Picture Gallery Saturday, July 22
PP01: Waikiki, Oahu

We awoke at 8:00, ready to do some shopping and relaxing before our long flight home. We ate breakfast at the downstairs "Parc Cafe" (a buffet - just OK) since it was included with the room.

We then split up predictably: Mom went back to the room, Rebecca went to sunbathe by the pool, and Donna and I went shopping. Our first stop at a ubiquitous ABC Store netted us our remaining gifts and souvenirs, so thereafter we shopped more leisurely. We stopped to watch some talented Polynesian dancers as we strolled among the open-air multi-floor mall. We eventually made our way to the Swatch store so that Donna could buy her birthday watch with the money Mom gave her.

Meeting back at the hotel, Donna and I moved out of 2301 and into 2320, since it was check-out time for us. We had lunch at a bad Subway (my pizza was OK, though) and then went to browse some more. We found a Hawaiian craft store where we picked up some lei needles and Rebecca found a Hula dancer Halloween costume.

We then returned to the hotel to await our "Ilima" van. It arrived right on time and took us to the airport in good time (the trip let us see a fat rainbow over the University of Hawaii campus). The check-in process was very short and easy, but we never did find a place to declare Donna's leaf ornaments (one of which we left on the plane anyway).

The gate was blocked because people were still clearing customs, so we waited outside the gate for a while. Once we got in and waited there, we had a scary moment when a fellow passenger had a seizure in the waiting area, but emergency crews ran to her aid.

Once on the plane, though, we settled into our long flight - uneventful and mostly sleepless but pleasant enough. Home safely, we tired travelers looked forward to enjoying the memories of Hawaii for many years to come.

day 14	index