Hawaii & Final Post

After we left Samoa, we sailed east/northeast toward Hawaii for what seemed like an eternity, though it was actually only four days/nights. With the exception of our wedding vows renewal scheduled for December 4th, both of us were pretty much done with the trip having visited Hawaii on two other occasions. I know that sounds terrible, but having missed Thanksgiving with the family and a drum corps camp back in Ft. Mill, SC., we were feeling pretty down & lonely, probably more so me than Cheryl - she reminded me more than once..."it's what you make of it". We did our best to stay busy with various lectures, presentations, & games. The weather was miserable the first two days out of Samoa, then it cleared somewhat, but the wind & rain followed & caught up with us in Hilo. The first 5 photos below were taken onboard the ship at a special "Hawaiian Music" presentation one afternoon. It truly is beautiful music, and the gentlemen pictured here is a legend on the Islands although for the life of me I can't recall his name. He was brought on in Samoa for the sole purpose of entertaining the passengers while sailing back to Hawaii. Apparently, he's played at the White House several times - great musician but his voice was much better several years ago I'm sure.
  

We only took two photos in Hilo - Cheryl under a monstrous Banyan tree and then next to the Farmers Market. The weather was windy & wet - a warm, tropical rain though. We went through the entire Market then walked several blocks through the downtown area - it felt good to be off the ship after so many long days. For future reference, this is an exceptional market - quite clean, great product selection and very reasonable prices.

 Hilo

Honolulu

It was just a short overnight trip to Honolulu where we were scheduled for two days. The rain & wind once again followed us but by mid-morning, the weather cleared and it turned out to be a decent day. We had a traditional Luau booked our first evening so we did a lot of walking until mid-afternoon...probably 10 miles. I'd forgot just how beautiful the downtown area is - the tall glass buildings, numerous parks, impeccably-maintained landscape, streets meticulously clean. If this were my very first American port having sailed halfway across the Pacific for the first time, I'd say..."wow...what a city...what a country!" Sure makes you feel proud! We joined our tour group & bus for the Luau at 4:15 and headed up the coast about 45 minutes. The last Luau we attended was at the Cultural Center on the other side of the island about 8 years ago. By comparison, THAT was much better than the one we went to this trip, although it was still pretty good for the money. They had a nice pig roasting in an underground oven all day - a large buffet - the traditional hula dancers and of course, the flame-twirlers. A great evening - fun with friends - back at the ship by 10pm. 

The second day we booked a semi-private tour - we wanted to go to the North Shore (Sunset Beach) and watch the surf championships because the 'big' waves were rolling in. We had an excellent guide, saw many places we hadn't seen on previous visits, had lunch at a shrimp farm, and stopped at Dole Pineapple before returning to the ship.    

Removing The Pig From The Underground Oven

Lahaina

Last port before sailing to San Diego. We'd been here before as well but previously concentrated our time on the crater toward the other end of the island. This trip we rented a car and headed north - what beautiful scenery we discovered - towering cliffs, crashing surf, majestic waterfalls & thick rainforests. A great day for us, and only $55 for the car from Hertz/Dollar!

Oh...the reality of  viewing mail after 80 days!

My dear Sister met us at the port in San Diego around 8:45am Monday, December 8th. Disembarking the ship was very easy as all luggage was pre-tagged for FedX, which meant we didn't have to claim our suitcases at all. We simply had to walk through Customs with our Declaration paper - no questions asked by the officer, simply a very friendly "welcome home". We spent about 3 hours with 'Sis' near the pier just talking and catching up on family happenings - she has such a beautiful family of her own (all in California) and we don't see them nearly enough. We need to change that. Our flight to Phoenix was a short 45 minutes and by 4pm, we were in the door and so very happy to be home. Our cat saw us getting out of the cab and came running across the street to greet us...he normally prowls all night but so far this week he's staying pretty close to the house. As wonderful as the trip was, nothing's better than your own bed & your own pillow. And of course food...first evening we ordered pizza delivery, second night spaghetti, last night we had mac & cheese with baked beans & hot dogs! My weight gain this trip was 14 lbs., - Cheryl's up 5. My prior two trips saw me gain 21 & 19 respectively, so I DID improve! I'll lose it by May & be ready for our next long voyage which is March 2016 - a 55-day exploration in the Med & Black Sea. The itinerary looks great, although they've scrapped Jerusalem because of all the violence & civil unrest - good call, but disappointing. My thanks to each & every one of you for following us these past few months - I think at our peak we were averaging about 1200 hits p/day and again, we are ever so grateful for your loyalty. Should any of you have any follow up questions, feel free to email me directly and I'll get back with you as quickly as possible: bobcampau@gmail.com

Meanwhile, we wish all of you a beautiful holiday season and a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year! May God bless...