid looking at the hotel but still enjoy the sand, the sea and the view. As you can see from the pictures the clouds were rather grey but fortunately it didn’t rain until after we had left the beach.

regis beach regis beach

Waimea Canyon

Monday, October 17th, 2011

waimea canyon

One of the highspots of Kauai, in terms of scenery is the waimea Canyon apparently called the Hawaii Grand Canyon by Mark Twain. Having seen it from the heliocopter we decided to drive round the island and see it from the ground. It was worth the effort. Apart from seeing the canyon we also had a high and a low experience in terms of cafes. On the way to the canyon we decided to stop for a drink and seeing “Obsessions Cafe”. Nice name , bad cafe. Inside it was rather dingy and decided to go safe with a coke for Bill and an Orange  Juice for me. Bill drank most of the coke and decided to remove the lid to see how much drink was left and saw ants floating aro9und. On the way back from the canyon we stopped at the Hanepepe Cafe and had freshly made sanwiches and salad and resisted the tempation of passion fruit and coconut cake.

Limahuli gardens

Saturday, October 15th, 2011
limahuli gardens limahuli gardens

The day after the helicopter ride we decided to go low key and visit an ethno-botanical gardens not too far from the hotel. We opted for the guided tour and met our guide Sue under the breadfruit tree. She explained that the idea behind the gardenwas to try and create zones within the garden which would show the vegetation in different periods. So at the beginning of the tour we were shown many of the “canoe plants” first brought to the island in their canoes by the first polynesian settlers. This inclued the taro plantwhich had been the mainstay of Hawaiian agriculture until the 19th century. After canoe plants we walked uphill into the other zones of the garden – plants endemic to the island and introduced plants which eradicated less vigourous native plants. It was a really interesting tour with Sue not only talking about plants but also telling us some Hawaiian legends. The tour lasted two and a half hours and was worth every minute.

Helicopter ride

Friday, October 14th, 2011
helicopter ride helicopter ride
helicopter ride helicopter ride
helicopter ride helicopter ride

The reason for going to Hawaii was to go on a helicoper ride round the island of Kauai. As the middle of the island is inaccessible by road it has to be seen by helicopter. We arrived at the offices of  the company and were discretely weighed so that they could balance the helicopter. We were linked up with a young, thin, newly married couple from New York with them in the front with the pilot and us in the back to provide ballast.
helicopter trip passengers
After our security talk, and being strapped in we were off. Wow. It was rather scarey at first and then we started to relax until either we seemed to be heading straight into a cliff face or when we banked steeply to avoid the cliff face. We had opted for the open door ride which mean tit was very windy but the advantages were that it had only 4 passengers, clear views for pictures, and the disadvantage that  despite the seat belts I had a slight feeling of being able to fall out. Jason the pilot gave a commentary about the island’s history, films made on the island etc. but most times we were absorbed in being stunned by the views – flying over a canyon floor far below, or past cliffs twice the size of the Empire State Building. It was a great trip and well worth every dollar – would love to do it again.

On to Kauai

Thursday, October 13th, 2011
westin hotel westin hotel

After our few days on Big Island we took off for Kauai. We arrived about 6.00 and got the hire car to drive up to the north coast of the island. By the time we got there it was pitch black and we had real problems finding the hotel. We knew it was near a town called Princeville but couldn’t see any signs for the hotel. We stopped in a garage to get some advice but with my 2.1 degree in geography I got the directions mixed up and we headed off in the wrong direction. It didn’t help that the roads were narrow, dark and incredibly busy as the day we travelled was labour day and lots of people were out for the day. We stopped a second time and got new directions – look for a supermarket called Foodland and a fountain and at that point turn left. We drove back and still couldn’t find the place and began to get ratty with each other. We stopped off at another shopping centre and Bill noticed that a small shop was called Foodland.Not the big sign we had been looking for. We turned left and driving down the road finally noticed the name of the hotel. So we arrived about 1 hour late and not in the best of moods. At the hotel the receptionist explained that Hawaiian law only allowed hotels to put signs at the beginning of their street. As our hotel was a street of a street it was not possible to  put a useful sign saying Westin Hotel this way.

The hotel, once we got there, turned out to be very comfortable. In fact it was really a studio flat with a large bed/living room, kitchen area, bathroom and more importantly a washing machine and dryer as after a week travelling clean clothes were getting fewer. The small kitchen is well equiped including a microwave oven with buttons to cook to cook everything from baked potato, to popcorn (as Bill is demonstrating).

Big Island – day 3

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011
fairmont hotel beach fairmont hotel beach

Our third day  was a lazy day by the pool and beach in the morning and then in the afternoon a short drive round the area. Very relaxing.