If I thought Christmas in Hawaii was different, you should have seen New Year’s Eve! But first I must tell you about December 26.
On the 26th , my family took me to a luau. First, I thought, what in the world does an old(ish) woman wear to a luau? I didn’t think I was quite ready for a grass skirt any more than I was ready for the infamous muumuu! (And yes, there are four “u’s” in that two-syllable word. I looked it up.) I ended up wearing a yellow, daintily floral maxi dress I have had for at least 20 years that is ridiculously huge on me since I lost some body parts.
My kids told me to grab my cane. Okay, that pretty much sealed it. There was no way my silvery haired cane-carrying self was going to snag a hunky Polynesian looking like that, but… it is what it is.
The site was at the North Shore, which is, you might guess, the north shore of Oahu. The area is famous for surfing, snorkeling and the 51 beaches that account for 11 of the 17 miles of coastal area.
It was a great day! The botanical gardens were also on the property, and I learned all about the native flora and fauna. We went to the gift shop (of course) and I found a few souvenirs. I found a book called Mark Twain in Hawaii I had to buy as he and I are from the same hometown, and while I don’t pretend to be the literary talent he was, we are both writers. Besides, it was only $6.95.
The grounds were beautiful. Wild peacocks roamed all around us. In fact, there was a sign warning visitors not to feed the peacocks because they had attitude. Gosh, my kids had attitude and I fed them!
We watched the weaving of palm leaves, which are used to make hats, sweat bands, baskets, etc. We watched as stones were heated and then used to create a stone “oven” with layers of palm leaves. We watched a guy scale a palm tree with no tools, no lifts, and seriously, nothing but his bare feet and hands. He must have horrible callouses!
The food was delicious, and even with teeth that don’t work well, I was able to eat a good portion of it as I drank some sort of alcoholic drink made with guava juice, which, in retrospect, might be why I could chew. Who knows? I chewed as well as anyone until I couldn’t. People who have “replacement” teeth will understand that if they don’t fit perfectly, even being glued to your gums, they occasionally take the road less traveled, as in choosing a path that does not include your mouth.
That’s right. I lost my teeth at the luau. I didn’t lose them per se. They just ... well ... fell out of my mouth in the middle of a luau with probably 100 people in attendance. When we got home, I put a tube of Fixodent in my purse and now I won’t leave home without it.
About a mile up the mountainside was a waterfall that attracts both tourists and locals. There is a deep pool below it where people like to swim. The waterfall itself was beautiful, but the milelong walk was a bit much for an old(ish) woman with a cane.
I sat whenever I could to catch my breath and then continued on my way. About halfway up, a shuttle driver pulled over and said “Mom!” Wha??? “Mom, you want me to take you the rest of the way?”
Yes. Yes, I did. And so, he did. I tipped him well for being so considerate and he said, “Mom! That’s too much!” I told him I was on vacation, take the cash and make a run for it. So, he did. I made it all the way back down on foot, only leaning on my son a few times. I was so proud of myself!
Later as I sat outside waiting for my son to pull the car around, I heard it again. “Mom!”
I looked up and there he was! “You need another ride?!”
It’s becoming not such a bad thing to be this old(ish).
The fireworks on New Year’s Eve were incredible. It wasn’t a “show,” but rather more like a pact between all residents of the island they would shoot beautiful and illegal fireworks for hours and hours.
And they did. The sky was so full of gunpowder, or whatever makes them go boom, I began to regret not having a mask with me!
My son’s neighbors across the street had a very loud party, but then why wouldn’t they? I’ve been here 20 days and they have had at least four very loud parties. After having taken a fall (the good news is I was able to get up by myself this time!) and staying up past midnight, I was definitely ready for bed at 1.
Apparently, the neighbors were not. I fell asleep about 3am-ish, and my alarm went off at 6. Yikes!
On New Year’s Day we went to some amazing sales where I walked another few miles and bought $70 worth of good smelling hand soaps and lotions for $40, and nearly $500 worth of lower-end designer clothes for $115. The fun thing about that, besides the bargains, is the clothing was in a bag for a single price. You didn’t know what you were buying until you bought it. Risky, but oh so fun! I also fell in love with a $500 Mark Jacobs bag, but you know, sometimes love is not enough.
There are 11 days left in my winter vacation. I wonder what will happen next?
