A Whirlwind Visit

A bunch of tourists aboard the Pineapple Express

Yesterday we played tour guides as my sister Beth and her husband, Robert, hopped over from their vacation on Maui to visit us for the day. Since they were only here for about 12 hours, we tried to pack in as much as we could in that short time.

Tom took the day off work to maximize his time with family, which turned out to be a very wise decision. Noah went to school so we could have a few hours of adult-time, which is the first for Tom and I since moving here.

After picking them up at the airport we showed them Tom's office, downtown (which they said looks like any big city), Waikiki, and Diamond Head. We ate in a sports bar called The Yard House in downtown Waikiki. The food was pretty good and the music was from the '70s, so all of us middle-age fogies recognized every song. The place was pretty dead, but according to Tom (our resident Waikiki "expert"), the place is hopping at night.

We then headed to Kailua to pick Noah up at school. It was nice that Robert and Beth could see Maunawili Elementary - home of the Menehunes (the little people). Once they walked onto the campus, I think they realized how hot it can get here. For some reason, the sun really beats down on you in the courtyard in front of his class and I find myself sweating like a pig in the short time it takes for me to pick him up.

We headed straight for the Dole Plantation, which is on the other side of the mountain, on the road that takes you to the North Shore. Walking up to the building is like stepping into Oz as everything is yellow. They have a full snack bar, but the hot-selling item is the whipped frozen pineapple (ice cream). Unfortunately, they don't have it in any other flavor for those of us (ahem, that's me) that don't like pineapple. Ok, I know I'm probably the only one on the planet that doesn't like pineapple. What can I say.

Our little Menehune strikes a Spidey pose
upon a rock at the Dole Plantation

The big attraction for us since we had Noah along was the train ride around part of the pineapple fields. We bought our tickets with plenty of time before the next departure, but found out we got relegated to the end of the line when a tour group showed up. Those darn tourists (I can talk like a local now that I am one). We ended up having to wait for the next train.

A Pineapple Plant

The train ride made a big loop around fields of pineapple and other tropical fruits. We saw banana trees, sugarcane, and mango and papaya trees to name a few. Like most people, I assumed pineapples grow in a tree, but they grow on a rather small plant. It's rather amazing how such a big and heavy fruit can grow on something that looks like a house plant.

Banana trees - look really close in the tree to the right of center

By the time we got back into Kailua, the sun was setting and it was too dark to show off the magnificent color of the water at the beach. So, for all of you who haven't seen any of our beach pictures, here is an old picture to whet your appetite:

Noah at Lanikai Beach
(which is in Kailua)

We grilled steaks back at our house while Noah and his Auntie Beth (they call Aunts Aunties in Hawaii) built a train in his bedroom. He loved showing Uncle Robert and Auntie Beth his bedroom, but it was too dark to show them the little frogs he likes to play with in the backyard. That will have to wait until next year's visit.